Thambi Ramaiah is an Indian actor, director, comedian, lyricist, writer, and singer, who mostly works in the Tamil film industry. He is known for directing the films Manu Needhi (2001), Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan (2008) and Maniyaar Kudumbam (2018). Apart from directing, she is known for her acting skills in the film Mynaa (2010) for which she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her amazing performance in the film.
Wiki/Biography
Thambi Ramaiah was born on Tuesday, 19 June 1956 (age 67; in 2023) in Rarapuram village in Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu. He is a Cancer. At first, he wanted to be a screenwriter and entered the film industry with the hope of becoming one. During his teenage years, he got practice playing various musical instruments such as harmonium and guitar. At the age of 20, he moved to Chennai to fulfill his dream of entering the film industry but due to lack of contacts, he could not achieve success. Because of that, he failed to fulfill his desire and finally chose to work in a private company for nine years.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 8″
Weight (approx): 80 kg
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper; Dyed Black
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
Thambi Ramaiah’s father, Jagannathapillai, was a poet and fiction writer while his mother, Pappammal, was a housewife. He is the eldest son of his parents. His mother died at the age of 74 due to a sudden illness.
Wife & Children
His wife’s name is Shanthy Ramaiah. The couple has two children, a boy and a girl. His son is named Umapathy Ramaiah and works as an actor in the Tamil film industry. Umapathy Ramaiah made her debut in the film Adhaappattathu Magajanangalay (2016). His daughter’s name is Viveka Ramaiah and she is married to Rahulji.
Thambi Ramaiah family photo, (L to R) Thambi Ramaiah, son-in-law Rahulji, son Umapathy Ramaiah, daughter Viveka Ramaiah, and wife Shanthy Ramaiah
Career
Lyric writer
Although Thambi Ramaiah wanted to become a screenwriter, he also had an interest in writing lyrics and had written parody versions of various popular songs. He also learned harmonium and guitar for this during his teenage years. He worked as a lyricist for the songs Nongala Enakku (2010) and Pappa Poranthathu (2010).
Writer
In 1994, Thambi Ramaiah got his first opportunity to work as a dialogue writer for a series on Sun TV. He also doubles as assistant director, lyricist, and screenwriter. He considers P. Vasu as his guru for screenplay writing. He wrote several comedy songs in various films.
Direction
While working as a dialogue writer for a series on Sun TV in 1994, he also got an opportunity to work as an assistant director. After that, he got several opportunities to work as an assistant director. He got an opportunity to work as an assistant director for a film directed by T. Rajender and P. Vasu.
In 2000, he made his directorial debut with the Tamil film Manu Needhi.
Manu Needhi (2000)
In 2008, he directed the Tamil fantasy comedy film Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan and in 2018, he directed Maniyaar Kudumbam.
acting
Movie
In 1999, he made his debut with a cameo role as Perumal in the Tamil film Malabar Police.
Malabar Police (1999)
After this, he got several supporting roles in various films. She gained immense popularity by playing the role of a friendly cop in the Tamil romantic drama film Mynaa in 2010. Her performance was highly appreciated and she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her amazing performance in the film.
Mynaa 2010
After this, his acting in the films Saattai (2012), Kumki (2012) and Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam (2014) received many positive reviews from the audience and critics alike.
Throughout 2013 and 2014, Thambi Ramaiah was at the peak of his career and successfully acted in films such as Lokpal (2013), Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal (2013), Summa Nachunu Irukku (2013), Apple Penne (2013), Pulivaal (2014), Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam (2014), Nimirndhu Nil (2014), Un Samayal Arayil (2014), Aindhaam Thalaimurai Sidha Vaidhiya Sigamani (2014), Vanavarayan Vallavarayan (2014), Nerungi Vaa Muthamidathe O (2014), Raja (2014), Kaaviya Thalaivan (2014), Sandamarutham (2015), Vajram (2015), Serndhu Polama (2015), Kangaroo (2015), Thani Oruvan (2015), Strawberry (2015), Vedalam (2015), Azhagu Kutti Chellam (2016), Peigal Jaakkirathai (2016) ), Viswasam (2019), Thirumanam (2019), Adutha Saattai (2019), Rudra Thandavam (2021), and many more.
In 2021, Thambi Ramaiah played the role of Parasuram in the Tamil comedy fantasy film Vinodhaya Sitham and received critical acclaim.
