Sudesi Iyer

A packed auditorium saw actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan sit side by side and praise their friend, film actor and thespian Y Gee Mahendran. The even was the 100th performance of his play, Sudesi Iyer.

‘There was a time when comedians likes Surulirajan and Thengai Srinivasan were getting old, and there was no market for newer ones like Senthil and Goundamani weren't successful. It was then only Y Gee Mahendran who was the sole leading comedian of that time, in the late 70s and early 80s. And he worked in almost all films in that period for me and Kamal. Yet, he was stringent in stating that he would have theatre practice in the evenings, and never missed it. That is his commitment to theatre,” praised Superstar Rajinikanth, adding that he felt sad whenever Y Gee Mahendran acted in a film. “I’ve seen the important lead roles he performs so well on stage. And I felt miserable whenever I saw do measly supporting roles in movies,” he then said, adding that he felt the same way when he saw RS Manohar in smaller roles in films.

Kamal Haasan, who was the guest of honour, spoke about the indomitable spirit of Gandhi that the play resurfaced. “We try and forget him, we ignore him, and we try to remember him only once in five years, and yet, he bounces back in our memory. I don’t believe in the concept of soul, but I do believe that Gandhi’s will haunt us even today. I am his big fan, which was one of the main reasons I did ‘Heyram’. I’m glad that Y Gee Mahendran’s play has also been on the same lines.”

Others present at the event include Cho Ramaswamy, Murali, MD, The Hindu, director Balu Mahendra, Dhanush, Aishwarya Dhanush, Latha Rajinikanth, Soundarya Rajinikanth, and Gouthami.