The “Crazy” therapist
The world of comedy will forever remember the words- Munnadi, Pinnadi, and Kannadi. Who would have imagined a 4-minute segment in the middle of the movie can both summarize and set the premise for the next half? Such is the talent of Mr. Mohan Rangachari.
A mechanical graduate from the College of Engineering, Guindy defined comedy and screenplay of Tamil Cinema for more than 3 decades. Every stand-up comedian, theatre artist, or an individual who wants to be a comic will have Crazy Mohan as their role model. In his words, if Crazy Mohan is Dronacharya, all of them are Elakaivans.
Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are filled with compilations of his work. No matter how many times we watch the movies on KTV, we are bound to laugh our hearts out once again. With a lot of things happening around us, my go-to person has been Crazy Mohan. If laughter is the best medicine, there is no better therapist than Mohan himself.
Over the last week, I read a lot about the life and journey of Crazy Mohan. Professionally and personally, Crazy Mohan did leave behind a legacy for all of us to sit back and enjoy.
1.No profanity or insult
None of his comedies had a single bad word or vulgar content. Not that it’s the ground rule for comedy but he obviously had chosen the path less traveled. He took the responsibility of delivering clean comedy that relied on wordplay and rhyme scheme and at the same time had no second, inappropriate meaning. And the best being, he achieved all of this without insulting any character on or off-screen.
Prabhu: Anne, Doctor aitinga. Neenga than ne highest score.
Kamal: Ethini sixer, ethini four?
Prabhu: Andha Mark vandhu ivalo mark vanguvan nu nanaikaveilla ne.
Kamal: Paravalla, Vasool Raja va meiyalume doctor akitanga.
Phone rings
Kamal: Na Doctor Raja than pesaren. Neenga dettol pottu kazhuvi vainga, na vandhene irruken
Modhal patient eh bedi baby
The point that Crazy drives here is — it’s definitely possible to make anyone laugh without insulting or shaming the other person. With almost all comedians taking a dig at someone else to make people laugh, Crazy Mohan stayed true to himself and delivered unadulterated comedy.
Fun fact: The only remuneration Crazy ever asked for is that the heroine of his movies should be named Janaki. This is a mark of respect to his school teacher by the same name. It’s the gratitude that took him places and all of his characters staying close to our hearts.
2. Make most of the situation
This is where Mr. Rangachari holds a doctorate. All of his movies from Micheal Madana Kamarajan to Vasool Raja involved jokes that made at most of the situation. Be it Panchatantiram which revolves around a group of friends trying to hide a body and crime scene, Pamal K Samandham with doctor making a mistake during an operation or Kadhala Kadhala where young couples lie to their parents to mend things their way. It strikes a chord with everyone that if at all we are stuck in one such situation now, we are accustomed to using a reference from his movies. The entire screenplay revolved around the confusion caused by characters and the resulting awkward situations.
Kamal (crying): Robertson….
Stranger: Irukaru sir, vanga
Kamal: Irrukara. 21 St. May’s
Stanger: Ammam sir, vanga.
Ajay Rathnam: Hello, I am Mr. Robert’s son.
Kamal: Robertson….? Neenga?
Ajay Rathnam: Yes, avaroda son.
Kamal: Ohh appa kum ore pera ah?
Ajay Rathan: Robert’s son, Williamson.
Kamal: Williams yaru…?
Ajay Rathnam: Not William’s son. Williamson.
End of the day all of our lives are filled with confusion. Like Crazy Mohan said and believed, comedy is nothing but an extrapolation and exaggeration of whatever is happening in one’s life. If we all can take some time to look at what’s bothering, I am pretty sure we will end up laughing more than we should be.
Fun Fact: Crazy Mohan got the opportunity to work with Rajinikanth during the early ’90s but due to some unforeseen circumstances the project did not materialize. Being a staunch devotee of the Mylapore Kapaleeswarar, Crazy had the faith this will happen pretty soon. Within two years, Rajini calls Crazy Mohan to pen the screenplay and dialogue for the blockbuster movie Arunachalam. Surprisingly, the title is an alias of Lord Kapalieshwarar himself.
3. Follow your passion
The only advice Crazy had ever shared on-stage is to have as many passion as possible. Apart from writing, Mohan Rangachari is an amazing artist and poet. He quit his job at Sundaram Clayton and decided to follow his passion for writing. That is probably the best decision he took and there has been no looking back ever since. If Mr. Mohan Rangachari had decided to settle down for being an engineer, we would not have so much content to enjoy and cherish.
Kamal: Dai, pattu kekudhu da.
Ramesh Kanna: Nejuliya? Thondailaya? Ohh Kadhulaya? Mookula?
Kamal: Dai, enna thonga, kadhu, mooku nu?
Kamal: Dai, kekudhu da. Namma enta kekalam..
Ramesh Kanna: Unta kekalam nu enta kekara?
Kamal: Adhu illa da, namma ENT doctor uh.
Ramesh Kanna: Ohhh…Kamal: Kadhula santham kekudhu doctor?
Crazy Mohan: Ketadhan kadhu, kekati shevudu.
Crazy Mohan is one of his kind. The biggest regret I have is to have not had a conversation with him even once. But on the contrary, the biggest blessing I have had is to witness him perform live and enjoy the tons of comedy he left behind for every situation in life.
A good soul on Twitter compiled all of Crazy’s wordplays. If you have the time, I highly recommend you to spare a few minutes to appreciate and cherish the brilliance of the guy who made us laugh more than 20 years now.
There is something or the other that’s always happening around us like his movies.Ram could have either stayed at his home complaining Mythili left him or take a road trip to Bangalore with his friends and meet Maggie alias Mythili alias Maragathavalli. If we can take some time to laugh at our lives, I am pretty sure it’s all a joke and there is nothing to bother. Because like Crazy Mohan said — Life is Crazy. Take it Easy!.
Forever your fanboy!
