Published in India Chapter of the International Federation of Film Critics
Puratchi Thalaivar, translates ‘Revolutionary Leader’,
is the title given to the actor turned Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the first
of its kind in the country, his roots being debated to be from today’s
neighboring state of Kerala, Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran,
better known by his initials MGR.
When my mentor asked me write an article on this
legendary hero, I was left with dilemma. To begin with I was fond of Sivaji
Ganesan’s body of work, an actor who paralleled MGR’s timeline. I began
watching the work of MGR on platforms, to see if the actor would make an impact
now that I was revisiting his work chronologically. I sought my dad’s help, an
avid movie goer, belonging to that era, to discuss what the actor MGR and his
work meant to him as a teen and now as an eighty-three old.
MGR’s big screen career began nearly nine long decades
ago and we have a Tamil film that released early this year, named ‘Vaa
Vathiyaar’ translating ‘Come on Teacher’, ‘Vaathiyar’ being another adage that his
fans used to address him. They considered him their mentor. The movie ‘Vaa
Vathiyar’ is an ode to the legend, his charisma, his morally inspiring traits
on and off-screen. The maker seems to have a vision of making MGR, the questioning
conscience of every con-man’s. The very thought of a premise to celebrate MGR’s
virtues in its crux, showcases the phenomenon that he WAS and still IS.
A drama troupe trainee MGR, had strived hard to be
casted in roles in cinema, we read. Eventually he had managed to rise to a
larger-than-life person, not just in reel-life but also in the real. He had sculpted
his career by having writers write morally inspiring stories for him and every
other technician in the production house, seems to have shouldered his vision.
The lyricist’s words turned quotations, music composer’s songs became anthems,
stunt choreographer’s movements propagated him as an ever-ready revolutionary
by showcasing his disciplined fitness regimes and the costume designer’s colors
symbolized his political affiliations.
Gandhian principled influencer who joined the
political party DMK and later started his own party AIADMK, a believer turned
rationalist, a Malayali Nair turned Tamilian Vellalar claiming his ancestor
were Tamil, ruled the Tamilians for a decade and died when in power.
MGR apparently seems like he had directed himself in
all kinds of dream roles in every film that he worked in, housing rebellious
cruxes in almost all his films, except a very few, early on in his career. While
cinema became a propaganda tool, slowly the movie going population were introduced
to the philanthrope in the actor and they soon turned his political supporters.
Crores of unpublicized charity amidst a pioneering politically acclaimed ‘mid-day
meal’ scheme for school children in Tamilnadu, would remain his eternal
identity in the state.
The actor’s acting career and his political career
were almost parallel. It is said that he refused to act in a play named ‘Sivaji
Kanda Hindu Samrajyam’ very early in his career, as he was reluctant to be associated himself
with a radical Dravidian movement of that time. But ironically, in a span of just
three odd decades he went on to start a new Dravidian party himself and become
the chief minister. A news article reads that whenever there was a slump in MGR’s
movie career, his political ideologies and affiliation gave his career a boost.
Irrespective of what his strategy was, he gave unimaginable runs at the box
office with his careful choice of genres, switching to the social cruxes from
his rebellious knight-ship characters to keep pace with the audience’s
expectations and his competitors.
Breaking the fourth wall and acknowledging the
audience seemed to me as MGR’s working pattern ever since he embodied the
rebellious prototype. He intentionally seems to have broken the barrier between
the fictional world and reality, as his character traits were often curated.
From being an action hero in the 1950 ‘Mandhiri Kumari’ to an outlaw in the
1954 ‘Malaikallan’, a protector of the poor in 1958 ‘Naadodi Mannan’, a
champion of social justice in the 1969 ‘Adimai Penn’, a social leader in 1969 ‘Nam
Naadu’, to a protector of women in 1965 ‘Enga Veettu Pillai’, the moral
idealist, had been watchful of his choices.
The actor has an innate blatant innocence that he
transfers to all his characters. Dravidian ideologies when uttered by a fair
skinned outsider, must have created an unimaginable magic on and off screen and
the actor seems he was ‘true’ to both. The actor’s charisma not just elevated
him as an actor but also as a human and that must have echoed in his real-life
politics too making people grow fond of him.
