T. P. Muthulakshmi – Female Comedian of Tamil Cinema

T. P. Muthulakshmi (1931 – 2008) was a character artist of Tamil cinema from the late 1940s throughout the mid-1970s, who excelled in comic roles. She was one of the early established female comedians of the industry, with more than 350 films to her credit. She joined the film industry as a background dancer in the 1948 movie, Chandralekha, and got her first acting role in the 1950 film, Ponmudi, which gave her a major break. Though she shared screen space with all-male comedians of the 1950s and 1960s, her pairing with A. Karunanidhi was an instant hit. Films like Veerapandya Kattabomman established them as one of the leading comedy pairs of the era.

T. P. Muthulakshmi – Female Tamil Comedian of Classic Era

She marked her career as a background dancer in the 1948 film, Chandralekha

T. P. Muthulakshmi was a native of Tutucorin. Her full name is Thuthukudi Ponnaiyapandiyan Muthulakshmi. Though she studied only till 8^th grade, she was interested in dancing and singing and took formal classes in both. Since childhood, she wanted to become an actress. To pursue her dreams, she moved to Chennai, where she was helped by her uncle M. Perumal, who worked as a background dancer for K. Subramaniyam’s films. Initially, she also got a break as a background dancer in Chandralekha, where she danced with the lead heroine of the movie, T. R. Rajakumari.

1950 film – Ponmudi was her first acting role

She joined Gemini studio at a monthly salary of 65 rupees and worked in bit roles in movies for a few more months. Ponmudi, released in 1950, gave her her first credited role as an actress. The movie was produced by Modern Theatres. Her role as Bhavani, K. R. Ramaswamy’s wife Bhavani in the 1951 movie Or Iravu and the role of a dumb woman in Thirumbi Paar (1953) gave her a major break as an actress. Initially, she played bit roles on screen, and slowly established herself as a lady comedian.

Apart from comedy, she also played other character shades on screen

She got married in 1958, and continued her career till early 1970s before she retired. She led a quiet life away from the limelight for more than three decades till she passed away in 2007. Some of her other major acting roles are Mayabazar, Makkalai Petra Magarasi, Thanga Padhumai, Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Kadan Vangi Kalyanam, Annaiyin Aanai, Nadodi Mannan, Aaravalli, Vannakili, Kappalottiya Thamizhan, Kalyaniyin Kanavan, Iruvar Ullam, Anubavi Raja Anubavi, Naan etc. In the early 1970s, she reduced her work and was last seen in Kula Gouravam, released in 1974. Towards the end of her career, she experimented with character roles as well, apart from comedy, and also played senior lady roles.

T. P. Muthulakshmi – Some interesting and lesser-known facts

1. She appeared in the mural dance of Chandralekha (1948), which marked her screen debut as a background dancer.

2. She was one of the early established female comedians of Tamil cinema.

3. She was married to P. K. Muthuramalingam, a supervisor of the state agency. Her brother-in-law, T. P. Gajendran has directed a few movies and also played minor roles on screen.