Comedian's short film makes waves

Charlie, 60, alias Dr Velmurugan Thangasamy Manohar is a comedian of a different mould in Tamil cinema. He has acted in more than 800 films in a career spanning nearly four decades. His recent short film 'Shanmugham Saloon' released over YouTube has garnered great appreciation and a few Awards too in the process. The film is all about conversations between a saloon owner and his customer. Charlie plays the role of the saloon owner.

He may be the only one in Indian cinema who has gone on to receive a Doctorate researching about his profession and how it had impacted Tamil cinema. His thesis 'Contributions of comedians in the growth of Tamil Cinema – 1937-1967' was awarded the Doctorate in October 2019 by Tamil University, Thanjavur.