Legendary South Indian Playback Singer S. Janaki Passes Away at 88
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Renowned playback singer S. Janaki, affectionately known as the 'Gaana Kokila' (Nightingale) of South Indian cinema, breathed her last on Saturday, July 11, at her residence in Mysore, Karnataka. She was 88. According to her granddaughter Apsara, Janaki passed away due to a heart attack after battling age-related health issues.
With a career spanning over six decades, Janaki mesmerized millions with her versatile and expressive voice. She recorded more than 48,000 songs in over 20 Indian languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi, as well as foreign languages such as English, Japanese, and German. Though Telugu was her mother tongue, she sang the maximum number of songs in Kannada, followed by Malayalam.
Born on April 23, 1938, in Pallapadu village of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, to Ayurvedic doctor and teacher Shishtla Sriramamurthy and Satyavathi, Janaki showed early signs of musical talent. She made her stage debut at the age of nine. She moved to Madras on the advice of her maternal uncle and began her journey at AVM Studios under music director R. Sudarsanam.
Janaki made her debut as a playback singer in 1957 with the Tamil film Vidhiin Vilaiyaattu and the Telugu film M.L.A.in the same year. Her ability to modulate her voice according to the emotion of the song earned her the title "Queen of Expression and Modulation." She delivered timeless duets with legends like P.B. Srinivas, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, and Dr. Rajkumar, and collaborated with iconic music directors such as Ilaiyaraaja, M.S. Viswanathan, and A.R. Rahman.
The veteran singer was honored with four National Film Awards and 33 State Film Awards. Mysore University conferred an honorary doctorate on her. In 2013, she was selected for the Padma Bhushan but politely declined it, expressing her desire for the Bharat Ratna. She bid farewell to her live performances with a concert in Mysore on October 28, 2017.
Janaki was married to V. Ramaprasad in 1959. He passed away in 1997. The couple had one son, Murali Krishna, who died in January this year. His passing had deeply affected her health.
The demise of S. Janaki marks the end of a glorious era in Indian film music.
With a career spanning over six decades, Janaki mesmerized millions with her versatile and expressive voice. She recorded more than 48,000 songs in over 20 Indian languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi, as well as foreign languages such as English, Japanese, and German. Though Telugu was her mother tongue, she sang the maximum number of songs in Kannada, followed by Malayalam.
Born on April 23, 1938, in Pallapadu village of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, to Ayurvedic doctor and teacher Shishtla Sriramamurthy and Satyavathi, Janaki showed early signs of musical talent. She made her stage debut at the age of nine. She moved to Madras on the advice of her maternal uncle and began her journey at AVM Studios under music director R. Sudarsanam.
Janaki made her debut as a playback singer in 1957 with the Tamil film Vidhiin Vilaiyaattu and the Telugu film M.L.A.in the same year. Her ability to modulate her voice according to the emotion of the song earned her the title "Queen of Expression and Modulation." She delivered timeless duets with legends like P.B. Srinivas, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, and Dr. Rajkumar, and collaborated with iconic music directors such as Ilaiyaraaja, M.S. Viswanathan, and A.R. Rahman.
The veteran singer was honored with four National Film Awards and 33 State Film Awards. Mysore University conferred an honorary doctorate on her. In 2013, she was selected for the Padma Bhushan but politely declined it, expressing her desire for the Bharat Ratna. She bid farewell to her live performances with a concert in Mysore on October 28, 2017.
Janaki was married to V. Ramaprasad in 1959. He passed away in 1997. The couple had one son, Murali Krishna, who died in January this year. His passing had deeply affected her health.
The demise of S. Janaki marks the end of a glorious era in Indian film music.
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