Chennai, The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Monday paid tributes to the legendary actress Sowcar Janaki, who died here on August 21.
She was 94. Janaki was born in 1931 and made her acting debut at a young age of 19 in the Telugu film ‘Shavukaru’, directed by L V Prasad, that earned her the moniker Sowcar. She died due to age-related ailments.
The legendary actress was one of the most respected senior artistes of Indian cinema. Her trailblazing career spans seven decades of legacy defined by immense versatility, shifting seamlessly from a golden-age leading lady to a revered actress in the Indian film industry.
Immediately after the House assembled, Speaker J C D Prabhakar read out a condolence resolution recalling her exceptional performance. Over her career, she worked in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi cinema, performing as both a lead actress and in character roles across various age groups. “She had the rare distinction of working with three major political figures of Tamil Nadu – M G Ramachandran , M Karunanidhi, and J Jayalalithaa.
Sowcar Janaki received prestigious honours, including the Tamil Nadu government’s Kalaimamani award, the Nandi Award , the Rajyotsava Award , and the Padmashri from the Union Government in 2022, he added.
She also collaborated with iconic actors like Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, and Rajinikanth,” Prabhakar said. She was a symbol of independence and dignity for women, he said paying tributes to her.
