Manorama (Tamil actress) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Manorama
Manorama at Cinema Journalist Association Event
Born	Gopishantha (1937-05-26)26 May 1937 Mannargudi, Madras Presidency, British India (present-day Tamil Nadu, India) Now Thirukannamagai, Thiruvarur District, Tamil Nadu, India
Died	10 October 2015(2015-10-10) (aged 78) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Other names	Aachi
Years active	1958–2015
Spouse(s)	S. M. Ramanathan
Children	Bhoopathy (b.1955)
Parent(s)	Kasiyappan Kilakudaiyar (Father) Ramamirtham (Mother)

Gopishantha (born May 26, 1937 – died October 10, 2015) was a famous Indian actress. She was better known by her stage name Manorama, and many people also called her Aachi. She was an amazing actress, comedian, and singer.

Manorama acted in over 1000 films and performed in 5000 stage shows! Most of her work was in the Tamil film industry. She also acted in movies in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Sinhala languages.

She received many important awards for her work. In 1995, she was given the Kalaimamani award. The Indian government honored her with the Padma Shri award in 2002. This award is one of the highest civilian awards in India. She also won a National Film Award, a Filmfare Award South, and seven Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Manorama was born in a town called Mannargudi Thirukannamangai in Tamil Nadu, India. Her mother, Ramamirtham, raised her by working as a maid. Manorama often said she owed her success to her mother. She felt that many of the mother roles she played in films reminded her of her own mom.

Her family moved to Pallathur because they were very poor. When Manorama was 11, her mother became very sick. Manorama decided to start working as a maid to help her family. She had to leave school to do this.

One day, a drama group came to Pallathur. The actress who was supposed to play a small part couldn't sing. The group needed someone who could act and sing. Manorama got the role in a play called Andhaman Kadhali. This is how her acting journey began at the age of twelve. During this time, a director and a musician gave her the new name, Manorama.

She met a famous actor named S. S. Rajendran (SSR). He chose her for a role in his play ManiMagudam. Manorama kept acting in plays and also started singing for them. She was offered her first film, Inbavazhvu, but it was never finished. Another film, Unmayinkottai, also stopped production. She felt sad and thought she might not become a film actor.

Manorama had a son named Bhoopathy in 1955. She once said that her mother wanted her to become a doctor. But she became an actress instead. She was proud that her grandson later became a doctor.

Becoming a Star

Manorama started her film career in 1958 with the Tamil film Malayitta Mangai. The famous writer Kannadasan gave her a main role in this movie. Her first film where she played the heroine was Konjum Kumari in 1963.

From 1960, she started focusing more on comedy roles. She was very good at making people laugh. She often acted alongside another well-known comedian, Nagesh. They worked together in 50 films!

Manorama said that Kannadasan changed her life by casting her in Maalayitta Mangai. He told her that if she only played heroine roles, her career might end quickly. But if she did comedy roles, she would go far. This gave her the confidence to continue with comedy.

She even acted in a Sinhalese film called Sukumali in 1957. She played the heroine's friend in that movie. She acted mostly in Tamil films, but also in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada movies. Her acting pairs with Tangavelu, Nagesh, Cho, Thengai Srinivasan, Vennira Aadai Moorthy, and Surali Rajan were very popular.

Manorama was also a talented singer. She sang over 300 songs in Tamil films, often for her own characters. Her first song was in a film called Magale Un Samathu. One of her biggest hit songs was "Vaa Vaathiyaare Uttaande" from the film Bommalattam. She even sang for famous music directors like M. S. Viswanathan and A. R. Rahman.

Some of her best Tamil films include Anbe Vaa, Ethir Neechal, and Galatta Kalyanam. In Telugu, she was in films like Rikshavodu. She loved her role as Baby Amma in the film Nadigan. She also remembered her role in Chinna Gounder, where she wore funny artificial teeth.

Manorama acted with many famous actors like Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini. She also worked with all the top comedians from five different generations. This includes Nagesh, Cho Ramaswamy, Goundamani, Senthil, Vivek, and Vadivelu.

She even acted with five people who later became Chief Ministers! She was in plays by C. N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi. She also acted in films with M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa, who both became Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu. In Telugu films, she worked with Dr. N. T. Rama Rao, who became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Once, during a film shoot, a snake bit her. She had to go to the hospital. After she recovered, her next scene was about bathing a snake statue and singing to it. She bravely agreed to do it!

In 1996, she supported Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the elections. Manorama was a close friend of Jayalalithaa.

In one of her last interviews in 2015, she said she had no regrets about her life. She felt blessed and wished to be born as Manorama again in her next life. She also said that if she had only acted as a heroine, she would have disappeared from the film industry long ago. By choosing comedy roles, she stayed in the industry for almost six decades.

She always supported new actors and directors. In 2013, she acted in a short Tamil film called Thaaye Nee Kannurangu. She played a cancer patient and a mother in that film.

Death

Manorama was not well between 2013 and 2015. She passed away in Chennai on October 10, 2015, at the age of 78. She died because many of her organs stopped working.

Tributes

Many people in Tamil Nadu were very sad when Manorama died. Tributes poured in from all over the state and on social media. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa visited Manorama's home to pay her respects. Ms. Jayalalithaa said that there had been no actress as talented as Manorama in Tamil films, and there would be none in the future. She called Manorama her elder sister.

Many other famous personalities also paid their respects. These included actors like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Vikram, Sivakumar, Dhanush, and Ajith Kumar. Political leaders like M. Karunanidhi and music directors like Ilayaraja and A. R. Rahman also shared their grief.

Awards and Honors

• Guinness World Records – 1985 – for acting in over 1000 films.
• Padma Shri – 2002

Discography

Manorama also holds a record for singing for many famous music directors. She lent her voice to songs composed by M. S. Viswanathan, Ilayaraja, A. R. Rahman, and many others.