He seems to have taken hints from his failed attempts
as his movies bounced back at the box office right after every low buzz
response. Movies seems to have become his campaigning grounds, eventually
taking him closer to people in reality, as he was addressed, ‘Makkal Thilagam’,
a people’s Chief minister.
A deliberate restriction on portraying morally weaker
roles, as the actor was certain that cinema influenced society at large, had
been often critiqued. Though the actor didn’t venture into exploring human
complexities like his peer Sivaji Ganesan did, MGR’s energetic body language,
his coy smiles, his onscreen ideologies, his on-screen naivety as a son and a
lover, must have magnetized the masses of that era.
The actor’s roles were always straightforward and
uncomplicated. Outsmarting powerful villains were often through simple
disguises, as small as a mere mustache or a side beard and it seems to have become
his cinematic tool to influence the masses through entertainment mode. The
audience might have felt empowered and liberated themselves, as the actor hand-led
them into forbidden places through his disguised character.
Common man raising above odds, political symbols
brimming dialogues and welfare boosting songs seems to have become the template
of the actor’s roles. His powerful dialogues had transformed into political
speeches. A soft campaign indeed, looking directly at the eyes of the masses
through the camera lenses. It must have been a tool stronger than what today’s
social media could dream of, as the actor never broke his moral code ever.
The beauty was he never disrupted the story’s illusion
and yet managed to create a niche to reveal his ‘own self’ where possible. The
audience must have turned participants as he often fused fiction with reality. His
sword fighting stunts with swift movements should have landed him as a macho
personality in the hearts of young adults. They must have been wooed by his
nationalist principles and patriotism, big time.
The 1954 ‘Malaikallan’, a purest adaptation of the Robinhood
template of the west, must have laid foundation to the people’s hero image for
MGR. He plays a transformed thief protecting villagers from exploitation, and
the makers showcase his agile swag in contrast to his lowered gaze out of
respect around his mother in the climax. The unique social justice genre of
MGR’s rightfully must have begun with this venture and it sure became a never
dying template as many heroes had followed suit in making similar storied films
to Malaikallan, right from the ‘Chandraleka’ fame R Ranjan’s ‘Neela Malai
Thirudan’ to the super star Rajinikanth’s ‘Sivaji’ the Boss. ‘Ethanai kaalam
than yemattruvaar intha naatille’ song, which briefly translates, ‘How long
will they cheat us’, beautifully resonate with his social justice theme and
emotionally targets the audience to join hands with Malai Kallan and there on MGR
himself.
The voice against untouchability in the 1956 ‘Madurai
Veeran’, must have been a riot among the audience as MGR represents the deeply
rooted legendary folk story of a brave warrior who challenged tyranny. A story
that speaks about caste dynamics and guardian deity named Madurai Veeran, is
yet another fine choice to reach out to the masses and break record at the box
office. The chieftain’s son born with an unlucky mark ends up in the desert, is
rescued and named as Veeran (warrior) by a cobbler couple. As a grown adult when
he saves the princess from drowning her uncle confronts the hero asking why he
touched her. MGR, replies with his trademark chuckle saying, how could one save
someone drowning without touching. A soldier asks him to stay at a distance as
he is an untouchable. MGR’s sarcasm in his reply, - ‘You people have to change
one day or the other’ indicating the context of the prevalent discrimination in
the society at that time, is a fine example of how the screenplay confronted societal
issues by using his character interacting with the masses, literally.
After his leading roles in ‘Rajakumaari’ and ‘Maruthanaattu
Ilavarasi’, the 1957 movie ‘Mandhiri Kumari’, formerly a play by Mr.
