Who is Kalaimamani Sachu
Who is Kalaimamani Sachu
Her first movie was 'Rani' in which she acted as a child artist at the tender age of 4 ½. She filled the void as a child artist, left behind by Baby Saroja, and her performance in the movie was much appreciated and adored by the Tamil audiences.
Sachu’s success also extended to the stage where she was widely lauded for her Bharatnatyam performances and dramas. Her first play ‘Neerottam’ in the 1970’s with playwright, PVR and director S. Venkataraman, was staged over 100 times. T.S. Baliah- veteran comedian and S.D. Subbulakshmi played the main characters. From then, she acted in a number of plays like ‘Mezhugu Bomaigal’, ‘Thoppil Thani Maram’, ‘Sujatha’ directed by ARS, etc. and made an outstanding impression in theater, performing various roles.
In cinema, she has performed with the then big stars of the Tamil industry like Padmini, Savithri, P Bhanumathy, and Madhubala. Her big break was with movies like ‘Devadas’, Avvaiyar’ and ‘Maaya Bazaar’ where she played Kutti Vathsala and endeared herself with a varied audience. Her notable and path-breaking role was of course in the legendary comedy film, ‘Kadhalikka Neramillai’, directed by Sridhar in a comedy role pairing with Nagesh. Co-stars included great stalwarts like Muthuraman, Ravi Chandran, Baliah, M. R. Radha, ‘Thengai’ Srinivasan.
Sachu’s continued success in Indian cinema saw her act alongside giants like Sivaji Ganesan, MGR, Nagesh, etc. followed by superstars like Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth in the 80’s and alongside the current generation of stars like Vijay, Surya, Karthik, etc.
Her success extended to the small screen and she continues to act in television serials along with films. She has played popular comedy and character roles in ‘Maanbumigu Maamiyaar’, ‘Dinesh Ganesh’, “Costly Maapillai’, “Washington il Thirumananam’ ‘Veettukku Veedu Looty’ and enjoyed the popularity and love of TV audiences. Her latest TV program is ‘Nandhini’ which was being telecast in 4 languages. In recognition of her decades of service to the film industry and stage drama and dance, she was awarded the prestigious 'Kalaimamani' award in 1991, by the then Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Dr. J Jayalalitha. She has also served as a member of the Government of Tamilnadu Films selection committee and as the Member Secretary of ‘Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Manram’ between 2011-14.
With a career spanning over 60 decades and more than 500 films under her belt in over five languages, and numerous highly successful performances in theatre and television, Sachu is amongst the most versatile and accomplished artist in the Indian film industry.