| Vivek | |
|---|---|
Vivek at the media persons meet |
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| Pseudonym | Chinna Kalaivanar, Janangalin Kalaignan |
| Birth name | Vivekananthan |
| Born | November 19, 1961 Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Medium | Stand-up comedy, Film |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Spouse | Kavitha |
Vivekananthan (Tamil: விவேக்; born 19 November 1961) is an Indian film actor and comedian. He has won four Filmfare Best Comedian Awards for his performances in Run, Saamy, Perazhagan and Sivaji, respectively. In April 2009, Vivek received the Padma Shri award by the Government of India for his contribution to the arts.[1] He was introduced to filmdom by renowned director K. Balachander.[2]
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| “ | "I applied for a transfer and moved to Chennai. While working, I appeared for the TNPSC examination, and got selected in the Group IV category. I joined as a Junior Assistant in Madras Secretariat. All fell into place.
I started writing scripts for Balachander for over four years. One day, he explained a situation and asked me to write a script for 16 characters. I finished this task over night. It was actually a test, which I did not know. Later , he told me that I would be acting as one of the brothers’ of Actor Suhasini in the movie ‘Manadhil Urudhi Vendum’ in 1987. I wanted to be a writer, and then become an assistant director, but I turned out to be an actor" |
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.[3] Vivek debuted in with Manathil Uruthi Vendum in 1987. Later he played roles in Kushi, Minnale, Run and Saamy.He is known for his ever-young looking appearance . He is a multi talented person and is known for his punches and rhythmic dialogues related to the society and its problems, Politics of the nation and problems like health, education, social affairs, unemployment, black money, love, population growth etc. He is a keen keyboard player.He dominated the cine field for comedies during the period 1999–2008. He is also very well known for his talent of mimicry like actors such as MGR, Sivaji, Rajni, Kamal, Vijay, Vijaykant, Solomon Papaiah and many others.[4] He is consdered the cinematic heir of Nagesh in the cine field's comedy section In 2009, he received and Asianet Film Award for Special Honour Jury Award.. He celebrated 25 years of his acting in Tamil cinema.[5] He has never acted with Kamal Haasan.
| “ | "Every person has a social responsibility. Keeping that in mind, I have started an education trust in my mother's name. I not only provide assistance for education to poor children, but also provide medical and financial assistance to the poor and needy. I am a great fan of veteran artistes N S Krishnan and M R Radha. They had great social awareness and were never afraid to raise their voices against vices in society. Comedy was never a scarcity in Kollywood. Comedians of great calibre had emerged from this land" | ” |
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Vivek was the brand ambassador of Mirinda softdrinks in 2003.[7][8][9] As of 2011, he is the ambassador of Nathella jewellery.[10]
The secret of Vivek's success is laugh, think and act. Messages, if conveyed through comedy, will work wonders. At the same time, enough care has to be taken to perform the act without hurting the sentiments of anyone," says the ‘Chinna Kalaivanar’.[11]
| “ | N. S. Krishnan was the first comedian to bring social issues into humour. Both NSK and M. R. Radha have been my inspiration. Like them, I have also spoken about the future. I discuss with my team about current issues and work on the scripts. I am careful to tell even serious issues in such a way that it does not hurt the sentiments of anyone. It is a tough job. They always say that comedy is not a joke. Mahatma Gandhi has said: “If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide" | ” |