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50 years of Manorama

Golden hue Manorama completed 50 in the film industry

June 27, 1958: The Tamil film ‘Maalayitta Mangai’ was released. Produced by the famous poet Kannadasan, it was in this film that supreme comedienne Manorama made her debut.

June 27, 2008: Exactly fifty years later, Manorama meets the press in the city. Her freewheeling chat was interspersed with snatches of dialogues from her films and songs. No one gathered there, not even Manorama perhaps had realised the importance of that landmark moment, that historic day.

It was not an easy climb to the top for Gopishantha (Manorama’s original name). Quitting studies after Class VI, she joined the therukoothu, a traditional folk art group, as singer. The name Manorama was given by the harmonist of the group. ‘Pallathur Paapa,’ as she was fondly called, was a favourite of everyone in the small village of Pallathur in Chettinad district. She was soon into amateur drama before she got the film call.

“Those were days when even a fleeting presence on the screen was considered a huge achievement. It was Kannadasan Sir who offered the role. But actually I owe all this to S. S. Rajendran. It was he who invited me to Madras to act in the Kalaignar’s (M. Karunanidhi) play ‘Manimakudam.’ That play was a resounding success and I was recognised as an actress. Later, I faced the camera for the first time in an unfinished film that had Rajendran and Devika in the lead roles. Then came ‘Maalayitta Mangai.’” recounts the actor.

Asked to do a comedy role Manorama was reluctant at first. “I had never played such roles before and frankly I was scared. But Kannadasan insisted and convinced me into doing the role. I think he was right because if I had started off as a heroine I would not have lasted this long.”

Making her debut as a comedienne at a time when comedy was the domain of male actors it was not easy to be accepted in that role. But she virtually evolved a style, polished it and carved a space for herself. Her versatility, sense of timing, rendering of dialogue, use of slang, dialects, and sprightly movements created a kind of magic that remains alive even today. Her characters in ‘Thillana Mohanambal,’ ‘Paati Solla Thattathe,’ ‘Pudhiya Pathai’ were just some of her outstanding ones. Her dream to act as a heroine was also realised when she played the lead role in ‘Konjum Kumari.’

Ironically, acting was not what Manorama really wanted to do. She always wished to be an singer. “I remember singing on the ride back home after watching a film not missing a single word of the songs I had just heard. Acting came by accident when I had to put on the greasepaint after a lead actress refused to take the stage. But I never missed a chance to sing, in drama or in film.”

Manorama first song in films was a comedy number ‘Thatha thatha kodu kodu’ for the movie ‘Makale un samathu’ (1963). But the film with her song that was released first was ‘Rakthathilakam’ and her song, a typical folk tune, ‘Pokathe pokathe en kanava...’ became quite popular. She went on to sing in many films with one of them ‘Vaa vaathiyare vaa...’ from the film ‘Bommalaattam’ (1967) becoming so popular that HMV went on to release an album of her songs titled ‘Vaa Vaathiyare...’ in 1991. It sold like hot cakes. Manorama has sung in around 60 films that include a duet ‘Chichilam chiluchilam, singara poonkurathi…’ with Adoor Bhasi in the Malayalam film ‘Vidyarthikale Ithile Ithile.’

Singing apart another thing that brightens up Manorama is Kancheepuram saris and her trademark jewellery. “I simply love those bright, heavily brocaded Kancheepuram saris. Shopping for them in Chennai and every other place I go is a sort of hobby. And this jewellery…” she pauses to put in place one of the diamond-studded pendants and then continues “perhaps it is not the fashion these days but this is what I’m used to.”

Despite hopping from one set to another all these five decades Manorama loves to be at home and cook some of her favourite dishes. “Anything good enough to eat, but I prefer vegetarian dishes, whether cooking or eating. But I’m game for non-vegetarian delicacies, like some of the mouth-watering fish preparation you get in Kerala. But these days I’m not allowed inside my kitchen. There are others who have occupied it,” she says with that boisterous laugh of hers.

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