Kamal Haasan Mourns Villupaattu Exponent Subbu Arumugam In A Touching Note

Subbu Arumugam, a villupaattu exponent awarded the Padma Shri in 2021, died on Sunday night at 95. Subbu Arumugam, mentored by famed comic NS Krishnan, became the face of the art form, spending more than 75 years to it and writing over 1,000 Villupaattu scripts in his lifetime. He has also written over 60 comedy tracks for former comic Nagesh. He was awarded the Kalaimamani title by the Tamil Nadu government and the Sangeet Natak Academy Award.

His wife Mahalakshmi, daughters Bharathi Thirumagan and Subbulakshmi, and son Gandhi survive him. Actor Kamal Haasan, who collaborated with the renowned musician on the opening theme of his 2015 film Uttama Villain, remarked on social media, "Villisai Vendhar Subbu Arumugam was a musical expert discovered by NSK. He devoted his entire life to spreading the art form of Villupaattu. He introduced many innovations in it and brought it to the masses. He was also a great comedy writer. I have lost a dear friend."