Sowcar Janaki

Sankaramanchi Janaki (néeTekumalla Janaki; 12 December 1931 – 21 August 2026), known professionally as Sowcar Janaki, was an Indian actress and film producer known for her works in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films besides a few Malayalam and Hindi films. In a career spanning over seven decades, Janaki appeared in nearly 400 films. Janaki was the recipient of several accolades, including two Nandi Awards, a Tamil Nadu State Film Award, a Kalaimamani, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award, Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award - South and SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding contributions to South Indian cinema. In 2022, Janaki was honored with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award. Beyond films, Janaki was also a theatre artist who appeared in numerous stage productions, including three K. Balachander written plays that ran for over 300 shows.. She also worked as an A-grade artist at All India Radio's Madras station.

Janaki made her screen debut at the age of 18 in the lead role of L. V. Prasad's social drama, Shavukaru (1950), which also marked the film debut of N. T. Rama Rao. The commercial success of the film led to the prefix "Sowcar" becoming associated with her name. Her Tamil cinema debut came through Valayapathi in 1952.

She was featured in the first Kannada pan-Indian filmMahishasura Mardini (1959) alongside Dr. Rajkumar, making her one of the first leading pan-Indian actresses. Janaki subsequently appeared in a range of social drama films between the 1950s - 1980s period. The Tamil film Biskoth (2020) marked her 400th film to be released.

Janaki died from an age-related illness at Kauvery Hospital, Chennai, on 21 August 2026, at the age of 94.