Kaka Radhakrishnan

Kaka Radhakrishnan Biography

Kaka Radhakrishnan was a veteran actor associated with Tamil film industry known for portraying both character and comic roles with excellence. He was a well-established stage actor too, who has worked with legendary artists Sivaji Ganesan and A. P. Nagarajan in Madurai Jayarama Sangeetha Boys Company and Sakthi Nadaga Sabha. In fact he introduced his childhood friend Sivaji Ganesan to his theatre group as well as acting field. In fact they shared a unique friendship bond and worked together in the famous play - ‘Manohara’. He belongs to a rare breed of actors in the decades of 1940s and 1950s, and remembered by movie buff of that period.

His role in the debut film ‘Mangayarkkarasi' as a boy earned him the tag, ‘Kakka’ (crow) which got permanently added to his name. There was one scene in the movie, where he was asked catch a crow sitting on a branch and his character attempts to do so, by climbing the tree. After this hilarious scene, Kakka tag got permanently added to his name. He acted in over 400 films in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Towards the end of his career, he was casted by Kamal Hassan in his movies, and well used his talents. ‘Guna', ‘Thevar Magan' and ‘Vasool Raja MBBS' are the best instances. He played Crazy Mohan's father – an old man obsessed with carom in ‘Vasool Raja MBBS'.

His real name is Radhakrishnan. He was born in 1925 in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. He has been an established stage actor before he joined cinema. Mangaiyakkarasi (1949) marked his acting debut on big screen. After working with almost all stars of yesterdays during the period, early 1950s to late 1970s, he also played some notable roles in the second innings. During his last years he was suffering from age related ailments and passed away in 2012. He was survived by two wives and 8 children.

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Updated: February 20, 2016