Janagaraj is an Indian actor who has appeared in over 200 films predominantly 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 ...

as a comedian or in supporting roles. He also starred in few

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

, Telugu and

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

films.

Early life

Janagaraj was born to Vadivelu and Muthulakshmi in Chennai

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 ...

. He joined the Auditor General's Office as a Junior Division Clerk in 1976 and worked part-time as a theatre artist and a stage artist due to his desire to act and perform. He was friendly with Delhi Ganesh, another AGS employee who remains his closest friend to date. Janagaraj joined Director Bharathiraja as his unofficial assistant. After seeing his talent during the shooting of ''

Kizhake Pogum Rail ''Kizhakke Pogum Rail'' () is a 1978 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Bharathiraja, starring newcomers Sudhakar (actor), Sudhakar and Raadhika Sarathkumar, M. R. Raadhika. The film had musical ...

'', Bharathiraja gave him the chance to act as a Brahmin in the same movie. Later in

Puthiya Vaarpugal ''Puthiya Vaarpugal'' () is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film co-written, produced and directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars K. Bhagyaraj and Rati Agnihotri, with G. Srinivasan, Goundamani, K. K. Soundar and Usharani in suppo ...

, Bharathiraja gave Janagaraj another sensational character as a minor boy of the villain (G. Srinivasan). Janagaraj had acted with a trouser and baniyan for that movie. Janagaraj found his break in 1980 in

Bharathiraja Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with '' 16 Vayathinile'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. ...

's ''

Nizhalgal ''Nizhalgal'' () is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language drama film co-written and directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars primarily newcomers such as S. Rajasekar (credited as Rajasekaran), Raadhu (credited as Rohini), Ravi, Chandrasekhar and Suv ...

'' and was among the most wanted comedians, having shared roles with major film stars like Sivakumar, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ramki, Sivaji Ganesan and with major film directors like Mani Ratnam, K. Balachander and Suresh Krishna.

Film career

Beginning

In 1978, he was introduced by director

in ''

'' and he continued to give chance to him in his films ''

'' (1979), ''

Kaadhal Oviyam ''Kadhal Oviyam'' () is a 1982 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars Kannan, in his only major screen appearance, and Radha. It was released on 30 April 1982. Plot Sakthi was an orphan, born in tem ...

'' (1982) and '' Oru Kaidhiyin Diary'' (1985). Janagaraj's career however spun to silver in the 1980s. Starting with ''

'' (1980), continuing in '' Sindhu Bhairavi'' (1985), '' Palaivana Rojakkal'' (1986), '' Muthal Vasantham'' (1986), ''

Agni Natchathiram ''Agni Natchathiram'' () is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language masala film that was written and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film stars Prabhu, Karthik, Amala and newcomer Nirosha, with Vijayakumar, Jayachitra, Sumithra, Tara, S. N. Lakshmi and ...

'' (1988), '' Rajadhi Raja'' (1989) and '' Apoorva Sagodharargal'' (1989). Janagaraj became a popular comedian in Tamil films. He is known for his peculiar voice and face expression. He has also acted in supporting roles in films like ''

Nayakan ''Nayakan'' (; ) is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language gangster film written and directed by Mani Ratnam. Produced by Muktha Srinivasan, the film stars Kamal Haasan, Saranya (in her feature debut) and Karthika, with Janagaraj, Vijayan, M. V. Vasu ...

'' (1987), '' Kizhakku Vasal'' (1990), '' Annamalai'' (1992) and ''

Baashha ''Baashha'' is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language gangster action film written and directed by Suresh Krissna. The film stars Rajinikanth, Nagma and Raghuvaran, with Janagaraj, Devan, Shashi Kumar, Vijayakumar, Anandaraj, Charan Raj, Kitty, Sath ...

'' (1995). He was main sidekick for Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth in 80s and early 90s films.

Suruli Rajan Suruli Rajan was a Tamil film comedian/character artiste. He was a recipient of Tamil Nadu State Government's Best Comedian Award for the year 1981–82. Biography Suruli Rajan was born in 1938 in Periyakulam, near Theni. His father ''Ponna ...

's untimely death pushed him to forefront for roles that demanded comedy as well as character support.

Later years

His latest roles were in ''

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

'' (2002), '' Aayutha Ezhuthu'' (2004) and '' M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi'' (2004) as supporting roles. He acted a negative role in '' Aayudham'' (2005). After a hiatus, Janagaraj made his acting comeback with '' 96'' (2018) and ''

Dha Dha 87 ''Dha Dha 87'' is a 2019 Indian Tamil action romantic drama film written and directed by Vijay Sri G. The film stars Charuhasan and Saroja. The film is a spiritual successor to ''Sathya'' (1988), which starred Charuhasan's younger brother Kama ...

'' (2019).

Award

Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Character Artiste (Male) The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Character Artiste (Male) is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The award was first given in 1968 and stopped after 1970. The award ...

for – ''

'' (2002)

Filmography

References

External links

*{{IMDb name, id=0417301, name=janagaraj Living people Tamil male actors Male actors in Tamil cinema Tamil comedians Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners 1955 births