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[madhuraman]

Actor - MUTHURAMAN

Dear friends,
As suggested in my prelude on this subject, actor Muthuraman had immense potential for portraying a variety of characters. In fact, he has been in cine acting for quite sometime without a level of popularity, until had a new chapter in career from Nenjil ore Aalayam. For many years I was of the opinion that actor Muthuraman was a Sridar's find. Strictly speaking it was not so since he has had several minor appearances on the screen. But as ever, Sridar touch made him a cognizable personality among cine artistes.

Beginning:
Actor Muthuraman had his early grooming under an excellent actor Guru Mr.S V Sahasranaamam, who was maintaining a drama troupe 'Seva stage" making a number of quality performances on stage. Those days film companies used to draw support artistes from stage so that coaching them for acting was an easier proposition. That way Muthuraman had appeared in movies prior to N O A . But, certainly N O A proved a turning point for many items including the careers of many artistes of that movie.
Consistency:
Unlike some other artistes, Muthuraman who had his fortune in NOA, has almost been a natural choice on almost all movies from Sridhar banner or movies done by his[ CVS's] associates. Policekaaran magal, Sumai thaangi, , K Neramillai , Nenjirukkum varai , Kalaikoil, Sivandha maNN, Avalukkenru ore manam [ a different dimension in villainy]are some CVS movies where he was utilized. In Chitralaya group, CVS ang Gopu used to call Mr. Muthuraman as Mudhaliar.It was their reference to him based on the very strong resemblance between Muthuraman and Mudhaliar - a Chengalpattu man known to CVS and Gopu. Also AVM pictures , Director P.Madhavan, Gemini studios. Director K.Balachander have accommodated him in most of their key projects, as much as he was availed of by AP Nagarajan and B.R Pantulu.

Dimensions as an actor:
Of the varied requirements for acting, two are crucial, like presentability of the person and the voice. Now the second requirement is a casualty since now, people survive on surrogate voices and therefore emotions. This is one reason why they are unable to anchor themselves as the artistes of repute. Voice is an identity and any borrowed voice is a borrowed identity and it cannot precisely match the moods of 2 different persons. That way Muthuraman had a clear voice though it was not of a high decibel - a common setback among stage actors.
But, SV sahasranaamam had a distinct style of optimal voice regulation of his troupe and that made him[ Muthuraman] quickly succeed at a higher level.
A major dimension of Mr.Muthuraman was his ability for mellowed acting. Except in Edhir neechal [ Nair's role] he preferred to be more silent. In all the movies he has acted in , we can comfortably identify the impact of measured acting which used to be just on the dot not deflecting a bit, but making a huge impact on the scene.

Variety:
As a true performer, he has donned a variety of roles with the same ease and dexterity ably supported by voice modulation. LOOK AT HIS ROLES in NOA and Vazhkkai Padagu. What a subtle play of emotions he has shown. Also in the movie "UYIR' he had a stellar performance while casually and unintentionally falls into his own trap of suicide.It showed his great ability for being seriously casual. His roles in K.Neramillai, Bhama vijayam, Veetukku veedu, Kasae thaan kadavuLada,
Anubhavi raaja anubhavi were quite demanding as he had to switch between comic and serious positions. He has played totally serious roles in Sivandha MaNN and Nenjirukkum varai and in an entirely suffocating suppression in Soorya Kaanthi.
His portrayal of villainy in Avalukkendru oru manam desrves special mention. He donned the role of villain Gopal, This portrayal was entirely unique in TF villainy. It was a sheer dialogue delivery that right away spits venom though the words were apparently ordinary in appearance. He builds up devastating pressure on actress Bharathi in A O M to an unbearable scale [irritating to the audience] by haunting her over the phone. A desperate Bharathi puts an end to this menace, pumping a bullt from a point blank range when tries to physically challenge the chastity of her. What a grand acting it was. He appears as a gentleman in attire and cruel in desire and selectively renders Bharathi sleepless. The handling of this role was very articulate and powerful by impact.
One can keep on admiring his capacity for acting.Since all movie banners and Directors availed of him, he must have been highly cooperating in the efforts of movie making. His name was never dragged in to controversy though for over 2o+ years he was in filmdom. Unfortunately in the then star studded TF, he did not reach the due point of glory, despite his brilliance. He too was ahead of times through precise and mellowed acting when noisy overacting easily reached the audience.
It was cruel that death snatched him when he was jogging on the road at Ooty. Certainly we have lost him rather prematurely.

Friends may please add their responses for all of us to enjoy.

Warm regards K.Raman Madurai.
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Prof. K. Raman
Mumbai

[Baskar CS]

muthuramn subject is very intersting .

he was used by veterans sridhar,kb, bhimsingh and almost all.

he was much sought of actor of those days who did memorable roles .

i learnt that nagesh and muthuraman were close freinds and used to go beach often

once kr vijaya told that the shock she received in life was the sudden death of M

NOA and SD also makes us feel that he is a seasoned artiste

his underplay is the naturality and NV was the pick in that matter

[S.Balaji]

Dear Professor

An interesting topic ! Muthuraman definitely deserves a mention , one of the consistent performers who carried on for 2 decades . Soon, I will share my thoughts about Muthu ( as we call him fondly back home ! )

[Ram]

Great topic & write up about a great actor, Muthuraman! He is a favourite yesteryear actor for many of my friends...

Sumai Thangi, Nenjil Oor Aalayam, Sivantha Mann, Avalukkendru Oru Manam - Masterpieces from the actor!
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Ramkumar