Kumaravadivel Natarajan (born 12 September 1960), known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and playback singer, having acted in supporting and lead roles 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 ...

. He gained widespread acclaim in Kollywood in the 2000s. His first film as a lead actor, ''

Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language historical- comedy film written and directed by Chimbu Deven. The film stars Vadivelu in his debut as a solo lead actor. Monica and Tejashree play the female leads, while Manor ...

'' (2006), achieved commercial and critical success. His career declined in the 2010s due to various controversies, and culminated in him receiving a ban from performing in future films at the time. Vadivelu has also received awards in the Best Comedian category for his performances in '' Kaalam Maari Pochu'' (1996), ''

Vetri Kodi Kattu ''Vetri Kodi Kattu'' () is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Cheran. The film stars starring Murali, Parthiban, Meena, and Malavika, while Vadivelu, Manorama, Anandaraj, Vijayakumar, and Charle play supporting ...

'' (2000), ''

Thavasi ''Thavasi'' is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by K. R. Udhayashankar starring Vijayakanth in dual lead roles, with Soundarya, Vadivelu, Jayasudha, Prathyusha, Nassar, Ponnambalam playing other pivotal roles. The ...

'' (2001), ''

Chandramukhi ''Chandramukhi'' () is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film written and directed by P. Vasu. A remake of Vasu's Kannada film '' Apthamitra'' (2004), which itself loosely based on the Malayalam film '' Manichitrathazhu'' (1993), the ...

'' (2005), ''

'' (2006), '' Pokkiri'' (2007), ''

Marudhamalai Marudhamalai, also Maruthamalai or Marudamalai, is a suburb of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located along the Western Ghats, from Coimbatore. It is currently part of 17th ward of Coimbatore Corporation. It was part of Periyanaicken ...

'' (2007) and '' Kathavarayan'' (2008). His popularity led to his media-coined nickname, ''

Vaigai The Vaigai is a river in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India; it passes through the towns of Theni, Dindigul and Madurai. It originates in Varusanadu Hills, the Periyar Plateau of the Western Ghats range, and flows northeast through the ...

Puyal'', meaning "

storm", referring to the river that flows through his hometown

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration i ...

. Vadivelu's comedic dialogue in films served as an inspiration for memes in social media. In 2019, Vadivelu was featured in the sudden viral memes related to the hashtag ''

Pray for Nesamani Pray for Nesamani (sometimes spelled Naesamani) is an internet meme that began trending on social media platforms in May 2019. It is based on the fictional character Nesamani from the Indian Tamil drama film ''Friends'' (2001). Nesamani was play ...

'' which was the most trending hashtag in

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 ...

in 2019. In 2021, Vadivelu confirmed the lifting of the ban, and made his return to acting to play the lead in ''

Naai Sekar Returns ''Naai Sekar Returns'' is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language comedy film produced by Subaskaran Allirajah and written and directed by Suraj. The film stars Vadivelu in his comeback film after five years, while Sivaangi Krishnakumar, Anandaraj, Rao ...

'' (2022), a spin-off of his character from ''

Thalai Nagaram ''Thalai Nagaram'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language action crime film written and directed by Suraj and produced by V. Ravichandran. The film stars Sundar C and Jyothirmayi, while Vadivelu, Prakash Raj, Bose Venkat, Judo. K. K. Rathnam, and ...

'' and also signed on more projects to be released in the future, both as lead and comedian.Archived a
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Early life

Vadivelu was born as Kumaaravadivel Natarajan on 12 September 1970 in

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 ...

to Natarajan and Vaitheswari. He worked in his father's glass cutting business and continued it with his brothers after his father died. In his free time, he participated in local stage plays, usually in a comedic role.

Personal life

Vadivelu is married to Sarojini and has 4 children: daughters Kannigaparameswari, Karthiga, Kalaivani, and a son, Subramaniyan.

Career

Early stage (1988–1997)

In 1988, he was launched through a small character in

T. Rajendar Thesingu Rajendar (born 9 May 1960), also known as Vijaya T. Rajendar or T. R., is an Indian actor, filmmaker, musician, cinematographer and distributor who works primarily in Tamil film industry. He is also a politician in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. ...

