Indian cinema and music industry is mourning the loss of the country's very own nightingale S Janaki who passed away on Saturday at the age of 88. With a career spanning six decades and a whopping 48,000 songs across multiple Indian languages, she was one of the country's most celebrated voices whose music transcended boundaries and generations. While her musical career may be familiar to many, she also played cameo roles as herself in a few films, with her last on-screen appearance in a Tamil movie.
S Janaki played a brief but special role in the hit romantic film '96, directed by Prem Kumar and headlined by Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha. Her 4-minute appearance in the deleted scene of '96 was her final time appearing in front of a movie camera.
Interestingly, the Trisha's character, Janaki Devi aka Jaanu, is named after the late veteran singer. Jaanu is portrayed as an ardent Janaki fan who sings only her songs.
A widely popular 4-minute sequence features S Janaki appearing in a cameo as herself. During a midnight stroll in Chennai, Ram (Vijay Sethupathi) and Jaanu stop outside the singer's house to take a photo. Janaki surprises them by driving up, inviting them inside, and sharing a warm interaction. She also advises Jaanu to not restrict itself to just one artist and share her beautiful voice across all kinds of music.
Although deleted from the final theatrical version, the cut was eventually released on YouTube and was celebrated by fans online. Chinmayi, who also shares a close bond with Janaki, had dubbed for Trisha's character making it yet another memorable film for the audiences and those involved in it.
Reportedly, Janaki made her playback singing debut with multiple songs in the Tamil film Vidhiyin Vilayattu, and she is also credited for the highest songs in the Kannada film industry. Some of the legendary singer's duets with PB Srinivas, SP Balasubrahmanyam, and Dr Rajkumar are still regarded as evergreen classics. Her collaborations include an extensive array of music directors in India, such as the likes of Ilaiyaraaja, GK Venkatesh, Ashwath, Hamsalekha, AR Rahman, and Johnson Master. Janaki retired from playback singing in 2016.