Vivekanandan

Biography

Vivekanandan (19 November 1961 – 17 April 2021), known professionally as Vivek, was an Indian actor, comedian, television personality, playback singer, and social activist who worked in the Tamil film industry.

Introduced in films by director K. Balachander, he won three Filmfare Awards for Best Comedian in Tamil for his performances in the films, Run (2002), Saamy (2003), and Perazhagan (2004) and six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, where five are Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Best Comedian for the films, Unnaruge Naan Irundhal (1999), Run (2002), Parthiban Kanavu (2003), Anniyan (2005) and Sivaji (2007) and Kalaivanar Award as Honorary Award.

His comedy style consisted of one-liners and wordplay that featured social and political satire, which led to critics comparing him to N. S. Krishnan and earning him the nickname Chinna Kalaivanar.

In 2009, the Government of India awarded Vivek the Padma Shri award for his contribution to the arts. Sathyabama University conferred Vivek with an honorary doctorate for his contribution to society through cinema.

As a television personality, Vivek hosted a number of events and interviewed media personalities, notably A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Inspired by Kalam's environmentalism, Vivek founded the Green Kalam initiative in 2010 with the mission of planting one billion trees across Tamil Nadu.

On 16 April 2021, Vivek experienced breathlessness and chest pain and was admitted to a SIMS Hospital in Chennai after falling unconscious at home. Doctors deemed him critical and discovered that he had a thrombosis with 100% blockage in the left anterior descending artery, which caused congestive heart failure.

Following an angioplasty, he died in hospital on 17 April 2021 at the age of 59. He was given a state funeral amidst large crowds near his residence in Virugambakkam, Chennai.