Sowcar Janaki, veteran South Indian actress, dies at ninety-two

Veteran South Indian actress Sowcar Janaki, whose six-decade career spanned Tamil, Telugu and Kannada cinema, has died. Until her death, she was probably the oldest surviving actor from the region.

The Padma Shri and Kalaimamani recipient worked across party lines, acting alongside three Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers—M.G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa—as well as Telugu actor-politician N.T. Rama Rao. She was a favourite of director K. Balachander and delivered a memorable comic performance as Rajinikanth's pretend mother in Thillu Mullu, intended to fool the character played by Thengai Srinivasan.

From AIR artiste to accidental actor

Born in 1931 in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, into a Brahmin family, Janaki grew up in a conservative household where her father, who had studied paper-making technology in England, valued education and spoke English at home. Watching films was taboo; listening to the radio became her refuge.

She participated in All India Radio dramas and earned A-grade artiste status for her robust voice. Telugu film producer Nagi Reddi, captivated by her voice, offered her a film role, but her family opposed it and forced her to marry at 15 to prevent her from acting. She became a mother at 17. Her fortunes changed later when she entered films facing abject poverty as a mother of two children.

The range of a feminist

Her name 'Sowcar' came from her Telugu film debut in Shavukaru, directed by L.V. Prasad. In Tamil, she entered with Paavai Vilakku opposite Sivaji Ganesan, though Padikkatha Medhai released first. She displayed style, finesse, majesty and a range of expressions, earning the title 'weeping face'—but preferred to call herself a feminist.

Her acting in films like Puthiya Paravai, Uyarntha Manithan and Mahakavi Kalidas matched Sivaji Ganesan's intensity. With extraordinary hairstyle and Singapore-style costume, she hummed to bongos as Ganesan lit a cigarette in Puthiya Paravai. Her tormenting role in the song "Enge Nimmathi, Enge Nimmathi" became a milestone.

Maestro Ilaiyaraaja favours the Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy song "Maalaipozhuthin Mayakkathile" from Bhagyalakshmi, which conjures her image as a widow. She also played Sridevi's mother in Babu, starring Sivaji Ganesan, a film whose narrative mirrored her born-rich-turned-poor life. Her roles ranged from the princess forced to marry Kalidoss in Mahakavi Kalidoss to the housewife rendering "Aduthathu Ambujatha Paarthela" in Ethir Neechal, showcasing her ability to inhabit diverse characters.

Source: The Hindu