Shanmugasundaram

Shanmugasundaram was an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil films. He began his career as an actor in Ratha Thilagam had acted for nearly six decades in several roles characters in films like Karnan (1964), Karakattakkaran (1989) Kizhakku Vaasal (1990). He is also a dubbing artist. He has acted in over 500 films in Tamil cinema industry. He died on 15 August 2017.

Career Shanmugasundaram was born in Chennai to a family of businesspeople. When he was studying in college, he had accompanied one of his actor friends to a drama performance, and as one of the junior artists did not perform well, he was brought in spontaneously. To the surprise of many, he had done that role with efficiency, which earned him appreciation spontaneously. He then moved on to work in Tamil theatre, notably appearing as Adolf Hitler in a play also featuring Kannadasan. Sivaji Ganesan was impressed by his performances and recruited him to make film acting debut with Ratha Thilagam (1963), where he portrayed a Chinese army major.

Shanmugasundaram had performed a wide range of roles and was especially famous for playing the nattamai or village chieftain. However, he will always be remembered for playing Salliya Chakravarthy in the iconic Sivaji Ganesan starrer Karnan (1964). He was acting in negative roles in the films of Black and white era. In the 1980s he emerged as a character artist. Over the course of his career, he appeared in more than 500 Tamil films and became a well-known dubbing artist as well.

One of Shanmugasundaram’s standout roles came in the 1989 Tamil film Karagattakaran, directed by Gangai Amaran. His portrayal in the film, especially a poignant scene where he pleads for innocence to his on-screen sister, earned him critical acclaim and made him a popular figure among mimicry artists. In addition to his film work, he transitioned to television serials in the late 1990s and early 2000s, collaborating with actress Radhika in series like Annamalai, Selvi and its sequel, Arasi. In the 2010s, he continued to feature in films directed by Gangai Amaran’s son, Venkat Prabhu.

Death Shanmugasundaram died on August 15, 2017, due to age related ailments at the age of 78.

Filmography This is a partial filmography. You can expand it.

As an actor

As dubbing artist

Television

Annamalai as Pattalathar Raja Rajeshwari Sorgam My dear bootham Ketti Melam Megala as Megala’s grandfather Vasantham Vamsam