Manorama, affectionately called aachi , became a household name within years of her debut in films (“Actor-singer Manorama ‘aachi’ dead,” Oct.11). Her acting career spanned over 50 years. She had a talent unmatched by any other actress of her time, demonstrated by the sheer number of movies in which she acted: over 1200. The ease with which she spoke the dialects was astonishing. With Nagesh, ‘Cho’ Ramaswamy and Thengai Srinivasan, she had us in splits. Her oeuvre includes Maalayitta Mangai , Thillana Mohanambal and Puthiya Pathai . Her song, Pogathey pogathey en kanava ,rapidly became part of Tamil folklore.
G. David Milton,Maruthancode
Manorama, who made her debut in Maalaiyitta Mangai , has more than thousand films to her credit. Though she was best known as a comedienne, she was a versatile genius. She gave many unforgettable performances and, like Sivaji Ganesan, had the ability to make the audience identify itself with the characters she portrayed. She was referred to as Pombala Sivaji (Lady Sivaji) as her performances were as exceptional as those of Sivaji. Her immortal songs like Vaa vaathyare oottaande and Muthu kulikka vaarikalaa will stay forever with us.
Meenakshi Pattabiraman,Madurai
