Sowcar Janaki, who breathed her last on August 21, had a career spanning nearly seven decades, working across various South Indian languages. Over the years, she shared the screen with some of the biggest names in Indian cinema, including Sivaji Ganesan, N.T. Rama Rao, A. Nageswara Rao and Dr. Rajkumar.

Janaki was born on 12 December 1931 in a Kannada-speaking Madhva Brahmin family. She completed her early studies at Gauhati University in Assam and received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Arizona.

Janaki appeared in nearly 400 films. She also performed on stage in over 300 shows. Her career began in entertainment as a young radio broadcaster and artist with All India Radio (Akashvani) in Madras at age 14.

Hooked by her voice at the age of 15, director B N Reddy offered her a role in his film. She was quickly married and sent away, before her career began. Later, her family was desperately in need of money, and Sowcar remembered the film offer.

Born Sankaramanchi Janaki in 1931, she was christened  Sowcar Janaki after her debut in the L. V. Prasad directed Telugu film Shavukaru in 1950.

She started her film career after getting married, a rare path for women in cinema during that era.

She has avoided using hair dye when she is not filming because it causes allergies to her body. She also changed her hairstyle to a bob style to avoid braiding her gray hair.

Sowcar was a great cook and owns restaurants in restaurant. She has also hosted several cooking shows.

For K. Balachander's classic Thillu Mullu starring Rajinikanth, she climbed a drainage pipe for a comedy sequence without any prior rehearsals, completing the shot in a single take.

In 2022, at the age of 90, government conferred the Padma Shri on Janaki in recognition of her lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. She was also honoured with the Tamil Nadu government's Kalaimamani Award and received the Nandi Awards from the Andhra Pradesh government.

Janaki is survived by her three children, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Her sister Krishnakumari is also an actress.