Mano maniam biography templates

He grew up watching sandiwaras on stage, and later reenacting them with his friends from the neighbourhood. It was only natural for Mano Maniam to grow into an accomplished stage actor.

His stint as Uncle Chandran on the Malaysian sitcom Kopitiam made him relatable to the average Malaysian, and his role as Moonshee in Hollywood’s Anna and the King gave him worldwide recognition.

And boy, was he loved. The 74 year old thespian is also an academician, writer, Tamil language enthusiast, cultural anthropologist and avid traveller.

Mano talks to Varnam about his complicated relationship with the arts, his love for our nation and his views on the Malaysian diaspora.

“I grew up in a new country called Malaya,”

He recollects his early childhood, “I was born at the end of the second world war, and I grew up in this new country called Malaya, just as it was opening up,”

“After we gained independence, I got my first piece of paper saying that I&