Vinodhya Sitham (2021)
In an interview in 2021, he explained how his journey changed from being a director to an actor. He said,
From the days of directing, I had the conviction that there was an actor in me. My producers and actors also feel that I have an expressive style in narrating my scripts. My body language, my expressions and my verbal style will change with each role I play. But yes, it was Prabhu Solomon who first believed in my potential to carry the role to the fullest. Acting comes from a place of love for the people. I like people. I watched them. Also, I take characters from books I read and people I meet. Taking characters from society helps make them relatable. It is important to understand the power of our craft. Efforts to gain a place in the hearts of the audience must be there until the end. I have been blessed with the opportunity to heal so many people, and I need to make the most of it.”
Web Series
He starred in the web series Victim – Who is Next? in 2022 which aired on SonyLIV.
Victims – Who’s Next? (2022)
Singing
He has sung several songs such as Pappa Poranthathu (2010), Nongala Enakku (2010), Oru Padi Mela (2013), and Polladhavaa (2015).
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, Mynaa (2010)
- Vijay Award for Best Supporting Actor, Mynaa (2010)
- Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Comedian, Mynaa (2010)
- Norwegian Tamil Film Festival Award for Best Villain, Saattai (2012)
- SIIMA Award for Best Comedian, Kumki (2012)
- Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil, Kumki (2012)
- Vijay Award for Best Comedian, Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam (2014)
- Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award for Best Comedian, Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam (2014)
- SIIMA Award for Best Comedian, Thani Oruvan (2015)
Facts/Trivia
- In an interview, Thambi Ramaiah shared an incident in his school days. He said, to earn pocket money, he used to write love letters to his classmates. He used to get 50 paise as payment per letter which was enough for him to buy mitai ice.
- Thambi Ramaiah used to work for four films a day when he was at the peak of his career in 2013-2014. Not only that but he also served as her manager, makeup artist, and costume designer in the films. He said,
I don’t have a makeup artist, manager or costume designer. Everything I scheduled. If a role is meant for me, it will come somehow.”
- Thambi Ramaiah is a music lover and knows how to play the harmonium and guitar.
- In an interview in 2014, Thambi revealed that his favorite pastime was to rewrite the lyrics of parodies of popular songs that he had done 14 years ago.
- Thambi Ramaiah’s son is 6 feet tall and according to Thambi, it’s because he chose a tall girl to marry. His wife is taller than him.
- According to Thambi Ramaih, one should always use humor as a tool to overcome anger. He further said that he has no friends in the industry and is still the life of every set.
- To take inspiration for his various comedy scenes, Thambi often takes a break from his shoot, goes out on random streets and does a lot of face reading. He has a habit of observing and interacting with people to see their reactions.
- Thambi shared another incident during the shooting of the film. He said, there are films that show a lot of promise at the beginning but then the promise is changed during editing. He said this about the films Jilla (2014) and Amara Kaaviyam (2014) in which eight and twelve scenes were cut.
- The movie Mynaa (2010) was very close to him as he got huge popularity with this movie. He rates Mynaa at the top because the film’s director Rabhu Solomon allowed him to write his comedy scenes the way he writes for others.
- After the release of the Tamil film Vinodhaya Sitham in 2021, Thambi expressed her love for the film’s director, Samuthirakani. Thambi said that earlier she had seen a younger brother in Samuthirakani but after completing the shooting of the film, she saw him as a father. He said,
I saw a younger brother in Samuthirakani earlier. Now, after this movie, I see him as a father. As a cinephile, I was amazed at the way he understood my strengths in acting and brought out such a performance from me. In fact, he was surprised that he made such a film, and I was surprised that I acted the way I did. It was divine intervention. In an industry that has seen MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan have top billing in films, now, I have been given the same experience. I don’t even know how I can repay Samuthirakani.”
- According to Thambi Ramaiah, during the filming of Viswasam in 2019, he got promoted as an actor. In an interview, he said,
If my role is memorable despite the short run time, it is not only about my performance, but also the space and content that Siva gave me. He himself is a great actor and gives great faith to his actors. As a filmmaker, he calculated and shot only the scenes he knew would make the final cut. In Viswasam, I got promoted as an actor. If you look closely, I may not have many dialogues, but I am the representation of Thookudurai’s (Ajith Kumar) happiness, silence, and strength.”
- In his spare time, he likes to read books.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