’s ''

En Thangai Kalyani ''En Thangai Kalyani'' () is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language film directed and produced by T. Rajendar. Rajender himself appeared in the title role, with Sudha. The film featured Rajendar's real life children. The film was released on 5 February 198 ...

''. Vadivelu met Rajkiran on a train while on his way 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 ...

to visit his bride-to-be. Rajkiran later recalled that he was so amused by their conversation during the train ride that he agreed to give Vadivelu a role in his upcoming film, '' En Rasavin Manasile'' (1991), directed by

Kasthuri Raja Kasthuri Raja is an Indian film director. He is the father of director Selvaraghavan and actor Dhanush. He worked as an assistant director with Director K.S.G. Most of the films he directed were either village based or infatuation of youngster ...

. It was also the beginning of the

Goundamani Subramaniyan Karuppaiya (born 25 May 1939), known by his stage name Goundamani, is an Indian actor and comedian who works in Tamil cinema. He is known for his comic duo partnership in Tamil films with fellow actor Senthil. The pair dominated t ...

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.Vijayakanth supported Vadivelu during his early career. He stated that he was substantial in casting him in 1992’s ''

Chinna Gounder ''Chinna Gounder'' () is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by R. V. Udayakumar, starring Vijayakanth, Sukanya, Manorama, Salim Ghouse, Sathyapriya, Goundamani, Senthil and Vadivelu. It was released on 14 January 1992, during ...

''. In 1992, he played contrasting characters in both

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...

films. Vadivelu joined Goundamani and

Charle Velmurugan Thangasamy Manohar (born 6 March 1960), professionally credited as Charle, is an Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema. He has acted in more than 800 Tamil films as a comedian and supporting actor. He was named after the English co ...

in the comedy film '' Singaravelan''. Then in the movie ''

Thevar Magan ''Thevar Magan'' () is a 1992 Indian, Tamil-language drama film written by Kamal Haasan, who also produced the film, and directed by Bharathan. It stars Haasan, Sivaji Ganesan, Revathi, Gautami and Nassar; with Kallapart Natarajan, Kaka Rad ...

'', Vadivelu played a worker in patriarch

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji G ...

’s household. Vadivelu’s first solo came in director Shankar’s '' Kadhalan'' (1994), in which he played the friend of

Prabhu Deva Prabhu Deva (born 3 April 1973) is an Indian dance choreographer, film director, producer and actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada language films. In a career spanning 32 years, he has performed and designed a ...

’s university student character. He won his first

Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Comedian The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Comedian is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The list Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won. ...

in '' Kaalam Maari Pochu'' (1996).

Superstardom in comedy (1998–2008)

Vadivelu is known to assist directors, with his own input being used during sets. The hallmark of his comedy was self-deprecation. Vadivelu’s characters thought very highly of themselves – they were clownish versions of the gang leader. After a certain stage of success, he started to act as a solo comedian, supported by other minor comedians. By this phase, he was considered as a colossus in Kollywood, which came with the freedom to meddle with scripts and override even established directors. He has acted with almost all the top heroes in Tamil cinema. His part in movies like ''

'' (2000), ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Li ...

'' (2001), ''

'' (2001), '' Winner'' (2003), ''

'' (2005), ''

Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language historical- comedy film written and directed by Chimbu Deven. The film stars Vadivelu in his debut as a solo lead actor. Monica and Tejashree play the female leads, while Manor ...

'' (2006), '' Pokkiri'' (2007), ''

'' (2007) and '' Kathavarayan'' (2008) are typical of his performances that have brought him laurels and accolades from the Tamil movie-goers. Cashing in on his popularity, he starred in the lead role of the historical comedy in the film ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei''. The movie was declared a blockbuster and was widely acclaimed for its 'clean' comedy. Vadivelu played in a dual role, playing twin brothers of a heartless but comical dictator king and a revolutionary. His next venture as the lead star was in the movie '' Indiralogathil Na Azhagappan'' (2008).

