Vivek: Biography

Indian Tamil film comedian Vivek (Vivekanadan) was born in Chennai. He graduated with a B. Com. (1978–1981) from The American College in Madurai. Vivek has received five Filmfare Best Comedian Awards for his work in the films Khushi, Minnale, Run, Perazhagan, and Sivaji.

Vivek is more of a satirist than a slapstick comedian, which is often popular in the Tamil film industry compared to other comedians in Tamil cinema. Most of his humor encourages people to consider the issue and potential solutions. His performances frequently use humorous depictions of everyday life in Tamil Nadu and the neighboring areas. His well-known jokes often touch on weighty issues like political corruption, overpopulation, and bribery. Nevertheless, he has also appeared in comedic films.

Early Career

Vivek performed in stand-up comedy performances at the Madras Humour Club in his spare time while employed at the Secretariat in Chennai. During his pantomimes at the club, he repeatedly received the Best Entertainer Award after helping to pioneer the expansion movement. He would come back during the breaks between semesters and perform at the club. After leaving Chennai, Vivek went to Madurai to earn a bachelor's degree in commerce. He first met K. Balachandar, the director of the films, through P. R. Govindarajan, the founder of Humour Club. They started a professional relationship in which he wrote the scripts for the director's movies.

After four years, Balachandar outlined a circumstance and asked Vivek to write a script for sixteen characters, which Vivek did in a single night, according to Vivek. Later, he realised that this was only a test, and Balachandar gained Vivek's respect for his performance. When Vivek helped with the Manathil Uruthi Vendum script in 1987, Balachandar gave him an acting part as Suhasini's brother in the movie, which he chose to accept.

He started in supporting roles and worked with Balachandar once more in the films Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal (1989) and Oru Veedu Iru Vasal (1990) before frequently playing a friend to the lead actor in the main cast in movies like K. S. Ravikumar's Putham Pudhu Payanam (1991) and Vikraman's Naan Pesa Ninaipathellam (1992). (1993). Later, he appeared in Rajinikanth's Uzhaippali and Veera, where he played supporting character roles. Vivek had to wait until 1996 to prove himself as the only comic who could carry the movie, and he then started to play increasingly important roles in his endeavors.

Success and Breakthrough

Vivek broke through by playing the main comedian in movies in the late 1990s, who would frequently be the main friend of the lead actor. As a result, his on-screen time started to increase. He worked on several successful Ajith Kumar movies, playing a sidekick in Kaadhal Mannan, Unnai Thedi, and Vaali. He also successfully played Prashanth's partner in Kannedhirey Thondrinal, Poomagal Oorvalam, and Aasaiyil Oru Kaditham. In the years that followed, he became one of the most in-demand performers, appearing in more than fifty films in only two years. The actor received critical recognition for his performances in Mani Ratnam's Alaipayuthey, Mugavaree, and Dumm Dumm Dumm, as well as for his work in blockbuster movies like Kushi, Priyamanavale, and Minnale.

As Vivek's films gained popularity, he began to appear on movie posters on an equal footing as the star actor, which aided in the distribution of stuck flicks. Devotional films Kottai Mariamman, Palayathu Amman, and Nageswari were released with separate comedy tracks, including Vivek. In contrast, Telugu films were remade into Tamil and released with an additional comedy track featuring the actor, such as Kanden Seethaiyai. Director K. Subash had intended to make a movie called Enakkenna Korachal in 2000 with Vivek playing the lead role, but it was never made. The same thing happened when he started filming for the Rama Narayanan movie Panju in 2001, in which he played the lead role. However, both that project and another Sivachandran movie were later shelved.

In 2002 and 2003, Vivek worked on more financially successful projects and was recognized for his work with Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Comedians and Filmfare Best Comedian Awards. Vivek received numerous awards for his comic track in Run, with one critic praising his "nods to current societal events" as "a stroke of brilliance." In addition to receiving praise for his portrayals of a teacher in Saamy and a software engineer in Parthiban Kanavu, he performed lengthy comedic roles in Vikram's Dhool and Priyadarshan's Lesa Lesa. In S. Shankar's coming-of-age story Boys, he then took on a slightly more serious role as a mentor to the young people, and his performance was warmly received.

Vivek, for a change, adheres to Shankar's script and performs with his impeccable sense of comic timing, according to critics. However, a reviewer for The Hindu claimed that Vivek "belongs to the show" and serves as the director's spokesperson. His success continued in 2004 when he won the Filmfare Award for Best Comedian for his portrayal of a marriage assembler in Perazhagan and went on to play roles in the box office hits Chellamae and M. Kumaran, Son of Mahalakshmi. As a result of his growing popularity as an actor, he became the first comic to serve as an ambassador for the soft drink, signing the sponsorship agreement with Mirinda after the company had conducted market research to identify a well-liked promoter.

