Robo Shankar
Robo Shankar | |
|---|---|
 Shankar in 2018 | |
| Born | Shankar 24 December 1978 Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Died | 18 September 2025 (aged 46) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Alma mater | Madurai Kamaraj University (MA Economics) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, stand-up comedian, dancer |
| Years active | 1997–2025 |
| Known for | Collaborations with Vijay TV |
| Spouse |
Priyanka Robo Shankar
(m. 2002–2025) |
| Children | Indraja |
| Awards | Kalaimamani |
Robo Shankar (24 December 1978 – 18 September 2025) was an Indian stand-up comedian and actor who appeared predominantly in Tamil films and television. Making his breakthrough with Star Vijay's Kalakka Povathu Yaaru? by performing stand-up comedy, he was cast regularly in several shows on Star Vijay and has presented television shows for the channel. He was also the voice-over for Pumbaa in the official Tamil dub of The Lion King (2019) and Mufasa (2024).
Career
[edit]Shankar was born in Madurai on 24 December 1978.[1] He earned the name Robo Shankar after performing robot dances in village shows.[2] He was a mimicry artist and initially performed on Kalakka Povathu Yaaru? and the 'Siricha Pochu' segment of Athu Ithu Ethu.[3] He was offered by Gokul a role in Rowthiram (2011); however, many of his scenes were edited out from the film barring a song appearance.[4]
Gokul again cast him in a role, Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara (2013), which gave him a break as an actor.[4] After doing small roles in Yaaruda Mahesh and Kappal, Balaji Mohan cast Shankar in Vaayai Moodi Pesavum (2014).[5] He portrayed a negative character in Touring Talkies (2015).[6] He then acted in Maari (2015), where his performance was mentioned by critics that he "deserves a special mention" and "steals the show with his unique one-liners and body language".[7][8] His performance as an MLA who undergoes a coma in Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran (2016) was well received with critics describing his performance as "a scream" and "the most show-stopping, laugh-till-you-cry — and yes, BP-reducing — comedy stretch of the year".[9][10]
Personal life
[edit]Shankar's daughter Indraja Shankar made her acting debut in Bigil, as one of the women football players and also a castaway in Zee Tamil's Survivor show.[11] His wife Priyanka Shankar made her acting debut with Kanni Maadam (2020), for which he worked as a playback singer.[12][13] In 2023, several netizens expressed concern after he lost extra weight due to jaundice while on his weight loss journey.[14]
Death
[edit]On 18 September 2025, Shankar collapsed on the set of the film GodsJilla in Chennai and was admitted to GEM hospital, Perungudi.[15][2] He was placed in intensive care after fluctuations in blood pressure and died later that day, at the age of 46. He had alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis and had undergone treatment for jaundice, which resulted in significant muscle loss.[16][17][18] His body was taken to his residence in Valasaravakkam, Chennai, where his funeral was held.[16]
Filmography
[edit]- All films are in Tamil language unless otherwise noted.