Controversies and decline (2008–2017)

On 21 September 2008, Vadivelu's residence in the

Saligramam Saligramam (சாலிகிராமம்) is a residential locality situated in the western part of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Saligramam is surrounded by Vadapalani in the east, Virugambakkam in the west, KK Nagar in the south and Koyam ...

neighbourhood in

was pelted with stones by a gang, leaving several windows broken and furniture damaged. The actor had taken refuge in a room in his home and was safe. Vadivelu is said to have suspected Vijayakanth because of a recent case that he had filed against the latter for assault and because the final court hearing was to take place the following day. He suspected that the attack may have been carried out to prevent Vadivelu from attending the hearing. As a result, Vadivelu filed another case against Vijayakanth for attempted murder. He later mentioned his interest in contesting against Vijayakanth in the upcoming assembly elections and in his words, "teaching him a lesson." In response, actor Vijayakanth, in a press meet on 22 September, claimed that Vadivelu's allegations were based on

hearsay Hearsay evidence, in a legal forum, is testimony from an under-oath witness who is reciting an out-of-court statement, the content of which is being offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. In most courts, hearsay evidence is inadmiss ...

. Vadivelu appeared in notables roles with '' Villu'' (2009), '' Kanthaswamy'' (2009), ''

Peranmai ''Peranmai'' () is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language action adventure film, co-written and directed by S. P. Jananathan for his venture and produced by Ayngaran International Films, it stars Jayam Ravi and Roland Kickinger, with Dhansika, Saranya ...

'' (2009), ''

Aadhavan ''Aadhavan'' () is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film directed by K. S. Ravikumar and written by Ramesh Khanna. The film stars Suriya and Nayantara, with Vadivelu, Murali, B. Saroja Devi, Rahul Dev, Sayaji Shinde, Anand Babu in ...

'' (2009), '' Kacheri Arambam'' (2010), ''

Sura A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah ('' Al-K ...

'' (2010), ''

Thillalangadi ''Thillalangadi'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film directed by M. Raja. A remake of the 2009 Telugu film ''Kick'', it stars Raja's brother Jayam Ravi along with Tamannaah, and Shaam, who reprises his role from ''Kick'', an ...

'' (2010), ''

Nagaram Marupakkam ''Nagaram Marupakkam'' () also known simply as ''Nagaram'' is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film co-produced written and directed by Sundar C., who himself plays the lead role. Co-produced by his wife Khushbu, the film also stars ...

'' (2010) and '' Kaavalan'' (2011). In 2010, Vadivelu held a press conference, accusing fellow comedian and actor

Singamuthu Singamuthu (born 8 December 1958) is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films as a comedian. Career Singamuthu has primarily appeared in comedy roles in films as a supporting actor debuting in ''Neram Nalla Irukku'' (1987). He ...

for forgery and financial cheating. Vadivelu, who was previously friends with Singamuthu, purchased land from him but later came to learn that the documents were void. This resulted in the former taking legal action against the latter. During the legislative assembly elections that place in

during April 2011, Vadivelu vehemently campaigned for the

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; DMK) is a political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu where it is currently the ruling party having a comfortable majority without coalition support and the union territory of Puducherry where it is curre ...

(DMK) and its alliance. During his public speeches, he predominantly condemned politician and actor Vijayakanth, whose party, the

Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (; DMDK) is an Indian regional political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Vijayakant (Ca ...

(DMDK), allied with the opposition party

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief mi ...

(AIADMK), headed by

Jayalalithaa Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...

. His allegations of Vijayakanth included him being a "drunkard". In a campaign speech in

Tiruvarur Thiruvarur () also spelt as Tiruvarur is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Thiruvarur district and Thiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja temple, weighing and ...

