Subramaniyan Karuppaiya (born 25 May 1939), known by his stage name Goundamani, is an Indian actor and comedian who works in
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, na ...
films with fellow actor
Senthil
Senthil (born 23 March 1951) is an Indian comedy actor who works in Tamil cinema. He is famous for his comedian roles along with fellow actor Goundamani. The pair dominated the Tamil industry as comedians in the 1980s and 90s. He has the ability to give counter dialogues on the spot and off the script on stage and during shooting but it has nothing to do with his screen name, contrary to popular belief (as counter is a term that was popular only from the late 2000s). He was at his peak of his career as a comedian in Tamil cinema for nearly 40 years. Despite his popularity, Goundamani is known for being a social recluse.
Early life
Goundamani was born as Subramaniyan on 25 May 1939 in Vallakundapuram, a village near Pollachi in
Coimbatore
Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbat ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
. His father is Karuppaiya and his mother is Annammal. He married Shanthi in 1963 and has 2 daughters.
Career
On having interest in acting, he went to
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and initially started acting in theatre dramas and then entered into the
Tamil film industry
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollyw ...
(Kollywood) due to his strong theatrical background.
He made his film acting debut in ''
Thenum Paalum
''Thenum Paalum'' () is a 1971 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by P. Madhavan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and B. Saroja Devi. It was released on 22 July 1971.
Plot
Somanathan, a leading advocate, has four da ...
'' (1964) where he featured in a minor and uncredited role as a driver. He made his full fledged debut in 1977 film '' 16 Vayathinile'' where he played the role of
Rajinikanth
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...
's sidekick. His role in the 1977 P. Bharathiraja directorial was also Goundamani's first credited role in his film
Goundamani has played lead roles in a few films during his career, but is predominantly a supporting actor playing comedy roles. While performing roles of a solo comedian in films, he often co-starred with
Senthil
Senthil (born 23 March 1951) is an Indian comedy actor who works in Tamil cinema. He is famous for his comedian roles along with fellow actor Goundamani. The pair dominated the Tamil industry as comedians in the 1980s and 90s.Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in t ...
" and have performed slapstick humour in many
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, na ...
films from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. Both of them are also remembered as partners-in-crime and also known for their chemistry.
Both Goundamani and Senthil were critically acclaimed for their career defining performance in Gangai Amaren's directorial '' Karakattakkaran'' (1989). Karakattakaran also coincidentally marked Goundamani and Senthil's 100th film as comedians together. Senthil and Goundamani both reportedly spent full 28 days on set during the shooting of the film. Goundamani's phrases in one of the comedy scenes featured in Karakattakaran, "Adhu enda enna pathu andha kelvi ketta?" when Senthil asked him "Intha cara vachiruntha Sopanasundhariya yaaru vaichiruka" became the highlight of the film and later became viral internet memes.
Goundamani's comedy scene from '' Thangamana Raasa'' (1989) is also best remembered by critics for dreaming of singing under the music of Ilaiyaraja when he was spending a jail term for petty crime. His one line phrases "Start the music" and "Arasiyal la ithellam saatharnamappa" which featured in the 1992 film ''Suriyan'' also later became a viral meme and trendsetter in Internet.
After recuperating from
diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
and respiratory illnesses during the late 2000s, he featured in '' Vaaimai'' and also played the lead role in '' 49-O'', which began productions in 2013. It was directed by debutant Arokiadoss, a former assistant of Gautham Vasudev Menon. In 2019, he was approached by film director R. Kannan and actor Santhanam to cast him in a supporting role for their film project but Goundamani reportedly turned down the offer as he was sceptical about the role.