Read the full article on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/recalling-crazy-mohans-comedy-and-his-kamal-haasan-collaborations/
‘Crazy’ Mohan’s passing brings to mind the Tuesday-evening TV dramas on Doordarshan, when there’d be jokes like how the postman fell down: “thabaal-nu.”
To really get ‘Crazy’ Mohan, perhaps you could begin with the American Jewish comedians like Sid Caesar and Neil Simon. Their comedy was rooted in their inherent Jewishness, and you could say ‘Crazy’ Mohan’s comedy was rooted in his inherent Tam-Brahm-ness. This is a subculture with very specific (and eminently entertaining and spoof-ready) traits. Think of the Rajaparvai bit where YG Mahendran gives the visually impaired Kamal Haasan a shave. He’s humming the Shankarabharanam (film) song, Dorakuna ituvanti seva. Only, he transforms it to Dorakuna ituvanti ‘shave’-aa. This line isn’t by ‘Crazy’ Mohan, but the feel is.
READER RAMKI BELLUR SENT THIS:
Lost for words. Never met him. But look at his creative power and genius, that fans like me are missing him so much. What a pun maverick he was. Master of one liners. He gave us A to Z sirippu…without which there is only CRY left.
Continued at the link above.
Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
Baradwaj Rangan 
Srinivas R
June 10, 2019
Truly, end of an era. I guess unless one grew up with Crazy Mohan comedies, it’s impossible to explain, how big a loss this is.
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krishna prasad
June 10, 2019
He was a genius but a very underrated and under-utilised one as far as the cine field was concerned. Guess the tam brahm milieu he operated from was both his boon and bane
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devanrvR
June 10, 2019
Crazy Mohan was a fine script writer and his dialogues are laced with humor and punching effect. A very theatre artist and his timing in dialogue delivery was his trump card. We may not see like of him anymore.
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Anu Warrier
June 10, 2019
Loved, loved, loved all his collaborations with Kamal. It’s a loss. 😦
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Madan
June 10, 2019
My favourite bit from MMKR is when Kameshwaran and Delhi are still wondering what to do about the fish that slipped into the sambhar (in a Brahmana wedding, abhistu!!) and suddenly, two chaps walk past, conversing in English.
Chap A: “The whole thing is a sham.”
B: “What do you mean?”
A: “I mean what I mean.”
B: “But they can’t be so mean.”
Kamesh: “Ennadhu ellarum meen meen gara?”
@4:30 in this video, the rest is also fun (and covers the kugramam line you mentioned)
One of his last outings in cinema as scriptwriter was on Kola Kolaya Mundhirikka. I didn’t realise until I had finished watching – and enjoying it – that it was a Crazy Mohan effort. I know MMKR was directed by Singeetham Srinivasa Rao but I wonder if the idea of a chaotic ending that brings together all the main characters was Crazy’s because he used it in other Kamal and even non Kamal outings. Panchathanthiram being another. It’s hard for me to decide which I like more, come to think, between Panchathanthiram and MMKR. MMKR is sort of canonised as the original Kamal-Crazy comedy that established the template but the supporting cast of comedians – Jayaram, Ramesh Aravind, Yugi Sethu, Sriman – was very strong in Panchathanthiram.
The Crazy stamp on the Kamal films he worked on was so strong that even Sathi Leelavathi felt like a Crazy film than a Balu Mahendra film to me. The plot bore resemblances to Balu’s own Rettai Vaal Kuruvi but the tone and dialogue was totally Kamal-Crazy.
RIP. Will be sorely missed but his punchlines will lighten up our night time sorru.
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bart
June 10, 2019
Full length tamil comedy movies in 90s and 2000s owe a lot to Crazy M.. His dramas in theatre and TV are part of pleasant childhood memories. He had remarkable skills in painting & writing Tamil “Venba”s other than acting as well.. Personally, I was moved when he mentioned in one of the interviews of his strong belief in joint family system and following it in this age..
A tall personality who strongly depicts an era has passed away.. RIP sir…
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Sutheesh Kumar
June 10, 2019
When I went to watch Avvai Shanmughi I went with a little trepidation as I had already watched Mrs. Doubtfire, but what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be. No offence to Robin Williams but Kamal really aced this one. This might be the apex of the Kamal – Mohan combo. God! How I miss that Kamal Haasan.
