As an ambitious young ac tress in the early sixties, Manorama had
chanced upon comedian Chan drababu on a studio floor and did not want to
let go off the opportunity . Chandrababu was the rage at the time and
she wanted to make sure that he paired with her. Buttonholing him, she
asked, "Why aren't you acting with an upcoming comedy a tress like me?"
Though taken aback by the actress's aggressive pitch, Chandrababu did
soon work with Manorama in Sridhar's 'Policekaaran Magal'.Their
wonderful chemistry can be seen in the evergreen song, 'Porandhaalum
Aambalaiyaa Porakkakoodaathu', with Manorama matching Babu's graceful
movements l and style with her lively facial expressions and body
language. Manorama was not only a talented comedienne, but also had the
confidence to match her wits with the best performers.
Chandrababu fell from his pedestal fast enough, but Manorama easily stepped into Nagesh's masterly stride as for example in AVM's 'Server Sundaram', which had earlier been the talk of the town as a play written for Nagesh by K Balachander. It was a guest performance, but in her portrayal of an over-rated and snobbish star whose egregious dialogue delivery was rife with malapropisms, Manorama held f her own in the presence of the talented Nagesh and S V Ranga Rao.
Nagesh and Manorama wowed the sixties in a volley of films with their performances putting verisi militude into roles that would have been insipid but for their vibrant presence. As the Tuti corin couple in 'Anubhavi Raja Anubhavi', they were unforgettable.If Nagesh came up with a lifetime performance as conman Vaithi in 'Thil aana Mohanambal', Manorama was even better as the golden-hearted Jil Jil Ramamani. After Nagesh was embroiled in a criminal case, Manorama kept a distance but by then her pairing with Cho was paying off. 'Bommalaattam' brought out the best of Cho, with the classic "Vaa Vaathyaare Voottaande" belted out by Manorama in classic Madras Tamil standing testimony to the vibes between two comedy actors.
The secret of her longevity in Tamil cinema was her capacity to pair with every comedian. On the other hand, her strong moorings in the melodramatic tradition of Tamil stage and cinema rom its early times gave her career the dimension of continuity . Miming to her own number "Theriyaadho Noakku" in the film 'Suryakanthi', how effortlessly she slips into P U Chinappa's "Manamo hanaanga Anange", a song from early 1940s film 'Manonmani'. She would remember seeing Thyagaraja Bhagavathar's 'Tiruneelakandar' (1939) as a child. It was her capacity to sing that made harmonist Thyagarajan tutor her as a singing on stage.
Chandrababu fell from his pedestal fast enough, but Manorama easily stepped into Nagesh's masterly stride as for example in AVM's 'Server Sundaram', which had earlier been the talk of the town as a play written for Nagesh by K Balachander. It was a guest performance, but in her portrayal of an over-rated and snobbish star whose egregious dialogue delivery was rife with malapropisms, Manorama held f her own in the presence of the talented Nagesh and S V Ranga Rao.
Nagesh and Manorama wowed the sixties in a volley of films with their performances putting verisi militude into roles that would have been insipid but for their vibrant presence. As the Tuti corin couple in 'Anubhavi Raja Anubhavi', they were unforgettable.If Nagesh came up with a lifetime performance as conman Vaithi in 'Thil aana Mohanambal', Manorama was even better as the golden-hearted Jil Jil Ramamani. After Nagesh was embroiled in a criminal case, Manorama kept a distance but by then her pairing with Cho was paying off. 'Bommalaattam' brought out the best of Cho, with the classic "Vaa Vaathyaare Voottaande" belted out by Manorama in classic Madras Tamil standing testimony to the vibes between two comedy actors.
The secret of her longevity in Tamil cinema was her capacity to pair with every comedian. On the other hand, her strong moorings in the melodramatic tradition of Tamil stage and cinema rom its early times gave her career the dimension of continuity . Miming to her own number "Theriyaadho Noakku" in the film 'Suryakanthi', how effortlessly she slips into P U Chinappa's "Manamo hanaanga Anange", a song from early 1940s film 'Manonmani'. She would remember seeing Thyagaraja Bhagavathar's 'Tiruneelakandar' (1939) as a child. It was her capacity to sing that made harmonist Thyagarajan tutor her as a singing on stage.
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