Kollywood fares well in all aspects; it has the best crew to take care of everything beyond the screens, and talent is in abundance with regard to casting. Comedians are an integral part in Tamil movies, as they are hired specially for the purpose of entertaining the audience unlike in international movies where a specific actor is not hired only for the purpose of adding humour to the movie. The trend has slowly changed over the years, leading to complete transformation in the way comedy is portrayed in films. With this drastic change, several comedians have come and gone, and had their fair share in the industry.
Here is a list of the best comedy sequences Tamil cinema ever saw from some of the most brilliant comedians that are no longer active in the industry.
1. Character: Nagesh
Portrayed by: Nagesh
Nagesh is a comedian to be remembered. He is no longer with us, but his comedy sequences have never failed to crack us up even once. One of his best performances was in the Rajinikanth starrer Thillu Mullu, where he played the role of an actor. The dialogues that take place between the two amazing actors are brilliant as they literally have us all roll on the floor and laugh. Even though the official comedian was Nagesh for this movie, all the actors did their share of humour, given that the theme of the movie was humour.
2. Character: Mani and Babloo
Portrayed by: Goundamani and Senthil
This indeed is a power packed duo that never disappoints us. Seen together in several movies, this movie has some of the best sequences, especially the dikki lona scene that people still quote all the time. It indeed was a firecracker, for no one could’ve better played the roles of a witty yet lame servant that Senthil played. Goundamani perfectly suit the role of a sarcastic, annoyed partner for Senthil and needless to say, his acting was impeccable.
3. Character: Kameshwaran and Thripurasundari
Film: Michael Madana Kama Rajan
Set up in a ‘kugraamam’, this duo enthralled us by their brilliant performance in the movie Michael Madana Kama Rajan. Even though, the comedy element was served meticulously by Nagesh, these two captured us with their brilliant set of dialogues and acting. The sequence that comes before the song Sundari Neeyum is one of the best comedy sequences that Tamil cinema has ever seen. Also the world famous ‘meen’ sequence has won the actor a large number of fans. Being the lead roles in the movie did not deter Kamal or Urvashi from being noteworthy comedians.
4. Character: Murgesan
Portrayed by: Vadivelu
The comedy sequence in this movie earned the actor a Filmfare Award for the Best Comedian. His quick witty responses and jealous behavior around Rajinikanth cracked us up quite a lot. The famous dialogue “Maapu, vechitaayaan aapu” became a viral catchphrase after the release of the movie. The trio consisting Murgesan, Swarna (his wife) and Saravanan was the reason behind the movie being humourously charged.
5. Character: Venkataraman Iyengar
Portrayed by: Vivek
Vivek chose to take a different route in this movie, as he played the role of a sincere teacher with morals and ideals. It is quite a challenge to propagate values in a humourous, yet sustainable manner, but to Vivek, it seemed like quite a cakewalk. His getup was noteworthy, and the comedy sequence with the ‘kovil yaanai’ was a notable one. Known for always propagating important issues through his comedy, he addressed the issue of casteism in India through that comedy sequence.
6. Character: Palani
Film: Sathi Leelavathi
Being one among the first female comedians in the Tamil industry, Kovai Sarala’s performance in Sathi Leelavathi is remarkable. She won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for the best comedian for this movie. She played the role of Sakthivel Gounder’s (Portrayed by Kamal Haasan) wife with whom she had romantic, yet funny sequences. The marugo marugo song is unforgettable owing to the brilliant performance rendered by her.
7. Character: Iyappan Nair and Ammini
Film: 'Panchathantiram'
Portrayed by: Jayaram and Urvashi
The entire movie served the purpose of entertaining the audience with quick wit, but this duo transformed the entire setting with their “en payyanukku heart-ila hole” sequence. The lives of Iyapan Nair and Ammini revolved around their son, who also did a brilliant job in playing the character of a boy, who loved to eat. The way they give us closure with regard to his health issue is by concluding that the hole disappeared due to excessive eating.
8. Character: Rajaraman and Vatti
Portrayed by: Kamal Haasan and Prabhu
A Kamal-Prabhu duo is relatively new to us in comparison to the thrilling Rajini-Prabhu duo, but these two lived up to their standards and performed brilliantly to capture the audience. The entire movie had amazing comedy sequences, of which one of the noteworthy ones is when Vasool Raja checks into his hostel room.
9. Character: Sudalai
Film: Vetri Kodi Kattu
Portrayed by: Vadivelu
Vadivelu won the Filmfare award for the best comedian of the year for the movie Vetri kodi kattu. The movie had a very ordinary storyline, but mostly the reason behind why this movie is talked about is because of the comedy. Vadivelu plays the role of Sudalai, the Dubai return who is seen wearing flashy clothes in order to assert himself as an important person in the village.
10. Character: Chockalingam
Film: 'Minnale'
Portrayed by: Vivek
This romantic comedy had a brilliant cast with Madhavan in the lead role and Vivek playing the role of Chokalingam, his best friend. This movie was a blockbuster hit owing the credit to Vivek’s stellar performance. The team he worked with for Minnale has been a strong team with whom he acted in several other promising movies that were big hits.
and Urvashi
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