On October 10, 2015, the face that launched a million laughs passed away. Manorama, the undisputed queen of comedy, who had acted in more than 1,500 films, did not have an easy life, though. Her mother, Ramamritham, a single parent, made a living by selling sweets in Pallathur. Manorama’s original name was Gopishantha, who, by the age of two, could reproduce any song she had heard. Hence, she came to be known as the ‘singing’ Pallathur papa. When her mother fell ill, the 10-year-old child began doing household chores for rich Chettiar families in her village.
Gopishantha was barely 12 when she went on stage, quite by chance. A drama troupe was on the lookout for a singing-artiste for their play, Andaman Kadhali, and her name was suggested. “Harmonium player Thyagarajan and Thiruvengadam (assistant director of the play), renamed the girl Manorama. Paulraj, an electrician in the troupe, later produced the play — Vidhiyin Vilayattu — in which Manorama got a role to play. She went on to act in many of Paulraj’s plays. Her performance in Yaar Magan caught the attention of Veena Balachander, who said she deserved a prize for her acting. Manorama was 16 when she was offered a role by actor Muthuraman and screenwriter Sakthi Krishnaswamy in a play put up by Vairam Nataka sabha. “Manorama committed a 100-page dialogue to memory in just one night,” said Krishnakumar TK, who shared interesting anecdotes from the actor’s life during a talk at Arkay Convention Center during Madras Day this year.
In the 1950s, when politician EVK Sampath played the hero in Annadurai’s play Sivaji Kanda Hindu Samrajyam, Manorama played the female lead. “Manorama used to say she had acted with five chief ministers — Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M.G. Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa and N.T. Rama Rao,” shared Krishnakumar.
Cinematic journey
Manorama, Nagesh and ‘Sowcar’ Janaki in Edhir Neechal
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives
Manorama made her foray into cinema with a Sinhalese film. Her first Tamil film was Kavignar Kannadasan’s Malayitta Mangai. “She was reluctant to do the role of a comedian because she wanted to be a heroine. My father told her she would have a great future as a comedian, and his words turned out to be prophetic,” says Annadurai, Kannadasan’s son. “She never forgot my father’s help and once told his assistant that Kannadasan was not only his boss, but hers too.”
Memorable roles
It is hard to say which film brought out the best in her. Who can forget the feisty, but kind Burma Pappa (from the film Savaal), who runs an academy for pickpockets? In Unakkum Vazhu Varum, she is a garrulous woman pretending to have a speech impediment, driving Thengai Srinivasan up the wall with her ambiguous response to his questions. In Galatta Kalyanam, she is the strait-laced Rathna, ready to knock out her suitor, Nagesh. Kasi Yathirai had an array of comedians, but Manorama stood out as Andal, where she portrays an out-of-work actor, pretending to have a full calendar and greeting all visitors with her quirky ‘Kaun ba?’
Manorama as Jil Jil Ramamani in Thillana Mohanambal
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Mastery over dialects
No one could speak as many dialects as Manorama. MS Perumaal, former director of Doordarshan Kendra, Chennai, produced a special programme for Vividh Bharati when he was with All India Radio. It featured Manorama interviewing various characters she had played — Jil Jil Ramamani (from the film Thillana Mohanambal) speaking Chettinad Tamil, Muthamma (from the film Anubhavi Raja Anubavi) speaking Thoothukudi Tamil, Chinna Ponnu (from the film Bommalattam) speaking the Madras slang, and as Nagesh’s wife (from the film Idhu Sathiyam) speaking the Brahmin lingo. Imagine switching from one dialect to another, without getting mixed up, and Manorama aced it.
“When she had to sing folk songs in Karaiyellam Shenbaga Poo, she watched Doordarshan recordings of folk singer Kollangudi Karuppayi, to study Karuppayi’s body language and how she dressed,” says Perumaal, while talking about Manorama’s penchant for perfection.
The singing actor
Manorama had an impressive list of songs to her credit too. She sang ‘Cycleil vegamai pogindraal’ to the tune of Muthiah Bhagavatar’s nottuswaras, in the radio play Janatha Nagar Colony. “Her first film song was ‘Pogathey’ in Kannadasan’s film Ratha Thilagam (1963),” says Annadurai. Some of her popular film songs include ‘Vaa vaadhyaare’ (Bommalattam), ‘Theriyadho nokku’ (from Suryakanthi), the Baila song ‘Poondamalliyile’ (Karunthel Kannayiram) and ‘Dhimikita Dhimikita’ (Thanga Gopuram).
Manorama and Cho in Onne Onnu Kanne Kannu
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives
Radio and television
In 1961-62, Manorama acted in Suki Subramaniam’s radio play Kappu Katti Chatram, in which she played the role of Panaiyur Bhagyam. “She spoke Chettinad Tamil in the play, which earned her the moniker ‘Aachi’,” says Perumaal. In the Vividh Bharati serial, Veettukku Veedu, which Perumaal produced, she not only played the harried housewife, Annapoorani, but also lisped the baby talk of the character Balu.
Manorama played the lead opposite SR Ramanathan in Annadurai’s Latchiyavaadi, produced for Madras Doordarshan. “Ramanathan was her ex-husband; she had separated from him 30 years ago. Yet, she nursed no ill feelings towards him and praised his acting,” says Perumaal.
“The first role that identified her as someone who could do serious roles was Pudumaipithan’s radio play Pudhiya Koondu,” says Perumaal. “She didn’t have lengthy dialogues, but conveyed her emotions with brilliant voice modulations.”
Stage, cinema, radio and television, Manorama ruled them all
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives
Komal Swaminathan’s television play, Yen Veedu Yen Kanavan Yen Kuzhandai, was about a man who decides to become an ascetic once he gets his siblings married. But in a rare moment of intimacy, Manorama, who plays his wife, becomes pregnant. Her face captured a whole gamut of emotions — embarrassment at having a child when she is well past middle age, relief that she now has a hold on her husband, who understands only one word — duty, and above all, the joy of motherhood. Manorama was a rare artiste, one who could bring to life any character.
Published – October 07, 2025 02:38 pm IST
