Thambi Ramaiah
Thambi Ramaiah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Thambi Ramaiah Jagannathapillai 19 June 1956 |
| Occupations | Actor, comedian, director, lyricist |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse | Shanthy Ramaiah |
| Children | 2 including Umapathy |
Thambi Ramaiah is an Indian actor, director and comedian who works in the Tamil film industry. He has also worked occasionally as a music director and lyricist.[2] He directed three films, Manu Needhi (2000), Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan (2008) and Maniyaar Kudumbam (2018). He has won one National Film Award, two SIIMA Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Award and one Filmfare Award South in his career.
Career
Thambi Ramaiah was born in Rarapuram village in Pudukkottai, and initially entered the film industry hoping to become a screenwriter. His father was a poet and a fiction writer and his mother was a housewife, while Ramaiah was their eldest child. He earned pocket money during his school days by writing love letters for his classmates.[3] He also had an interest in lyric writing, often writing lyrics for parody versions of popular songs, while becoming trained in various instruments including the harmonium and guitar. At the age of 20, he moved to Chennai and tried to make a breakthrough into the film industry, but was hindered by his lack of contacts and instead worked for a private company for nine years.[4] He got a break in 1994 and took up a job as a dialogue writer for a serial on Sun TV, doubling up as an assistant director, script writer and lyricist. He then earned opportunities to work as an assistant director in films directed by T. Rajender and P. Vasu, and he considers the latter his teacher of screenplay-writing.[3] He made a cameo acting appearance in Vasu's film Malabar Police (1999) in a scene featuring Goundamani. The following year, he made his directorial début with Manu Needhi (2000), which starred Murali and Napolean. He carried on playing supporting roles in films as well as writing comedy tracks, also directing the Vadivelu-starrer Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan (2008).
He made a breakthrough as an actor portraying a friendly cop in Prabhu Solomon's romantic film Mynaa (2010) and won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. He subsequently won positive reviews for his performances in films including Saattai, Kumki (2012) and Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam (2014). At the peak of his career in 2013–2014, he worked for up to four films a day, while being on locations for close to 25 days a month. He also served as his own manager and often was in charge of his own make-up and costumes in films.[3]
In 2014, he announced plans to introduce his son, Umapathy Ramaiah, as an actor. His son later made his debut in Adhagappattathu Magajanangalay (2016).[5] He made his comeback as a director after a gap debut after a 10-year hiatus with the film, Maniyaar Kudumbam (2018), starring his son Umapathy in the lead role. He also marks the debut of Thambi Ramaiah as a music director.[6]
In 2021, he has played in lead role in Samuthirakani's Vinodhaya Sitham.[7] In 2024, Rajakili, which marks the directorial debut of Umapathy, also has Thambi Ramaiah as a music composer. The latter has also written the story, lyrics, and dialogue.[8]
Filmography
As actor
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Victim | Kandan, Sikkandar | SonyLIV |
As director
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Manu Needhi | |
| 2008 | Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan | |
| 2018 | Maniyaar Kudumbam | Also lyricist |
As writer
| Year | Film | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mannaru | Dialogues | |
| 2024 | Rajakili | Story | Also lyricist |
| 2026 | TN 2026 | Story |
Discography
As composer
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Oru Koodai Mutham | Unreleased film[14] |
| 2018 | Maniyaar Kudumbam | |
| 2024 | Rajakili | Songs only |
As playback singer
| Year | Film | Song | Composer | Lyrics | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Vu | "Oru Padi Mela" | Abhijith Ramasamy | Murugan Manthiram | |
| 2015 | Asurakulam | "Polladhavaa" | C. Sathya | Yugabharathi | [15] |
| 2010 | Oru Koodai Mutham | "Nongala Enakku" | Shanthan | Thambi Ramaiah | [14] |
| "Pappa Poranthathu" | Shanthan | [14] | |||
| 2026 | TN 2026 | "Vaadaa Thondaa" | Darbuka Siva | Mohan Rajan | [16] |
References
- ↑ "Tickling the funny bone". The Hindu. 27 December 2010. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ↑ "He says that he does not read books, but read people". The Hindu. 31 October 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- 1 2 3 Neelima Menon (18 November 2014). "Life of the Party: The Thambi Ramaiah Interview". Silverscreen.in. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ↑ "Thambi Ramaiah - Tamil Cinema Actor Interview - Thambi Ramaiah | Kumki | Saattai | Kazhugu - Behindwoods.com". Videos.behindwoods.com. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ↑ Subramanian, Anupama (6 August 2015). "Thambi Ramaiah's advice to his son". Deccan Chronicle.
- ↑ "Cheran's next directorial Maniyar Kudumbam to star Thambi Ramaiah's son". The new Indian Express. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- ↑ "Vinodhaya Sitham Movie Review: Thambi Ramaiah, Samuthirakani present a heartwarming tale of the last ride". Cinema Express. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ↑ "Thambi Ramaiah, Samuthirakani return with 'Rajakili' exploring life's uncertainty and human values". The new Indian Express. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ↑ Mullappilly, Sreejith (26 July 2025). "Muthal Pakkam Trailer: Vetri is back as a cop on a manhunt". Cinema Express. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ↑ "Lucky The Superstar Movie Review: Conveniences undercut cheer in this canine fantasy". Cinema Express. 20 February 2026.
- ↑ "Thambi Ramaiah breaks the silence on 'TN 2026' teaser debate, says film does not target Vijay". The Times of India. 4 April 2026. Archived from the original on 10 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
- ↑ "Chinna Chinna Aasai review: Indrans, Madhoo lead an underwhelming tale of self-discovery". The Indian Express. 20 June 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
- ↑ "ஏமாறாதே... ஏமாற்றாதே... "கான் சிட்டி" - சினிமா விமர்சனம்". Daily Thanthi (in Tamil). 28 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Oru Koodai Mutham Tamil Songs Download: Oru Koodai Mutham Tamil MP3 Odia Songs Online Free on". Gaana. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ↑ CR, Sharanya (14 January 2017). "Thambi Ramaiah sings a folk song for Asurakulam". The Times of India.
- ↑ Saregama Tamil (10 April 2026). TN 2026 – Audio Jukebox | Natty Nataraj | Umapathy Ramaiah | Darbuka Siva. Archived from the original on 10 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026 – via YouTube.