This article explores the inspiring journey of Vadivelu, from his humble beginnings working in glass cutting business after his father's demise to his rise as the 'comedy king' of Tamil Cinema.
Actor Vadivelu was born on October 10, 1960, in Madurai. His father, Natarajan, was a skilled glass cutter during that time. Impressed by his talent, the British offered him a job at their bungalow in Kodaikanal. Vadivelu had seven siblings. Among them, only Vadivelu had a dark complexion, while the other six had a fair complexion. When he was in elementary school, he was teased and called 'black boy', which led to him discontinuing his education after elementary school. Vadivelu, who never went near a school again, started acting in village plays. Once, when his father fainted due to chest pain during Diwali, they admitted him to the hospital. The doctors said the operation would cost Rs 1 lakh.
Vadivelu, who was crying, wondering how they would arrange the money, witnessed his father's passing. Later, to support his struggling family, Vadivelu took a job at an glass shop, fitting frames for glasses. During that time, he met Rajkiran, who had come to Madurai for a wedding, and asked for an opportunity in cinema. He even performed a few comedy scenes. Rajkiran reportedly told him to come to Chennai and see him. With no money to travel to Chennai, Vadivelu pawned two pots from his house for Rs 100 and set off to Chennai with that money.
He decided to travel in a lorry, and the driver told him it would cost 25 rupees to sit near him and 15 rupees to sleep on top. Wanting to save 10 rupees, Vadivelu chose to sleep on top. As the night's chill intensified, he dozed off for a while, and when he woke up, he realized that all the money in his shirt pocket had flown away. When the lorry stopped for a meal break, Vadivelu got down, and realized he didn't even have a rupee in hand. He went to a shop and told the driver what had happened. The driver took Vadivelu to a restaurant, bought him parottas, and even gave him 5 rupees for expenses when they reached Tambaram.
From there, Vadivelu went to AVM Studios and told the watchman about his quest for an opportunity. The watchman asked him to perform, and impressed by his acting, he let him inside. However, despite his best efforts, he couldn't secure a role in cinema and ended up working as an assistant at actor Rajkiran's office. Bringing tea, cleaning the office—he diligently performed all tasks assigned to him. During the filming of the song 'Poda Poda Punnaaku' from the movie 'En Rasavin Manasile,' the actor who was supposed to play a part didn't show up. Rajkiran asked Vadivelu to fill in. After the movie's release, director R.V. Udayakumar, recognizing Vadivelu's potential, offered him a role in his film 'Chinna Gounder.'
In that film, he played the role of a man holding an umbrella for Vijayakanth. Vijayakanth introduced Vadivelu to actors like Kamal, Prabhu, and Karthik. Impressed by Vadivelu's performance in the movie 'Thevar Magan,' Sivaji Ganesan told Kamal that Vadivelu was not just a comedian but also a good character artist. Gradually climbing the ladder of success with his comedic roles, the most unforgettable film in Vadivelu's career is 'Winner.' In this film, Vadivelu played the character of Kaipulla, delivering the iconic line 'Venaam Valikuthu Azhudhurven' (It hurts, I will cry). This particular scene reportedly took 16 takes because actor Riyaz Khan, who shared the scene, couldn't control his laughter upon hearing Vadivelu's dialogue.