Subramaniam Shankar alias
Jaishankar was born on July 12, 1938 at Kokkarakulam in Tirunelveli district. His father K. A. Subramaniam was a magistrate. His mother\'s name was Yogammal. A typical Brahmin, he went to the famous P.S. High School and on to Vivekananda College, where he did his Honors degree. He enrolled for Law but gave it up after a year because of his interests in fine arts. His initial stage training was under S.V. Sahasranamam. It was during his theatre days that he met Geetha. He came to know that her father was also acting in the play. So he sent his friends to ask her parents for her hand and married her. His career started off in the Tamil film
Iravum Pagalum produced and directed by
Joseph Thaliyath. He did dual role in his very first film, which was a box office success. None could ever say that Iravum Paghalum was his first film. He totally merged with the character and was not at all camera-conscious. A brief stint with
Cho�s Viveka Fine Arts was followed by playing the lead role in Kalki�s Amara Thara, staged by Koothabiran�s Kalki Fine Arts. That, however, did not pave the way for his entry into cinema. Disappointed, he took up a job with Simpson and Co in Delhi. But he soon returned to Chennai and this time he was lucky. Next is his third film
Kuzhandaium Deivamum became a huge hit where he acted as a father of two daughters. Then was his Bond films, including
Iru Vallavargal and
Vallavan Oruvan. Both these films gave him the macho man image. In fact,
CID Shanker focused on this macho image. When social and family sentiment films were the order of the day, Jaishanker\'s action oriented films were very much appreciated by the public.
He performed the role with vigor and gusto. This made the viewing public hail him as
Thennagathu James Bond - James Bond of the South. James Bond is a man with a golden gun, but Jaishanker was a man with a golden heart. One of his best performances came in
Pattanathil Bootham. He combined hero material with a comedy track. It was in this film that he proved that a hero could do comedy also. In the same fun-filled genre of films were
Vettukku Veedu and
Poova Thalaiyaa.
Noottruku Nooru made him popular among the student community. Another of his big hit film is
Thunive Thunai an action-packed film.
Panjavarna Kili, directed by editor-turned-filmmaker
K. Shankar and written by noted screenwriter-filmmaker,
Valampuri Somanathan with Jai and K.R. Vijaya in lead roles was again a hit. Jai was hero for many of Modern Theatres thrillers like
Iru Vallavargal,
Vallavan Oruvan,
Kaadalithaal Podhuma,
Naangu Killadigal,
CID Shankar,
Karundhel Kannaayiram and others.
Jai, as he was fondly called, was modest and courteous even during his heydays. His good manners spoke of his good breeding. After films like
Gauri Kalyanam,
Raja Veetu Pillai,
Penne Nee Vazhgka,
Panchavarnakilli and
Teacheramma, Jaishankar was all set to conquer the illusory world of filmdom, the glittering galaxy of showbiz. Among his more memorable roles was a reprisal of the Sidney Poitier role in
To Sir With Love, in the
K Balachander film,
Noothukku Nooru. Even films that had wafer-thin story-contents like
Thunive Thunai,
Ponn Vandu,
Kadal Padathum Paadu and
Enga Pattan Sotthu, Jai salvaged them to a certain extent. Interestingly, Jaishankar was the hero in
Gayatri, which saw
Rajinikanth play baddie. In his 100th film
Idayam Parkirathu he played a blind young man. His career took a dramatic change (to playing villain and character roles) with the release of \"Muratukkalai\" with Rajnikant. He was called a producer\'s star. He was always generous enough to waive anything due from a producer if the latter was in a hopeless situation. His last film was Chinna Raja. A consummate actor, Jai was the saving grace of many pot-boilers. One gets fascinated by the incredible performer in him. He donned his roles like the proverbial second skin. Jai deserves full paeans of praise and cloying epithets. There was something very electrifying in his performance, that everything else seemed grey in comparison. Riding high on a heady crest, a darling of adoring multitudes, he proved his prowess beyond question. Apart from a versatile actor he was an excellent human being. He passed away on 3rd June 2000 following a heart attack on a visit to the Gulf.
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