Trivia

Haa been paired opposite Sachu in films like Deva Sankalpam, Galata Kalyanam and Delhi Mappilai.

Cho as an actor has been pitted against actors across generations. His coming timing against T.S.Balaiah in Manam Oru Kurangu, or with M R Radha and multiple times with actors like V.K.Ramaswamy, Nagesh, Manorama, Sechu in many films brought out the best in him. His comic timing was appreciated in films like Thenmazhai, Nnainvin Nindraval, Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, Mr.Sampath, Thanikudithinam, Puthiya Theerpu, Bommalaatam, Avon Oru Sarithiram,Pungudha Veedu, Deiva Sankalpam, Delhi Mappilai, Ayiram Poi, Nirai Kudam, Dharisinam, Maligai Poo, Kashi Yatirai, Rojavin Raja,Oli Villaku, Kanavan, Kumarikottam, Mattukara Velan, Aadimai Penn, Engal Thangam, Thedi Vantha Mapillai, En Annan, Neerum Nerupum etc.

His career best performances are regarded as Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, Thenmazhi, Ninaivil Nindraval, Bommalaatam, Delhi Mappilai, Adimai Penn, Dharsinam, Nilgiri Express, Anayium Pithavum, Ayiram Poi, Deiva Sankalpam, Maligai Poo, Manam Oru Kurangu, Antharangam, Nirai Kudam, Therottam, Kashi Yatirai, Thangapadhakam, En Annan, Engal Thangam, Matukara Velan, Oli Villaku, Kanavan, Kumarikottam, Mattukara Velan, Aadimai Penn, Engal Thangam, Pungundha Veedu, Ulagam Ivlavdhaana, Velum Mayilum Thunai and Neerum Nerupum.

Many scenes in Hindi films have been directly borrowed and plagiarized from what Cho performed in his films. The sequence in Adimai Penn where Cho exchanges the various glasses of juices kept while narrating a story to R.S.Manohar, by which the villains poisonous glass gets mixed up, was later on borrowed in Andaz Apna Apna in 1994 where Aamir Khan foils plan of the villains. Similarly the scene in Thenmazhi where Cho acts as a doctor to look after a fraud patient played by Nagesh and brings carpenter's tools to operate on patient, was again copied in Andaz Apna Apna in 1994.

The man who talks too much becomes somewhat introspective in his translations of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. This interest had been sparked way back when he researched for quotations from the Gita for the play "Sambhavami Yuge Yuge." "I am amazed at the range of thinking reflected in the old texts, especially on human nature.".

Being a comedian is the most toughest task, because it takes time for different strata of people to accept, adopt to the actor's style and understand what he/she is trying to convey. With regard to this, Cho did a commendable job. In Cho's film career as a comedian he always stood equal among his peers like Naagesh who stole the hearts of Tamil Nadu people. Cho Ramasamy's performance in movies like Mohammad Bin Thuglak, Ninaivin Nindraval, Thenmazhai, Bommalaattam,Galatta Kalyanam, Delhi Mappilai, Manam Oru Korungu, Pungundha Veedu, Yarukkum Vetkam Illai, Adimai Penn, Mr.Sampath, Nilgiri Express, Engal Thangam, Mattukara Velan, Therottam, Deiva Sankalpam, Dharisinam, Nirai Kudam, Ayiram Poi, Therottam, Annaiyum Pidhavum, Kashi Yatirai, Engal Thangam, Mattukara Velan, Kumarikottam, Oli Villakku, Kanavan, Velum Mayilum Thunai, En Annan, Anthrangam, cast a spell on the audience. His duets like Jaam Bazaar jaggu with Manorama are enjoyed even today.

Mr Cho and Jayalalithaa have worked together in 19 films and also had been part of the same drama troupe. In fact, Mr Cho had been consulted at the creation of Jayalalithaa's political career by the then actress and by MGR himself.

Cho acted alongside Nagesh in Thenmazahi, Nanivin Nindraval, Ulagam Ivalavuudhaan, Bommalattam among others.

Cho and Manorama were paired together in 20 films which included Malligai Poo, Annaiyum Pidhavum, Dharisanam, Anbai Thedi, Nanaivin Nindraval, Nirai Kudam, Therottam, Ayiram Poi, Mohammed Bin Tughlaq, Bommalattam, Pungundha Veedu, Vilayattu Pillai, Kanavan, Rojavin Raja, Therottam, Velum Mayilum Thunai and were pitted in non couple role in Suryagandhi, Delhi Mappilai, Nadagame Ulagam.

