He made his screen debut with the Tamil movie Kalathur Kannamma at the tender age of 5. He got his break with K. Balachander's Telugu hit Maro Charithra. Besides Tamil, he has also performed in movies in Hindi and other languages. He has played a plethora of characters including a ventriloquist, an under-world don, a freedom-fighter, a classical dancer, a blind violinist, a dwarf clown and even a mentally challenged man.
He is the winner of several Indian awards for acting. He has also received the best actor award at the Asian Film festivals held in 1983 and 1985 for Saagara Sangamam and Swathi Muthyam, respectively. He also ventured into film direction with Hey Ram, a film depicting the conflict between the revolutionaries and non-violonists during the Indian Independence movement. His unfinished projects include Sandiyar and Maruda Naayagam.
He is also a self-professed Rationalist, Atheist, Activist, and a follower of Periyar.