Renowned comic actor of Tamil films, Goundamani was born on 25th May 1941. The legend celebrated his 75th birthday.
Named as Subramani Karuppaiya, he was born in a small village near Coimbatore known as Valagundapuram. He got the name Goundmani only after he joined movies – Mani being his pet name and “Counter” because he has the ability to dish out one liner and counter dialogues in seconds.
From an early age, Goundamani was interested in acting and worked in theatre. It was his exposure to the theatre world which actually got him his first chance in Tamil films. He debuted in Kollywood with ace director, Bharathiraja’s first film, 16 Vayadhinile. Though his role was a minor one in the film, his acting prowess did not go unnoticed. He started getting offers from other noted directors too.
What started off as minor roles soon graduated into characters in supporting roles. His sense of humor was widely applauded by the audience which is why he continued to be the most sought after comedian till the late 80s. Some of his well known characters include Pagal Nilavu, Idhaya Kovil, Vaidehi Kathirundal, Sigappu Rojakkal etc.
In the late 1980s, a new comedy actor Senthil appeared in the Tamil film scene. Goundamani and Senthil were cast together as lead comedians in the movie, Karagattakaran. The comic timing and the chemistry that the duo shared was an instant hit among the audience which led to the conception of the hit Goundmani – Senthil duo. The pair was repeated in a number of movies and there have been times when audience went to watch movies just for the duo. Some of their comedies and hilarious dialogues are still remembered by Tamil movie fans.
Goundamani took a hiatus from movies in 2011. However, he is now back on the filmi scene and would soon be seen in Vaaimai and Engaluku Veru Engum Kilaigal Kidaiyathu.
Here’s hoping that the great Goundamani would tickle the funny bone of the Tamil audience for many more years to come.
