In the early 2000s when he began his film career as a sidekick to heroes, actor Vivek was an inspiration to the youth then, making every college student feel that he should have a friends gang with one person like him. A comedy actor with a sharp tongue, comic timing and ability to mimic others, Vivek always ensured his comedy track had a message for the audience.
Born as Vivek Anandhan in 1961, the actor-comedian hailed from Kovilpatti, a town in the Thoothukudi district. Launched by legendary director K. Balachander, Vivek shot to fame for his role through Puthu Puthu Arthangal, in 1987. The dialogue he uttered repeatedly - "Innikki Setthaa, Nalaiku Paal" - a ritual that happens a day after the cremation - made people think how death is part of life. Vivek's film career as a comedy actor, since then, always had a social message to the audience. When every other comedy actor in Tamil cinema looked at work commercially, Vivek chose a different path. The entire comedy track, in the films he was part of, would run parallelly and leading actors including Rajinikanth gave him equal screen space, only to acknowledge his talent. And then he got roles to play in Ajith's Kaadhal Mannan and Prashanth's Kannethirey Thonrinal.
Vivek's acting career witnessed a change after he won an award for his role in Thirupathi Elumalai Venkatesa in 1999. Soon he emerged as a superstar comedian through his roles in films like Mani Rathnam's Alaipayuthey, Vijay's Kushi and Goutham Menon's romantic drama Minnale.
In films like Run, Anniyan his comedy scenes spoke about social values like respecting elders in the family, womanhood and religious superstitions. His dialogue, "ethanai periyar vanthalum ungala thirutha mudiyadhu da" [irrespective of how many of number of periyars come, you can't be changed] - stood out to say about his rationalist thinkings. Popularly known as “Chinna Kalaivanar” due to his liking for rationalist thinkings and the social thoughts in his dialogues like yesteryear star and comedian N.S. Krishnan who was known as Kalaivanar in 1940s.
Vivek always drew support from E.V. Ramasamy aka Periyar when he narrated dialogues against religious superstitions. His roles in films like Perazhagan, Dhool, Anniyan, Sivaji became very popular among the hundreds of roles he played over 30 years.
A lifetime fan of former president APJ Abdul Kalam, Vivek took to tree planting inspired by one of Kalam's poems on trees. In a television interview, Vivek once recalled his meeting with Kalam, after he won the Padma Shri in 2009. "He asked to read his poem versus in page 49 in his diary. It was about trees, indicating the dangers posed by global warming," Vivek had said. It was after this meeting Vivek launched an initiative called 'Green Kalam' through which he planted over one lakh trees across Tamil Nadu.
Vivek leaves behind his wife and two daughters. His son Prasanth Kumar died a few years ago, at the age of 13, after suffering from dengue and brain fever.
