A. R. Srinivasan

A.R. Srinivasan is one of the amateur Tamil stage actors who has worked for over five decades and has kept the theatre troupe flags flying. The actor has even acted in selected movies (Telugu and Tamil) and was appreciated by audiences. Half a century of continuous stage activity appears a mind-boggling proposition, but for A.R. Srinivasan (popular as ARS) whose rendezvous with Tamil theatre began in 1962, it has been his way of life. He has been able to take even Tamil drama troupes outside India (countries like the USA), and the applause from the audiences gave him a higher satisfaction. Probably this could be a reason what has kept his love in theatre intact. But then he had also experimented with his talent in the screen by playing roles of a police officer or Christian priests. Before making his debut in the theatre world, ARS worked with Phillips Company.

The actor was noticed by Tamil theatre artist Y. G. Parthasarathy at a cultural show. Parthasarathy asked him to join with his theatre group, United Amateur Artists (UAA). It is said that Jayalalithaa and A.R. Srinivasan debuted together on stage at the same time and had a great start. His stage performances even brought him closer to big stalwarts of Tamil cinema such as Sivaji Ganesan and M.G. Ramachandran, who used to come and watch many UAA’s stage plays those days. That is how veteran director Sridhar offered him a role in his films and since then ARS has never accepted any role that he did not wish to portray on screen. And the actor grew with time. ARS acted in movies and even on the small screen (TV). He shared screen presence with MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan is the most versatile actor that Indi >> Read More... or Rajinikanth. The actor still feels that Sivaji Ganesan was an encyclopaedia in acting, and he is an ardent fan of him.

ARS also feels that Sivaji had always let him act in his comfort zone. The actor was also in awe of MGR’s talent and screen presence. He has stated that Sivaji and MGR had always appreciated new talents on screen. Today, this actor is a consummate drama artiste in his own right. Between the glories and grotesquery of the stage, he is a permanent fixture. ARS feels that he cannot be part of current movies as the films needs to send a message to the audience. The actor is a great admirer of chief minister Jayalalithaa, Even though he has grown up old, he gets many youths drawing closer to him; he derives energy from the youth. He is still wanted on stage, not only for his acting but also for emceeing. ARS is a recipient of Kalaimamani and Central SangeetNatak Academy Puraskar awards. The actor was born on April 9, 1933. Since 1980, he was busy with his performances in Doordarshan channel and he played stellar roles in TV soap operas and even presented documentaries. He appeared in Aval, broadcast on Vijay TV, and Suryaputhri on Kalaignar TV, and takes a chance to accept brief roles on the stage as well.