For a revered comedian like Senthil, the word ‘change’ has been the only constant ever since he started working in films in 1979. As I catch up with him after the release of Kuzhanthaigal Munnetra Kazhagam (KMK), he reveals that he has limited watching films over the last few years. Despite this, the actor is up-to-date on the evolving trends in the industry.
Senthil goes on to recount his first encounter with the late director Shankar Dayal. “I remember meeting him in Sri Lanka. We were supposed to work on a film together but they had bombed the place during the war. He then approached me for this film for the role of a senior political leader after looking at my political campaigning.
There was another film that we were supposed to do together, but it couldn’t come to fruition because of his unfortunate demise,” he shares, revealing how he enjoyed watching Shankar Dayal’s Saguni. “All of his comedy touches upon today’s politics. That is his speciality.”
Interestingly, his reel-life role is similar to his real-life work in politics. He has been in active politics, campaigning for the AIADMK and AMMK parties and is now with the BJP. He also had close ties with late former chief minister J Jayalalithaa and former DMDK chief Vijayakanth.
“If you see the late actor-politician MR Radha’s dialogues and comedy, they would constantly comment on the politics of that time. Everyone including students should know and understand politics, especially when we have abundant media resources available to us,” he says.
‘Actors shouldn’t skip theatre and jump into cinema’
In many ways, Senthil’s life has come full circle. From looking up to yesteryear comedians like NS Krishnan and Thangavelu, and acting alongside them, to a generation of actors taking inspiration from his successful body of work. “I had acted with Sivaji Ganesan, MN Nambiar and several others during the time.
Now I feel extremely elated and blessed when up-and-coming actors, senior policemen, and IAS officers tell me that they feel peace while watching my comedy tracks. We had such great tracks back then where people would break into laughter as soon as they saw me on screen,” he recalls, adding how the baton has been passed on to successful comedians like Vadivelu, Singamuthu, and Yogi Babu.
At the peak of his career in the ‘80s, Senthil was acting in 30-40 films a year. “Even I would be astonished looking at a few comedy tracks on TV. I would have even forgotten that I had acted in a few films, but we were young and had all the energy to give to our work however gruelling it might be,” he laughs. “My daughter-in-law and granddaughters often recreate my scenes on YouTube and have fun.
Even now, everyone likes it,” he adds, crediting his characters’ quirks and dialogues to talented writers of the time like A Veerappan, Rajagopal, Singamuthu and Velmurugan. “SA Chandrasekhar wrote my comedy for my films with K Shankar,” he points out. “Directors with a keen sense for comedy often succeed in their film journeys. Take Ram Narayanan, Bhagyaraj, S Ve Shekher, R Sundarrajan and Crazy Mohan for example,” he adds, describing their era as the ‘golden days.’
Cut to 2025, the industry has undergone a monumental shift. Senthil acknowledges the decline in theatre-going audiences and attributes it to the rise of alternative forms of entertainment, the overwhelming influx of content, the growth of OTT platforms, and the lack of work-life balance in today’s fast-paced world. “I feel that producers should extend a supporting hand and trust directors even if they had given one or two box office flops, the same goes for comedy writers,” he says and reminisces,
“Producer Sandow MMA Chinnappa Devar would often take his directors, writers, and assistants on a trip to Courtallam to brainstorm various ideas. Whoever came up with an interesting idea, dialogue or scene would receive Rs 500 cash on the spot. That amount was huge back then. It truly makes a big difference in fostering creativity if roles are diversified and writers are encouraged well.”
According to him, the speed at which the creators finish the project also affects the output. “Everyone is in a hurry to complete a film and in the budget that they have assigned, but what they don’t realise is that good comedy can’t be written in ten days. Ram Narayanan would complete a project within 25 days but his pre-production work would go on for three months. That solidifies the foundation of the film,” he adds.
Senthil also criticises the culture of asking for reviews outside theatres, which he identifies as another factor contributing to dwindling audiences. “Once someone answers ‘enna ya padam idhu?’, it affects everyone who has worked on the film and discourages audiences from visiting theatres to watch it. People should understand the immense work that goes behind bringing a film to the big screens,” he remarks.
Much of Senthil’s comedy struck a chord with audiences thanks to his impeccable timing and expressive body language. The actor credits this to his years of experience in stage performances. “I learnt everything—from how to stand to delivering dialogues—through my time in theatre. I would don various roles and go on to perform across the state with veteran actors like Isari Velan, K Kannan, CL Anandan and Goundamani.
After our time, there was Koothu-p-Pattarai, which nurtured many talented actors. Nowadays, actors often skip that crucial step and jump straight into mainstream cinema or TV. Stage dramas have been forgotten. Legends like Suruli Rajan balanced plays and films until his final days. If we revive the art of drama and theatre, the industry will truly flourish,” he suggests.
In over an hour-long conversation, Senthil often recalls dates and years from memory as though it were just yesterday, and expresses admiration for both his contemporaries and the younger generation. Even as he cherishes those years, he continues to nurture the actor inside him. He says, “An actor should never remain idle. Even if you’ve played every role under the sky, you should remain open and embrace any character that comes your way.” Senthil then shares a parting note for aspiring comedians: “Comedy should cater to family audiences. It must be free of vulgarity and enjoyable for everyone.”