Veteran actor and folk singer T K S Natarajan, who acted in nearly 500 Tamil movies, passed away on Wednesday. He was 87. The legendary artiste was born on July 23, 1933, in Tamil Nadu and had a keen interest in acting right from a young age. As a kid, he played key roles in plays, which helped him hone his skills.
TKS eventually entered the Tamil film industry with a supporting role in the 1954 release Ratha Paasam, starring T K Shanmugam and Anjali Devi in the lead. It did well at the box office and was soon remade in Hindi as Bhai-Bhai with Ashok Kumar and Kishore Kumar.
TKS subsequently consolidated his standing in the industry with films such as MGR's Kanavan, the Sivaji Ganesan-starrer Deiva Magan and Nadodi. He remained active in the 70s and 80s, essaying character roles in films such as Cinema Paithiyam, Needhikku Thalaivanangu, Aadu Puli Attam, Thee and Naan Sigappu Manithan. Cinema Paithiyam, a remake of the Hindi movie Guddi, has attained cult status over the years and is considered to be a gamechanger for Jayachitra. Aadu Puli Attam too is a particularly important film for the Tamil industry as it featured Rajinikanth, who went on to rule Kollywood, as the main villain.
While TKS made an impact as an actor, it was his abilities as a singer that established him as a household name. His song Ennadi Muniyamma from Vaanga Mappillai Vaanga became extremely popular in Tamil Nadu, emerging as a highlight of the film. It was reused in the 2006 release Vathiyar, which featured Arjun Sarja in the lead. The Kottampatti Rottula song too became a hit in rural areas, serving as a reminder of his abilities as a folk singer.
TKS' death is a big loss to the Tamil film industry and marks the end of an era.