Vaigai Puyal, Chinna Kalaivaanar et al…..
They are the guys who light up a film with lighter moments. From the mild smiles to the loud guffaws, they can make you double up in laughter. Tamil cinema is blessed with comedians of a wide range, the subtle, the sarcastic, the studied, the spontaneous and the slapstick. Let’s take a look at the top 8 comedians of Kollywood.
Vadivelu
They call him the Vaigai Puyal and why not. This man from Madurai has taken Kollywood by storm, being perhaps the busiest actor in Kollywood these days. It is more a rule than a choice to have Vadivelu in it, even big stars want him in their movies. Many small producers bank all their money on the laughs he provides. We need not tell you what about Vadivelu makes our bellies ache- he is a class act. Winner and Thalainagaram are testimony to this.
Vivek
Chinna Kalaivanar may not literally translate to ‘the man with a message’ but that is what he is. Known for his uncanny ability and unflinching intent of delivering a social message in his comic scenes (Saamy is the best example) he has given us many enjoyable moments. It is impossible to recall all of them but moments from Minnale and Anniyan pop up, not to mention the others. His form has been a bit lackluster of late but we know he will bounce back.
Kanja Karuppu
Everyone remembers Vaalavanthan from Ram, if not you have to remember Douglas from Paruthiveeran, else you definitely identify Kasi of Subramaniapuram. Kanja Karuppu has patented the village simpleton of Tamil cinema over the last couple of years. His perfectly accented rural Tamil and a dialogue delivery style that is close to being musical are a perfect combination. His greatest strength is the complete helplessness alternated with a heady over-confidence that he brings out with ease.
Santhanam
Another man who came from the small screen. He never needed to prove himself to the audience, all of that had been done in Lollu Sabha. His main asset is the natural sarcasm that he can bring on screen. His dialogues in perfect Chennai slang can tickle the funny bone of the most sober of persons. Arai En 305il Kadavul proved that he is much more than just a comedian. There’s more to come.
M.S. Bhaskar
A late bloomer on the big screen, M.S. Bhaskar is one of those who have made a successful transition from TV to cinema. He has added the much needed variety to Tamil cinema’s range of comedians. He has never been the slapstick sort; his comic acts mostly revolve around funny encounters and dialogues. His natural portrayal of the amnesic professor in Mozhi showed that one need not necessarily speak funny lines to be a comedian. Now, his performance in Dasavatharam has got him points. Especially for his twisted English and repeated ‘Dorai’ reference to Fletcher.
Karunas
He is another comedian who has matured like fine wine. Even he, too, began as a slapstick specialist who more often than not played the hero’s sidekick. But over the years we have seen Karunas being given more scope to make us laugh. The ‘auto comedy’ of Attagasam got him the leverage and he used it well. His carefully measured dialogue delivery never fails to bring a smile. Yaradi Nee Mohini is evidence.
Sathyan
Perhaps, the most underexposed, underused comedian of Tamil cinema. But that seems to be an advantage because his screen presence seems to lend a touch of freshness to a movie. He may have started off as a bit one dimensional slapstick artist who did some good work in movies like Devathayai Kandein. But he keeps getting better, especially with the Ghajini cameo and now with some superb work in Santhosh Subramaniam. The best is yet to come.
Premji
The youngest comedian of Tamil cinema. He cemented his place as a comic actor with just one movie- Chennai28. His antics had a funny gullibility about them and his dialogue delivery in a slightly high pitched twang had the audience in splits. But, it was the reinvention of the highly dramatic ‘Enna Kodumai’ dialogue from Chandramukhi into a funny refrain that was the masterstroke. Natural flair, great timing.
