This Comedian Was The First Tamil Actor To Get Rs 1 Lakh Daily Remuneration

Goundamani is a legendary celebrity in the Tamil film industry famous for his comedic timing. He has left a huge mark on Tamil Cinema with his unparalleled talent. With a career spanning around 300 films, he commands a massive fan following in Tamil Nadu and beyond. Particularly celebrated for his onscreen chemistry with fellow comedian Senthil, Goundamani’s performances have become iconic in Tamil cinema.

Having shared screen space with Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Prabhu, Sathyaraj, Karthik, Sarathkumar, Arjun, Mohan and Murali, he was considered almost as the lead actor in the films he was a part of. In the late 80s, during his peak in the late 80s and was rumoured to be the first actor to receive Rs 1 lakh as daily remuneration.

The combination of Rajinikanth and Goundamani proved to be a repeated success since 16 Vayathinile (1975). When Mannan happened in 1992, it was Goundamani’s call sheet that Rajini wanted the makers to block first. The film was one of the biggest successes for its comedy track of Rajinikanth and Goundamani as Krishnan and Muthu respectively.

Things weren’t as funny as they looked on screen. When Sivaji Productions approached the comedian, the first thing he asked was if it would be him in a Rajinikanth film or Rajinikanth in a Goundamani film. He also went on to ask for Rajini’s remuneration, which was Rs 90 lakh at that time. The only condition that Goundamani put forth was that he would be a part of the film if he were paid Rs 10 lakh more than what Rajinikanth was paid Rs 1 crore. The makers couldn’t afford him and went back to Rajini to tell him the difficulties they had faced in negotiating with the ace comedian. But Rajini was persistent. The production team again met with Goundamani and finalised him for a whopping Rs 75 lakh only next to Rajinikanth.

While Goundamani’s last appearance was in the 2016 film Vaaimai, directed by A. Senthil Kumar and starring Shanthanu Bhagyaraj and Muktha Bhanu, reports indicate that the veteran comedian is gearing up for a comeback with the upcoming film Oththa Votu Muthaiya.