Background
He was born in the village of Kannariyenthal, near Pattukkottai, Tamil Nadu. After losing his mother when he was young, Subbu received patronage from his younger aunt.
He was born in the village of Kannariyenthal, near Pattukkottai, Tamil Nadu. After losing his mother when he was young, Subbu received patronage from his younger aunt.
According to novelist Ashokamitran"s memoirs, Subbu functioned as the Number. Subbu"s natural name was Subramanian. He could continue his studies only up to 8th grade.
After marrying a kin, Subbu settled in Kothamangalam and worked as an accountant in a business concern.
However, his interests shifted towards Tamil drama, acting, singing and composing songs. By the late 1930s, Subbu received opportunities for acting in the then blossoming Tamil movies in Madras.
Subbu directed the epic film Avvaiyar in which the great artiste of those days Smt K. B. Sundarambal played the lead role. Ashokamitran had profiled humorously how this film took shape in the Gemini Studios.
Furthermore, Subbu acted as a hero in Mission Malini that was remade in Hindi as Mr.
Sampath. Mission Malini was an adaptation of RK Narayan novel Mr Sampath. Dasi Aparanji was another movie in which Subbu and played the leads.
In addition, Subbu has acted in Tamil movies Thiruneelakantar and Pava Mannippu.
As a writer Subbu"s most well-known work is Thillana Mohanambal that was transformed into a popularly and critically successful Tamil movie, starring Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini. He authored Rao Bahadur Singaram, Bandanallur Bama, Ponnivanathu Poonguyil, Mission Radha, and Manju Virattu (a collection of short stories) Kothamangalam Subbu has written several novels using the pen name of Kalaimani and penned Gandhi Mahan Kathai narrating the life of Mahatma Gandhi in folklore form. Ananda Vikatan magazine is currently republishing the works of this writer, lyricist, director and actor.
As an exponent of the traditional folk form of narrating stories in Tamil Nadu, the Villu Pattu, Kothamangalam Subbu popularised the lives of many Indian luminaries using the Villu Paatu.
Subbu"s wife,, was a popular actor, known for her versatility in playing character roles in movies such as Kannamma En Kadhali, Sumathy En Sundari, Chandralekha, Bama Rukmani and Avvaiyar.
He wrote the cult classic Tamil novel Thillana Mohanambal and was awarded the Padma Shri. Subbu was awarded the Padma Shri for authoring this novel, which originally appeared as a weekly serial in the Anantha Vikatan. Respected for his encyclopedic knowledge of music and satirical writing style, Subbu"s tongue-in-cheek writing won the appreciation of many.
