Veteran actor Sowcar Janaki died on August 21 at the age of 94 in Chennai. The actor who starred in numerous Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films was hospitalised at a private hospital briefly before her death. Nandini Reddy, who directed her final film, paid a moving tribute to her on social media.
Nandini Reddy on directing Sowcar Janaki’s final film
Nandini posted a picture of her, actor Malvika Nair and the team of the 2023 Telugu film Anni Manchi Sakunamule posing with Janaki on the sets on her Instagram Stories. She wrote, “RIP Amma,” with a folded hands emoji. She also posted pictures of the veteran actor dubbing for her role and another of the handwritten note she sent to her on her Feed.
“This grand old lady of Indian cinema was the most affectionate and most professional artist I have ever had the privilege of working with,” wrote the emotional filmmaker who recently directed Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Maa Inti Bangaaram, adding, “She told us stories , cooked and fed us all while doing her work as immaculately as she spoke . Independent , outspoken , articulate and most benevolent….. amma we were blessed to share a small part of your journey…… farewell.”
Anni Manchi Sakunamule starred Santosh Sobhan and Malvika in lead roles along with Rajendra Prasad, Rao Ramesh, Naresh, and Gautami. In the film, Janaki played a character named after her, an adoptive grandmother to the lead character. It was the last time she was ever seen on screen. Janaki’s last Tamil film, Biskoth, her 400th film, was released in 2020. Directed by R Kannan, the film was a parody.
About Sowcar Janaki
Janaki began her career in 1950 with the Telugu film Shavukaru, which earned her the moniker ‘Sowcar’. It was directed by LV Prasad and starred NT Rama Rao in the lead role. Her Tamil debut was in 1952 with TR Sundaram’s Valayapathi. Janaki soon skyrocketed to stardom and was sought after for films in various languages.
Interestingly, Janaki made a name for herself after marrying and having children. Her parents married her off as a minor to Sankaramanchi Srinivasa Rao, and she was pregnant while writing her matriculation exams. Janaki did not just graduate from high school; she also graduated from Gauhati University in Assam. She worked as a radio jockey for Aakashavani Madras (All India Radio) when she was very young.
Janaki and Srinivasa Rao had two daughters and a son. Her sister and granddaughter followed in her footsteps, becoming actors. Vijay, Kamal Haasan, Jr NTR, Chiranjeevi and several others paid tributes after her death.