Popular theatre and film actor ‘Typist’ Gopu, whose expressive eyes and body language could easily make the audience erupt into peals of laughter, died in the city on Wednesday evening. He was 85 and had been ailing for some time.
He played the role of a typist in T.S.Seshadri’s stage play Nenje Nee Vazhga and that role remained etched in everyone’s minds, and Gopalarathnam, a commerce graduate from Vivekananda College became ‘Typist’ Gopu. “In the play even when the manager came, Gopu would get up wish him and sit down without interrupting the typing. He would be there in every scene but had no other dialogue. He was a very nice person. I cast him in my first directorial venture Ivargal Vithyasamaanavargal,” recalled director-actor Mouli, who said, he would go along with director Visu and film and theatre artist Y. Gee. Mahendra to watch T. S. Seshadri’s plays just to see Gopu’s acting.
“It is a great loss to our family and troupe members. He was like a family figure to us. He has been with us from 1976 and has acted in hundreds of plays and films. I have taken him thrice to the US. In fact in an interview to The Hindu he recalled how he had been around the globe with a bank balance of just ₹200. I spoke to him on Saturday and he said he was bored and wanted to act on stage,” said Mr.Mahendra, who also recalled how Gopu’s family had lived in a huge house in Gopalapuram but later moved to Ayapakkam.
A professional actor, he would do even small cameo roles since the draw of acting and theatre was so alluring. He has acted in Kasedhaan kadavulada, Adhe Kangal, Paritchaiku Neramachu, Aalayam and Micheal MadhanaKamarajan. He is survived by his wife Rajalakshmi, two sons and a daughter.
