I woke up today morning on what was supposed to be just another Saturday until it took a melancholic twist. Unlocking my phone and opening WhatsApp, I was flooded with RIP messages for Vivekh, and everything around me came to a standstill. I couldn’t believe what I was reading and nearly dropped my phone, as my eyes welled up in tears.
For someone who was that loner kid in school, movies and books have always been my solace. One of the fondest memories of my childhood that I have, involve coming back home from school and watching Vivekh’s comedy clips on TV. Coming from a family of Vadivelu fans, I was often made fun of just because I was the only Vivekh fan. No offence to our very own Vaigai Puyal without whose punchlines, I would hardly have any comebacks in life. But the death of someone who had been more than just an entertainer and had deeply instilled in me values of rationalism and such hit me hard, so much so that it felt like a personal loss.
The amount of thought and effort that goes into his dialogues are so profound that it makes us wonder whether it was the soul of Kalaivaanar himself that possessed Vivekh. For, the number of social messages that are sprinkled across in his comedies are countless and evergreen, and shockingly, still relevant.
5 gems that Vivekh gave through his comedy
Despite the hundreds of unforgettable scenes that have captured our mind, here are 5 of my favourite scenes that makes us not only laugh out loud but question the things that we have considered as normal for so long that their irrational nature has shadowed us.
1. Parashakti spoof (Paalayathamman, 2000)
Vivekh would have done his own version of the famous monologue from Parashakti, but as a spoof, justifying all the crimes that he did, and saying how so many more like him are left to live freely while he had been the one to have gotten caught. He hilariously explains how he had posed as a fake Swamiji and looted people, acted a bogus Vaastu astrologer, and says how he did all of this in the public interest. This makes us realise the number of ways in which people have been duped into giving away their money by such fraudsters.
2. Casteism talk as Venkataraman Iyengar (Saamy, 2003)
Be it questioning why there was such a huge problem over applying the Saivite or Vaishnavite symbol on the forehead of the temple elephant, or arguing for the equality of those belonging to the Dalit community or even argument against superstition like marrying donkeys to invoke rain, his rationalism made us realise the importance of equality and need for revisiting our beliefs and values that are based on pointless superstitions.
3. Super Subbu (Kadhal Sadugudu, 2003)
With Paravai Muniyamma by his side as a personal cheerleader, he would have emphasized on protecting the girl child, the need for family planning and how it was important to take strict and serious action for sexual crimes against women, all the while entertaining with his signature punchlines and puns.
4. Mohan (Run, 2002)
Portraying the typical youngster who comes to the city with dreams of making it big, Vivekh would have played the character of Mohan who realises how important it is to always keep one’s eyes and ears open. His stuff gets stolen on his first day in the city and he tries to make it somehow by finding his friend’s address. His hilarious mishaps make for a great laugh, all the while talking about all the various social evils like the ‘namesake’ protests that political parties do and the kidney theft mafia. His hilarious ‘kaaka biryani‘ joke is an evergreen one and is something that has been a part of our comedic vocabulary for everyone who grew up in that decade.
5. Open sewages (Thirumalai, 2003)
His rib-tickling encounters while attempting to attend an interview for a job is sure to make anyone burst out in laughter. He deserves special credits for creating awareness about the danger of open sewages all the while making it fun. The interview scene, in the end, is the cherry on top.
Throughout his career, he had acted in over 220 films. That is not all, since he was also someone who always had public interest in mind even off-screen.
Personal life and philanthropy
Vivekh had three children, Amrithanandini, Tejaswini and Prasanna Kumar. But, he had lost his son to brain fever a few years ago and was completely shattered and depressed. But, he managed to pull himself up as well as those around him by plunging himself into social work and philanthropy. He even took up the piano to cope with the grief by himself.
Actor @Actor_Vivek plays the popular Ilaiyaraaja song #ThendralVanthu on his home piano pic.twitter.com/E8Zb1mGXoE
— Chennai Times (@ChennaiTimesTOI) April 23, 2020
Vivekh was an ardent follower of late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and his close associate. He used to carry a book of Kalam’s Wings of Fire wherever he went and took immense pleasure in fulfilling Kalam sir’s dream of planting 1 crore saplings under his Green Kalam initiative. Sadly, he passed away before he could complete the goal. Nevertheless, he was still able to accomplish the planting of 35 lakh saplings, which is no less a feat. He is also the brand ambassador from the Tamil Nadu government’s Plastic Pollution Free Tamil Nadu campaign.
Awards and accolades
Vivekh was bestowed with the Kalaivanar award in 2003 by the Tamilnadu State Government and the Padmashri in 2009 by the Central Government. He was also granted an honorary doctorate by Sathyabama University in 2015 and is the proud recipient of 3 Filmfare awards, 5 Tamilnadu State Film Awards, and 4 International Tamil Film Awards. He has also received an award from Asianet and an Edison award.
With a heavy heart, I write him this eulogy, as words don’t suffice to justify the impact that he has created in the lives of millions of people worldwide.
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