CHENNAI: Life is crazy, he often quipped. So crazy that the engineering graduate Mohan Rangachari, who took the road less travelled, will forever be remembered as playwright and scriptwriter ‘Crazy’ Mohan.
The 67-year-old legendary master of puns, who died in a city hospital on Monday afternoon after a cardiac arrest, was laid to rest by family and film fraternity, including long-time associate Kamal Haasan, with whom his friendship began, strangely enough, at a grave. Mohan is survived by his wife and two sons.
“They say habits from the cradle stay until the grave, but ours was a friendship (with Kamal Haasan) that began at the grave. I think it will last until we lie in our cradles in the next generation,” he once said.
Master of clean comedy, clever wordplay
This wordplay was his signature style of comedy - classy, witty and more significantly, clean comedy - and suffused films such as Michael Madana Kama Rajan and Apoorva Sagodarargal that are part of the cultural landscape for generations of Tamils.
While youngsters may best remember him for his long and fruitful partnership with Kamal, an older generation came to know Mohan after the runaway success of his play Crazy Thieves in Palavakkam starring S Ve Shekar in 1976. It was this play that earned him the epithet 'Crazy'.
Three years later, he started his own troupe Crazy Creations and went on to become a fixture of the Tamil theatre circuit, with plays like Maadhu +2, Jurassic Baby and Chocolate Krishna becoming huge hits. Chocolate Krishna was staged over record 500 times in a span of three years.
His wit caught the eye of another Tamil theatre veteran, K Balachander, who gave him a break as screenwriter in Poikkal Kudhirai (1983). The film was based on Mohan's own play Marriage Made in Saloon and featured a cameo by Kamal Haasan.
While, Mohan's work transcended his association with Kamal, their collaborations undoubtedly produced some of the most hilarious moments of Tamil cinema, making Apoorva Sagodarargal, Michael Madana Kama Rajan and Panchathanthiram his biggest hits. Whether it was the ‘meen/mean’ exchange from Michael Madhana Kamarajan or the diminutive Kamal telling a cab driver who wanted 'metre ku mela' something that "naane metre ku keezha thaane?" in Apoorva Sagodarargal, Mohan's witticisms became part of the Tamil zeitgeist.
Also known for his extended cameos in films penned by him, Mohan's most memorable onscreen characters include Vasool Raja's Dr Margabandhu and the unnamed doctor character in Chinna Vaathiyar. Though he wrote dialogue and screenplay for films of many actors, his collaborations with Kamal Haasan like turned out to be his calling card, and are among his biggest hits.
Mohan himself viewed Avvai Shanmugi (based on Mrs Doubtfire) as his favourite among all his collaborations with Kamal because of its personal, anecdotal value. There is a scene in the film in which the hero's daughter discovers who Shanmugi (her father in disguise) is simply by recognising his scent. That scene was apparently inspired by a moment Kamal had with his daughter Akshara on the sets of the film.
Mohan's last film as a screenwriter was Kola Kolaya Mundhirika in 2010. He also wrote the dialogues for the hilarious Naan Ee, the Tamil version of Eega.
If Mohan called Kamal a perfectionist, Kamal, in his heartfelt note on the former’s demise, calls him ‘Nagaichuvai Gyani’ - a comedic genius.
Indeed, many of Mohan's fans will no doubt mourn his death by returning to his movies and despite themselves burst into belly laughs, Mohan's timeless wit comforting them in their loss.
Leaders condole death
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday condoled the death of ‘Crazy’ Mohan.
The CM, in a statement, said Mohan had carved a niche for himself in both theatre and film industry.
DMK president MK Stalin, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president KS Alagiri and MDMK leader Vaiko too mourned the legend’s loss.
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