There is one man who must be given Padma Award from Tamilnadu – Actor Vadivelu

Popular comedy actor Mr. Kumaravadivelu Natarajan a.k.a Vadivelu

It is well known that readers of PGurus give the least attention to cinema actors, and when it comes to Tamil cinema actors it is no doubt minuscule, but today I need that minuscule of attention for one particular individual.

I strongly believe that you will consider exceptions if there is a legitimate cause behind it. One such individual that I would like to bring to your notice is the case of a popular comedy actor from Tamilnadu Mr. Kumaravadivelu Natarajan a.k.a Vadivelu.

Actor Vadivelu is from Madurai. He emerged from a below poverty line family to later on becoming the King of Comedy in Tamil cinema.

Though he dominated his field throughout the 1st decade of the 21st century his popularity is still the same even today and has grown despite his absence (for 10 years) through several trollers and video meme makers.

If Tamilnadu had a laughter riot it was purely because of his ability and talent through his monologues and acting.

It is his scenes that nourish all the video meme creators today. So many YouTubers have been able to make money out of his movies and their employment is sustaining year after year because his comedy could be easily applied to many situations ranging from day-to-day activities to politics to scandals, etc.

Even journalists and video content makers use Vadivelu as a means to invoke humour, it includes people like Rangaraj Pandey and even Karthik Gopinath.

Today he is in such a situation where the Dravidian politicians and the cinema cartel have exploited and dumped him.

Recently in a public function, he stated to his fans “For you all, the lockdown is just for one year but for me, it has been for 10 years”, this melted so many hearts because it was visible that he was hurt and broken.

The man who made the entire state laugh their hearts out was visibly distressed. This prompts me to write this stating reasons why an intervention is needed to honour this man with Padma Shri to revitalize his career

1. 1. No recognition for his work till date: The first important issue that needs to be addressed is the recognition for one’s work.
      Several Actors in Tamil cinema have got their dues (sometimes disproportionate) for their crass work but not Vadivelu despite dominating the cinema field.
      To date, he has not been recognized for his work, simply because of a petty feud that turned political. Vadivelu has resolved it recently but still, he remains sidelined in cinemas.
   2. Exploited by Dravidian Politics: Vadivelu’s feud with Vijayakanth (which is resolved now) made him a target for poaching by the DMK during the 2011 assembly elections.
      He never had any ideological leanings to the DMK. DMK has an anti-Hindu mindset and Vadivelu always sports a Vibhuti, he was dragged into it and exploited by DMK to settle scores with their rivals ADMK & DMDK, the consequence of that election was him being made the scapegoat and thus losing 10 years of his career.
   3. Popularity higher than PM Modi: The most surprising thing is that a comedian in TN has more popularity and brand value than the country’s PM.
      Over 90% of all the memes & trolls (an industry in itself in Tamilnadu ) are based out on Vadivelu’s comedy scenes. The brand image of Vadivelu is being robbed in broad daylight left right-center.
      For IT professionals his comedy is the stress buster but none care about his life right now.
      The popularity of Vadivelu was so high that he was trending National level over and above PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in 2019 with #PrayForNesamani.
   4. No Cinema Fraternity support: Not many in the cinema fraternity, which is immersed into the Dravidian ideology, have come forward and supported Actor Vadivelu.Even in his movies, he has been a strong patriot and has never advocated something seditious like some of the actors in Tamilnadu.
   5. Everyone deserves a second chance: 10 years Vadivelu has been punished and that too harshly by the film fraternity cartel.

The Tamilnadu BJP is known to run behind actors and actresses but so far even they have stayed away from Vadivelu or have done anything to recognize his work.

People of Tamilnadu should come forward voluntarily and unanimously support actor Vadivelu for a Padma Shri setting aside his personal life and other political affiliation.

Perhaps the best person who can propel his name from the political sphere is Dr. Subramanian Swamy who also happens to be from Vadivelu’s hometown of Madurai.

Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

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Venkat Sudheendra

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