Karunanidhi based on the 10th century Tamil Buddhist Epic
Kundalakesi, casted MGR as a valiant army general. The screenplay and the story
were the highlights, but MGR’s ‘good vs evil’ story did land him as an
undeniable hero among his fans. The antagonist characters - Raja Guru’s son and
his wife who is the minister’s daughter, seem super powerful than the army
general’s. S. A. Natarajan playing the Raja Guru’s son, sure outdoes MGR’s
character by playing a marauder, a dejected soul, ranting anti-social dialogues
and to me it even reminded of Rajinikanth’s villain character ‘Parattai’ from ‘16
vayadhinele’. Also, the Minister’s daughter performed by Madhuri Devi is the
one who finally gets to kill the villain, her marauding husband. Both these
roles especially the Minister daughter, her redemption in becoming a Buddhist
nun is a role that could easily over shadow the hero’s role. And the super hit
song of this duo, ‘Vaarai nee vaarai’, again has nothing to do with the lead
role of MGR’s. In fact, it is she who exonerates MGR’s character Veera Mohan,
from the accusation that he attempted to kill the King.
In such a complex story with equally meaty roles to
other actors, MGR challengingly manages to give an unforgettable performance.
His duality portrayal of a warrior and a gentleman lover, his contrasting swift
action amidst compassionate body language, his motivating speech to his
soldiers, though the words belong to Karunanidhi, MGR’s contained anger adds
beauty to his Army General’s role. His plea from the witness box to clear his
name, without much pompous, the actor makes a mark, his presence felt and his
voice heard, both to the courtiers in the movie and
the audience in the theater.
Right after that, the 1958 ‘Naadodi Mannan’ movie’s
dual role duly lands as a complete package as the actor turns director and
producer himself, apparently to grab the attention of the audience in a way
that he envisioned, maybe. Given the time frame, it seems like the actor’s
independent agenda not just to pull the movie goers towards him but also to
prove his mettle among the party carders. An outright entertainer, a template
that again had paved way for many movies for decades across Indian languages, was
critiqued as a pompous rhetoric by a few. Apart from the speculation of its
intention at that time of MGR’s career, it sure must have set the stage for
celebration and sent his audience crazy.
Saroja Devi’s debut as one of the lead ladies in ‘Naadodi
Mannan’, seems to have laid foundation for the duo’s blockbuster classics that
followed much later in both their career, such as ‘Padagotti’ and ‘Anbe Vaa’. The
‘Thoongathey Thambi’ song translating ‘do not sleep oh brother’, is so very
popular as an aphorism.
And the transformation of the look alike, shaving his beard to become the
coronating king, is a textbook sequence that we would find in movies across
decades later. The character’s mannerism of sniffing his nose does seem like a forceful
trait, kind of autistic at times and an amateur director’s compulsion, but his make-believe
tactic seems to have made him win hands down.
Though his moral standards restrict him from having
more than one love interest, his philosophy broadly seems to imply,
"I don't chase, I attract," highlighting a sense of self-worth and
confidence that draws women naturally. The tweaks from the Prisoner of
Zenda on which ‘Naadodi Manna’ was based on, involving a King’s look alike,
after the swap, the character addresses his queen – ‘Sister’, a perfect example
of the sensibilities of MGR’s moral code.
The 1964 movie ‘Thozhilali’
was centred around motor transport worker’s welfare. Slogan by the workers
against the oppression of its owner, is duly stopped by MGR who plays the
manager of the company, on accounts that ‘if not for such big companies and
their owners, many of the workers many not had a livelihood to begin with’.
MGR’s inclusive perspectives seems to stand out in every simple role of his,
instilling positivity and reassurance in the common man’s inner thought. To invest
the provident funds of drivers to begin their own cooperative bus services in
the movie is bound to boost the morale of the audience - a sneak peek in to the
actor’s future political manifesto on economic empowerment.
The actor’s character choices helped the audience look
at issues that different sections of the masses were left to tackle, as he came
full circle in respecting folks from all walks of life. The costal district was
duly represented in his outing named ‘Padagotti’ translating boatsman, in 1964.
He portrays a fisherman and deals with the politics of two fishermen groups.
The story templates itself, as MGR a head of one group, falls in love with the
daughter of the other group’s head, whereas the antagonist Nambiar wants to
marry her. But the evergreen ‘Thottal Poo Malarum’ song that explores the theme
of intimacy and touch, its catchy visuals along with trendy cinematography, the
actor’s favorites ‘disguise’ tool, and a brave female lead character, made the
movie an unmatched experience.
Silambama, the Tamil martial art, gave the title ‘guardian
of culture’ to MGR, as he incorporated it in every social reform crux of his.