He also made an exception to perform in a few creative movies and frequently demanded much lower pay for the roles, most notably in character roles in Thangar Bachan's Azhagi and Janaki Vishwanathan's Kutty (2001). (2002). The later movie's director asked Vivek to write and play a part himself so that he could utilize his notoriety to help the movie find a distributor. Early in 2004, a movie with Vivek in the lead finally came to be, and he finished a film called Solli Addipean.

The team spent close to a year making the movie. It ensured that the audience would be ready to accept the comedian's transition into the movie's lead character, played by actresses Chaya Singh and Tejashree. Despite being finished, the movie hasn't moved since 2004 due to a lack of a distributor. Therefore, a theatrical distribution seems improbable. Super Subbu, a movie by V. C. Guhunathan that was supposed to have him as the lead character, fizzled out following an announcement. He took a six-month vacation from acting in the middle of 2004 after suffering an injury while filming a scene.

In Shankar's Anniyan (2005), Vivek made a triumphant comeback as a well-liked supporting character playing an undercover police investigator searching for evidence left by a psychopath serial killer. The movie opened to critical and commercial success with a critic noting that "Vivek's comedy is bankable." The actor later went on to win the State Award for Best Comedian for his work on the project. He extended his comeback by making appearances in three films released on the same day in January 2006: Vijay's Aathi, Ajith Kumar's Paramasivan, and Silambarasan's Saravana.

After receiving praise for his portrayal of a comic undercover cop in Susi Ganesan's Thiruttu Payale, Shankar asked him to play a significant part in his project Sivaji (2007), which starred Rajinikanth, and would go on to become the most expensive Tamil movie ever produced at the time of its release. Vivek spent 90 days on the movie, much longer than he had ever spent on any of his earlier projects. His portrayal of Rajinikanth's sidekick earned him another state award for Best Comedian. Critics gave him high marks for his performance, praising how "whacky and amusing" his one-liners were and how "Vivek must come in for special notice for his performance."

Added Work (2008–2021)

Due to changes in Tamil film screenplay that saw fewer films employ a separate comedy track in the late 2000s, Vivek's market appeal started to wane. A don in Padikathavan (2009), a drag performer in Guru En Aalu (2009), and a police officer in the Singham (2010) series were among his well-regarded roles during that time. In addition, Vivek's career hit a low point in 2012 with just one release due to the actor's inability to get high-profile projects and the rise of Santhanam.

After making his comeback after a hiatus, Vivek declared his intention to depart from his usual comedy roles on the advice of Kamal Haasan and director Bala. He then signed on for the 2014 movie Naan Than Bala, in which he played a serious role. In parallel, he started shooting Palakkattu Madhavan (2015), playing the lead opposite Sonia Agarwal, and also starred alongside Karunas in Sakthi Chidambaram's unfinished Machan. After his comeback, Vivek worked with the filmmakers on Velraj's Velaiyilla Pattathari (2014), Gautham Vasudev Menon's Yennai Arindhaal (2015), and Aishwarya Dhanush's Vai Raja Vai to appear again in larger budget movies (2015).

The 2017 comedy-drama film Brindavanam, in which Vivek played himself, focused on his bond with a deaf and dumb fan. Vivek's performance in the movie received favorable reviews, with one remarking that he "totally takes the limelight" and is in "excellent form." He starred in the thriller Vellai Pookkal in 2019 as a retired police officer who moves to live in Seattle and received praise for his portrayal of a sad character. Vivek plays his role in a "believable and convincing manner," according to one reviewer, "despite seeming a bit uneasy in key sequences; the actor pulls it off thanks to his persistence. "In 2020 and 2021, respectively, he released the films Dharala Prabhu, starring Harish Kalyan and Aranmanai 3. His final movie, The Legend, came out in 2022, a year after he had away. He appeared in more than 220 movies throughout his acting career.

Private Life

Amritha Nandini, Tejaswini, and Prasanna Kumar are the three children Vivek had with Arulselvi after their marriage. In 2015, at 13, Prasanna Kumar passed away due to complications from dengue fever and brain fever.

Death

On April 16, 2021, Vivek experienced chest pain and breathlessness and was sent to a SIMS Hospital in Chennai after passing out at home. His condition was judged serious by doctors, who also found that he had congestive heart failure due to a 100% blocked left anterior descending artery from a thrombosis. He underwent an angioplasty, and on April 17, 2021, he passed away in a hospital at age 59. In Virugambakkam, Chennai, close to his home, he received a state funeral among sizable crowds. Vivek received the COVID-19 vaccine from Bharat Biotech and promoted it the day before the incident. This raised the possibility that the vaccine may have contributed to his death. However, the National Human Rights Commission rejected this theory, stating that hypertension rather than the vaccine caused his heart attack. In Chennai, Vivek was buried with full state honors.