Death of S. Janaki: When Bollywood jibed in the singer’s infectious voice

Playback singer S. Janaki. File | Photo credit: N. Sridharan

S. Janaki entered the strobe lights of Bollywood in 1985 with Bappi Lahiri’s ‘Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Re’ (Saheb), where her classical excellence met the raw, uninhabited pulse of Bombay disco. Her velvety rendition of the opening hook “Sona nahi, chaandi nahi…” was delivered with a unique, slightly nasal, yet incredibly sweet timbre that was quite different from the prevailing voices of the time. Captured on Anil Kapoor and Amrita Singh in a retro star filter, the song has played relentlessly on Chitrahaar and Vivid Bharati, and no wedding playlist, festival speaker or local bus ride in North India is complete without this youth anthem blasting through the speakers.

S. Janaki no more | LIVE updates

Around the same time, she created a fearless synergy with Kishore Kumar in ‘Rock N Roll’ and ‘Bol Baby Bol’ (Meri Jung) which became a rage in discotheques. The arrangement, composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, shifted from Lahiri’s smooth electronic synth loops to an aggressive, brass-heavy, syncopated rock beat. Janaki’s rhythmic precision proved that she wasn’t just singing, but driving it forward.

Versatility has remained the calling card of the nightingale in Hindi cinema as well. When director K. Viswanath remade his iconic Telugu musical ‘Sankarabharanam’ into Hindi as ‘Sur Sangam’ (1985), Laxmikant-Pyarelal, who handled the music, insisted on preserving Janaki’s voice. And her flawless control over the intricate taans in Prabhu More Avagun Chit Na Dharo proved that she can command a strictly traditional Hindustani score. Singing alongside Anup Jalota, Janaki delivered an incredibly complex, raga-heavy bhajan.

Music observers say that in the 1980s, when there was a massive influx of South Indian production houses into Bollywood, remaking South Indian hits into Hindi, Janaki emerged as a pan-Indian voice. Her precise diction and incredible range allowed her to easily transition from classical tunes to energetic compositions. It is said that Lahiri, during a visit to Prasada Studios, happened to hear Janaki’s voice while she was recording a Tamil song and was impressed by its clarity and modulation.

With Lahiri and LP, she became a defining voice of commercial Hindi cinema, but also sang for veterans like OP Nayyar and Salil Chowdhury, who praised her Hindi and Urdu pronunciation and her ability to completely erase her South Indian accent. Chowdhury would know because he worked with her in several Malayalam films and then used her voice for ‘Dil Ka Saathi Dil’, a remake of the Malayalam hit ‘Madanolsavam’ where she re-adapted the hugely popular ‘Sandhye Kanneerithenthe’ as ‘Chhalke Sanjh Ke Nanaur-known’ for the popular master. ‘Mere Prem Ki Ragini’ with S. Yesudas.

At the same time, she accepted RD Burman’s challenge to sing the street song “Bataata Vada” (Hifazat, 1987). In a duet with SP Balasubrahmanyam, Janaki sang a tap-paced, rhythmic anthem from the streets of Mumbai. Another number with SPB that has stood the test of time is “Tere Pyaar Main Hum” (Jamai Raja).

In ‘Aakhree Raasta’ (1986), she effortlessly sang both the hugely popular romantic duet ‘Gori Ka Saajan, Sajan Ki Gori’ with Kishore Kumar and the emotionally heavy, maternal song ‘Toone Mera Doodh Piya Hai’ with Mohammed Aziz, showcasing her immense dramatic range by voicing the two rivals Jaridyavi and Jaridyavi.

But the song that captured her immense emotional vulnerability towards offspring is ‘Dil Mein Ho Tum’ (Satyamev Jayate, 1987). Perhaps her most soulful tune with Lahiri, Janaki’s solo version continues to fascinate with its haunting innocence.

Published – 12 Jul 2026 0:05 AM IST