Veteran actress Sowcar Janaki died on Friday at the age of 94. She breathed her last at 1.59 pm after age-related ailments, a hospital source said.
Janaki had a career of more than seven decades in Indian cinema. She acted in over 400 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.
Born Sankaramanchi Janaki, she was married to Sankaramanchi Srinivasa Rao. She is survived by three children, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Janaki was known for strong roles with deep emotion and sharp wit. She often played modern and strong women on screen. Her roles broke away from the common image of women who only suffered in films of her time.
She was active from 1950 to 2023. During her long career, she acted with stars such as NTR, Sivaji Ganesan, MGR, Gemini Ganesan and Rajkumar.
Janaki also won praise for her work in later years. She took on roles as grandmothers and family heads. This helped her stay close to new generations of film fans.
Her big break came with the 1950 Telugu film Shavukaru. The film gave her the name Sowcar, which later became part of her screen name.
Her films included Bhaga Piravinei, Parthiban Kanavu, Pava Mannippu, Iru Kodugal and Bama Vijayam. Bhaga Piravinei, released in 1959, starred her with Sivaji Ganesan.
In the film, she played a devoted wife who stood by her husband after he became physically disabled. In Parthiban Kanavu, she played two very different lookalike characters.
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Bama Vijayam, released in 1967, showed her skill in comedy. She played a middle-class daughter-in-law who wanted a high-society life.
Janaki received the Padma Shri in 2022. The award recognised her long contribution to Indian art and cinema.
Tributes came after news of her death. Commentator Sumanth C Raman called her a spirited actor whose career crossed many generations. He also praised her strong personality.
Actress Kasturi also paid tribute to Janaki on X. She expressed shock at her death and offered her condolences to the family.
After her death, Janaki’s mortal remains were kept at Centaph Road in Teynampet. Her relatives, friends and members of the public gathered there to pay their respects.
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