Subramaniyan Karuppaiya (born 25 May 1939),[1] known by his stage name Goundamani,[2] is an Indian actor and comedian.[3] He is known for his comic duo partnership in Tamil films with fellow actor Senthil. The pair dominated the Tamil industry as comedians in the 1980s and 90s.[4]
He was called Goundamani after acting as a Gounder in one of his early day dramas and the pseudonym stuck with him forever.[5][2] He has the ability to give counter dialogues on the spot and off the script on stage and during shooting but it has nothing to do with his screen name, contrary to popular belief (as counter is a term that was popular only from the late 2000s).[6] He was at his peak of his career as a comedian in Tamil cinema for nearly 20 years.[7] Despite being a comedian, Goundamani is known for being a social recluse.[8]
Senthil (born 23 March 1951) is an Indian actor from Tamil Nadu.[3][4] He is famous for his comedian roles along with fellow actor Goundamani. The pair dominated the Tamil industry as comedians in the 1980s and 90s.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
He was born on 23 March 1951 in a small village called Ilanjambore near Mudukulathur in Ramanathapuram District. He married Kalaiselvi on 14 May 1984.[12] He has two sons, Dr Manikanda Prabhu and Hemachandra Prabhu. His two grand daughters were born in 2008 and 2014.
