“இவள் ஒரு கலைச்செல்வி .... பல கலைகளைப் பயின்றவள்.... இசைக்கலையில் சிறந்தவள்.... இவளின் குரலினிமை வேறு யாருக்கும் கிடையாது’’
- Thinna (Nambiar) introducing Vani (Bhanumati) to his King (dialogue written by Ravinder for the movie ‘Kalai Arasi’)
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December 24 marks the anniversary of the demise of MGR. And in the accompanying hullaballo, it always goes unnoticed that the date also marks the demise of another icon - Bhanumati. Let us remember the legend and the doyenne by revising a unfairly forgotten movie in which they played the leading roles and listening to some of the songs from the album. Interestingly both of them had double roles in the movie.
Posting here today the chapter from my series on Bhanumati that I wrote way back in 2006- 2008.
Kalai Arasi (19.4.1963/Sarodi Brothers)
When the Hritik Roshan starrer ‘Koi Mil Gayaa’ was released in 2003, the media went overboard portraying the movie the first ever effort at science fiction in the history of Indian cinema. And as usual they failed to look beyond the Vindhyas when they made this outrageous claim- for Tamil cinema had explored this genre much earlier. Even if you discount the 1953 Indo-American venture ‘The Jungle/ Kaadu’ (Lippert Pictures & The Modern Theaters) as a mere forest frolic with just the climax verging on science- fiction, Tamil cinema had a first class science-fiction entertainer in ‘Kalai Arasi’ released 40 years before ‘Koii Mil Gayaa’.
‘The earth is the cradle of mankind - one cannot remain in the cradle forever’ declared Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Perhaps T.E. Gnanamoorthi M.A., B.O.L. was inspired by these words, for he wrote a story that was an engrossing blend of adventure and romance, with space travel as the amazing backdrop.
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The story goes like this. Mohan is a poor, but honest and hard-working farmer. Vani is the daughter of the rich landlord who lives in the city while their lands are under the supervision of her cousin and suitor, the wily Kannan. On a visit to the village with her friends, Vani meets Mohan; Mohan and Vani find themselves falling in love with each other gradually. Meanwhile a spacecraft is moving rapidly towards the earth. Inside are two alien creatures who resemble earthly humans. From their conversation we understand that they are traveling to the earth on a strange mission. Apparently their planet has made far-reaching strides in science, but is woefully backward in performing arts. Hence they are coming to the earth to identify and take back a talented artiste who could teach their denizens music and dance. As they near the earth, one of the aliens, Thinna, who is the commander-in-chief of their planet, switches on a monitor, and the screen shows music and dance performances in various parts of the earth. He seems to be dissatisfied with them all, until he comes across Vani singing. He is mesmerized with her performance and decides that she would best suit their purpose.
Returning home after a clandestine moonlight rendezvous with Mohan, Vani falls into the clutches of the aliens. Thinna drags her inside the spacecraft, while the other alien Malla elects to stay on in the earth for a while. Vani is shocked when she finds herself far away from the earth. The king of the alien planet assures her that she will return safely after she had taught them dance and music. Vani is defiant and furious. However, princess Rajini treats her kindly and Vani agrees to teach her. Meanwhile back in the earth Vani’s father blames Kannan for Vani’s disappearance. Kannan goes in search of Vani and comes across a mentally deranged girl called Valli who bears a startling resemblance to Vani. Assuming that she is Vani, he gets her kidnapped and brings her home. Saddened to see his daughter a lunatic, Vani’s father agrees for Kannan to get married to her, and thus Kannan marries the poor Valli, under the assumption that he is marrying the rich heiress Vani.
Mohan spies the alien Malla one night as Malla is getting ready to return to his planet. They have a brief skirmish and Malla dies. Thinna lands in his spacecraft just then to take Malla home. He sees Malla’s corpse and places it in an ante-chamber inside the craft. Watching all this, Mohan enters the craft quickly, and dragging Malla’s corpse out, he jumps into the ante-chamber. Thinna does not notice this and takes off from the earth. When he nearing his planet, he ejects what he assumes to be Malla’s corpse from his spacecraft, but it is actually Mohan who falls into the alien planet. By happenstance Mohan comes across a kind-hearted jester from another planet who is on the way to the palace. This jester takes Mohan to his house and feeds him. As they step outside, the jester is struck dead by a passing meteor. As luck would have it, the jester had resembled Mohan in facial features, and so Mohan takes his place and goes to the palace. There he meets Vani and manages to make her realize his true identity. They outwit the cunning Thinna and return to the earth. Meanwhile Kannan is caught strangling Valli and is arrested by the police. Mohan and Vani reach home. All is well that ends well.
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MGR played the double roles of Mohan and the jester, while Bhanumati essayed the roles of Vani and Valli. Rajashri acted as Princess Rajini who falls in love with the jester. P.S. Veerappa as Kannan and M.N. Nambiar as Thinna were well cast in their roles. Sachu, C.T. Rajakantham, S.R. Janaki, S.M. Thirupathisami and G. Sakuntala enacted the supporting roles. Ravinder wrote the dialogues for Gnanmoorthi’s story. Editing was by S. Natarajan, who also worked as assistant director. Art direction was by A.K. Ponnuswami. The special effects and cinematography were handled by J.G. Vijayam. The movie was directed by veteran A. Kasilingam.