The fledgling Viveka Arts had to compete with doyens such as the TKS brothers, S. V. Sahasranamam, R. S. Manohar, K. Balachander and Major Sunderarajan. "We got their approval right away," Cho recalls. The troupe never had to weather failure, but their riotous rehearsals and tours strengthened bonds. "I think Pattu (YGP troupe) inspired me to write comedy.".

Friend and foe agreed that Cho created a new kind of theatre with side-splitting wisecracks. "There was no need for in-depth research, anyone with a superficial grasp of politics could have written my plays," he says. Many, however, see Cho's long-term friendship with top political leaders in Tamil Nadu - none of whom he has spared - as a crucial factor in his success. Cho has been sassy, impudent, irreverent and fearless in making fun of everyone, including himself. Is he tired of this compulsive audacity? "I never seek confrontation, but if it comes I won't shy away from it.".

Cho S Ramaswamy has a son R Sriram who married L Chitra in December 2013. The wedding took place at the farmhouse of Cho in Palavakkkam.Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa sent her greetings, besides a gift, to the newlywed. Film producer AVM Saravanan, film director K Balachander, actors Sivakumar, Surya, Karthi, Ramya Krishnan and lyricist Vairamuthu were present for the wedding.

The author of 23 plays remembered, in an interview in 2008; that he knew nothing about drama until he saw a YGP production. The next day he rehashed an old story for Viveka Arts, graduating from farce to full length plays. "No idealistic goals, don't think drama is a form of entertainment." Cho's acting career in drama began with Devan's "Kalyani" and Koothabiran's "Thenmozhiyal," continued with key roles in his own plays, and a long innings as comedian in Tamil cinema.

Cho Ramaswamy was born on 5 October 1934 in Chennai. He is well known for his knowledge of Indian and World Politics. He was widely believed to have been the chief architect of the victory of M. Karunanidhi, in the 1996 state assembly election by helping him forge an alliance with the TMC, a break away faction of Congress led by G. K. Moopanar with aid from the popular film actor Rajinikanth and opposed Jayalalitha from 1996-1999 when allegations of corruption fell on Jayalalitha. However, his relationship with Karunanidhi soured after the latter authorized the release of funds to pay for the ransom of Kannada actor Rajkumar, who had been kidnapped by the sandalwood smuggler Veerappan Ramaswamy has since been a critic of Karunanidhi's. He is a leading lawyer and consumer activist in the state of Tamil Nadu. Cho and Jayalalitha always had very nice friendship between 1965 till 2015. It was only when false cases were foisted on Jayalalitha between 1996 to 1999, that Cho believed Jayalalitha had become corrupt and hence has opposed Jayalalitha in the period 1996 to 1999.

Thuglak has been staged several times across India under the auspices of Viveka Fine Arts, a 50-year old troupe known for its camaraderie, commitment and casualness. It has successfully tided over many repressive measures in the form of bans, censorship harassments and show disruptions.

Cho Ramasamy's work called Enge Braahmanan was telecasted as a serial in Jaya TV and became talk of the town among the spiritual community. He is known for his wit, for his ways of commenting at anything and everything. He has contributed a lot to Hinduism and believes that every culture, religion is unique and has to be respected.

One of his most applauded work is Mahabaratham Pesugirathu.

None knows beyond the confines of Mr Cho's immediate family and circle of friends is that Cho's son Sriram is a genius with computers who is shortly scheduled to secure his commercial pilot's licence.He also has two Doctor of Letters' honours conferred upon him by 2 varsities based in the US of A.In the early 80's, Sriram had turned down the option of getting educated at one of India's premier technical education Meccas - the Indian Institute of Technology [IIT] Chennai after finishing higher secondary school.At that point in time, Sriram had used two BBC computers [actually much less than word processors] purchased at a joke of a price, appended two audio cassette players and converted the latter into storage spaces of 100 megabytes each. At that point in time, none had heard about any storage space more than 640K. Incidentally, quite a few 640K computers were being purchased for nearly Rs.200,000 each by the IIT at that point in time. Thus, it was of little wonder that Sriram did not want to get educated in a premier institution that had not progressed in his chosen field to his level.

