 Ilaiyaraaja knew about Janaki's vocal range and versatility when he worked with G K Venkatesh.When he got a chance to compose music for his debut film Annakkili (1976) he made Janaki sing 3 songs which became immensely popular thus beginning an era in Tamil cinema.This combination churned out hits after hits pushing S Janaki to the numero uno position for at least the next 2 decades.