Tamil character artiste Shanmuga Sundaram passes away

Tamil character artiste Shanmuga Sundaram passed away on Tuesday, August 15. He breathed his last at his residence in Chennai after suffering from age-related health issues. He was 72.

Reports say he was not keeping well for some time and medical treatment that he was undergoing failed to improve his health. He died at his Saligramam house early on Tuesday morning. 

He had an accidental brush with acting. An interesting story reveals that he had gone to watch a drama along with his friends. A junior artist failed to do a character and he was spontaneously taken as a replacement. To everybody's surprise, he stunned the viewers with his natural acting.

Since then, Shanmuga Sundaram started associating with Tamil theatre. In initial years, he was recognised for his role as Adolf Hitler. Legendary actor Sivaji Ganeshan spotted him and offered him a role in Ratha Thilagam way back in 1963.

After doing the role of a Chinese Army Major in his debut film, he was seen in BR Panthulu's critically-acclaimed Karnan. Thereafter, he was seen in many movies and was identified by cine-goers for unique dialogue delivery. 

Karagattakaran, Kizhakku Vaasal, Chennai 28 and Goa remain some of his popular works. He was last seen in Simbu's Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan.