What added to Kalabhavan Mani’s on-screen persona was his off-screen presence as a singer and performer. No wonder he was readily welcomed into the world of Tamil and Telugu films to enact the roles of villains. He even had to act as a bear! But, to each role he brought a certain untamed energy and explosive power, an excess that transgressed limits, which immediately struck a chord with the viewers. Almost all the roles he did during his first decade in “Mollywood” were those of abnormal or sub-human characters-mentally challenged, drunks, sorcerers, half-wits, blind, insane. Naturally bestowed with a dark-skinned body, he was destined to play the roles of the inconsequential sidekick, and-later on-the villain.
He was popular as a mimic even before he entered the world of films. Yet, Mani defied everyone’s expectations and derision to win a space for himself in cinema and music, and went on to act in more than 200 films in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil.Ĭoming from a very poor working class family, Mani was discovered and moulded by the famed Kalabhavan troupe of mimicry artistes.
During the heydays of Mani’s career, there were reports that major actresses in the industry were not ready to act opposite him as his heroine. Looking back, that comment sounds prophetic as the loud and clear articulation of the Malayalam film industry’s mindset. One elder is particularly sarcastic: “Should a toddy tapper sing? Can you imagine how good it will sound?” One scene depicts a gathering of the village heads discussing the music programme planned for the upcoming festival. In his first major film appearance ( Sallapam/1995), Mani plays a toddy tapper who taunts and harasses the heroine by singing suggestive songs. Kalabhavan Mani’s career was very short and spanned only two decades, yet his presence as an actor and, more popularly, as a singer, was indomitable and inimitable.
Why did a brilliant, multitalented actor like Mani not get his rightful due in Malayalam cinema, which is otherwise known for its social outlook and thematic diversity? This question has dark ramifications in post-Rohith Vemula India, where Dalit excellence and agency are systematically denied even acknowledgement, let alone recognition. His unfortunate death at the age of 45 marks the exit of a great actor, singer and performer who couldn’t find his place in a casteist cinema world like ours. How does one describe a rare phenomenon in Indian cinema like Kalabhavan Mani, who passed away recently? Very seldom has a Dalit film actor-singer like him commanded such popularity and a large fan following anywhere else.
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