The film industry is full of uncertainties. Time and again, actors have realised this brutal truth. Actor Thengai Srinivasan too learnt it the hard way. He was a prominent actor, who worked in the Tamil film industry from the 1960s to 1980s. He was known for his performances in films like Kaakki Sattai, Vallavan Oruvan, Pattikatu Raja, and Oomai Vizhigal. One film affected him deeply. Coincidentally, it was also his last film. We are talking about the 1987-film Krishnan Vandaan. Thengai Srinivasan not only produced it, but also acted in it. The film also starred Shivaji Ganesan, Mohan, and KR Vijaya. Krishnan Vandaan failed to perform at the box office and affected Thengai’s career. The film was released on August 28, 1987, and celebrated its 36th anniversary recently. Thengai Srinivasan reportedly fell into deep financial trouble after Krishnan Vandaan didn’t work at the box office. He passed away that year due to a brain haemorrhage, on November 9, 1987. His sudden demise was a great loss for the Tamil film industry. Whether the film’s failure affected him mentally or not, is not known.
Thengai Srinivasan was born on October 21, 1937, and had two sisters. When he was seven years old, his family moved to Chennai, and after his schooling, he joined the Integral Coach Factory and started his theatrical career in the Railway Dramatic Club. Kaliyuga Kannan had become one of the most successful commercial films of his career.
Thengai Srinivasan started his career with the play Galatta Kalyanam, also starring his father Rajavel Mudaliar, who was a playwright. Thengai Srinivasan portrayed a coconut seller in the play Kal Manam; later, that’s how he got the prefix Thengai (coconut) in his name. His guru, NS Krishnan also went to watch the play. Later in 1965, Thengai Srinivasan was selected to play a character in Jaishankar’s film Night and Day; but he soon lost this opportunity after a newcomer entered into the film industry. Following this, in the same year, he made his debut in the film Oru Viral, and he started to get recognition under the name Oru Finger Krishna Rao.
In 1974, Thengai Srinivasan was seen in his next play in the lead role of Vali Krishna Vijayam’s play. The role was first offered to Shivaji, but he suggested that Srinivasan would be perfect for the role. Later, he acted in films like Sri Ramajayam, Portar Ponnusamy, and Adukku Malli.
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