Thambi Ramaiah

Thambi Ramaiah is an Indian actor, director and comedian who works in the Tamil film industry. He has also worked occasionally as a music director and lyricist. He directed three films, Manu Needhi, Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan (2008) and Maniyaar Kudumbam (2018). He has won one National Film Award, two SIIMA Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Award and one Filmfare Award South in his career.

Career

Thambi Ramaiah was born in Rarapuram village in Pudukkottai, and initially entered the film industry hoping to become a screenwriter. His father was a poet and a fiction writer and his mother was a housewife, while Ramaiah was their eldest child. He earned pocket money during his school days by writing love letters for his classmates. He also had an interest in lyric writing, often writing lyrics for parody versions of popular songs, while becoming trained in various instruments including the harmonium and guitar. At the age of 20, he moved to Chennai and tried to make a breakthrough into the film industry, but was hindered by his lack of contacts and instead worked for a private company for nine years. He got a break in 1994 and took up a job as a dialogue writer for a serial on Sun TV, doubling up as an assistant director, script writer and lyricist. He then earned opportunities to work as an assistant director in films directed by T. Rajender and P. Vasu, and he considers the latter his teacher of screenplay-writing. He made his comeback as a director after a gap debut after a 10-year hiatus with the film, Maniyaar Kudumbam (2018), starring his son Umapathy in the lead role. He also marks the debut of Thambi Ramaiah as a music director.

In 2021, he has played in lead role in Samuthirakani's Vinodhaya Sitham. In 2024, Rajakili, which marks the directorial debut of Umapathy, also has Thambi Ramaiah as a music composer. The latter has also written the story, lyrics, and dialogue.

Filmography

As actor

Web series

As director Year Film Notes 2000 Manu Needhi 2008 Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan 2018 Maniyaar Kudumbam Also lyricist

As writer Year Film Writer Notes 2012 Mannaru 2024 Rajakili Also lyricist 2026 TN 2026

Discography As composer Year Film Notes 2010 Oru Koodai Mutham Unreleased film 2010 Oru Koodai Mutham "Nongala Enakku" Shanthan Thambi Ramaiah "Pappa Poranthathu" Shanthan