| Alias | Kalaivanar' N. S. Krishnan |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Actor, Director |
| Language Worked in | Tamil |
| Spouse | T. A. Madhuram |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Favourite Cuisine | South Indian |
| Favourite Color | White |
Nagerkoyil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan, popularly known as Kalaivanar and also as 'NSK' was a leading Tamil film comedian, drama artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry - in the 1940s and 1950s.
Born in Ozhuginachery, Nagercoil, in the princely state of Travancore, India on 29 November 1908, his stage and cine-screen comedy performances were unique and always carried a message for the people. 'Kalaivanar' N. S. Krishnan died at the age of 49, on 30 August 1957.
N S Krishnan started his career as a Villu Paatu artist (the Tamil way of reciting stories while singing songs and playing a musical instrument in the form of a bow - called 'Villu') and later became involved in Tamil drama and stage shows, as were so many film artistes in his days, and at one-time owned his own touring drama company; and when cinema gradually became popular in South India, he entered the Tamil film world to become one of the leading Tamil film comedians ever, with a unique style. He generally wrote his own comedy dialogues and expressed them in his drama and films in such a way that the message was carried across, but the subject to whom it was intended was not offended.
He acted in nearly 150 Tamil films and the matinee-duo of N S Krishnan and T. A. Madhuram (later his wife) in Tamil films was very popular in his days; he also did roles along with leading stage and cine artists of his time like T. S. Durairaj, 'Pulimootai' Ramasamy, C.S. Pandian and writers like Udumalai Narayana Kavi and Subbu Armugham and gave a number of hits in those days. He was also a talented singer and hits include Sivakavi, Raja Rani, and Manamagal.
Later NSK resumed acting in movies, but his jail term and fight for justice made him penurious, his wealth was lost in fighting the case and so was the case of co-accused MKT Bagavathar. Haridas, which was released while he was in jail ran for three consecutive Deepavalies with packed houses. People crowded the theatre as they felt, they would not have a chance to see their superstar in silver screen