Aug 21, 2026 5:51pm IST
Actress Kushboo Sundar On The Late Sowcar Janaki: ‘She Was The Shashi Tharoor Of Her Times’ (EXCLUSIVE)
The iconic actress Sankaramanchi Janaki (popularly known as Sowcar Janaki) breathed her last on Friday morning at a private hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The prolific personality, 94 at the time of death, spent seven decades in the South Indian film industry having worked in nearly 400 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema.
She made a spectacular debut as an 18-year-old in the 1950 Telugu film “Shavukaru,” directed by L.V. Prasad. The film's massive success permanently earned her the title "Sowcar" Janaki. She boldly ventured into mainstream acting post-marriage, a rare feat in the film industry during that era. She rose to peak stardom between 1949 and 1975, acting alongside top contemporary male heroes in landmark movies like “Valayapathi,” “Rojulu Marayi,” “Iru Kodugal” and “Puthiya Paravai.”
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Actress Kushboo Sundar, who was part of the case of Sowcar Janaki's “Vetri Vizha” in 1989 tells Variety India about her association with the late actress: “I didn’t have any scenes in that movie with her. But we had a warm relationship outside of cinema. She used to live very close to my home in Chennai and I was very close to her granddaughter Vaishnavi Aravind, who was also an actress and with whom I did many films together.”
She continues, “I have watched most of Janaki Aunty's films. ‘Puthiya Paravai’ is one of my favorites. She was one of the most strong-headed, bold women of her times. Her English was impeccable; something like the Shashi Tharoor of her times. She would often use these big words and when we looked at her in confusion, she would simplify the meaning for us.”
She further gushes, “Sowcar Janaki aunty was also a very stylish woman who lived life on her own terms. She was extremely straightforward and told you things to your face. She was not a submissive character nor did she bother about the kind of role she was playing whether it was a lead character, a villain or even a grandmother.”
Showering praise on her “admirable” work ethic, Kushboo adds, “Her work ethic was admirable. She believed that more than the length of the role, it was important to create an impact with one’s performance. She was highly respected on the sets. She did movies on her terms and conditions. This was not easy to achieve in those days, but that is how she was.”
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