Chennai: Legendary actress Sowcar Janaki, one of the most respected senior artistes of Indian cinema, died on Friday due to age-related ailments, a hospital source said
She was 94. She breathed her last at 1.59 pm.
Her trailblazing career spans seven decades of legacy defined by immense versatility, shifting seamlessly from a golden-age leading lady to a revered actress in the Indian film industry.
Born as Sankaramanchi Janaki, she was married to Sankaramanchi Srinivasa Rao. She is survived by three children, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
She has acted in over 400 movies in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam for over seven decades. She was conferred the Padma Shri award by the government in 2022 in recognition of her distinguished and lifelong contribution to Indian art and cinema.
Commentator Sumanth C Raman described Sowcar Janaki as a “spirited actor with a career spanning generations. And a strong personality too.”
RIP Sowcar Janaki. Spirited actor with a career spanning generations. And a strong personality too.
About Shanti!— Sumanth Raman (@sumanthraman) August 21, 2026
Actress Kasturi said on “X” “Can’t believe Sowcar Janaki garu is no more. What a spitfire she was ! 95 years young . We lose another legend. Om Shanti. I spoke of her glowingly just few days ago – she was not well, hoped she would stage a fighting comeback… my sincere condolences to her family.”
The veteran actress is famous for her depicting emotional depth and had portrayed strong-willed, modern, and highly witty woman roles. She smashed the mold of suffering woman stereotype of her era.
She was active from 1950 to 2023, performing across generations of cinema, commanding screen presence alongside iconic personalities like NTR, Sivaji Ganesan, MGR, Gemini Ganesan, and Rajkumar. As she aged, she reinvented herself as a sought-after grandmother and matriarch.
Her breakthrough was in the 1950 Telugu film Shavukaruwhich earned her the title Sowcar. Her Bhaga Piravinei (1959 film) was a landmark drama alongside Sivaji Ganesan in which she played a deeply devoted wife supporting her physically challenged husband.
In Parthiban Kanavu (1960), she showcased her range by depicting two starkly contrasting lookalike characters. Pava Mannippu (1961), Iru Kodugal (1969), and Bama Vijayam (1967), in which she displayed her incredible, sharp comedy timing as a middle-class daughter-in-law obsessed with high-society glamour, were among her numerous hits.
Following her death, Sowcar Janaki’s mortal remains have been kept at Centaph Road in Teynampet here for her relatives, friends, and the public to pay their homage.