, Vadivelu stated that "(his) only aim is to sweep out Vijayakanth's whole team and to campaign vigorously for DMK's victory". Vadivelu was criticised as being biased, only supporting a DMK-led victory for personal gains and not once mentioning anything against the official opposition, the AIADMK, or its leader. In a turn of events, the election was eventually successful for the AIADMK alliance, and Vijaykanth won his constituency by a considerable margin. As his career as a lead actor was waning such as '' Tenaliraman'' (2014), '' Eli'' (2015), Vadivelu chose to return to portraying supporting and comedy roles in films headlined by other actors. He portrayed a role alongside Vishal in Suraj's ''

Kaththi Sandai ''Kaththi Sandai'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Suraj. The film is produced by S. Nanthagopal. The film features Vishal and Tamannaah in the lead roles. Jagapathi Babu, Vadivelu, Soori and Tar ...

'' (2016), before collaborating again with

P. Vasu Vasudevan Peethambharan, known professionally as P Vasu, is an Indian director, writer and actor who works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam language films. In a career spanning three decades, Vasu has directed over 64 films. ...

in the horror comedy ''

Shivalinga A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional ...

'' (2017). Vadivelu then portrayed a supporting role alongside Vijay in '' Mersal'' (2017), with the film becoming a blockbuster at the box office. A critic from

The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...

noted that it was a "brilliant comeback for Vadivelu" and that "his comedy is subtle, yet sufficient".

Banning (2018–2020)

After agreeing to work with Chimbu Deven on ''Imsai Arasan 23th Pulikesi'', a sequel to their successful film, he fell out with the director over an issue regarding his costume designer and subsequently refused to cooperate. The film's producers, S. Shankar and Subaskaran Allirajah, later filed a legal case over his unexplained absence. Likewise, R. K. and Stephen, the producers of ''Neeyum Naanum Naduvula Peyum'' and another untitled film, also opted to file complaints to the Nadigar Sangam against Vadivelu's lack of cooperation. The Tamil Film Producers Council issued a ban against casting Vadivelu in future films. In his crisp video footage sent to Sun TV, Vadivelu said that a few vested interests are trying to stop his growth in the film industry. In 2019, Vadivelu was interviewed by ''Behindwoods'', in which he criticized Chimbu Deven and Shankar for their creative differences. Producer T. Siva and director Naveen (who worked as an assistant to Chimbu Deven in ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi'') spoke out against Vadivelu's comments. In 2020, Vadivelu, who had recently joined

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, has not been taking up as many roles as he did earlier. Adding that he would soon take up a project, the comedian said, “You’ve also been asking why I’m not acting yet. Soon, I will make my entry in a grand manner”.

Re-entry (2021-present)

In 2021, in a significant hint about his return to the Tamil cinema, Vadivelu said that a good thing will happen definitely. On 28 August 2021, joining an over the phone interview with Puthiya Thalaimurai TV, Vadivelu confirmed that his ban was lifted and he has agreed for 5 films with Lyca Productions. First of which will commence shooting in September 2021, named ''Nai Shekar''. He also mentioned that it feels like it is his first film and this is his rebirth in Cinema. Vadivelu confirmed the lifting of the ban, after 4 years, and returned to play the lead in ''

''.

Acclaim

Acting style

Vadivelu's roles involve heavy use of slapstick and puns, which has led him to be typecast. His comedy sequences typically end with him getting soundly thrashed and a closing one-liner from him bemoaning his situation or antagonists. His popularity could be ascribed to the general audience being able to identify with him thanks to his rustic looks, accent and body language.

Popularity

Vadivelu's dialogues served as an inspiration for memes in social media. Many meme creators use Vadivelu's dialogues for all ongoing situations in the world to express irony. His dialogues have been part of daily conversation and also inspired the titles for various Tamil films. In 2019, Vadivelu was featured in the sudden viral memes related to the hashtag ''

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vadivelu Indian male comedians Indian male film actors Tamil comedians Tamil male actors Indian Tamil people Living people Male actors from Madurai Filmfare Awards South winners Recipients of the Kalaimamani Award 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors Male actors in Tamil cinema Tamil playback singers Singers from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian singers 21st-century Indian singers Musicians from Madurai 1960 births People from Madurai