Manorama (Tamil actress)

Gopishantha (26 May 1937 – 10 October 2015), better known by her stage name Manorama, also called Aachi, was an Indian actress, playback singer and comedian who had appeared in more than 1000 films and 5000 stage performances and several television series predomninantely in the Tamil language Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Sinhala until 2015.

She was a recipient of the Kalaimamani award.

The first time Manorama stood before the camera was for a Sinhalese film Sukumali in 1947, in which she played the heroine's friend.

Her dance master Suryakala recommended her to the director Masthaan to play the role.

Manorama fell in love with her manager in the drama troupe; S. M. Ramanathan and married him in 1954; the couple have a son named Bhoopathy born in 1955.

However, they divorced in 1956 and started to live separately in Chennai.

When asked in an interview as to how she got into films, she quoted, "It's all because of Kannadasan. It was he who changed my life by casting me in the film Maalayitta Mangai in 1957. It was a comical role, and he trusted me so much and said that I will be able to pull it off. I was very doubtful about it, but he told me, "If you are going to act in films only as a heroine, people here will throw you out of the industry after three or four years, but doing such roles will take you places.

And you have the talent, too, to reach higher peaks." That is when I got confidence and continued doing comedy roles."

She migrated from dramas to the silver screen with the role of a heroine in the 1958 Tamil film Malayitta Mangai: Kannadasan gave her the lead role in this film.

She has acted predominantly in Tamil films since 1958, but also acted in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada movies as well.

Then, she concentrated more on comedy from 1960.

She was given equally challenging roles alongside the well known comedian Nagesh in 50 films.

Her on-screen pair with Nagesh was very popular in 1960–69 and then with Cho in the 1970s and 80s and later with Thengai Srinivasan, Vennira Aadai Moorthy, and Surali Rajan in the 70s and 80s.

She had done playback singing for 300 songs, mostly pictured on herself, in Tamil films.

The first song that she sang was in a film called Magale Un Samathu, composed by G. K. Venkatesh and this opportunity she got due to the film's producer P.A. Kumar.

The first film in which she played the heroine was the 1963 Konjum Kumari.

Her on-screen pair with Tangavelu was appreciated in the film Vallvanakku Vallavan in 1965.

She has sung a classical-based song with TM Sounderajan in the film Dharshinam (1970), where she was paired with Cho.

Manorama sang a song with L.R. Eswari named "Thaatha thaatha pidi kudu".

She received the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film Pudhiya Padhai (1989) and Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South (1995).

Manorama was born to Kasiyappan Kilakudaiyar and Ramamirtham in Mannargudi Thirukannamangai, a town in the erstwhile Thiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu in a Kallar family.

Her mother brought her up by taking up a job as a maid.

She mentioned her indebtedness to her mother for her success: Many of the mother roles that she has played in films resemble her own mother.

Her family moved to Pallathur near Karaikudi owing to poverty.

While in Pallathur, her mother had started vomiting out blood, hence Manorama decided to start working as a maid and dropped out of school at the age of 11.

Once a drama troupe had come to Pallathur, but the actress who was to play a small part, suddenly dropped out due to her inability to sing and the troupe was looking for an artiste who could act and sing as well.

The drama troupe decided to give her this role in the drama titled Andhaman Kadhali.

Hence her acting career began at the age of twelve, acting in plays.

During this time, she was rechristened Manorama by one of her dramas' director Thiruvengadam and harmonist Thiayagarajan.

Manorama went and met S S Rajendran (SSR) when he camped at her native district with his drama troupe.

She was selected for a role in his ManiMagudam drama written by Kalaignar M Karunanidhi.She continued to act in plays and performed as a playback singer as well.

After watching her performance in plays, she was offered her first film, named Inbavazhvu, by Janakiraman, which remained 40% incomplete and later Kannadasan offered her lead role in a second film, Unmayinkottai, which got shelved after shooting for about 40%.

She lost hope of becoming a film actor when both these films remained incomplete.

In 2002, Government of India awarded Manorama the Padma Shri for her contribution to the arts.

She quoted in an interview in 2015, "My mom wanted me to study medicine. But it was not easy to become a doctor in those days, and I became an actress. So, if I hadn't taken up acting, I would have tried to become a doctor as my mom wished for it. But now, fortunately, my grandson is a doctor, and I am proud of it."

She acted in small roles in few Vairam Nataka Sabha dramas.

Once she went to see a drama of S. S. Rajendran, who was residing at Pudukkotai, in Tamil Nadu, and P.A. Kumar introduced her to Rajendran.

She showed her skill in dialogue delivery and was offered a job in S.S.R. Nataka Mandram company and played in hundreds of stage productions all over the district: The dramas included Manimagudam, Thenpandiveeran and Pudhuvellam.

She credits her work in Manimagudam as where she was first recognized as an actress.

She then took part in an unfinished film starring S. S. Rajendran and Devika.