At a time when Malayalam film music was still finding its feet came Thaliritta Kinakkal as a whiff of fresh air. The unified Kerala State was on the cusp of a whole new era in all walks of life, and the voice of S. Janaki sounded similar to that of the ubiquitous koel in its verdant vistas.  

When Bollywood jived to S. Janaki’s infectious voice

Set to tune by composer M.S. Baburaj, the song penned by poet-lyricist P. Bhaskaran was an instant hit in 1963 for its effusive exposition of love and longing, and it made Janaki a household name in no time. That the song hasn’t lost its sheen a wee bit to date is testimony to its lasting appeal.  

Hearsay is that Bhaskaran master’s jaw dropped listening to the quality of Janaki’s diction, as she never once sounded like a non-Malayali.  Janaki crooned tens of thousands of songs in Malayalam, never once making it appear that it wasn’t her mother tongue. She sang under the baton of many legendary music directors such as G. Devarajan, V. Dakshinamurthy, Ilayaraja, K. Raghavan, M.S. Viswanathan and in later years, composers such as MG Radhakrishnan and Johnson. Even after becoming a sought-after singer in many other Indian languages, she reserved a special place for Malayalam in her heart. She won the Kerala State Award for the best female playback singer 11 times. 

She was a master of improvisation, capable of modulating her voice to that of a character of any age group or to articulate any emotion. The melancholic Sandhye... from the film Madanolsavam and the playful Thumbi vaa thumbakkudathin from Olangal acquired distinct tonal qualities in her rendition.  

Janaki inimitably lent her voice to numerous evergreen Malayalam film songs from the 1960s to the 1990s. Songs such as Manjanikombil, Thenum Vayambum, Nadha Nee varum, Manassiluranroo, Akale Akale Neelakasham, Ilam Manjin have retained their freshness and ability to influence the listener.  

“She was a committed singer who did not have any formal training in music, but could easily etch the emotions intended by the lyricist and nuances composed by the music director,” poet-lyricist Sreekumaran Thampi recalled to The Hindu. Janaki has sung hundreds of his songs, and they maintained a sibling-like relationship.  

“It makes me happy that among her Kerala State Film Awards for singing, two were for the songs written by me. “The perennial Aa Nimishathinte Nirvruthiyil.... was one of them. It was in Kalyani raga. She would not understand any music notation or raga, but once you tutored her the song, she would render it brilliantly. She was an embodiment of music, someone who was born to sing,” he says.  

“And she was aware of her immense talent too. That’s why she chose to decline the Padma Bhushan award when it arrived too late in her career. She knew she deserved nothing less than the Bharat Ratna,” says Mr. Thampi.  

The soulful melody of Janaki’s songs sculpted myriad female emotions for generations of Malayalis. The singer may have gone, but her song stays in millions of hearts.