Pandurangan knows as P. Pandu (19 February 1947 – 6 May 2021) was an Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

actor and graphic designer who appeared in many comedy roles in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Ch ...

. He made his acting debut in the film ''

Maanavan ''Maanavan'' () is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age drama film directed by M. A. Thirumugam and produced by Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar under Dhandayudhapani Films. The scripts were written by Balamurugan. The film starred Jai ...

'' (1970). A

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

graduate in arts from France, he was also a

visual art The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and texti ...

ist who founded Capital Letters, a graphic designing company. He most notably designed the party symbol and logo of the

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK, also abbreviated as ADMK), also shortened to Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, is an Indian Regionalism (politics), regional political party with great influence in the Federated state, sta ...

. His brother

Idichapuli Selvaraj Idichapuli Selvaraj ( – 30 January 2012) was a veteran Tamil comedy actor. He acted in more than five hundred films. He acted alongside many actors. He also worked as an assistant director for the M. G. Ramachandran films like ''Idhayakkani ...

had also previously appeared in films as a comedian.

Career

He designed the two leaves party logo under the instruction and supervision of

AIADMK The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK, also abbreviated as ADMK), also shortened to Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory ...

founder leader

MGR Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 – 24 December 1987), popularly known by his initialism M.G.R. and as Makkal Thilagam/Puratchi Thalaivar, was an Indian actor, politician, and philanthropist who served as the chief minister of ...

. In an interview with ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'' newspaper in 2016, he said that he designed the

Flag within one hour at night, around 10:00 pm and also revealed that his association with late Indian veteran actor turned politician MGR began in 1973 when Pandu had designed stickers for MGR's iconic yesteryear evergreen film ''

Ulagam Sutrum Valiban ''Ulagam Sutrum Valiban'' () is a 1973 Indian Tamil-language science fiction film directed and co-produced by M. G. Ramachandran. The film stars Ramachandran, Chandrakala, Manjula and Latha. It revolves around a scientist who discovers an en ...

''. Pandu made his acting debut in ''

''. He played a supporting role in Agathiyan's ''

Kadhal Kottai ''Kadhal Kottai'' () is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Agathiyan, and produced by Sivasakthi Movie Makers. The film stars Ajith Kumar and Devayani in the lead roles, with Heera, Thalaivaasal Vijay, a ...

'' portraying Ramasamy who accompanies

Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar Subramaniam (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, he has starred in over 63 films, and won four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Ta ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. The performance as Ajith's sidekick was widely praised and established him as a prominent actor. In 2013, he starred in ''

Vellachi ''Vellachi'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romance film written and directed by Velu Vishwanath. The film stars newcomers Pintu Pandu and Suchitra Unni. The music was composed by Bhavatharini with cinematography by Sai Natraj ...

'', which featured his son Pintu Pandu in the leading role. In 2019, he was bestowed with the

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government ...

award for the year 2011. Away from films, in 1975 he started a brass and aluminium business in Chennai called Prapanj Unlimited. He ran it as a family business, with son Prabhu Panju in charge. He also ran a company called Capital Letters and engaged in designing name boards for offices and residences of Tamil film fraternity. In 2014, he held an art exhibition alongside another son Panju Pandu.

Death

He died on 6 May 2021 at the age of 74 after being hospitalized for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Selected filmography

Tamil films

Other language films

Television

* 2007: ''Dhinam Dhinam Deepavali'' * 2014: '' Uravugal Sangamam'' * 2015-2016: '' Sabitha Engira Sabapathi '' * 2016: ''

Valli Valli () is a devi, Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chieftain, leading a life of a huntress. Murugan, the god ...

'' - Natarajan

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pandu 1947 births 2021 deaths Tamil comedians Male actors from Chennai Male actors in Tamil cinema Indian male comedians Tamil male television actors 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors People from Namakkal district Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India