S. Janaki, the legendary playback singer who has recorded over 48,000 songs throughout her illustrious career, made her final on-screen cinematic appearance in the acclaimed Tamil film 96. However, when the romantic drama originally hit theatres, her sequence was left on the cutting room floor. But, the film's creators later officially released the deleted scene from the C. Premkumar directorial, which stars Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha in leading roles.

A poignant four-minute sequence

In the four-minute footage, S. Janaki portrays herself, appearing alongside her late son, Murali Krishna.

In the film, Trisha plays a character named S. Janaki Devi, affectionately called "Jaanu." The movie explicitly mentions that her character was named out of a deep reverence for the iconic singer. Janu is depicted as an ardent devotee of S. Janaki, refusing to sing anyone else's discography.

The deleted sequence takes place after Jaanu, who has travelled from Singapore for a school reunion, goes for a late-night walk with her childhood sweetheart, Ram (played by Vijay Sethupathi). Their stroll eventually leads them to the gates of S. Janaki's residence.

Also read: How a Malayali taxi driver once saved music legend S Janaki's life in Chennai

An emotional encounter

As Trisha’s character takes a photograph outside the house, a car arrives carrying S. Janaki and her son, Murali. Ram approaches the musical icon to explain that Jaanu is a lifelong admirer who came at that late hour simply to stand outside her home.

In a heartwarming turn, Janaki invites the pair inside and encourages Jaanu to sing. Upon hearing that Janu exclusively performs her tracks, the veteran singer gently advises her not to restrict herself to just one artist's work. Janaki then guides her through a rendition of one of her classic tracks, offering vocal corrections before harmonising beautifully with her onscreen admirer.

Before parting, Janaki embraces Jaanu and asks for her name. When Trisha's character replies, "S. Janaki," the singer whimsically retorts, "But that is my name!" Jaanu clarifies that her full name is S. Janaki Devi, prompting a delightfully childlike laugh from the legendary vocalist.

Behind-the-scenes trivia

The scene holds additional fascination for cinephiles, as the character of Jaanu is voiced by the renowned playback singer Chinmayi Sripada, who provided the dubbing for Trisha throughout the film.

Furthermore, the classic S. Janaki track 'Yamunai Aatrile', which serves as Ram's favourite song and is performed by Jaanu in the film, enjoyed a massive resurgence on music charts across India and the diaspora following the release of 96.