The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : `Doing comedy role is demanding'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 04, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

`Doing comedy role is demanding'

S.R. Ashok Kumar

"When I started to do comedy roles, people appreciated my sense of timing. It made me the most popular comedian at one time. My popular hit films include "Devadass", "Veera Thirumagan", "Annai" and the evergreen "Kadalikka Neramillai".

chennai: Comedian Sachu has spent 53 years in films. She has done all types of role.

In the past decade or so, she has forayed into television serials and also acted on stage.

She speaks about her experience in radio, television and films, and on stage.

My real name is P.S. Saraswathy but I am popularly known as `Sachu'. I started acting in films as a baby artist at the age of three in the Jupiter Pictures "Rani". Slowly I got some very good roles in the films till I acted as a heroine.

Nobody would believe that I am a trained bharathanatyam dancer who has travelled all over the word for my dance programmes for over 25 years. My performance was well appreciated in Europe, Malaysia, Dubai, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

Slowly I started to do character roles. Nobody can forget `Kadalikka Neramillai'. Doing comedy roles is demanding, compared to serious roles. When I started to do comedy, people appreciated my sense of timing. It made me the most popular comedian at one time.

My popular hit films include "Devadass", "Veera Thirumagan", "Annai" and the evergreen "Kadalikka Neramillai".

I am fortunate to have worked with five persons who later became Chief Ministers. They are Annadurai, MGR, M. Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa and N.T. Rama Rao.

I have acted in more than 500 films in all the four South Indian languages — Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam — and Hindi too.

I have also acted in 15 stage plays, and done about 1,200 stage performances in India and abroad.

As for television, I have acted in 75 serials in Tamil and three in Hindi: the popular ones being "Manbumigu Mamiyar", "Washingtonil Thirumanam", "Ippadikku Thendral", "Ananada Bhavan", "Melmadi Kali", "Veetku Veedu Looty" and "Costly Mappillai".

My list of awards includes Kalaivanar Award and Kali Selvam, and I have been a selection committee member for the best film awards of the Government of Tamil Nadu and also for Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Mandram for selecting Kalaimamani Award winners.

A few weeks ago I received the K.A. Thangavelu award given by Kandasamy Bharathan's New Wave Creation.

My philosophy: Nothing is impossible.

If only you try you will succeed in any endeavour. I learnt it in my younger days, and follow that even now.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu