Dressed in a bohemian, over-sized shirt with loud prints, a colourful scarf and sporting a hat, Rahul Thaatha strikes a pose. It is as if the man has transformed at the sight of the camera. The 76-year-old, who was watching television in his one-bedroom flat in Vijayaraghavapuram in Saligramam till then, climbs like a boy to the terrace, when we request him for a photo shoot. As he renders a punch dialogue, his eyes emit a fiery spark and his lips curve into a cruel smile. For the uninitiated, Rahul Thaatha aka Udaya Bhanu played a spirited gangster in the Vijay Sethupathi-starrer, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (NRD) . It was his impressive performances in Kaththi , Aayirathil Oruvan , and Ambillai that won him this role. Inside his house, Bhagyam, his wife who is also a character artiste, brews tea for us. She says there has been a good rashi after they moved to this flat. He was about to return to his native village, fed up of waiting eternally for good roles to come. “But, God had other plans. Vignesh Shivan’s NRD turned my life on its head. I got so many fans. I cannot walk on the streets because kids ambush me!” he laughs.
Looking back
Vijayaraghavapuram is a favourite jaunt for young struggling artistes, who are busy making plans for their dream film one day. Rahul Thaatha was also one of them, when he came to Madras all the way from Nagapattinam in 1965 as a 20-year-old. Born to a father who worked in the Railways and a mother who was a homemaker, a major chunk of his childhood was spent watching movies. “I was a big fan of Hollywood films as well. There was a theatre that used to screen English films on Saturday and Sunday. I loved watching James Bond films, Ben-Hur and Dracula .” The craze drove him to Madras, where he started off with menial jobs in hotels. Soon, he was catering at the movie sets. That’s how he met his long-time mentor, MG Ramachandran.
He acted with the star in four films – Adimai Penn , Rickshawkaran , Idhayakkani and Uzhaikkum Karangal . He never begged a favour from the star. “My wife still blames me for that. I was happy that he was treating me with respect.” He knows the value of dignity in this field, thanks to a producer, who promised to fund his film and later abandoned the plan, and also those who stole his stories. But, Thaatha shrugs his shoulders. “These things happen even in Hollywood. There is no point in getting vexed.” He has treasured pictures of him with yesteryear stars inside a dusty brown carton. From one black-and-white photograph, a young and lean Thaatha, with oiled hair and a faint moustache smiles at me. Next to him is the dashing MGR, wearing a full-sleeved shirt and a charming smile. Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Vijay, Vijay Sethupathi and Hansika... the list of actors he has worked with spans four generations. Bhagyam rues, “It is as if fame came to us a little late. I tell him all of this could have happened at least a few years ago.” Now, there is a problem of plenty. He has signed at least four to five films. However, age has not wilted his spirit. He is thrilled about his new role in Pathungi Paayum Thalai , where he plays a Simbu fan and AAA , where he acts with the star himself.
After the release of NRD , his phone has been constantly ringing. Wishes pour in from all corners of the world. Dhanush gifted him a watch and Sethupathi a cycle. Simbu touched his feet to get his blessings on the sets of Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan . Santhanam demanded that Thaatha be roped in for his next film, Odi Odi Uzhaikkanum . He is also a popular choice for short filmmakers. “I wish all this had happened a little early. My parents would have been able to see my success,” he says.
