Actor Sowcar Janaki has passed away at the age of 94, confirmed Nadigar Sangam's president and actor Nasser. Reportedly, she was recently in the intensive care unit for age-related health issues. "Her mortal remains will be placed at Centoph Road, Teyampet," reads an excerpt from Nasser's statement.
Sowcar Janaki is among Indian cinema's most revered senior actors, with a career spanning more than 400 titles across languages. The actor made her debut with a role in the 1950 Telugu film Shavukaru, directed by LV Prasad, and it provided her with the moniker 'Sowcar'.
She is popular for her roles in films directed by K Balachandar that include titles such as Neerkumizhi (1965), Edhir Neechal (1968), Kaviya Thalaivi (1970), and Thillu Mullu (1981). Besides Tamil and Telugu, she also starred in Malayalam, Hindi, and Kannada films.
A recipient of the 1969 Kalaimamani award, she was also presented with the Padma Shri in 2022 for her distinguished contributions to Indian cinema and art. She won multiple state awards for her performances in films.
Her last appearance in Tamil came in director R Kannan's 2020 film Biskoth, which marked her 400th film. In Telugu, she made her final appearance in 2023's Anni Manchi Sakunamule, directed by BV Nandini Reddy and co-starring Santosh Sobhan and Malvika Nair.
Her husband, Sankaramanchi Srinivasa Rao, passed away way back in 1947, according to Wikipedia. She has three children (Yagna Prabha Koty, Venkataramana Sankaramanchi, and Sachi Rao), four grandchildren (Vaishnavi Aravind, Dev Prasad Koty, Dr Sanjai Rao, and Rishi Sankaramanchi), and four great grandchildren.