His fitness discipline became popular and in support of his onscreen ‘Vaathiyar’
persona. The actor’s fluid movements and quick foot work are poetically
inspiring, till date.
MGR’s filmography was soaring with back-to-back
reformative movies set in different backdrops and year 1965 release ‘Enga Veetu
Pillai’ must have been the biggest Pongal treat, an entertainer for any movie
goer irrespective of their political affiliation. MGR’s dual role movies are
many, especially the timid vs heroic ones. But this one seemed to have given
him superstardom, especially the iconic whiplashing song with the DMK party
colored attire, uttering politically relevant lyrics, ‘Naan
aanaiyittal, Adhu nadanthu vittal, Ingu ezhaigal, Vethanai padamaatar’, that
pretty much translates a political opening speech, yet again breaking the
fourth wall and communicate to the voting public, promising that- ‘If I command,
the poor wouldn’t have to go through hardship’. Call it a propaganda tool in an
era of cinema being the sole medium of direct visual dialogue with the masses.
The actor’s aura magically was audience driven, as they were reluctant to
believe that he was a ‘performing artist’ and instead saw him a ‘true liberator’
set to redeem them.
The second half of the
same year saw another contrasting sword-fighting blockbuster ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’,
and the people saw the return of the swashbuckler template of the silent era,
except this movie was more than the mere damsel in distress kind. The rebel
hero’s noble premise included slavery, dictatorship and forced piracy. A pirate
film might have been a dream-project and when it was associated with leading
the slaves to fight for their rights in a period era, it sure must have been an
added bonus. The movie had made yet another record as people were revisiting
the era of their ‘sword fighting’ MGR. The iconic songs, rebellious crux in a
pirate film backdrop, his much-loved villain combo with M.N. Nambiyar as the
antagonist, should have made his already enthusiastic fanbase, revolutionized.
The social reformer in
MGR must have made him seek plots for his movies, systematically. The political
inclination must have driven him to address manifesto issues and ‘Vivasayi’
translating ‘Farmer’ in 1967 is a significant premise that spoke about the
agrarian tension. ‘Kudiirundha Koil’ in 1968 a remake of China town, sported a
twin, tasked to apprehend his long-lost criminal brother, which aptly fell in
to the ‘conscience questioning’ moral template of the actor’s.
The 1969 Telugu remake
‘Nam Naadu’, a fight against corruption plot, set in its contemporary time, a
go to template for any hero with huge fan base, must have been in the check
list for the doyen. While the plot was a borrowed one, the addition of the
song, ‘Nalla Perai Vaanga Vendum pillaigale’, translating, ‘Children, you
should earn a good name’, soon turned what is called a ‘paappa paattu’, a
rhyme, for school going children and still remains afresh after five odd
decades after its release, as it resonates at many modern-day schools cultural.
When an actor is adored
by the masses, children begin to mimic their parents, then mimic the hero that
the parents are fond of, until that hero is sown into the child’s memory cells,
converting the children to become followers of tomorrow, turning doyens to leaders.
Is that how it happens, I wondered.
A Labour-day release the
same year in 1969, ironically titled ‘Adimai Penn’ a historical action drama,
had all the virtues to become a MGR film, starting from the grandeur as it was
his home production, his pairing with his ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’ heroine
Jayalalitha, return to an authentic and crowd pleasing historic premise, a desi
inspiration of the west’s Tarzan series in the 1960s and a slavery premise for
the emerging leader who might have been steadily marching towards becoming a
leader himself in the real life. The spine straightening sequence in the movie
after the captured ‘hunchback’ prince was left to live in a low ceiling prison
cell, should be a frame that would remain in the eyes of the masses forever. It
aptly symbolizes the liberation of the under privileged and motivate them to
stand ‘tall’ in the fight against oppression. The borrowed plot sequence of a
mother of a twin, tied down by iron shackles by the evil uncle, from the
ancient Greek mythology, Antiope, the very visual aid emphasises slavery at its
best, went on to become an iconic plot point nearly five decades later for the
blockbuster movie ‘Bahubali’.
