Srinivasan (1945–2022) known professionally as Kamakodiyan () was an Indian poet and lyricist who worked mainly in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...

Life

Kamakodiyan, born Srinivasan, was a native of

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

. He later left for Madras (now

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

) and stayed with his cousin K. S. Madhangan, then an aspiring film director. At that time, Srinivasan wrote poems for magazines, catching Madhangan's attention. He gave him the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Kamakodiyan, derived from the saint

Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, also called the Sri Kanchi Matham or the Sri Kanchi Monastery or the Sarvagna Peetha, is a Hindu institution, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is located near a temple dedicated to Goddess Sri Kamakshi (Durg ...

. Madhangan eventually made his directorial debut with ''

Ponnagaram ''Ponnagaram'' is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by K. S. Madhangan in his debut. The film stars Sarath Babu and Shoba. It was released on 4 July 1980, two months after Shoba's death. Plot Cast Production ''Pon ...

'' (1980), and Kamakodiyan debuted in the same film with the music composed by Shankar–Ganesh. He went on to write lyrics for numerous films with music by

M. S. Viswanathan Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan (24 June 1928 – 14 July 2015), also known as M.S.V., was an Indian music director, singer and actor who predominantly worked in Tamil film industry. He was popularly known as ''Mellisai Mannar''. He compose ...

Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one of ...

and Chandrabose. He wrote a book called ''Mellisai Mannar MSV um Naanum''. He was awarded

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of ...

Life

Style

Death

Filmography

Lyrics

Dialogue writer

References

External links