Chennai: Veteran Tamil comic actor Mayilsamy passes away at 57

Chennai: Tamil film comedian Mayilsamy, who essayed numerous roles since the late 1980s, died in Chennai on Sunday. He was 57.

From small roles in superhit films such as Apoorva Sahodarargal (Appu Raja in Hindi) and Michael Madana Kamarajan, Mayilsamy went on to play some memorable comic roles. Some of his most notable humorous scripts were enacted in the company of popular comedian Vivekh.

Ironically, Vivekh also died when in his 50s.

Condolences poured in for the comedian from people of different walks of life.

Mayilsamy had become a household name in Tamil Nadu, says Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin recalled his mimicry and said he had become a household name in Tamil Nadu through the TV show Comedy Time. “Mayilsamy had earned praise from Kalaignar Karunanidhi for his talent. He had made a mark for himself in the entertainment industry,” he said.

“He will be remembered for his tendency to help people,” said Kamal Haasan.

“Your funny ways will always be remembered dear Mayil,” said leading actor Vikram, the hero of Dhool, in which Mayilsamy left the audience laughing when he changed the Tirupati (Balaji temple) prasadam from laddu to jalebi.

As per the script, he would repeatedly take money from Vivekh to go to different temples to offer pooja for the latter's friend to cure her of "cancer" (her sun sign which is mistaken for the disease cancer). Once, he returns from Tirupati and offers the prasadam to Vivekh. When Vivekh opens the parcel, he finds jalebi instead of laddu, the standard prasadam. Realising the sweet shop staff had mixed up the parcel, Mayilsamy comes up with the alibi that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chanrababu Naidu had changed the sweet because of a funds problem.

Mayilsamy also served as a judge on a TV comedy show and as a panelist in newsroom discussions on Tamil TV channels. At the height of the AIADMK split after Jayalalithaa's death, he had bemoaned in a panel discussion that the leaders were fighting without any concern for the cadres of the party founded by actor M G Ramachandran (MGR).