Y. G. Mahendra

Yechan Gunja Mahendran (born 9 January 1950), popularly known as Y. G. Mahendran or Y. Gee. Mahendra, is an Indian dramatist, actor, singer playwright and comedian from the state of Tamil Nadu. He has acted in a number of plays and films. He is the son of Y. G. Parthasarathy, regarded as one of the pioneers of modern Tamil drama and Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy, founder and dean of Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan group of schools. Mahendra is also the cousin of Bollywood actress Vyjayanthimala and the co-brother of Rajinikanth.

Early life and family

Y. G. Mahendran was born on 9 January 1950 to Y. G. Parthasarathy and Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy. Y.G.P. founded the United Amateur Artists (UAA), one of the first drama companies in Madras city, in the year 1952. His drama company was a success and he emerged as one of the foremost dramatists of his era. Mahendra's mother Mrs. Rajalakshmi (also called Mrs. Y.G.P.) was the founder of the Padma Seshadri Group of Schools. Starting from modest beginnings in a thatched shed in the terrace of the Y.G.P home in 1959 with a batch of eleven students as an act of social service for the members of the Nungambakkam Recreation Club the school has since emerged as one of the best schools in India.

Suruli Rajan

Suruli Rajan was a Tamil film comedian. He was a recipient of Tamil Nadu State Government's Best Comedian Award for the year 1981–82.

Biography

Suruli Rajan was born in 1938 in Periyakulam, near Theni. His father Ponniah Pillai worked as an accountant for farm owners of the adjoining areas in Theni. The child was named after the Suruli Velappar, the family deity at the temple atop a hill graced by the picturesque Suruli Falls.

Suruli Rajan lost his parents one after the other, and had to discontinue his schooling. He moved to his brother's house in Madurai and worked as an apprentice mechanic in a neighbourhood workshop. Bitten by the acting bug, he acted in several amateur stage plays in Madurai before moving to Madras in 1959 in search of greener pastures.

In spite of his passion for acting opportunities were few and far between. A sudden spate of opportunities in stage plays filled him with heartening optimism. He worked with various drama troupes, including those of O.A.K.Devar, pisir Ramarao, T.N. Balu and in Karunanidhi's 'kagithapoo' staged in aid of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party's election fund. It was filmmaker Joseph Thaliayath of The Citadel Film Corporation Pvt. Ltd who brought Suruli Rajan to cinema, first in a brief appearance in Iravum Pagalum in 1965 and soon after in a more noticeable comic role in Kaadhal paduthum paadu the year following.