The name stayed with her for the rest of her life.
Veteran South Indian actor Sowcar Janaki, one of the most respected and celebrated names in Indian cinema, passed away on August 21, 2026.
She was 94 years old at the time of her passing, leaving behind a legacy that spanned several remarkable decades across multiple film industries.
According to Nadigar Sangam president Nassar, Sowcar Janaki breathed her last at 1.59 pm on Friday afternoon.
Nassar announced that the actor’s body would be placed at Centaoph Road in Teynampet from 5 pm to allow fans and the film fraternity to pay their respects.
The announcement was received with deep sorrow across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam cinema, where Sowcar Janaki had left an indelible mark.
She earned the iconic screen name Sowcar Janaki after delivering a breakthrough performance in the 1955 Telugu film Sowcar.
The name stayed with her for the rest of her life and became synonymous with grace, talent and versatility across South Indian cinema.
Born Sankaramanchi Janaki into a Kannada-speaking family in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, she was married off at a young age.
Despite the limitations placed on her early life, Janaki pursued her ambitions with remarkable determination.
She worked as a radio jockey at Aakashavani Madras, now known as All India Radio, before finding her way into the world of acting.
In 1947, she married Sankaramanchi Srinivasa Rao and went on to have three children, two daughters and a son.
Her commitment to education was extraordinary.
She appeared for her matriculation examinations while pregnant and later graduated from Gauhati University in Assam.
Her three children are Yagna Prabha Koty, Venkataramana Sankaramanchi and Sachi Rao, all of whom survive her.
Sowcar Janaki made her acting debut in 1950 with the Telugu film Shavukaru, directed by the acclaimed LV Prasad in what proved to be a defining beginning.
Two years later, she made her entry into Tamil cinema with Valayapathi, directed by TR Sundaram, further expanding her reach across film industries.
Her Kannada debut came with Devakannika in 1954 and she later starred opposite the legendary Dr Rajkumar in Mahishasura Mardini in 1959.
Mahishasura Mardini is widely regarded as the first pan-India film of Kannada cinema, giving Sowcar Janaki a permanent place in cinematic history.
She made her Malayalam debut with School Master in 1964, completing an extraordinary multilingual career that few actors of any generation have matched.
Over the course of her celebrated career, she worked with some of the biggest names in Indian cinema across four major South Indian film industries.
