Vadivelu: The undisputed comedy king of Tamil cinema
Meme - the pacemaker for many disturbed hearts of this generation, is one of the reasons why social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become indispensable in daily life. From politicians to cricketers, and cinema actors to so-called spiritual leaders, no one escapes the wrath and, sometimes the madness, of netizens. The introduction of Jio, a mobile network run by Reliance Industries, saw countless Indians plunge into the world of internet. Six months of free data, followed by data services at a giveaway price, consequently left other operators to catch up. What all these moves did is it worked collectively in favor of attracting several youngsters to create memes. And dismissing the doubts surrounding the longevity of this internet practice thereby.
In Tamil Nadu, the meme culture rides on the wave of a remarkable pool of cinema comedians the state has. Of them all, it’s Vadivelu, a Madurai-based comedian who remains the go-to option for meme creators, from the day the trend started to this very day.
Every eminent comedian of Tamil cinema built their identity by following non-identical routes. Vadivelu, too, did the same. The fact that he chose one of the, if not the most difficult style in comedy, i.e), slapstick, and succeeded immensely in it makes him a deserving candidate to enter the history books of Tamil cinema as one of the finest ever. It’s his knack in pulling off comedies that appeal to a three-year-old kid to bedridden old citizens, which made him a class apart.
The directors of Anbu, kannathal, Ennama Kannu, Inidhu Inidhu Kadhal Inidhu, Eera Nilam, Winner, Kadhal Kirukkan, Gambeeram, Manasthan, Giri, etc., are profoundly indebted to Vaigai Puyal (Vadivelu) for etching their movie names on the minds of people. Over and above, no amount of conscious efforts from them can disprove that Vadivelu is the only thing good about the movie.
A.R. Murugadoss, while directing the Bollywood Superstar Aamir Khan in Gajini a decade back, must have been taken by surprise when Aamir (a non-Tamil speaker) told him that he is a fan of Vadivelu, and watching his comedy scenes is what he does to overcome hectic schedules. Yes, comedy is a universal language alright, but still, the odds are unimaginably high for a comedian to reinforce the philosophy. Take a look at this video, and you would understand why Vadivelu won the favor of people who didn't know Tamil one bit.
While his Madurai-accent, side-splitting facial expressions and body language cut a hilarious figure on-screen, it is his immaculate ability to strike a chord with the audience by conceptualizing a comedy character from the society which boosted his development. Take his “Dubai Return Sudalai” role in “Vetri Kodi Kattu” for instance. Haven't you encountered characters like Sudalai having excessive pride outside but pathetic inside? Haven't you met characters like Kulandaivelu (Middle-Class Madhavan) - transforming into their complete opposite version after some pegs of alcohol? You would have. He has even put on record that characters like Naai Sekar (Thalai Nagaram) and Kaipulla (Winner) are based out of his real-life experiences in Madurai.
The incidents that he saw taking place in his village while growing up has indeed shaped his success. Boy! What an eventful village it must have been (LOL)! And now, you are thinking whether the character Ondi Puli he played in Karka Kasadara was inspired from one of his village men or not, aren't you?
They say life is all about what if and what if not. His life is no different either. What if Vadivelu had not met actor Raj Kiran - who offered him a role in his then-upcoming movie En Rasavin Manasinile, on the back of a candid conversation on a train en route Chennai? Tamil cinema might have missed a legendary comedian! What if Vadivelu decided not to involve in politics and use it as a medium to stimulate his long-standing rivalry with DMDK leader and actor Vijayakanth? A wonderful career may have well become an illustrious career by now.
The more you use Vadivelu catchphrases and references in daily life, the worse you are going to feel about his political entry. It has not been easy going for him since the return. The fact that Kollywood films are made nowadays with little or no space for individual comedy tracks also doesn't help his revival. That said, he has done more than enough already to reign supreme in our hearts. The chances of a successful second inning outing from him remains a question mark, but the search for Vadivelu meme templates in Google, comedy scenes in YouTube, and the creation of Vadivelu version video memes of a trailer or teaser are here to stay.