Cho has acted with MGR-Jayalalitha together in films like Oli Villaku, Kanavan, Kumarikottam, Mattukara Velan, Aadimai Penn, Engal Thangam, Thedi Vantha Mapillai, En Annan and Neerum Nerupum. Cho has acted with MGR in many films like Petralthaan Pillaiya, Sangey Muzhangu, Rickshawkaran, Thalaivan. Cho has acted with Jayalalitha in other films like Bomalatam, Galata Kalyanam, Suryagandhi,Vandhale Maharasi,Anbai Thedi.

Legal training enables Cho to cut to the root of any issue, grasp constitutional issues and state his case clearly. And about theatre he said in interview in 1995 "It helped me overcome stage fright, sharpened my writing skills and gave me friends who are still with me." Will his plays endure? "Let me compare myself with the best. How many people realised that Kalidasa or Shakespeare wrote classics when they were alive? My last play "Nermai Urangum Neram," written 23 years ago, or "Mohammad bin Thuglak" (1968), is received now just as it was on day one. That's enough for me.".

As Narada Gana Sabha hosts a mid-year retrospective of his plays, Cho finds a younger generation of theatre goers excited by what he wrote years ago. "They laugh or applaud at just those moments that audiences in the past did." Many find the socio-political satire more relevant now than when the plays were written. For the Viveka Arts amateur theatre company to which he belongs, founded by brother Rajagopal (Ambi), this is a matter for jubilation in its golden jubilee year. Except for a break in the 1990s, they have been regular performers.

Cho's journal amplifies his voice almost exclusively. At Thuglak's annual live interactive sessions, readers get a chance to question and criticise. "My respect for democracy stops with letting them have their say. The decisions are mine.".

Cho Ramasamy's excellent plays like Judgement Reserved, Muhammad Bin Thuglak, Saraswathi Sabatham, Saathiram Sonnadhillai ran for more than 1500 shows across India.

Cho's play Nermai Urangum Nerum (When Honesty Sleeps) is about when a chief minister suddenly dies and the party leader secretly replaces him with an identical-looking dupe.A slum dweller who chances upon this secret blackmails the dupe CM into running a clean government. With the help of a college professor, they put in place good policies and isolate the party leader. But finally, the duplicate CM and the party leader join hands with vested interests.

Yarukkum Vekkammillai (No One has any shame) is about a rich industrialist's family, which is in a tangle when the younger son, a lawyer, brings home a prostitute, his first case. It turns out that the elder son is the man who drove the woman to prostitution. The main character is a Muslim family friend who defends the prostitute and exposes the elder son. The play criticizes society for creating prostitutes and then condemning its own creation.This play was made into movie in 1975 and was directed by Cho and he put Jayalalitha as lead female heroine and Muthurman was casted as the hero. Cho played the Muslim friend in the film.

Cho's Yaarukkum Vetkamillai (Prod:A Sundaram, Stg: Muthuraman & JJ) had a splendid score by GKV- 'En kannirandum seidha paavam paarthathu (SJ), 'Melum keezhum kodugal podu' (KJY), 'Anaiyaadha deepam' (PS), and 'Cinemavil varuvadhuppolae' (TMS/SJ/Manorama, a rollicking song that heralded JJ as a 'Puratchi Thalaivi' as early as 1975!) were the varied contents of the album.

Another play, Is God Dead? An atheist gradually begins believing in God under the tutelage of a priest. He comes across a doctor who has developed a new anti-tuberculosis drug. The doctor manages to gets a lot of publicity for the drug and eventually wins a Padma Vibhushan. Meanwhile, the drug results in the deaths of several slum dwellers.The atheist-turned-believer begins questioning the presence of God and decides to expose the doctor. He eventually sacrifices his life to prove that the doctor is at fault, challenging the priest about the existence of God.

One of Cho's famous play is Mohammed Bin Tughlaq, which is another political satire. Two friends decide to play a joke on society by pretending that they are Mohammed Bin Tughlaq and Ibn Batuta, telling the story that they had been mistaken for dead, and had survived their entombment all these centuries with the help of some herb. The idea is to teach the country about the corruption and double-standards in political life. Tughlaq forms a party, contests the elections and is elected. He is arbitrary and whimsical. The power goes to his head and he becomes power crazy. When his friend, who is pretending to be Ibn Batuta, suggests they call off the joke because it has gone too far, Tughlaq says he does not know what he is talking about. When Ibn Batuta begins going around trying to tell people that he and Tughlaq are ordinary people, Tughlaq ensures that the crowds jeer at him and dismiss him as a madman. The message is that the country cannot improve unless its people do.

