Vadivelu

For other uses, see Vadivelu (disambiguation).

Vadivelu
Vadivelu in 2016
Born
Kumaravadivel Natarajan

(1960-09-12) 12 September 1960 (age 64)[1]
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Other namesVaigai Puyal
Occupations
  • Actor
  • Comedian
  • Playback singer
Years active1988–present
WorksFull list
HonoursKalaimamani (2005)

Kumaravadivel Natarajan (born 12 September 1960) known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and occasional playback singer, having acted mainly in Tamil cinema. He has at least 290 credits to his name. He was a recipient of several awards including two Filmfare Award South and six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.[2][3][4][5]

He was launched in 1988, in T. Rajendar's En Thangai Kalyani at the career peak of the Goundamani-Senthil duo.[6] His popularity led to his media-coined nickname, Vaigai Puyal,[7] referring to the river that flows through his hometown Madurai.

Vadivelu has received awards in the Best Comedian category for his performances in Kaalam Maari Pochu (1996), Vetri Kodi Kattu (2000), Thavasi (2001), Chandramukhi (2005), Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei (2006), Pokkiri (2007), Marudhamalai (2007) and Kathavarayan (2008).

His first as a lead actor, Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi (2006), also achieved commercial and critical success. His comedic portrayals have been critiqued as using the persona of a misunderstood, mistreated Subaltern rogue, often subject to on-screen violence and ridicule in the style of slapstick comedy.[8][9]

Images and videography of Vadivelu's expressions found a second life despite the corresponding dormancy in his career during the 2010s in Indian Internet subcultures.[10][6] In 2017, The News Minute reported, "Vadivelu's career is not what it used to be but Tamil Nadu still turns to him for a laugh or to a summarize a situation in one line."[11] In 2019, Vadivelu was featured in the sudden viral memes related to the hashtag Pray for Nesamani which was the most trending hashtag in India during the year.[12]

  1. ^ "Vadivelu's younger brother Jagatheeshwaran passes away at 52" – via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
  2. ^ "IndiaGlitz – State Awards for the year 2006 – Govt. of Tamil Nadu – Tamil Movie News". 8 September 2007. Archived from the original on 8 September 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Full list of the Tamil Film Awards from 2009–2014 announced by the TN govt". The Hindu. 13 July 2017. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  4. ^ "The Hindu : Front Page : Rajini, Kamal win best actor awards". 1 October 2009. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Vadivelu Awards". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b Yamunan, Sruthisagar (9 February 2018). "Why every day in Tamil Nadu is a Vadivelu day". Scroll.in. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Vadivelu – profile". Nilacharal.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  8. ^ Arthi, B.; Rao, Y. Srinivasa (2019). "Emergence of Dalit Narratives in the Contemporary Tamil Cinema". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 80: 1159–1173. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 27192971.
  9. ^ "How Vadivelu's comedy gave Tamil people a language of mockery and memes". The Indian Express. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  10. ^ "If it's a meme, it has to be Vadivelu". The Times of India. 10 January 2020. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  11. ^ Rajendran, Sowmya (26 January 2017). "Why blood, same blood: From politics to everyday life, the Vadivelu-isms TN loves". The News Minute. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Decoding Vadivelu: The uncrowned internet 'arasan' of Tamil Nadu". The New Indian Express. 4 June 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2020.