S. Janaki (1938-2026) — a voice that belonged to every state

WITH. Janaki, a legendary singer who sang in 18 languages, mostly South Indian, died on Saturday (July 11, 2026) in Mysuru at the age of 88.

Known for her versatility, S. Janaki won the National Film Award for Best Female Singer for ‘Senthoora Poove’ from 16 Vayathinile, the directorial debut of Bharathiraj, who died last month.

In a career spanning more than six decades, she collaborated with successive generations of composers, starting with T. Chalapathi Rao, who introduced her to films, and later MD Parthasarathy, G. Ramanathan, MB Srinivasan, KV Mahadevan and MS Viswanathan.

After singing thousands of songs in various languages for nearly half a century, S. Janaki turned down the Padma Bhushan when it was awarded to her in 2013, describing the award as coming too late for her.

Janaki also sang in Hindi and Sinhala, but carved a niche in South Indian languages. Her portrayal was imbued with love and pathos and was often a nod to bygone times.

Photo: Hindu Archive

If music is an art that enriches the aesthetic zone, S. Janaki was the undisputed queen. Surprisingly, in the field of show business, she preferred to be plain demeanor. Accessible and perhaps her talent and success were taken lightly, there was a saintly aura about the way she presented herself in public.

Photo: HANDOUT_E_MAIL

Seasoned playback singer S. Janaki with singer PB Srinivas. In a career spanning more than six decades, she collaborated with successive generations of composers, starting with T. Chalapathi Rao, who introduced her to films, and later MD Parthasarathy, G. Ramanathan, MB Srinivasan, KV Mahadevan and MS Viswanathan. Photo: Special arrangement

Photo: Nagara Gopal

S. Janaki was a versatile singer who had equal ease with classical compositions, romantic tunes, folk songs, comic numbers and emotionally charged duets.

Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Kannada film directors (from left) Bhagwan, KSL Swami (Ravi), Rajan and Shivram and playback singers S. Janaki, PB Sreenivas, P. Susheela and Vani Jayaram were honored by Sri Vishvesha Theertha Swamiji of Pejawar Mutt at a function organized by Lotus, Bangaloeva Manraje Maypet and Sri4 2008.

S. Janaki receiving the award from K. Karunakaran, the Chief Minister, in Thiruvananthapuram in October 1984. She received ten Kerala State Film Awards for Best Female Singer in a 14-year period between 1970 and 1984.

Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

S. Janaki with singer Bala Saraswathy at their felicitation function in Hyderabad on September 8, 2011. Her career in Telugu cinema began in 1957 with the film MLA, where she sang ‘Nee Aasa Adiyaasa’ and ‘Idenandi Idenandi Bhagyanagaramu’ to the music. In the same year, she recorded songs across languages, including Kannada and Tamil, showcasing her language skills.

S. Janaki during a stage performance with veteran singer KJ Yesudas in Kerala. Known for her versatility, Janaki has recorded over 48,000 songs in various languages, mostly in the South Indian languages of Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Photo: Special arrangement

Photo: S. Siva Saravan

When the Government of India announced the Padma Awards on the eve of Republic Day in 2013, S. Janaki was selected for the Padma Bhushan. However, she refused to accept it. She said she should have been awarded the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, if the government wanted to recognize her work. She expressed that she was not interested in any awards other than the Padma.

Music director AR Rahman with playback singers Swarnalatha, Srinivas and S. Janaki performed at the ‘Unity of Light’ concert at Taramani, Chennai on 21 February 2003. She carved a niche for herself in the Tamil film industry at a time when P. Susheela and several other leading singers including Mahade and other leading singers including renowned music directors were working at the peak of their careers. Viswanathan.

Photo: N. Sridharan

Janaki won the National Film Award for Best Female Singer for “Senthoora Poove” from 16 Vayathinile, the directorial debut of Bharathiraj, who passed away recently. Her remarkable journey in Tamil cinema gained momentum with the advent of maestro Ilaiyaraaja, who chose her for memorable songs in his debut film Annakili (1976), a landmark of Tamil film music that completed 50 years in 2026.

Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Famous playback singers (from right), PB Srinivas, S. Janaki and SP Balasubramaniam, who were introduced to Chi. Udayashankar Memorial Award for 2002, 2003 and 2004 respectively after receiving the awards at a function held in Bangalore on 19 March 2005. Janaki has lent her voice to iconic songs for every renowned music composer in Kannada cinema.