The next backdrop to
explore for the 54-year-old actor at that time, was to celebrate the integrity
and the righteousness of the masses of the Rikshaw pulling community in the
year 1971’s ‘Rikshakaran’. The movie’s crux was to fight the corrupt judiciary
but the entertainment value should have multiplied by casting a new face
Manjula opposite him in those glittery dreamy songs. While the song “Ange
Siripavargal Sirikattum”, translating ‘let people laugh’, was for the political
masses, the ‘Azhagiya Tamizh Magal’, translating ‘beautiful Tamil daughter’, was
for the fantasy loving cinema followers and surprisingly both were written by
the legendary poet Vaali and sung by TM Soundarrajan. Two versatile people who
seems to have had a large role in shaping the actor’s ‘messiah of the poor’
image as the former penned the lyrics in concurrence to the political
situations and ideologies and the latter’s voice mesmerised the masses matching
MGR’s charisma. Working together in sequence with MS Vishwanathan’s magical
tunes, MGR was elevated to a protector status, yet staying close to the common
man.
The 1973 ‘Ulagam Suttrum
Vaaliban’, a year after the actor floating his own political party after being
expelled from DMK, chooses a global backdrop as the hero voluntarily shifts
from being a mere protector of the masses to becoming a ‘protector of mankind’.
For this as the title translates, he needs to trot the globe and he does, in
this second directorial venture in his home production. The dual hero subject,
a scientist and a CBCID, intensifies the story with juicy sequences in this sci
fi genre, giving the audience a grand reason to throng to the cinema halls. But
it all begins only after duly crediting the leaders in the opening credits like
Nehru, Sashtri and Annadurai with clips of their real-life speeches on the need
of a ‘scientific rationale’ for the betterment of human race.
All of MGR’s character
have a list of ‘must have traits, including endorser of humanity, an advocate
of human rights, prioritizing community’s welfare over personal gain,
commitment to the under privileged. And this movie, ups those elements along
with an intriguing screenplay that must have left the audience in awe.
Noteworthy films like ‘Urimai
Kural’ (Voice for rights) to ‘Uzhaikkum Karangal’ (Toiling hands) were all aimed
to restore the faith in tomorrow’s leader, right from the title choices to
female leads to character’s messiah arcs. By then, the new wave in Tamil cinema
had started echoing independent voices and social realism with less hero
centric narratives and broke the formulaic writing, through story driven
nuanced plots, the birth of the so-called ‘modern cinema’. And by then, MGR’s
newly found party shifted its focus to larger canvas and ventured in to
reality, uplifting and empowering women, children and the have nots.
The debate is an ongoing
one whether it was the movies that helped the doyen to become a real-life hero,
a leader, or if it was the other way around. There are several articles that
proclaim that the actor used the party’s affinity to up his film career. But
the actor is an undeniable phenomenon, an inevitable chapter of Indian cinema,
who made news, who created history, who continues to be used as an icon to gain
political milage. And he seems to live in the hearts of millions, for he is the
hero that each one in the audience wished to become, someday. A mentor to many,
a hero to many and an ‘avenger kind super hero’ to the likes of the film maker
Nalan Kumarasamy who made the movie ‘Vaa Vaathiyar’.
A well-off looking,
fourteen-year-old boy who had come to the Jan 2026 movie ‘Vaa Vaathiyar’ alone,
as his parents were in the adjacent theatre watching 2026 Parasakthi, was
seated next to us. The movie’s premise houses a grandpa’s attempt to mentor his
grandson, through emphasising the kind of moralistic person, MGR and his film
characters were. When I asked the teen boy why he had come to see this movie
and not go to watch the other movie with his parents. He said, ‘I always belong
to AIADMK and I wanted to be truthful by watching this movie rather that what
looks like a DMK movie’. I was speechless for a while and then asked who his
dad was and he said his dad works for the IT wing for the AIADMK party.
Family upbringing did
make the child affiliate himself with the party I silently thought. On the
contrary, MGR, an epitome of integrity, could that have influenced the child? I
wasn’t sure.
Maybe, gen alphas can themselves
mimic their favourite hero, until that very hero is sown in their memory,
paving way to turn doyens to leaders of tomorrow. We will have to wait for
another decade to see if they can make yet another actor their leader and then
their chief minister, as there are quite a few in the making, in this part of
the country.
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