Veteran actor Sowcar Janaki, whose career stretched across more than seven decades and over 400 films, passed away on Friday afternoon at the age of 94.

According to a statement issued by her family, the actor breathed her last at 1:59 pm while undergoing treatment at a hospital. She had been admitted in recent days due to age-related health complications and was receiving care in the intensive care unit.

Born Sankaramanchi Janaki in 1931, she went on to become one of the most respected names in South Indian cinema. The screen name that stayed with her for the rest of her career came from her debut film, the Telugu classic ‘Shavukaru’, directed by LV Prasad. The success of the film earned her the prefix "Sowcar", a title that eventually became inseparable from her identity.

After making her mark in Telugu cinema, she entered Tamil films with ‘Valayapathi’ in 1952. Over the following decades, she built a remarkable career at a time when opportunities for women in cinema were often limited to conventional roles.

Janaki stood out for her willingness to take on varied characters and her ability to move effortlessly between genres. She shared screen space with many of the biggest stars of her era and established herself as one of the leading actors of the 1950s and 1960s.

What made her journey particularly notable was her successful transition from heroine to character actor. While many performers struggled to reinvent themselves as they grew older, Janaki continued to remain relevant, taking on memorable supporting roles that introduced her to new generations of audiences.

Her body of work extended beyond Tamil cinema. She acted in Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films, making her one of the few actors whose career left a mark across multiple South Indian film industries.

Even in her later years, Janaki remained active. Her final screen appearance came in the 2023 Telugu film ‘Anni Manchi Sakunamule’. Away from cinema, she was also deeply involved in theatre, performing in more than 300 stage productions, while television became another medium through which audiences continued to connect with her work.

Over the years, her contribution to Indian arts and cinema was recognised through several honours. She received the prestigious Kalaimamani award and was conferred the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2022.