Photo: The Hindus

S. Janaki and Dr. PB Sreenivas performing a benefit performance of Bhajans and Ghazals, at Vani Mahal, Chennai, on 4 February 2006 in aid of the Ellen Sharma Memorial Primary School. If music is an art that enriches the aesthetic zone, Janaki was the undisputed queen.

Photo: HANDOUT_E_MAIL

S. Janaki with singer BK Sumitra. Singing so many lyrics under several music directors and receiving the overwhelming affection whenever the All India Radio announcer mentioned that the song to be performed was sung by Janaki are a reflection of her longevity.

Photo: CV Subrahmanyam

Playback singers S. Janaki and KJ Yesudas at an event organized on the birthday of Rajya Sabha member T. Subbarami Reddy at the Port Kalavani Stadium in Visakhapatnam on September 17, 2011.

Photo: R. Ragu

S. Janaki pays tribute to PB Sreenivas who died at his residence. Be it solo endeavors or singing in tandem, Janaki remained unique. Holding her own space while singing with SP Balasubrahmanyam (SPB) and KJ Yesudas and gaining the respect of her peers throughout her career revealed Janaki’s dominance in her acoustic space on celluloid.

Photo: Hindu Archive

S. Janaki, right, with late Tamil director Bharathiraja, left, and renowned music director Ilayaraja, centre. Janaki won the National Film Award for Best Female Singer for “Senthoora Poove” from 16 Vayathinile, Bharathiraj’s directorial debut. In these weeks of departures, be it Bharathiraja and K. Bhagyaraj, Janaki’s move into the mists of time is the final blow.

Photo: KG Santhosh

Playback singer-composer KPUdayabhanu shares a light moment with S. Janaki in Thiruvananthapuram. Her Malayalam playback debut remains in dispute. Minnalppadayaali, directed by G. Vishwanath and released in 1959, is often cited as her first. But according to music historians, the song Irul Moodukayo En Vaazhvil from the crime thriller Minnunnathellam Ponnalla, released two years earlier, marked the real beginning of her Malayalam journey.

Photo: The Hindus

Janaki Venkataraman, wife of the then president R. Venkataraman, presents a gift to S. Janaki at the silver jubilee celebrations of the Ganamrutha group held at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan auditorium in Madras on July 2, 1989. YG Parthasarathy and others are also seen in the picture.

Photo: G. Ramakrishna

S. Janaki during a grand felicitation and tribute to the legend Padmavibhushan Panditji Hariprasad Chaurasia who is celebrating his 80th birthday on July 22, 2018 in Hyderabad. Janaki also sang in Hindi and Sinhala, but carved a niche in South Indian languages.

Photo: The Hindus

S. Janaki sings in Mysuru at an open air theater organized by the S. Janaki Charitable Trust. She spent part of her childhood in the then-backward textile village of Sircilla in Telangana’s old Karimnagar district more than six decades ago. The discovery of this little-known chapter of her life has added a new emotional dimension to her bond with Telangana, making her enduring legacy even more special to the people of the state.

S. Janaki with Ghantasala, center, and P. Susheela. Her portrayal was imbued with love and pathos and was often a nod to bygone times.

Photo: The Hindus

It was a coincidence that for a lifelong admirer of Lata Mangeshkar, Janaki’s Malayalam debut was a song set to the tune of Hemant Kumar’s popular ‘Mera Dil Ye Pukare Aaj’, sung by Lata herself. While Lata was hailed as the Nightingale of India, her ardent fan was later crowned the Nightingale of South India.

Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

S. Janaki (centre) receives the first P. Susheel National Award in Hyderabad on November 13, 2008. Also seen is Dr. Balamurali Krishna. Be it Thenum vayambum in Malayalam, Chinna thayaval in Tamil, Naguva nayana in Kannada or Puvvu navennu in Telugu, she captured the emotion, context and relevance of the song in the script and made them timeless.

Photo: The Hindus

S. Janaki with her co-singers, KS Chitra, left, Padmabhushan awardee and playback singer P. Susheela, centre. When Chithra, another legend of female playback singing, talks about Janaki, the respect and affection is absolutely evident.

Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

S. Janaki is emotional even as her counterparts P. Suseela and LR Eshwari look on at the celebration organized at Lalitha Kala Thoranam in Hyderabad, marking the completion of her 50 years of playback singing. As the nightingale passes away at the age of 88, there are memories to be savored and songs to be cherished, though some relief can be derived from the fact that the best art is eternal, and with her magical vocal cords, Janaki lives on forever.

Published – 12 Jul 2026 16:42 IST