Sivanathan Shanmugavelan Ramamoorthy (16 January 1952 – 11 May 2021[1]),[2] better known by his stage name Nellai Siva, was an Indian comedian and actor, who predominantly worked in Tamil cinema.
His way of speaking in the movies is completely of Nellai slang, which shows him unique to other supporting actors.
He met and became friends with Mansoor Ali Khan and Bonda Mani, who were also upcoming actors at the time.
After struggling for over a decade, he met K. Bhagyaraj and participated in a few series on Chennai Television, gaining popularity, and whom he credits with "making him successful in cinema".
[6] He also started his film career by acting alongside then-famous actor Nagesh, who admired his Tirunelveli slang on set and encouraged him to use it as a defining factor in his comedy.