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rsylviana
June 10, 2019
There was a serial called ‘Pathuku Pathu’ which used to be telecast every weekend at 10PM on DD. We stumbled on the show one fine Saturday and found it absolutely hilarious and ended up waiting for it eagerly every subsequent weekend. It was the one excuse we had , to get around staying past bedtime because dad too was a huge fan. We didn’t realise that it was Crazy Mohan’s plays until he himself started appearing in some of the episodes. Its sad that we don’t see his brand of wholesome intelligent humour anymore.
@BR – Are ‘kadi’ jokes the same as ‘mokka’ jokes ? Because I think mokka jokes are the equivalent of the lame ‘dad jokes’ in the West.
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ini
June 11, 2019
Growing up in the nineties with Doordarshan, I loved watching his comedies with the family. These are some of my favourite childhood memories with my dad explaining the puns, us laughing to bits, and my mother not finding them funny at all. Years on, we still watch his movies together whenever they are on tv. It’s our thing. Even now, as soon as I hear someone mention one of his puns, it is such an instant connect, and we would wound up as friends so easily. When I was in college in Guindy, someone told me he used to hang out with his friends near a certain auditorium writing his scripts. I would also hang out there with my friends, reminiscing his jokes among other things. It’s hard to put in words, he has been a huge part of my life.
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Enigma
June 11, 2019
Shocked to learn that Crazy Mohan is no more. Huge fan of his collaborations with Kamal Hassan and his other comedies. Thanks for this article BR. May his soul Rest In Peace. Om Shanthi.
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Enigma
June 11, 2019
BR.
Not trying to nitpick but If I remember correctly that ‘Shantha kaaram’ joke is from a Cho play, probably not written by Crazy Mohan.
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raj.balakrishnan2005@gmail.com
June 11, 2019
@Madan, with respect to ‘Sathi Leelavathi’, I understand that Balu Mahendra was mighty pissed with the fact that Kamal and Crazy were getting all the accolades. I remember reading an interview of his where he tried to downplay Crazy Mohan’s contribution and referred to him as a ‘joke maker’ and not a writer. Even ‘Rettai Vall Kuruvi’, I understand, was written by ‘Adade’ Manohar but credit was not given. Balu Mahendra for all his greatness was quite a petty person.
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shaviswa
June 11, 2019
This feels like a personal loss. Grew up with his comedies….was in high school when I used to walk up to the Krishna Gana Sabha to watch his plays. Used to get the lowest rate tickets and sit at the back row. You don’t need to see the faces of the actors 🙂
Amazing comedian and a very intelligent one at that. His comedies will remain evergreen. Pray that hos soul reaches the lotus feet of Narayana.
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Karthik
June 11, 2019
The thing about Crazy(‘s) creations was that not only was the humor timeless but the artistes themselves never really aged. Madhu was always just old enough to get married to Mythili or Janaki, or both, Cheenu had often just flunked his Physics exam by copying from a Chemistry major, Crazy Mohan would always walk in looking just a few years older, with an alliterative name and a crazy solution to their troubles. You could be watching them perform live in the eighties, nineties, noughties, or tennies, and their true age never really came into question. For a while, they even made you forget you had aged, until the next morning your shaving mirror snapped you out of it. There’s probably a dozen crazy jokes about shaving. A dozen more about toothbrushes, the morning coffee. About the thanthi—both the newspaper and the telegram. There were jokes about rituals. priests. Godmen. Gods. Every one of the jokes would land. Every single time. On stage, on screen, through the radio or a noisy TDK cassette tape. And those laughing the loudest would be the ones who believed most in the rituals and priests and Gods. Crazy Mohan’s humor rarely if ever crossed that line from wit to mockery or sarcasm.
Of course, growing up in the same milieu did make his humor feel very homely. And it also helped that his off stage personality was not that off from his on stage one. Kamal Haasan appropriately described him as having a child like attitude. He certainly had a voice that never grew old. Literally or metaphorically. No doubt his voice and humor will live on. But it still stings that we can’t watch another Crazy drama on stage.
There’s a strange prescience that a year which saw a Tamil movie mourning the death of the drama stage should also see the death of a Tamil writer who filled drama halls for four decades.
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brangan
June 11, 2019
That’s such a lovely comment, Karthik. Thanks.
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Bala S
June 11, 2019
Could recollect these among countless gems 🙂
MMKR
Conversation between RS Sivaji (middleman) and RNK Prasad (Dad of MMKR) when Michael attacks Madan and takes him to the hill house:
RNK: En payyan Madan a adichu thookitu poitaanga
RS: Madan unga payyana?
RNK: Naan than Madan oda appa
RS: Neenga than Madan oda appa va?
