Venneer with Panneer -3

VKR—that much laid back actor

I chanced upon V.K.Ramaswamy's (VKR) autobiography (I think it was titled “enathu thiraipayanam”) at the Velacherry Government Library. The book had forewords by many leading men of Tamil cinema, like AVM Saravanan, Cho, Rajini, Kamal and others . All of them had something good to say about VKR. What Kamal had written piqued my interest. The result is this post, a recollection of the VKR I have enjoyed on screen.

Kamal had compared VKR to Groucho Marx and Oliver Hardy. I have not seen much of Oliver Hardy, so can't say anything about that comparison except that VKR sharing his girth with Oliver probably shared the same stand and deliver style.(Sve Sekar is another actor who used this style to good use). But comparison with Groucho was both surprising and (coming to think of it) very apt. Groucho though starting in the silent era depended heavily on dialogues. He was a master at ad-libbing, with an ability to be devastatingly insulting and humorous at the same time. From the outside that looks very unVKRish. But then Kamal's comment probably was motivated by VKR's tendency to be surprisingly sarcastic and funny without even faintly making the effort to be so. A case in point is the scene in Unnal Mudiyum Thambi. VKR is a MP passing through a village with his coterie of assistants. Their car stops near the fields. And VKR gets down from the car and tears open a biscuit packet and throws the covering paper on the road. A villager standing nearby objects to this and asks him to throw the paper into the dustbin. VKR's assistant bends to pick the paper, but the villager stops him and asks VKR himself to pick it up as he had dropped the waste on the road. So VKR bends to pick the paper and while doing so comments nonchalantly...... “Unga oorula maadu thaanoda saanaththa thane kondu poi kuppa thottiyila poduma ....???” Yet another example is from Ooty Varai Uravu,one of the many Sivaji Muthuraman starrers. VKR, (Muthurman's father) wants Vijayalakshmi(Muthuraman's lady love, acting as amnesia patient) out of his house. Sivaji and Muthuraman try to cajole Vijayalakshmi to sit and eat something .

Vijaya:. Ninnute sapaddalame? (Can't I stand and eat)
Sivaji: Oh yes... Ninnute sapaddalame (Yes you can stand and eat)
Vijaya:. Nadanthute sapaddalame? (Can't I walk while eating)
Sivaji : Oh yes Nadanthute sapaddalame (Yes you can walk and eat too)
Vijaya: Oditte Sapadalame? (Can't I run and eat)
VKR : Sappataparam Odidalame ? ( You can eat and run away too..)

The last line by VKR comes as a surprise and the sarcasm strikes a bit slowly but when it does one just can't help laughing out loud.

Unlike Nagesh, VKR was not very keen to use the screen space. A typical Nagesh scene would involve him moving around a lot. Like Saqlain Mushtaq, Nagesh was a master in using the space available to him. VKR was more like John Emburey. He would just stand in a place and talk. VKR fans might not like the comparison though. Emburey was after all an English off spinner, a species as pathetic as an Indian fast bowler or a West Indian leg spinner. But that comparison was only regards their mobility and not their quality.

VKR typically would sit on the sofa/chair or at the most stand at the same place throughout the scene. But that was more than enough space for him, because his skill lay in the outstanding sense of timing. He would always be spot on in his timing and his dialogues in tandem with Nagesh would invariably be a riot, what with both trying to out do each other. In Rudra Thandavam(VKR's home production) VKR plays Lord Shiva and Nagesh a poor priest. Their conversation is very humorous, engaging and also gives an insight into VKR's political views. Dravidian politicians of that time clamoured for a separate Tamil land. Nagesh questions Lord Shiva(VKR) on this. VKR proceeds to use the slightly flawed but very humorous example of the Masala Vadai to ridicule the seperatists argument.

My personal favourites are his classic role as Nambi Anne in Fazil's Arangetra Velai( remake of Fazil's Ramoji Rao Speaking) and the cameo as an MP in Vikram. When the missile (Agniputra) is stolen, the chiefs of the armed forces and the intelligent bureau get together for a top secret meeting. VKR enters the room and welcomes the Navy Admiral with ...”Enna Kappal, Sowkiyama” and then gives the classic reply on being informed about the stolen missile (or rocket as VKR is told by the chief of staff)..... ”Rocket'a....athu Sivkasi samcharam”. But then Sujatha (dialogue writer for Vikram) reserves the best till the last. A visibly worried VKR enquires about the missile....”Antha Missile inga vedicha Ambur vara kekkuma...”...This perplexes the Chief of Staff... Then VKR proceeds to explain...”....illai anga ennakku oru karumbu thottam irrukku, athan ketten”.