Remembering Manorama, the undisputed queen of comedy

On October 10, 2015, the face that launched 1,000,000 laughs handed away. Manorama, the undisputed queen of comedy, who had acted in additional than 1,500 movies, didn’t have a simple life, although. Her mom, Ramamritham, a single dad or mum, made a residing by promoting sweets in Pallathur. Manorama’s authentic identify was Gopishantha, who, by the age of two, might reproduce any music she had heard. Hence, she got here to be often known as the ‘singing’ Pallathur papa. When her mom fell unwell, the 10-year-old youngster started doing family chores for wealthy Chettiar households in her village.

Gopishantha was barely 12 when she went on stage, fairly by probability. A drama troupe was looking out for a singing-artiste for his or her play, Andaman Kadhali, and her identify was advised. “Harmonium participant Thyagarajan and Thiruvengadam (assistant director of the play), renamed the lady Manorama. Paulraj, an electrician within the troupe, later produced the play — Vidhiyin Vilayattu — wherein Manorama received a job to play. She went on to behave in lots of Paulraj’s performs. Her efficiency in Yaar Magan caught the eye of Veena Balachander, who mentioned she deserved a prize for her performing. Manorama was 16 when she was supplied a job by actor Muthuraman and screenwriter Sakthi Krishnaswamy in a play put up by Vairam Nataka sabha. “Manorama dedicated a 100-page dialogue to reminiscence in only one night time,” mentioned Krishnakumar TK, who shared attention-grabbing anecdotes from the actor’s life throughout a chat at Arkay Convention Center throughout Madras Day this yr.

In the Fifties, when politician EVK Sampath performed the hero in Annadurai’s play Sivaji Kanda Hindu Samrajyam, Manorama performed the feminine lead. “Manorama used to say she had acted with 5 chief ministers — Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M.G. Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa and N.T. Rama Rao,” shared Krishnakumar.

Cinematic journey

Manorama made her foray into cinema with a Sinhalese movie. Her first Tamil movie was Kavignar Kannadasan’s Malayitta Mangai. “She was reluctant to do the function of a comic as a result of she wished to be a heroine. My father informed her she would have an incredible future as a comic, and his phrases turned out to be prophetic,” says Annadurai, Kannadasan’s son. “She by no means forgot my father’s assist and as soon as informed his assistant that Kannadasan was not solely his boss, however hers too.”

Memorable roles

It is tough to say which movie introduced out the perfect in her. Who can neglect the feisty, however sort Burma Pappa (from the movie Savaal), who runs an academy for pickpockets? In Unakkum Vazhu Varum, she is a garrulous girl pretending to have a speech obstacle, driving Thengai Srinivasan up the wall together with her ambiguous response to his questions. In Galatta Kalyanam, she is the strait-laced Rathna, able to knock out her suitor, Nagesh. Kasi Yathirai had an array of comedians, however Manorama stood out as Andal, the place she portrays an out-of-work actor, pretending to have a full calendar and greeting all guests together with her quirky ‘Kaun ba?’

Mastery over dialects

No one might communicate as many dialects as Manorama. MS Perumaal, former director of Doordarshan Kendra, Chennai, produced a particular programme for Vividh Bharati when he was with All India Radio. It featured Manorama interviewing varied characters she had performed — Jil Jil Ramamani (from the movie Thillana Mohanambal) talking Chettinad Tamil, Muthamma (from the movie Anubhavi Raja Anubavi) talking Thoothukudi Tamil, Chinna Ponnu (from the movie Bommalattam) talking the Madras slang, and as Nagesh’s spouse (from the movie Idhu Sathiyam) talking the Brahmin lingo. Imagine switching from one dialect to a different, with out getting blended up, and Manorama aced it.

“When she needed to sing people songs in Karaiyellam Shenbaga Poo, she watched Doordarshan recordings of people singer Kollangudi Karuppayi, to check Karuppayi’s physique language and the way she dressed,” says Perumaal, whereas speaking about Manorama’s penchant for perfection.

The singing actor

Manorama had a formidable checklist of songs to her credit score too. She sang ‘Cycleil vegamai pogindraal’ to the tune of Muthiah Bhagavatar’s nottuswaras, within the radio play Janatha Nagar Colony. “Her first movie music was ‘Pogathey’ in  Kannadasan’s movie Ratha Thilagam (1963),” says Annadurai. Some of her well-liked movie songs embody ‘Vaa vaadhyaare’ (Bommalattam), ‘Theriyadho nokku’ (from Suryakanthi), the Baila music ‘Poondamalliyile’ (Karunthel Kannayiram) and ‘Dhimikita Dhimikita’ (Thanga Gopuram).

Radio and tv

In 1961-62, Manorama acted in Suki Subramaniam’s radio play Kappu Katti Chatram, wherein she performed the function of Panaiyur Bhagyam. “She spoke Chettinad Tamil within the play, which earned her the moniker ‘Aachi’,” says Perumaal. In the Vividh Bharati serial, Veettukku Veedu, which Perumaal produced, she not solely performed the harried housewife, Annapoorani, but in addition lisped the infant speak of the character Balu.

Manorama performed the lead reverse SR Ramanathan in Annadurai’s Latchiyavaadi, produced for Madras Doordarshan. “Ramanathan was her ex-husband; she had separated from him 30 years in the past. Yet, she nursed no unwell emotions in direction of him and praised his performing,” says Perumaal.

“The first function that recognized her as somebody who might do critical roles was Pudumaipithan’s radio play Pudhiya Koondu,” says Perumaal. “She didn’t have prolonged dialogues, however conveyed her feelings with good voice modulations.”

Komal Swaminathan’s tv play, Yen Veedu Yen Kanavan Yen Kuzhandai, was a few man who decides to grow to be an ascetic as soon as he will get his siblings married. But in a uncommon second of intimacy, Manorama, who performs his spouse, turns into pregnant. Her face captured a complete gamut of feelings — embarrassment at having a baby when she is nicely previous center age, reduction that she now has a maintain on her husband, who understands just one phrase — obligation, and above all, the enjoyment of motherhood. Manorama was a uncommon artiste, one who might convey to life any character.