JP Chandrababu is one of the most loved comedians in the Tamil industry. During his era, the Tamil industry was dominated by two big names Sivaji Ganesan and MG Ramachandran. It was Chandrababu who also created a massive fan following as a comedian. JP Chandrababu in his career was full of life. Today he is remembered as an actor, singer, dancer and comedian.
He is credited to bring the style of yodeling to playback singing in Tamil cinema. His biographical film, Nagaichuvai Chakravarthi: JP Chandrababu was a box office success. His fans used to say that JP Chandrababu was a basket full of skills. They all compared his art of comedy with Danny Kaye, his facial features with Jerry Lewis and his body language with Bob Hope.
Let’s look at some of the evergreen performances of JP Chandrababu.
Thattungal Thirakkapadum: The movie was directed and written by JP Chandrababu. Apart from Chandrababu, it features RS Manohar, AVM Rajan, Cho Ramaswamy, Savitri, Shobha and KR Vijaya. Thattungal Thirakkapadum shows where the protagonist kills her mistress because of her extramarital affair. An orphan Adaikalam becomes a scapegoat in the case. The role of the orphan was played by Chandrababu. The film did not turn out well as expected because of last moment technical issues.
Annai: The film directed by the duo of Krishnan and Panju was a huge success. It made almost 100 days of running in the theatres. Annai was the remake of a Bengali film. It featured P Bhanumathi, Sowcar Janaki, SV Ranga Rao, JP Chandrababu and P Raja in important roles. Chandrababu played the role of Dayanidhi. Annai received Certification of Merit for Second Best Feature film in the 10th National Awards.
Sabaash Meena: The movie directed by BR Panthulu stars Sivaji Ganesan, B Saroja Devi, Chandrababu and Malini. It was made into a Hindi film as Dil Tera Deewana. This was the only film in the career of JP Chandrababu which was made into several remakes.
Despite having so much success in the film industry, in his last days, Chandrababu did not have money. He was staying at his friend’s house. Actor Sivaji Ganesan arranged for his last rites on his death.
