Sankaramanchi Janaki (born T. Janaki; 12 December 1931), popularly known as Sowcar Janaki (Tamil) or Shavukaru Janaki (Telugu) or Sahukar Janaki (Kannada), is an Indian actress who has appeared in over 300, films, predominantly in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

, and

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

languages. She also performed on stage in over 300 shows and was a radio artist during her earlier years. She is the recipient of two Nandi Awards,

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government o ...

and India's fourth-highest

civilian award This list of civil awards and decorations is a partial index to articles about notable civil awards and decorations. It excludes Law enforcement awards and honors and ecclesiastical decorations, which are covered by separate lists. See :Civil aw ...

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

. Her younger sister Krishna Kumari, is also a noted actress.

Personal life

Janaki is born on 12 December 1931. She is the elder daughter of T. Venkoji Rao and Sachi Devi of

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Ra ...

. Her younger sister is Krishna Kumari, who is also an actress. She being brought up in a

-speaking

Madhva Brahmin Madhva Brahmins (also often referred as Madhvas or Sadh-Vaishnavas), are Hindu Brahmin communities in India, who follow Sadh Vaishnavism and Dvaita philosophy propounded by Madhvacharya. They are found mostly in the Indian states of Karnataka, ...

family. She completed her earlier studies from

Gauhati University Gauhati University, also known as GU, is a collegiate public state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established on 26 January 1948 under the provisions of an Act enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly. It is the oldest ...

in Assam and has received an

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...

. She has two daughters and a son. Her granddaughter Vaishnavi Aravind is also an actress who acted in several Tamil, Telugu and a few Malayalam movies since 1987.

Film career

Sowcar Janaki has been a prominent radio artist at "Aakashvani Madras" from the age of 14. She has also acted in Telugu plays penned by prominent authors like Dr. P.V. Rajamannar, Dr. Aarudra Padmaraju Atreya and others. She made her debut at the age of 18, after her marriage, in 1949 with the film ''Shavukaru''. She became a popular actress with hits in various languages between 1949 and 1975. Janaki had stated in an interview with Chitra Lakshmanan, that when she entered the movie world, there was V.N. Janaki(MGR's third wife) playing heroine roles. As such, to distinguish her from V.N. Jankai, producers came to tag the name ''Sowcar'' in front of her name. Her lead heroine roles in ''Valayapathy'' (Tamil), ''Rojulu Marayi'' (Telugu), then in Tamil, such as ''Naan Kanda Sorgam'', ''Kaviya Thalavi'', ''Bhagya Lakshmi'', ''Pallum Pazhamum'', ''Paar Magale Paar'', ''Thayikku Thalaimagan'', ''Kumudham'', ''Panam Paadithavan'', ''Puthiya Paravai'', ''Bama Vijayam'', ''Oli Villaku'', ''Ethir Neechal'', ''Maanavan'', ''Uyardha Manidhan'', ''Nimarundhu Nil'', ''Thunaivan'', ''Needhi'', Kaliyuga Kannan and ''

Iru Kodugal ''Iru Kodugal'' () is a 1969 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by K. Balachander. The film stars Gemini Ganesan, Sowcar Janaki, Jayanthi, Nagesh, V. S. Raghavan, S. N. Lakshmi and others. The story revolves around one man who was ma ...

'' (Tamil), with Kannada films such as ''Devakaanika'', ''Saaku Magalu'', ''Sadarame'', ''Thayige Thakka Maga'' received popular recognition. Janaki's Malayalam debut ''Schoolmaster'' (1964) and with a film in Hindi - ''Teen Bahuraniyan''. She worked with famous directors such as Dada Mirasi and K. Balachander. Janaki moved to supporting roles after 1975 and her performances in Tamil films like ''Cinema Paithiyam'', ''Thee'', ''Thillu Mullu'', ''Vetri Vizha'', ''Puthu Puthu Arthangal'', ''Kaanche'' and her performances in Telugu language films like Bezwada Bebbuli, Tayaramma Bangaraya, Samsaram Oka Chadarangam were widely appreciated. She even acted in Hindi films in supporting roles in Dosti Dushmani and Prem Geet. She served as jury member twice for the National Indian Films awards committee and as chair person for State Telugu Films awards committee. She had essayed wide variety of roles throughout her 73 years career. The only other actors to have had such long careers in the field of acting in India were Dev Anand, Pran, Ashok Kumar, Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Kamini Kaushal However, by 2016, her career span has overtaken most of the actors and she remains one of the few Indian actors with the longest career span. She was the most comfortable on being paired with

Sreekanth Srikanth or Sreekanth is a common Indian first name. * Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1940), Tamil film actor active in films from 1965 * Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1980), Tamil actor active in films after 2002 * Srikanth (Telugu actor), Telugu acto ...

Gemini Ganesan Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was referred to as the ''Kaadhal Mannan'' (King of Romance) for his romantic roles ...

and

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji G ...

repeatedly in Tamil films. She quoted in an interview on her pairing with Sivaji Ganesan, "He would compliment me in public using superlatives. I’d be thrilled! We would always rehearse together. If my character needed a little over-acting, he would tone down his and vice versa. It was a challenge working with the great actor! If they remember Sivaji Ganesan, they remember me". She has done over 300 films in Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and Telugu. She acted in supporting roles in films with M. G.Ramachandran as lead hero like

Panam Padaithavan ''Panam Padaithavan'' () is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language film produced and directed by T. R. Ramanna, and written by Sakthi T. K. Krishnasamy. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, Sowcar Janaki and K. R. Vijaya. It was released on 27 March 1965 ...

