S. Janaki: The nightingale who stole Kerala’s heart

S. Janaki. File | Photo credit: The Hindu Bureau

S. Janaki has remained a perennial favorite for generations of music lovers in Kerala, though never for lack of alternatives. There were stalwarts when she first arrived on the scene and equally formidable voices when she thrived. None of them were mere movers but legends in their own right like P. Leela, P. Susheela and Vani Jayaram. Yet casual listeners chose Janaki more often than not.

It wasn’t just her effortless singing style that endeared her. From the time she was the undisputed voice of her era to the time she gradually disappeared from the Kerala music scene, she was always cheerful, pleasant and airless. The lullaby Ammapoovinum from Pathu Kalpanakal more than a decade ago was probably her last Malayalam film song. Nevertheless, music lovers never forgot her. Her name came up with striking frequency whenever listeners and musicians alike were asked about their favorite singer.

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.

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It was a coincidence that for a lifelong admirer of Lata Mangeshkar, Janaki’s Malayalam debut was Janaki’s 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.

Janaki really burst onto the Malayalam music scene in the 1960s, lending her voice to almost all the major composers of the era, from BA Chidambaranath and G. Devarajan to Baburaj. Songs like Kaanaan nalla kinaavukal condoru composed by Devarajan for the 1962 film Bharya and Baburaj’s Thaliritta Kinakkal for Moodupadam made her a household name.

However, her best years were still ahead in the 1970s and 1980s, when she dominated and left the competition far behind. The ten Kerala State Film Awards for Best Female Singer she won in a 14-year period between 1970 and 1984 is testament to this supremacy. The highlight was the National Award for Ettumanoorambalathil from Oppol (1981). And the very next year, she stunned the audience with her rendition of the song Kokkamandi, imitating a child’s voice for the film Chiriyo Chiri.

She was also a hit on the Ganamela stages. Always by her side was her devoted husband V. Ramprasad, who meticulously checked the sound system and related arrangements before Janaki took the microphone. At a concert in Palluruthy Veli decades ago, Janaki Unarunaroo performed Unnipoove, a tough choice for live performances but without batting an eye, and followed it up with an encore at the audience’s request.

Published – 12 Jul 2026 0:05 AM IST