They say being a comedian in the film industry is a serious business and not many manage to sustain for a long time. An exception to this is the evergreen Chinni Jayanth known for his unique style of acting, comedy style and mimicry skills. He has acted in supporting roles in over 70 Tamil movies including Kizhakku Vaasal (1990), Idhayam (1991), Kannedhirey Thondrinal (1998), Sivaji (2007) and Kuselan (2008). In a tete-a-tete with City Express, he talks about his 32 years in the Tamil film industry.
Chinni lived right behind the famous Music Academy where art and culture thrived. Watching dramas and music concerts from a very young age, Chinni says he became an ardent fan of drama and theatre when he was seven. “I used to see dramas by K Balachander, S Ve Shekher, Visu, Nagesh and Y G Parthasarathy. That instilled my passion,” shared the veteran artist.
But stage drama was not the only thing he was fond of. He was a fan of watching dance-drama performances by Jayalalithaa and Padmini, music concerts by M S Viswanathan, M S Subbulakshmi, A V Ramanan and many other star performers during the 1970s. “Dramas like Navagraham, Ethirneechal, and Hare Rama Hare Krishna are still popular and timeless. Seeing them has shaped me,” says the recipient of the Kalaimamani award.
A commerce graduate from New College, he was on the verge of applying for an MBA course, when the film bug bit him. Of course, having the one and only ‘superstar’ as his neighbour had a lot to do with his decision to pursue a career on silver screen. “Rajinikanth was raking in the moolah during the 70s and 80s. “Watching him on and off the screen was a blessing. I grew up watching the way he walks, turns and talks. What a style!” Chinni shares even as he enacts the body language of the superstar.
His first brush of success came when he performed to the song Sankara… from the classic movie Sankarabharanam (1979) in Rajinikanth’s style during an inter-college fest. Thunderous applause followed his performance and his friends asked him to try his luck in films. “I was very hesitant and even doubted if anyone would give a chance for this face.”
But with the help of a friend who was pursuing print technology, he applied for a diploma course in film technology at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu, Taramani. “I stuck a photo from my bus pass and sent in the application. The surprising part was that I got called for the interview,” chuckles the actor.
He was asked to enact a comedy piece from the movie Kavari Maan (1979) in front of veteran actors S V Sahasrananmam, Banumathi and director Sridhar. “I did a piece by Usulamani and Thenga Srinivasan and was immediately selected! After my audition, an assistant came running to me and said that I was the best among those who had performed that day,” recalls Chinni. And so began his film journey!
Later, with help of director Mahendran, he bagged his first movie offer and was paired opposite the person who had inspired him to enter films —Rajinikanth himself in Kai Kodukkum Kai (1984) in which he played an eccentric villain. “Can you imagine a dream come true? My first shot and movie was with the man himself! On the third day of shoot, Rajini said I looked familiar and I narrated how he had inspired me,” he reminisces.
Pondering over ‘their era’ (the 80s and 90s) Chinni says, “Comedy and the film industry used to be different back then. The dynamics have changed a lot now and I feel the quality in comedy has gone down.” With the lack of cocktailing comedians unlike the 70s, 80s and 90s, he says that putting on a one-man show for comedy has become the new fad. “I have worked with Goundamani, Vadivelu, Senthil and many such brilliant comedians. This cocktailing used to be a huge success back then. This format is still followed in other industries except Tamil film industry,” he avers.
After a long break, Chinni is back with a role in director Prabhu Solomon’s next film. “I will be playing the role of an old man in his Rubai movie which is yet to be released. This is a once in a lifetime role for me,” he beams and shows a picture of his new look as an old man. He does a lot of on stage mimicry-cum-singing shows where he sings like other singers! “I am a mimicry artist and I want to make myself better and versatile. I love mimicking Kamal Haasan, but also love singing like T M Soundararajan,” he says. His mimicry-spoof of Kaun Banega Crorepathi is still famous and was appreciated by Amitabh Bachchan himself!
Sharing his recent meeting with singer P Suseela, he says, “She compared me to Kamal Haasan and said, ‘Nobody can sing like another person with such precision. What you do is great’. That was a very proud moment for me!” he added.
‘Earlier Space Left for Others to Perform’
With the advent of technology, Chinni feels that interaction between co-stars during shoots have also come down.
“We used to hang-out under a tree during a break while shooting. Now, they have technology and take communication for granted,” he shares and says that his best times were with actors Karthik and Revathy during the shoot of Kizhaku Vaasal (1990). “I think we knew to give the space for our fellow actors on screen. We used to let each other score during performances and never used to interfere in that. That support and maturity is lacking these days,” he says.
Evergreen College Student
Popular for his ‘college student’ roles, he has been a part of blockbuster, films like Idhayam (1991), Kadhal Desam (1996), Kadhalar Dinam (1999), Kannedhire Thondrinal (1998), Chinna Poove Mela Pesu (1987) and more. He not only proved his talent as a character artist but went on to impress critics and audiences in comedy roles and also as a mimicry artist. His usage of words like ‘gilpanse’ and ‘silfanse’ made him popular among the youth.
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