RNK: Illee paa, Madan than ennoda payyan…
There is a split-second scene when RNK sings Yaadon ki Barat after meeting his brother in the hill house.
Vietnam Colony
Brilliant one-liners between Delhi Ganesh(DG) and Goundamani(G) when they initially meet:
G: Enn peru Joesph, Chennai lendhu varen
DG: Idha sollava Chennai lendhu vantheenga
G: Pinna idha solla Arabia lendha varuvaanga
DG: Athu unga sowgaryam.
One more scene between Goundamani and Manorama at the latter’s home: ithanaala/ethanaala(similar to Munnadi/Pinnadi)!!
Kathanayagan
Scene between Mani(Pandiarajan), Ramani(SVS) and Manager(Neelu) on late-coming due to cycle wheel puncture:
Neelu on wheel puncture: Nethiku ithae karanam thane shonne
Mani: Nethu front wheel, inikku back wheel. Cycle ku rendu wheel illaya sir
Neelu: Naan namba thayara ille
Ramani: Neenga vena vasal vanthu parunga sir, Cycle ku rendu wheel than
Neelu: Ayyo!
Mani: Naanga vena ulla eduthu vanthu kattatuma sir….
Avvai Shanmughi
Mudaliar waits at the entrance of Pandi’s house expecting Shanmughi to open the door. But Pandi opens the door:
Mudaliar: Adade Pandi
Pandi: Enna Adade Pandi
Mudaliar: Seri, Ayyaye Pandi….
Scenes between Gemini Ganesan, Nagesh and Delhi Ganesh on Joseph and Mudaliyar confusion: Delhi Ganesh(in confused state) to Gemini: Anna, mudhal lendhu thirumbi varalama!!
One more conversation between Delhi Ganesh and Gemini Ganesan about Basha(Nasser) mistakenly writing Rubaai in one lakh papers each instead of Rubaai latcham, paper la ezhuthitu va nu sonnen.
Sorry for the long post!!
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vijayrises
June 11, 2019
‘Crazy’ puns are not ‘mokka’ jokes or ‘dad jokes’. They are sheer genius.
Arrested development had a lot of ‘crazy’ isms,
When Buster injures his left arm in an accident, the family goes to a hospital. The doctor who operates on him tells the family –
Doctor- ‘Your son is going to be all right.’
Family – Yay!
Doctor – You guys are taking this so well.
Family- What do you mean?
Doctor- We had to amputate your son’s left arm. From now on, he is going to be ALL RIGHT.
It’s a shame Crazy and Kamal combinations ended because well, Kamal wanted to be Crazy Mohan.
He churned out comedies like Mumbai Xpress, Dasavatharam and Manmadhan Ambu taking both the screenwriting and dialogue credit. Thoongavanam, while being a faithful remake of a French film even had a scene with Kamal having a crazy-ish conversation with a Chef, played by the actor Chaams, a ‘crazy’ creations regular.
While these films definitely had their moments, I wish Crazy Mohan didn’t have to watch from the sidelines so that he could have done what he did best.
And, who can forget the interim period when ‘Crazy’ Mohan insisted on being credited as ‘Gracy’ Mohan. Crazy times!
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Karthik
June 11, 2019
Thanks BR.
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Rahini David
June 12, 2019
Extremely gracious of Madhu Balaji to take time out to post this in defense of the medical team.
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Anu Warrier
June 12, 2019
Rahini – thanks for that link. I agree that it was very gracious of his brother – amidst his own grief – to clear these rumours and misconceptions and to defend the medical team.
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Ravi K
June 13, 2019
vijayrises wrote: “And, who can forget the interim period when ‘Crazy’ Mohan insisted on being credited as ‘Gracy’ Mohan. Crazy times!”
That was just for Avvai Shanmughi, wasn’t it? It makes perfect sense for that film.
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(Original) venkatesh
June 14, 2019
RIP sir.
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brangan
June 10, 2020
He died a year ago. Felt a twinge re-reading this piece…
In case you haven’t seen this, here’s RS Prasanna on working with Crazy Mohan in KALYANA SAMAYAL SADHAM
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Voldemort
August 24, 2022
Wow, it’s been more than three years now? Very very beautiful tribute by Ramki Bellur and had a lump in the throat watching that FC video of RS Prasanna talking about him. The alternative ending he suggested so spontaneously is pure genius.
Not one meet up with my school friends happens without us mentioning the lines of Panchatantiram/ Avvai Shanmughi/ Kadhala / MMKR/ PKS and one of us suggesting we should all watch it together again and the others whole heartedly agreeing. “1952 – forever”, truly.
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