Bonda Mani is an Indian

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who has appeared in Tamil language films. He has worked in comedy and supporting roles in over 270 films.

Career

Bonda Mani has described that his stage name is derived from his diet of

bonda Bonda is a deep-fried South Indian potato snack that has various sweet and savory versions in different regions. The most common is ''aloo bonda'' ( potato ''bonda''), and other region-specific variations include potato replaced with sweet po ...

s, when he was a struggling actor, and the suffix of his mentor,

Goundamani Subramaniyan Karuppaiya (born 25 May 1939), known by his stage name Goundamani, is an Indian actor and comedian who works in Tamil cinema. He is known for his comic duo partnership in Tamil films with fellow actor Senthil. The pair dominated t ...

. His original name is Kedheeswaran and he originates from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. While working in Singapore during the 1980s, he became acquainted with director

K. Bhagyaraj Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj (born 7 January 1953) is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter, music director, producer and politician active mainly in Tamil films. He has also written and directed Hindi and Telugu films and TV serials. As an actor ...

who visited the country for a show. He later reconnected with Bhagyaraj during a visit to Chennai and was cast in a supporting role in ''

Pavunnu Pavunuthan ''Pavunu Pavunuthan'' is a 1991 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by K. Bhagyaraj. He also starred and composed the music. The film was released on 14 April 1991. It was dubbed into ...

'' (1991). Mani subsequently made a breakthrough after his performance in '' Thendral Varum Theru'' (1994) won positive reviews. He appeared with legendary Tamil actor

Vadivelu Kumaravadivel Natarajan (born 12 September 1960), known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and playback singer, having acted in supporting and lead roles in Tamil cinema. He gained widespread acclaim in Kollywood in the 2 ...

in many of his comedy tracks. Along with commitments as an actor, Bonda Mani runs a stage drama troupe called "Sai Kalai Koodam" and organizes theatrical shows.

Personal life

In June 2016, Bonda Mani joined the

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian regional political party with great influence in the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is a Dravidian party founded by the former chief mini ...

political party along with a few

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; DMK) is a political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu where it is currently the ruling party having a comfortable majority without coalition support and the union territory of Puducherry where it is curre ...

party workers. Bonda Mani personally met the Chief Minister

Jayalalithaa Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...

to officially join the party.

Notable filmography

Television

* ''

Enga Veetu Meenakshi ''Enga Veetu Meenakshi'' (எங்க வீட்டு மீனாட்சி) is a 2021 Indian Tamil language family drama television series, starring Lollu Sabha Jeeva and Shritha Sivadas in lead roles. The show is produced by Thaarag ...

'' (2022) as Snake charmer

References

External links

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Bonda Mani
on Moviebuff {{DEFAULTSORT:Mani, Bonda 1963 births Indian male film actors Male actors in Tamil cinema Living people 21st-century Indian male actors Indian male comedians Tamil comedians Sri Lankan emigrants to India Indian people of Sri Lankan descent