Sowcar Janaki, who played Mammootty’s mother in ‘Soorya Manasam’, dies at 94

Veteran South Indian actor Sowcar Janaki, who appeared in around 400 films across Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada over a career spanning several decades, has passed away. She was 94. Janaki had been undergoing treatment for age-related ailments.

For Malayalam audiences, Sowcar Janaki was particularly remembered for her role as Mammootty's mother in the film ‘Soorya Manasam’, which won her considerable appreciation. Over the years, she became one of the most recognisable faces in South Indian cinema and was honoured with the Padma Shri and the Kalaimamani Award for her contributions to the arts.

Born Sankaramanchi Janaki into a Kannada-speaking family in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, her journey to cinema came after an eventful early life. She had worked as a radio jockey at Akashvani Madras, now All India Radio, before entering the film industry.

Janaki made her screen debut with the 1950 Telugu film ‘Shavukaru’, directed by L V Prasad. She entered Tamil cinema two years later with ‘Valayapathi’. Her career would eventually take her across multiple South Indian film industries, with the actor appearing in around 400 films. She was also an accomplished theatre artiste and had performed in more than 3,000 stage plays.

Her life outside cinema was equally remarkable. Janaki was married at a young age to Sankaramanchi Srinivasa Rao in 1947. She continued her education despite her circumstances, appearing for her matriculation examinations while pregnant and later graduating from Gauhati University in Assam. She is survived by her two daughters, Yagna Prabha Koty and Sachi Rao, and her son, Venkataramana Sankaramanchi.