Remembering Manorama, the undisputed queen of comedy

On October 10, 2015, the look that launched a cardinal laughs, passed away. Manorama, the undisputed queen of comedy, who had acted successful much than 1,500 films, did not person an casual beingness though. Her mother, Ramamritham, a azygous genitor made a surviving by selling sweets successful Pallathur. Manorama’s archetypal sanction was Gopishantha, who by the property of two, could reproduce immoderate opus she had heard. Hence, she came to beryllium known arsenic the ‘singing’ Pallathur papa. When her parent fell ill, the 10-year-old kid began doing household chores astatine affluent Chettiar families successful her village. 

Gopishantha was hardly 12, erstwhile she went connected stage, rather by chance. A play troupe was connected the look-out for a singing-artiste for their play, Andaman Kadhali, and her sanction was suggested. “Harmonium subordinate Thyagarajan and Thiruvengadam (assistant manager of the play), renamed the miss Manorama. Paulraj, an electrician successful the troupe, aboriginal produced the play — Vidhiyin Vilayattu — successful which Manorama got a relation to play. She went connected to enactment successful galore of Paulraj’s plays. Her show successful Yaar Magan caught the attraction of Veena Balachander, who said she deserved a prize for her acting. Manorama was 16, erstwhile she was offered a relation by histrion Muthuraman and screenwriter Sakthi Krishnaswamy successful a play enactment up by Vairam Nataka sabha. “Manorama committed a 100-page dialog to representation successful conscionable 1 night,” said Krishnakumar T.K., who shared absorbing anecdotes from the actor’s beingness during a speech astatine Arkay Convention Center during Madras Day this year. 

In the 1950’s, erstwhile person E.V.K. Sampath played the leader successful Annadurai’s play Sivaji Kanda Hindu Samrajyam, Manorama played the pistillate lead. Manorama utilized to say, she had acted with 5 main ministers — Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M.G. Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa and N.T. Rama Rao, shared Krishnakumar.

Cinematic travel

Manorama made her foray into cinema with a Sinalese film. Her archetypal Tamil movie was Kavignar Kannadasan’s Malayitta Mangai. “She was reluctant to bash the relation of a comedian due to the fact that she wanted to beryllium a heroine. My begetter told her she would person a large aboriginal arsenic a comedian and his words turned retired to beryllium prophetic,” says Annadurai, Kannadasan’s son. “She ne'er forgot my father’s assistance and erstwhile told his adjunct that Kannadasan was not lone his boss, but hers too.” 

Memorable roles

It is hard to accidental which movie brought retired the champion successful her. Who tin hide the feisty, but benignant Burma Pappa (from the movie Savaal), who runs an academy for pickpocketers? In Unakkum Vazhu Varum, she is simply a garrulous pistillate pretending to person a code impediment, driving Thengai Srinivasan up the partition with her ambiguous effect to his questions. In Galatta Kalyanam, she is the strait-laced Rathna, acceptable to sound retired her suitor, Nagesh. Kasi Yathirai had an array of comedians, but Manorama stood retired arsenic Andal — wherever she portrays an out-of-work actor, pretending to person a afloat calendar and greeting each visitors with her quirky ‘Kaun ba?’ 

Mastery implicit dialects

No 1 could talk arsenic galore dialects arsenic Manorama. M.S. Perumaal, erstwhile manager Doordarshan Kendra, Chennai, produced a peculiar programme for Vividh Bharati, erstwhile helium was with All India Radio. It featured Manorama interviewing assorted characters she had played — Jil Jil Ramamani (from the movie Thillana Mohanambal) speaking Chettinad Tamil, Muthamma (from the movie Anubhavi Raja Anubavi) speaking Thoothukudi Tamil, Chinna Ponnu (from the movie Bommalattam) speaking the Madras slang, and arsenic Nagesh’s woman (from the movie Idhu Sathiyam) speaking the Brahmin lingo. Imagine switching from 1 dialect to another, without getting mixed up and Manorama aced it.  

“When she had to sing people songs successful Karaiyellam Shenbaga Poo, she watched Doordarshan recordings of people vocalist Kollangudi Karuppayi, to survey Karuppayi’s assemblage connection and however she dressed,” says Perumaal, portion talking astir Manorama’s penchant for perfection. 

The singing actor

Manorama had an awesome database of songs to her recognition too. She sang ‘Cycleil vegamai pogindraal’ to the tune of Muthiah Bhagavatar’s nottuswaras, successful the vigor play Janatha Nagar Colony. “Her archetypal movie opus was ‘Pogathey’ in  Kannadasan’s movie Ratha Thilagam (1963),” says Annadurai. Some of her fashionable movie songs see ‘Vaa vaadhyaare’ (Bommalattam), ‘Theriyadho nokku’ (from Suryakanthi), the Baila opus ‘Poondamalliyile’ (Karunthel Kannayiram) and ‘Dhimikita Dhimikita’ (Thanga Gopuram).

Radio and television

In 1961-62, Manorama acted successful Suki Subramaniam’s vigor play Kappu Katti Chatram, successful which she played the relation of Panaiyur Bhagyam. “She spoke Chettinad Tamil successful the play, which earned for her the moniker ‘Aachi’,” says Perumaal. In the Vividh Bharati serial, Veettukku Veedu, which Perumaal produced, she not lone played the harried housewife, Annapoorani, but besides lisped the babe speech of the quality Balu.

Manorama played the pb other S.R. Ramanathan successful Annadurai’s Latchiyavaadi, produced for Madras Doordarshan. “Ramanathan was her ex-husband, she had separated from 30 years ago. Yet, she nursed nary ill-feelings towards him and praised his acting,” says Perumaal. 

“The archetypal relation that identified her arsenic idiosyncratic who could bash superior roles, was Pudumaipithan’s vigor play Pudhiya Koondu,” says Perumaal. “She didn’t person lengthy dialogues, but conveyed her emotions with superb dependable modulations.”

Komal Swaminathan’s tv play, Yen Veedu Yen Kanavan Yen Kuzhandai, was astir a antheral who decides to go an ascetic erstwhile helium gets his siblings married. But successful a uncommon infinitesimal of intimacy, Manorama, who plays his wife, becomes pregnant. Her look captured a full gamut of emotions — embarrassment astatine having a kid erstwhile she is good past mediate age, alleviation that she present has a clasp connected her husband, who understands lone 1 connection — duty, and supra each the joyousness of motherhood. Manorama was a uncommon artiste, who could bring to beingness immoderate character.