thanks to his oratorical skills and the way he hosted ‘pattimandram’ debates on television. The scholar is fondly remembered by Tamil film fans due to his presence in two big films directed by Shankar: Boys and Sivaji. Unconfirmed reports also state that Prof. Pappaiah playeda small role in Shankar’s Arjun-starrer Mudhalvan, which apparently did not make it to the final film due to length issues.After a brief appearance in the 2003 coming-of-age Tamil film Boys as a magistrate, Prof. Pappaiah became hugely popular when he played the character of Thondaiman in Rajinikanth’s Sivaji: The Boss. Pappaiah’s close aide and colleague, Raja, also a popular speaker in TV debates, was also featured prominently in the film.
— Shankar Shanmugham (@shankarshanmugh) So, why didn’t Prof. Pappaiah accept film offers after that? tweeted, “I pray to God that the soul of Professor Solomon Pappaiya, the great Tamil personality who took the literary tradition of Pattimandram from the educated elite to the common people and made it widely popular, may rest in peace.”Feeling deeply saddened to hear about the demise of respected Avargal. What a great Tamil scholar and orator he was! I always looked forward to and thoroughly enjoyed his Pattimandram programmes during every Tamil festival.
It is truly heartbreaking to know that…
