Veteran actor Sowcar Janaki dies at 94
Hyderabad : Veteran actor Sowcar Janaki died at a private hospital in Chennai on Friday. She was 94.
Janaki had been unwell for the past few days and was admitted to the hospital about a week ago with a respiratory ailment. Her condition worsened on Thursday, following which she was shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for treatment. She died on Friday while undergoing treatment.
Sankaramanchi Janaki became known as Sowcar Janaki after playing the female lead in the Telugu film Shavukaru. She subsequently adopted the film’s name as her screen surname. The film marked the beginning of her long career in South Indian cinema.
She worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films and had a career spanning more than seven decades. The source copy says she acted in 450 films. The Government of India’s Padma Awards profile, however, describes her as having acted in more than 400 films across five languages.
Born on December 12, 1931, in Rajahmundry, Janaki went on to work with actors from four generations. She later settled in Chennai.
The source copy says she had a son who settled in the US. It also states that actors from the Telugu film industry and political leaders expressed condolences over her death.
Janaki received several honours during her career, including the Padma Shri in 2022. She was last seen on screen in Anni Manchi Sakunamule in 2023.
