Crazy Mohan, playwright and comedian, dies

CHENNAI: Mohan Rangachari, popularly known as Crazy Mohan, who scripted several plays and movies including Kamal Haassan-starrers like “Michael Madana Kama Rajan” and “Sathi Leelavathi” died here on Monday afternoon following an acute heart attack. He was 66.
Doctors in Kauvery Hospital here had tried to revive him for more than 45minutes before declaring him dead at 2pm.“He was very critical when he was bought here. We tried our best to resuscitate him, but he did not respond,” said doctor Aravindan Selvaraj, executive director, Kauvery Hospital, Chennai.
His family members and Kamal were beside him during his last moments.
Family members said he complained of discomfort after an early morning walk and was rushed to hospital. “We took him to the doctor last night when he complained of discomfort. He was given some medicines,” said one of the family members.
‘He was multi-talented’
He wrote more than 30 plays, including “Chocolate Krishna,” “Jurassic Baby,” “Marriage Made in Saloon” and “Oru Babiyin Diary Kurippu.” Besides being a playwright and screenwriter, he excelled as an actor and comedian in theatre and movies. The movies he acted in included "Vasool Raja MBBS."
“Even before he entered films, his dramas were very popular,” said actor Delhi Ganesh, recollecting the plays and movies of Crazy Mohan. “It is not just plays and movie scripts, he was multi-talented. He wrote divine hymns and paints. It’s sad that he left this world prematurely,” he said.
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Inspired by playwright Cho Ramasamy, Mohan founded Crazy Creations in 1979. After one of his first plays, “Crazy Thieves in Palavakkam” starring comedian and actor S Ve Sekar, the name Crazy stuck to him.
The Tamil Nadu government honoured him with the Kalaimamani award for his contribution to arts and literature.
It goes crazy
After his death was announced, hundreds of his fans tweeted comic dialogues and punchlines from movies he had scripted. His as fans, fellow actors, script writers and directors remembered him as a “sentimental” person, who loved his work, people and life.
“It’s definitely crazy. How did this even happen,” said Sriman, who acted in “Panchatanthiram” scripted by Crazy Mohan.

The one man almost everyone connected him with was Kamal. Mohan had scripted many box-office hits and award-winning films for Kamal.
Incidentally, Kamal had given him the first award for the comic play, “The Great Train Robbery,” Mohan scripted while he was a student at the Guindy Engineering College. He bagged the award for best actor and director. Nearly two decades later, in 1989, he scripted dialogues for the movie “Apoorva Sagodharargal” in which Kamal did a dual role.
Their relationship grew beyond movies. In one the interviews, Crazy Mohan had said when he would turn 90, he would walk with 85-year-old Kamal in Nageshwara Rao Park and discuss old movies and scripts of Akira Kurosawa. That wish never came true.
Janaki and Madhu
Crazy Mohan’s inspiration to get on stage began with his first performance as Veerapandiya Kattabomman when he was studying in Karpagavalli Kalanilayam, a corporation school. Thankful to his school teacher Janaki who inspired him to get on stage, all his heroines were named after her.
His heroes were named after Nagesh’s character in the movie ‘Yethir Neechal’. His brother Balaji acted as the hero – Madhu -- in most of his plays.