Remembering N S Krishnan-The Legendary Comedian

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Laughter is indeed a healer, and it can do wonders. It is easy to make one cry but difficult to make one laugh. Having said that, there are very few comedians in Tamil cinema, who, not only made you laugh but also made you think. N S Krishnan (Nagercoil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan) is one such comedian. Even though N S Krishnan is not with us now, his comedy is still lingering in the hearts of his fans.

Well, it may be surprising for the less known that, the earlier movies of N S Krishnan were short of comedy. In movies like Manohara and Savithri, he played supporting roles other than comedy. However, he did all these roles with perfection. It is learned that his performances were so convincing that his pals presented him with a gold medal.

NSK was attracted towards the stage even when he was a kid. There is the popular story of NSK selling soda at the intermission of a play to see it. He was so poor at that time. NSK keenly observed what was happening on the stage and imbibed it. It happened that playwright Sankaradas Swamigal, who was instrumental in making only boys act in his plays (even for the roles of girls), bounced upon NSK, who was teaching songs to the other boys. Swamigal was obviously amazed and asked NSK how he was able to do so. NSK replied confidently that he saw the Swamigal’s plays several times and possesses knowledge of all his songs. From then on NSK became the Swamigal’s favorite. So this was NSK’s entry into the drama field during the year 1925.

NSK kickstarted his career by donning the role of a villupaatu artist. When cinema became famous in Southern India, he began to take his move in the film industry. NSK was active in the film industry during the 30s to 50s. He entered the film industry with the 1935 movie Menaka, and the rest is history. NSK has worked in over 100 films. NSK is a unique personality who dazzled the audience both in stage and in silver screen. In fact, his films carry powerful social messages. NSK can be rightly called a social reformist since his entire films drive home a social message. He not only tickles your humor bones, not only make you contemplate but also strive to bring forth social changes through his movies. With all his talent, NSK could have directed more but surprisingly he had directed only a couple of movies including Manamagal and Panam. The dialogues of both these films were penned by Dr. M Karunanidhi. He also directed the movie Pelli Koothuru.

If words can forecast the fame of a person then just note these words. Sathavadhanam Sheikh Thambi Pavalar, a renowned poet of Nagercoil, showered praise on NSK (before NSK became popular) saying that this man would later become a genius and would bring fame not only to Nagercoil but also to Tamilians as a whole.

The glaring feature of NSK’s comedy is that it often criticizes the conservative religious notions including caste discrimination. At the end of the 40s, the Hollywood movie Mr. Deeds Goes to Town was screened in the city and Mr. V Sahasranamam, who was a close pal of NSK, left no stone unturned in requesting Mr. C N Annadurai to watch the movie. Annadurai was visibly impressed with the movie and endeavored on a script that had a Zamindar’s (who had passed away) estate possessed by his relative. The relative’s character was played by NSK and the film had romantic touches too.

Later, the film was named Nallathambi. The film was a perfect vehicle for NSK to showcase his social and political opinions. The songs, plays and speeches were done with great gusto by NSK (he even made certain changes) and the audience could feel a realistic touch in the film. The film was very much appreciated by critics but didn’t do quite well at the box office. However, the songs captured the attention of the audience. NSK’s tryst with singing was also successful. He gave hit songs in films like Raja Rani Click to look into! >> Read More... , Sivakavi, and Manamagal.

You may not know that NSK is the epitome of generosity. Even during his last days, when he was about to leave to the hospital in his car, he gave a flask (since he had no money at that time) to a poor man. When his wife questioned him about this he just casually told that he was not aware that a flask was inside the car. However, as fate would have it, NSK was also associated with controversies (that of a murder case).

And this article would lose charm if one does not talk about the chemistry shared between NSK and his wife T A Madhuram T A Madhuram is a well-known Tamil film producer a >> Read More... . His combination with Madhuram has proved to be a great success, and they worked together in almost all the movies they did. They were attracted towards each other on the sets of the film Madhura Sena and eventually got married. This couple has the distinct honor of being the first real-life pair that worked together in reel life too. They both had worked together in over 122 films (between 1936 and 1957), and it is indeed a great feat.

Dr. M Karunanidhi was right when he compared NSK to Aristophanes, who was in the era of Plato and Socrates. The songs and comedy streak of NSK were so distinct that they remain unparalleled even today. Another praise for NSK was when he was compared with the legendary Charlie Chaplin Charles Chaplin popularly known as Charlie Chaplin >> Read More... . The fact that they both had a poor upbringing, early entry into arts, entry from stage comedy to the tinsel world during the 20s made the comparison a strong one. NSK watched the films of Chaplin with great enthusiasm, and these films had a deep effect on him.