Solomon Pappaiah in ‘Sivaji – The Boss’
In director Shankar ’s 2003 film ‘Boys’, Pappaiah appeared as a judge, a role that played directly to the qualities audiences already associated with him — listening to two sides, weighing arguments and delivering a verdict. Because he brought something that could not easily be manufactured by an actor — familiarity, here again, Pappaiah’s presence worked. Four years later, ‘Sivaji: The Boss’ placed him in a bigger star vehicle alongside Rajinikanth . When he appeared in a movie, audiences did not exclaim, “There is that actor. Their reaction was closer to: “Solomon Pappaiah is in the film. The distinction is important. His role in ‘Sivaji’ could have entailed a steady stream of grandfather, judge, professor and patriarch roles. But Pappaiah chose not to become a conventional supporting actor. Pattimandram remained his principal stage.
Chennai: For generations of Tamil audiences, Solomon Pappaiah’s booming yet genial voice, effortless Madurai dialect, quick wit and ability to turn an argument into entertainment made him virtually synonymous with pattimandram. Cinema, however, discovered something else in him: Pappaiah did not have to become an actor to hold the screen. He merely had to be himself. His selective filmography is precisely what makes Pappaiah an interesting cinema personality. Unlike stage artistes who moved into movies seeking a second career, cinema remained an occasional excursion for him. Tamil scholarship, teaching and public speaking created Solomon Pappaiah the personality; films simply borrowed that personality.