J. P. Chandrababu

J. P. Chandrababu (1927–1974) was a Tamil film comedian-actor, singer and dancer, whose Chaplinesque style on-screen movements and singing style made him popular from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. His style has also been likened to that of Jerry Lewis. He had a mastery of the Madras Bashai, a dialect unique to the Madras regionHis slapstick style of comedy has been emulated by subsequent actors, such as Prabhu Deva in Kaadhalan movie. Many of his songs have remained popular.

There is confusion regarding his full name. His last name has been variously given as Chandrababu, Rodriguez and Fernando, whilst his middle name has been shown as Panimayadas or Pichai, and his first as Joseph or Jacob. His father was Joseph Pichai Rodriguez and his mother Roselin Fernando.

Biography

Chandrababu was born in 1929, a son of a Christian family from the Paravar community of Tuticorin, India. ran a paper called Sudhandhira Veeran which, along with the family assets, was seized by the British government in 1929 when he was arrested for participating in the satyagraha movement. He and the family were exiled to Colombo, Sir Lanka on his release, where his father worked for a Tamil newspaper. Chandrababu was educated at St. Joseph's College, Colombo and Aquinas College prior to his family moving once more, this time to Chennai in 1943. Here they lived in Triplicane, where...
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