| Year | Film | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Dharma Chakkaram | Unknown | Uncredited |
| 1999 | Padayappa | Dancer | Uncredited appearance in the song "En Peru Padayappa"[19] |
| 2003 | Joot | Aditya's henchman | Uncredited[19] |
| Uyirosai | Police officer | Uncredited | |
| 2004 | Aai | Army man | Uncredited[3] |
| 2005 | Karkaa Kasadara | Annachi's henchman | |
| 2006 | Chennai Kadhal | Police Inspector | |
| 2007 | Deepavali | Billu's friend | |
| Madurai Veeran | Himself | ||
| 2010 | Azhukkan | ||
| 2011 | Rowthiram | Kittu's henchman | |
| 2013 | Thirumathi Thamizh | Himself | Cameo appearance |
| Yaaruda Mahesh | Gopal | ||
| Azhagan Azhagi | Alasunder | ||
| Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara | Sound Shankar | ||
| 2014 | Vaayai Moodi Pesavum | Matta Ravi | |
| Chinnan Chiriya Vanna Paravai | |||
| Kappal | Seenu Anna | ||
| 2015 | Touring Talkies | Chinnaiyya | |
| Rombha Nallavan Da Nee | Bhaskar's friend | ||
| Moone Moonu Varthai | Veera Dheera Parakrama Sivasubramani / Veerasamy | ||
| Maari | Sanikizhamai | ||
| Strawberry | Arnold | ||
| Yatchan | |||
| Maya | Shankar | ||
| Trisha Illana Nayanthara | Auto Driver | ||
| Puli | Albert | ||
| Maiem | Shankar | ||
| Muthukumar Wanted | Malaysian film; cameo appearance in a song | ||
| 2016 | Saagasam | Cameo appearance | |
| Aarathu Sinam | ACP Sarguna Pandian | ||
| Jithan 2 | Vela Ramamoorthy | ||
| Sutta Pazham Sudatha Pazham | Kidnapper | ||
| Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran | MLA Jacket Janakiraman | ||
| Ka Ka Ka Po | Raghavan | ||
| Ammani | Yaman | ||
| Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru | Mayilswamy | ||
| Virumandikum Sivanandikum | V. Vela Ramamoorthy | ||
| Pazhaya Vannarapettai | |||
| Veera Sivaji | Suresh | ||
| 2017 | Si3 | Subba Rao "Subbu" | |
| Pa Paandi | Actor | Cameo appearance | |
| Saravanan Irukka Bayamaen | Saudaswaran | Guest appearance | |
| Savarikkadu | Master's troupe member | ||
| Velaikkaran | Chinna Thambi | ||
| Sakka Podu Podu Raja | Sathya's henchman | ||
| 2018 | Mannar Vagaiyara | Attack Durai | |
| Kalakalappu 2 | Ganesh's foster father's brother-in-law | ||
| Irumbu Thirai | Kathir's uncle | ||
| Bhaskar Oru Rascal | Arnold | ||
| Jarugandi | Gajendran | ||
| Maari 2 | Sanikazhamai | ||
| 2019 | Viswasam | Merit | |
| Vantha Rajavathaan Varuven | Bucket | ||
| Nethraa | Actor | ||
| Mr. Local | Kuthala Sithambaram | ||
| Butler Balu | Kalyanam's assistant | ||
| Hero | Inbaraj "Ink" | ||
| 2020 | Kanni Maadam | — | Playback singer for the song "Moonu Kaalu Vaaganam"[13] |
| Kanni Raasi | Manmadhan | ||
| 2021 | Kalathil Santhippom | Puli | |
| Kutty Story | Prabhakar | ||
| Chakra | Kumar | ||
| Devadas Brothers | Lakshman | ||
| Cinderella | Guru | ||
| Plan Panni Pannanum | Manmadhan | ||
| 2022 | Yutha Satham | Police Constable Selvam | |
| Iravin Nizhal | Paramaanandha | ||
| The Legend | Thirupathi | ||
| Cobra | Madhi / Kathir's friend | ||
| 2023 | Kodai | Paandi | |
| Tamilarasan | Nambirajan | ||
| Partner | Samadhanam | ||
| Are You Ok Baby? | Sollaadhadhum Unmai participant | ||
| 2024 | Singapore Saloon | Shami / Ragavan | |
| Boomer Uncle | Minor Kunju | ||
| Can | Unknown | Unreleased film[20] | |
| Jolly O Gymkhana | Adaikalaraj's henchman | ||
| 2025 | Ambi | Sundharam | |
| Desingu Raja 2 | Vijay | ||
| Sotta Sotta Nanaiyuthu | Kulukkal Kumaresan | ||
| Kiss Me Idiot | Posthumous release; partially reshot version[21] | ||
| TBA | GodsJilla † | TBA | Posthumous release |
Dubbing artist
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Lion King | Pumbaa | Tamil dubbed version | |
| 2024 | Mufasa: The Lion King | [22] |
Television
[edit]| Year | Program Name | Role | Channel | Notes and Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Kalakka Povathu Yaaru? Season 3 | Contestant | Star Vijay | [23] |
| Asatha Povathu Yaaru? | Sun TV | [24] | ||
| 2008 | Kalakka Povathu Yaaru? Season 4 | Star Vijay | ||
| 2009 | Athu Ithu Ethu Season 1 | Star Vijay | [3] | |
| 2011 | Kings of Comedy Season 1 | |||
| 2017 | Athu Ithu Ethu Season 2 | |||
