| Thavasi | |
| Birth Date: | 1960 |
| Birth Place: | Madura District,Madras State (now Tamil Nadu), India |
| Death Date: | 23 November 2020 (aged 60) |
| Death Place: | Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Years Active: | 1993-2020 |
| Genre: | Comedy |
Thavasi (1960 - 23 November 2020) was an Indian Tamil actor and comedian who predominantly featured in comedy roles. His film acting career spanned over three decades often acting in minor roles.
Thavasi was born in 1960 and according to BBC Tamil and other prominent sources, he hailed from a village called Mattaparai near the locality of Neelakkottai in Dindigul.[1] [2] However, few sources have interpreted that his family was originally from Theni and there are confusions pertaining to his actual roots as few have speculated he may have been from Madurai.
He began his film acting career with Kizhakku Cheemayile (1993) directed by Bharathiraja.[3] He went onto stamp his authority as a supporting actor often playing the role of a Hindu priest in village remote rural areas.[4] He was also acclaimed for his body language, strong composure, rough tone and hilarious comedy sequences while also maintaining long moustache which became his trademark.
He rose to prominence and limelight for his performance as Soori's father in the role of a priest in the film Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam (2013), where he gives his advises, thought process and recommendations to his devotees by analysing the astrology.[5] He also gained fame and popularity for his portrayal and mannerism in giving solutions to the devotees by seeking permission and consent from god Karuppuswamy. His one line punch dialogue "Karuppan Kusumbukaran" in the comedy sequence after his predictions went wrong became a viral meme material and it has since been used in social media platforms by users.[6] [7]
His posthumous film release was Annaatthe (2021) directed by Siva, starring Rajinikanth in the main lead role.
He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and he eventually succumbed to death on 23 November 2020 after an eight-month long battle with the illness.[8] [9] Just nearly a week prior to his untimely demise, he requested fellow actors and wellwishers for financial assistance in order to undergo surgeries and medical treatment.[10] [11] He was admitted at Saravana Hospital in Madurai where he was pronounced dead.[12] During his latter stage of his life, he had to clean shave his beard, moustache and also had to shave his head to undergo medical treatment as per the doctor's prescription to survive the cancer.