Potpourri of titbits about Tamil cinema - P.S.Seethalakshmi

She has started her cinema career at the tender age of eight and her journey in cinema continues even at the age of eighty. We share our meeting with Smt.P.S.Seethalakshmi the Tamil Cinema actress of yesteryear at her house in Saligramam, Chennai. She was walking in slowly using a walking stick due to arthritis problem and started talking in her known high-pitched voice. She said 'though we are from Ramanathapuram, my father went to Burma in search of an employment. My mother Ponnammalmanaged the family with self-confidence. My parents had a total of 11 children six men and five women. Now only me and my 7th brother Gandhi Kumar are the surviving members of my family now . My father who worked in a press moved the family to Chennai in 1951 after the independence.

During my younger age I had met Nathaji Subhash Chandrapose and expressed my love towards his freedom movement and my respect towards independence India. I acted in some of the dramas staged at Nataji's INA camp by joining the drama group of Muthuswami Nadar. We all will meet Netaji every week while handing over the drama collections towards funding the freedom struggle organised by him. We all will yell got freedom for India holding the Kadhi flag in our hands. We had met almost all the top leaders at the camp.

Since I joined the drama troupe due to family circumstances, I continued and had my formal education in the troupe. My mother encouraged my acting in cinema and drama and remained a catalyst for my growth in the acting field. I was acting in amateur drama troupes and received invitation from bigger regular drama companies.

I had acted in a number of dramas staged by the drama troupes of MGR, Sivaji, K.R.Ramasamy, SSR and others. Though the dramas earned me a name for my acting I was not monetarily benefited. I started acting in small roles in cinema without it interfering with my acting in dramas.

In Udayasooriyan a drama penned by Kalaignar Karunanidhi, he acted as hero and Manorama as heroin. The lullaby I sang about the police was several times banned. My comedy acting with N.S.K. and Rajagopal received all round appreciation from the fans.