Of ‘Crazy’ Mohan, Madras and Mylapore

The ace comedian speaks to The Hindu on his birthday today

'Crazy' Mohan

Crazy Mohan is clearly amused when I ask him what plans he has for his birthday today. “ Tachchi, Taachi thaan ,” he says, and laughs. 

It isn’t Chinese. It’s Crazy’s. His way of saying “I’m going to eat curd rice (called ‘tachchi mammu’ in Tamil) and sleep well (described as ‘taachi’ locally). 

For this comedian-actor, life is quite simple. He shrugs off even the most serious of issues with a laugh. “He’s quite humorous at home as well,” says Maadhu Balaji, his brother and a regular in all his plays, “Even if someone is seriously ill, he just pats him on the pack and say, ‘

Enna pa jorama irukka ? (Do you have fever?)’.” 

It’s that funny streak that has kept Mohan going, for many, many years on the stage and in the movies. 

Some of his popular stage plays include  Crazy Thieves in Palavakkam ,  Maadhu +2 ,  Jurassic Baby  and the recent hit  Chocolate Krishna . Insiders in the Tamil theatre circuit believe that it’s Mohan’s presence and dialogue delivery that has kept audiences coming back to his dramas — not just once, but several times.

Tell Balaji this and he says, “Anna (Mohan) is the sort who has no ego at all. He might be the captain of the ship, but takes feedback from everyone in the troupe.” 

Mohan’s tryst with films as a dialogue writer started several years ago and his collaborations with Kamal Haasan are well known, beginning with Michael Madana Kamarajan . But, what is not well known is his liking for painting, a hobby he indulges in quite often, and poetry. Even today, he pens a  venpa (a form of classical Tamil poetry) every day. 

The comedian is clearly a Madras man. More so, a Mylapore fan. He once told me that he loves Mandaveli and Mylapore so much that he’d feel homesick even if he ‘went till Mambalam’. That’s Crazy for you.

How Mohan became 'Crazy' It was with the launch of his play Crazy Thieves in Palavakkam , which everyone referred to as the ‘Crazy’ play. Later, when he began to write for popular Tamil magazine, there were many Mohans on the staff. He then took up the name ‘Crazy’ as his own. Crazy Thieves in Palavakkam , considered to be one of his best, is about a team of not-so-smart robbers trying to loot a bank. The ‘Good Friday’ joke ( ‘Indha Varsham Good Friday Vellikizhame Laye Vandurthu’ ) and the ‘Amrutanjan’ reference still evoke a smile.