Petralthan Pillaiya ''Petralthan Pillaiya'' is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Krishnan–Panju and written by Aaroor Dass. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, B. Saroja Devi and Sowcar Janaki. Based on Charlie Chaplin's 1921 American film, ' ...

Thaikku Thalaimagan ''Thaikku Thalaimagan'' () is a 1967 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by M. A. Thirumugam. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa and S. A. Ashokan. It was released on 13 January 1967. Plot Within a peaceful family garage ...

Oli Vilakku ''Oli Vilakku'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language action film, directed by Tapi Chanakya and produced by S. S. Vasan. It is a remake of the Hindi-language film ''Phool Aur Patthar'' (1966). The film stars M. G. Ramachandran (in his 100th film ...

. She actively participated in drama troupes and did live drama shows right from 1960, despite being a busy film star and continued doing so till 1995. In many of the dramas, she worked with co-star

Srikanth Srikanth or Sreekanth is a common Indian first name. * Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1940), Tamil film actor active in films from 1965 * Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1980), Tamil actor active in films after 2002 * Srikanth (Telugu actor), Telugu act ...

. She was paired alongside N. T. Rama Rao in her first movie ''

Shavukaru ''Shavukaru'' () is a 1950 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by L. V. Prasad. The film was produced by Nagireddy and Chakrapani under the Vijaya Productions banner as their maiden production. It stars N. T. Rama Rao in his first lead ...

''. She acted with

A. Nageswara Rao Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1923 – 22 January 2014), widely known as ANR, was an Indian actor and producer, known for his works majorly in Telugu cinema. He starred in many landmark films in his seventy five-year career, and became on ...

Jaggayya Kongara Jaggayya (31 December 1928 – 5 March 2004) was an Indian actor, littérateur, journalist, lyricist, dubbing artist and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He was known as ''Kanchu Kantham J ...

, M.G.R,

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 7 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the history of India ...

, V.K. Ramaswamy, Major Sunderrajan,

Nagesh Nagesh (born Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran; (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) was an Indian actor, mostly remembered for his roles as a comedian in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in over 1,000 fi ...

, AVM Rajan,

Ravichandran Ravichandran is an Indian name. Notable people with the name include: * Ravichandran (Tamil actor) (1942–2011) * Ravichandran (Tamil film director) (born 1971) * N. Ravichandran (professor) (1955), professor at IIM Ahmedabad * N. Ravichandran, ...

, Dr. Rajkumar,

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...

Rajnikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...

and

Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, H ...

. She has performed on stage in 3 popular plays, written and directed by K. Balachander, in over 300 shows.

Awards

She has received several awards. Some notable ones are given below: *

Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South ceremony. Recipients Notes References General * Specific External links 55th Filmfare Awards South Winners {{DEFA ...

(1984) *Mahanati Savithri Award in 1985 *Honorary Doctorate from World University, Arizona for Excellence in her chosen field in 1985. *Indian Express Dyonara Golden Award in 1989. *Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 *Dr. Akkineni Nageswara Rao Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 *Sri Krishna Devaraya Award, Karnataka *

by Tamil Nadu government in 1969-1970. *

Tamil Nadu State Film Honorary Award The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Honorary Award given by the ''Tamil Nadu State Government'' as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil cinema personalities who contributed in developing the Tamil cinema in India. Arignar A ...

- MGR Award in 1990. *

Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The awards were first given in 1967 and discontinued after 1970. The awards were giv ...

, 1970 for ''

'' *

Nandi Award for Best Supporting Actress The Nandi Award for Best Supporting Actress was institute since 1981: See also * Nandi Awards * Cinema of Andhra Pradesh References {{DEFAULTSORT:Nandi Award For Best Supporting Actress Supporting Actress A supporting actor is an actor ...

for Samsaram Oka Chadarangam,1987 *

for Amoolyam,2007 *

SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award is an award presented by Vibri media group as part of its annual South Indian International Movie Awards for the person who contributed much to the film industry. It was instituted in 2012, with Ambareesh ...

(2013) *

Rajyotsava Award The Rajyotsava Prashasti or Rajyotsava Awards, the second highest civilian honor of the Karnataka state of India are conferred annually by the Karnataka Government on the occasion of the establishment of the state on 1 November celebrated as ...

Government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appoint ...

(2015) *Streeratna Awards (2019) *Wonder Women Awards (2019) as Evergreen Entertainer of Indian Cinema * Puratchi Thalaivi Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Special Kalaimamani Award (2020) by the

Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature ...

(2022) by the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

Trivia

*She was featured in the first Kannada

pan-Indian film Pan-Indian film is a term related to Indian cinema that originated with Telugu cinema as a mainstream commercial film appealing to audiences across the country with a spread to world markets. The movement gained popularity since 2015, post th ...

'' Mahishasura Mardini'' alongside Dr. Rajkumar which was released in 1959 making her one of the first leading pan-Indian actresses. It was dubbed and released in seven other languages.

Filmography

Television

* M H Jewellers * Durga Dairy

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Janaki, Sowcar Living people Indian film actresses Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Kannada cinema Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Actresses from Rajahmundry Telugu actresses Tamil actresses Nandi Award winners Actresses in Telugu cinema 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Recipients of the Rajyotsava Award 2015 Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses in Tamil television South Indian International Movie Awards winners Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Kalaimamani Award 1931 births