Chidambaram’s unique dialect and mannerisms set him apart from other comedians

With the passing away of ‘Kallu’ Chidambaram, the Telugu film industry lost one more talented comedy actor. From an assistant engineer at Visakhapatnam port to the tinsel town, his was an eventful journey that came to an abrupt end on October 19 while being treated for a lung ailment at a private hospital in Vizag. He was 70.
Chidambaram’s tryst with theatre came in 1962 when he enacted a lead role in the play, Brahmachari. From then on he was totally dedicated to theatre for about 14 years staging plays in the nook and corner of the Telugu country resulting in straining a nerve near the eye which left Chidambaram with a squint eye. But this defect and his talent as an actor got him his first movie role, a blind man in cinematographer M.V. Raghu’s debut directorial venture, Kallu which won a couple of Nandi awards including one for Chidambaram. He soon bagged roles from other filmmakers.
With the North Andhra region dialect and with his squint eye, he soon attracted the audience attention so much that he was advised against going in for an eye surgery. Though he had acted in over 300 films, he was never the main comedian yet he garnered enough attention from the audience even if it was a one or two scene roles like in April 1 Vidudhala or Aa Okkati Adakku.
His greatest contribution (both fiscally and physically) to arts was the forming of Sakala Kalakarula Samakhya in Visakhapatnam in 2009 bringing over a thousand artistes — stage actors, writers, musicians, mimics, dancers and other traditional artistes under one roof and fostered unity among them besides arranging pensions, scholarships and medical benefits to the needy among them.
He could have done more had he heed to the statutory warning displayed on cinema and television screens – smoking and drinking is injurious to health. RIP Chidamabaram, you will be long remembered for your service to the stage, cinema and above all to the needy theatre artistes.