Veteran actor Shanmugasundaram passes away at 77

He was ailing for the last few weeks and died at his residence in the city. He has acted in several films in character and comedy roles.

After a stint in drama, Shanmugasundaram made his debut with ‘Ratha Thilagam’ in 1963 and shot to fame playing an important character in Sivaji Ganesan starrer ‘Karnan’. The actor was last seen in Simbhu’s latest film ‘Anbanavan, Adangadhavan Asaradhavan.’ 

Shanmugasundaram’s role in the mega hit film ‘Karagatta karan’ in 1989 and directed by Gangai Amaran won him critical acclaim and prompted several filmmakers to offer him roles as a village chieftain. The scene where he pleads innocence to his sister (Gandhimathi) made him popular among mimicry artist in reality shows. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he moved on to feature in TV serials and collaborated with Raadhika in series such as ‘Annamalai’, ‘Selvi’ and its sequel ‘Arasi’. From 2010, he was regularly featured in films directed by Gangai Amaran’s son, Venkat Prabhu. 

As a politician in Chennai 28, he shot to fame with his popular comical dialogue ‘Feildingaa Bowlingaa’.

“Actor, uncle, thatha, friend and more.. My fav cult actor Mr Shanmugasundaram is no more! He was part of all my movies! May his soul RIP (sic),” Venkat Prabhu posted on his Twitter page. Several actors of Tamil film industry mourned his death and expressed its condolences to his family.