| 2018 | Kings of Comedy Juniors | Judge | ||
| 2020 | Time Enna Boss | Killi | Amazon Prime | [25] |
| Idhayathai Thirudathey | Himself | Colors Tamil | ||
| Kannana Kanne | Guest | Sun TV | with Indraja Shankar | |
| 2021 | Kanni Theevu (Ullasa Ulagam 2.0) | Jalsha | Colors Tamil | |
| 2022 | Sembaruthi | Bhuvaneshwari's husband | Zee Tamil | |
| Kalakka Povathu Yaaru? Champions 3 | Judge | Star Vijay | ||
| Raju Vootla Party | Guest | |||
| 2023 | Vera Maari Office | BP | Aha | Special appearance |
| 2024 | Cooku with Comali season 5 | Guest | Star Vijay | [19] |
| 2025 | Top Cooku Dupe Cooku season 2 | Contestant | Sun TV | Eliminated week 4 |
| Athu Ithu Ethu season 4 | Guest | Star Vijay | Final television appearance |
References
[edit]- ^ "Actor Robo Shankar Passes Away". News Today. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Who was Robo Shankar? From robot dance sensation to Tamil cinema hits like Maari and TV stardom". mint. 19 September 2025.
- ^ a b c "Robo Shankar celebrates his birthday today". The Times of India. 15 January 2018.
- ^ a b "My Stomach Kept Growing With My Career: Robo Shankar Interview". Silverscreen.in. 21 July 2015. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "Vaayai Moodi Pesavum Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ Saraswathi, S. "Review: Touring Talkies disappoints". Rediff.
- ^ "Review : Maari". Sify. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "I don't need dialogues to make people laugh: Robo Shankar". The Times of India. 12 August 2015. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Suganth, M (4 June 2016). "Velainnu Vanthutta Vellakaran Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 December 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (3 June 2016). "Velainnu Vandhutta Vellakaran: The grin reaper". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ ராஜன், அய்யனார் (29 September 2021). "கால்வலி மட்டுமே எலிமினேஷனுக்கு காரணமில்லை!". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil).
- ^ Subramanian, Anupama (22 February 2020). "Kanni Maadam review: A caste drama cast well by first-time director". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Robo Shankar turns singer for Bose Venkat's film". The Times of India. 8 February 2020. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ^ "Robo Shankar's drastic weight loss sparks talk about his health". DT Next. 19 March 2023.
- ^ "Tamil Actor Robo Shankar Dies At 46, Day After Fainting On Set". Times Now. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Actor Robo Shankar, 46, dies day after on-set collapse. Kamal Haasan pays tribute". India Today. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ "Actor Robo Shankar critical after collapsing on film set". Cinema Express. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ "Tamil actor-comedian Robo Shankar passes away at 46". The Hindu. 18 September 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ a b c "Robo Shankar to grace the upcoming episode of Cooku With Comali 5". The Times of India. 30 June 2024.
- ^ M, Narayani (3 April 2024). "VJ Adams to mark his directorial debut with the upcoming film 'Can'". The New Indian Express.
- ^ "தமிழில் டப்பிங் ஆகிறது ஸ்ரீலீலாவின் கன்னட படம்" [Sreeeela's Kannada film is being dubbed in Tamil]. Dinakaran (in Tamil). 15 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
- ^ "Mufasa The Lion King roars with India's top stars in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu versions". Statesman. 20 November 2024. Archived from the original on 20 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "Kalakka Povathu Yaru | Roboshankar Evergreen Performance | Asathal TV". 3 May 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Asatha Povathu Yaru | Sun Life | Stand Up Comedy by Robo Shankar and Chutti Aravind | Vision Time". 9 November 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Time Enna Boss trailer: A fun Tamil series about time travel". The Indian Express. 15 September 2020. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
External links
[edit]- Robo Shankar on Twitter
- Robo Shankar at IMDb