Jayalalitha once said about Cho in 2004 - "Cho has a terrific memory power. He remembers what Karunanidhi said in 1970 as well. He does not change sides like certain politicians do.He doesn't suffer from selective amnesia.He talks sense and there is logic in everything he says. No wonder people like Karunanidhi, Veeramani, Ramdoss etc feel uncomfortable with him.".

Enru Theniyum Inda Swantantara Thaagam (When will this thirst for freedom be quenched?) -Through the machinations of Narada, a politician who has reached Yamaloka plots with Yama to organize elections in Devaloka. The result is chaos and havoc in Devaloka. The chaos paralyzes even Vishnu. The message of the play: The thirst for real freedom is still unquenched.

Cho's plays are highly dialogue-based and related to either politics or socio-economic issues. The formation of Viveka Fine Arts Club was in 1954 and it completed 50 years in 2004 and the theatre halls are packed with audiences from all social classes even till 2014. The first play was written in 1954 and the actors are the same who acted in it but they still have relevance to present Tamil society. Since then, the club has staged 5160 shows for record till 2004. Incidentally, the actors are the same who acted in Cho's first play in 1954 when they were students in Vivekananda College, Chennai. Like Saathiram Sonnathillai (The Scriptures did not say this) is about a learned Brahmin, wise in all respects except one - his caste prejudice.

Kamal Hasan got chance to work along-side Cho in films like Thein Sinduthey Vaanam, Mael Nattu Marumaghal, Antharangam, Kathala Kathala and Telugu film Andala Raja.

Cho has been the main comedian in the films with Muthuraman as lead hero like Manam Oru Kurangu, Malligai Poo, Suryakanthi, Radha, Ponnunjal, Pettha Manam Pitthu, Shanmuga Priya, Perum Puzhalum, Therottam, Unmaiye Un Vilai Enna, Vazhthungal, Annapoorni. Among these Unmaiye Un Vilai Enna was directed by Cho himself in 1976.

He was both the screenplay and story Writer of films like Thenmazhai, Ninaivin Nindraval, Bommalattam, Aayiram Poi, Panam Paththum Seyyum. All proved to be box-office hits.

Cho has acted with Shivaji Ganeshan in films like Galattaa Kalyanam, Lakshmi Kalyanam, Nirai Kudam, Enga Mama, Villaiyattupillai, Arunothayam, Thavapudalvan, Manitharil Manickyam, Sivakamiyin Selvan, Anbai Thedi, Thanga Pathakkam, Avan Oru Charithiram, Rojavin Raja.

Cho has been the main comedian in the films with Jaishankar as the lead hero - like Naan Yaar Theriyuma, Nilagiri Express, Bommalattam, Aayiram Poi, Aseervadham, Unakkum Enakkum, Vakkurudhi, Vayadi, Vandhale Makarasi, Pon Vandu,Kalyanamam Kalyanam,Idayam Parkirathu,Unga Veetu Kalyanam, Pinjhu Manam, Cinema Paithiyam, Thai Veettu Seethanam, Sondangal Vazhka, Mayor Meenakshi, Aval Oru Athisayam, Rasi Nalla Rasi, Sakka Podu Poduraja, Janaki Thediya Raman. Cho had wrote Screeplay for Neelgiri Express and Cho was Story Writer & Screen play writer for Bommalattam and Aayiram Poi. There was another film Paarukkulle Nalla Naadu, which remains unreleased - which was based on Cho's drama 'Quo Vadis' and producers were Veerayyaa & Jaishankar.

Cho has acted with Shivakumar in films like Shanmugapriya, Onne Onnu Kanne Kannu, Thai Paasam, Uravu Solla Oruvan, Aan Pillai Singam, Yaarukkum Vetkamillai ,Chinna Kuyil Padudhu, Sattai Illatha Pambaram, Kanna Thorakiran Samy. Among these, Yaarukkum Vetkamillai was directed by Cho in 1976.

He has written screenplay for Nilagiri Express, Bommalattam, Aayiram Poi - all 3 starring Jaishankar and also for Panam Paththum Seyyum starring Venniradai Srikanth and for Ninaivil Nindavan. All of them were box-office hits.

His drama troupe artistes remained family for him. Those who started acting with him 1963-64 continued to act with him till 2012 on stage in theaters. Actor Neelu was the closest to Cho. Peeli Sivam was also part of his troupe.