Subramaniyan Karuppaiya (born 25 May 1939),[1] known by his stage name Goundamani,[2] is an Indian actor and comedian.[3] He is known for his comic duo partnership in Tamil films with fellow actor Senthil. The pair dominated the Tamil industry as comedians in the 1980s and 90s.[4]
He was called Goundamani after acting as a Gounder in one of his early day dramas and the pseudonym stuck with him forever.[5][2] He has the ability to give counter dialogues on the spot and off the script on stage and during shooting but it has nothing to do with his screen name, contrary to popular belief (as counter is a term that was popular only from the late 2000s).[6] He was at his peak of his career as a comedian in Tamil cinema for nearly 20 years.[7] Despite being a comedian, Goundamani is known for being a social recluse.
