Cho Ramaswamy passes away: Six films that immortalised the veteran Tamil political satirist

Seasoned theatre artiste, political commentator and renowned journalist Cho Ramaswamy passed away on Wednesday morning as a result of a cardiac arrest. The 82 year-old actor’s biggest claim to fame was his satires, incorporated within both his Tamil magazine Thuglak and his plays. He managed to convey the boldest of messages through the lightest of moments on stage. His stint as a film actor was no different. Though his presence on celluloid was mostly limited to being a character artiste, he never failed to impress the audience with his charm and spontaneity. In his illustrious film career spanning over three decades, he delivered a host of memorable performances. We list down six of his best films: Muhammad bin Tughluq Ramaswamy adapted a play written by him into this film which saw him essaying the titular role. The film was a satire on the then-incumbent political ruler comparing them to the ancient monarch Muhammad bin Tughluq, infamous for his unwise decisions.

Neelagiri Express Ramaswamy not only acted in the film but also wrote the screenplay and dialogues of this suspense thriller of 1968. He plays a falsely accused prime suspect of a murder that took place inside a train. This film was remade into Hindi in the form of The Train starring Rajesh Khanna.

Ninaivil Nindraval In this comedy drama from 1967, Ramaswamy played a doctor and the paternal uncle to Prema, the lead character played by KR Vijaya. He donned yet another hat as he also wrote the script of the film.

Vandhaale Magaraasi Ramaswamy was an integral part of this family drama ensemble of 1973, directed by KS Gopalakrishnan. It was one of the many films in which he shared the screen space with good friend and late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa, who passed away a couple of days prior to his demise.

Cinema Paithiyam Ramaswamy was a part of another ensemble in this Muktha Srinivasan film which was the Tamil remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Hindi film Guddi. Released in 1975, it went on to complete a golden jubilee at the box office, an unparalleled feat among black and white Tamil films.

Ek Annan This 1970 thriller saw Ramaswamy collaborate with two actors who went on to become the political juggernauts of Tamil Nadu — Jayalalithaa and MGR. Thus, it was only organic that he would eventually become the revered political satirist he was. As the fans deal with what what has been an unfortunate week for Tamil cinema, and Tamil Nadu in general, the memories of Ramaswamy will go on to live through the lens of his contribution to the public discourse, whether it was through his plays, articulate news pieces or his entertaining-yet-thought provoking cinema.