Heritage city mourns Sowcar Janaki
Renowned Indian actress Sowcar Janaki has passed away at the age of 94, leaving behind a legacy of over 450 films across five languages. A former radio artist and freedom movement participant, she was a celebrated figure in South Indian cinema and a recipient of the Padma Shri.
Why it matters
Her death marks the end of an era for South Indian cinema, as she was one of the last remaining links to the early golden age of Telugu and Tamil film industries.
Sankaramanchi Janaki (1931-2026), a radio artist turned actress whose career spanned 72-years, was born in Seshayya Mettu Street in the heart of Rajamahendravaram city on December 12, 1931. The historians of the 1000-year-old city of Rajamahendravaram claimed that Ms. Janaki’s family lived in a house near Damerla Art Gallery.
“Ms. Janaki’s father, Sankaramanchi Venkoba Rao, worked in the paper mill. Her family lived in the old building, in which SBI’s Gokavaram branch is now in operation”, Jith Mohan Mitra told The Hindu . Mr. Mohan is a child artist who acted in Director K. Viswanath’s Sankarabharanam and Saptapatdhi and renowned singer.
Ms. Janaki has 450 films to her credit in the five languages: Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada. She has also acted in plays directed by renowned director K. Balachander in more than 300 shows. At 13, she had a brief stint as an artist with the Akashavani Madras.
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