Ponnuswami and Vijayam deserve special mention for the stunning visuals. The scenes depicting the spacecraft traveling through the Milky Way and the exteriors of the alien planet are truly spectacular. The interiors of the spacecraft are crafted with care, and show gadgets and blinking lights that seem exactly similar to the ones that we see in the Star Wars series, the first of which was released 14 years after ‘Kalai Arasi’! When we consider the limited technology available at the time, we can perceive how much research, imagination and painstaking work would have gone into crafting these sequences. Again, the extraterrestrials are shown with a peculiar gait, as they are not used to gravity. At the same time, the earthling MGR is shown floating on the alien planet in the absence of gravity. And in the end, when Bhanumati’s father expresses naïve incredulity on hearing MGR’s account of their space travel, MGR remarks, ‘ippO naanga pOyittu vandhadhu kaRpanaiyaa irukkalaam. oru kaalathil nadakkathaan pOgiRathu!’
If the visuals are spectacular, K.V. Mahadevan’s background score is no less noteworthy. The eerie soundtrack bolstered further by a harmony of chorus voices when the spaceship is shown hurling across the skies, adds sheen to the amazing visuals. KVM has given the movie a great set of songs as well. Working with Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram, Kannadasan, Alangudi Somu and Muthukoothan, KVM comes out with a stellar album. The movie opens with the endearing TMS solo ‘neelavaana pandhalin keezhE nilamadandhai madiyin mElE’.
Seergazhi Govindarajan sings ‘adhisayam paarthEn maNNilE’. The song is in praise of the earth and in intelligent lines the prodigious Pattukkottai ponders on life in the alien planet thus, ‘ingE thangida nizhalumillai, pongida kadalumillai, satRu nEram kooda veyyil maRaivadhillai, nammai thazhuvida thendRal yEdhum varuvadhumillai!’
The last is the soulful ‘ninaikkum pOthu nenjum kaNNum’ written by Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram. Vani is flooded with memories of the happy moments that she had spent with Mohan. Now held captive in a planet far away from the earth, she sings of the ache of love… aNaiyai meeRum aasai veLLam aRivai meeRuthE, adhaiyum meeRi paruva kaalam thuNaiyai thEdudhE…. Bhanumati’s moving delineation captures the essence of this exquisite angst.
‘Kalai Arasi’ was unfortunately many years in the making. This is evident by the fact that Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram was among the lyricists, and he had passed away way back in 1959. The surmise that the movie was commenced much earlier gains further credence when we observe that singers such as P.Leela, Jikki and Ratnamala, who had slipped into oblivion by the advent of the 60s, find place in the album. Also, by the early 60s, TMS was well-established as the singer for MGR and this album had Seergazhi Govindarajan rendering most of the songs. I recall Ravindar mentioning in an interview that Sarojadevi was booked initially for the role of Rajini and even a song sequence was filmed on her. However, when the project was resumed after many months, Sarojadevi had become a bysy artiste with no dates to spare and Rajashri stepped in. The making of the movie must have commenced in the late 50s. The reasons for the inordinate delay in proceeding with making the movie are not known. Legend has it that towards the end, MGR had become so busy with his schedules that the producers of ‘Kalaiarasi’ had to resort to a hunger strike at the gate of MGR’s office to persuade him to spare some dates to complete the movie.
Playing the title role, Bhanumati doles out a remarkable performance as usual. Be it the romantic sequences with MGR, where she has to hide herself in a heap of hay to escape from her prying friends, or when pretending to fall into a faint to make Veerappa believe that she is sick, the hilarious sequences wherein she appears as the deranged Valli, her bold and insolent repartees to the king and commander of the alien planet, her hushed and dignified portrayal of the pangs of separation from MGR, the gripping climax where she operates the spacecraft with cool nonchalance even as MGR and Nambiar are engaged in a deadly skirmish (other heroines would have been shown wringing their hands in despair in similar sequences!)… Bhanumati strides the frames like a colossus... and through this movie released in April 1963, she portrayed space travel even before the first woman astronaut Valentina Tereshkova actually did so a few months later in June 1963!
True, ‘Kalaiarasi’ was not a commercial success; it was perhaps doomed to fail, considering that the crux of the story, i.e. space travel was something that an average Tamil viewer could accept at the time. The movie and its songs are all but forgotten today. Nonetheless, it is really amazing that a story concerning human spaceflight was conceived and adapted for the screen in the late 50s, when only an unmanned Sputnik had been launched in 1957. Yuri Gargarin, the first human to travel into space, did so only in 1961! How eerily prescient of the little known Gnanamoorthi sitting in some corner of Madras to write a taut thriller involving space travel, and how intelligent of him to coat the concept with entertaining elements of romance, treachery, valour and sacrifice!
It is time Tamil cinema takes pride in the fact that it has in its annals a little-known flash of clairvoyant brilliance called ‘Kalai Arasi’.
When I was in Chennai in August 2006, a Tamil movie running to packed houses. The alleys leading to the theaters screening the movie wore a festive look. Gigantic digital hoardings dotted the landscape. Colourful festoons and flags rustled in the breeze. Garish lights lit up the halls. Frenzied fans thronged the venues and the police soon gave up any attempts to maintain a semblance of order. The air resounded with hysteric hosannas to the hero of the movie. To add to the hullabaloo, songs featuring the actor blared from strategically placed loudspeakers. Fireworks went off in regular intervals. Tickets changed hands on the sly for outrageous sums. And inside the halls, when the hero appeared for the first sequence, bushels of flowers descended on the screen… camphor laden lamps were lit…. coconuts broken to smithereens…. ecstatic cries and whistles drowned the dialogues… Fans distributed free packets of Pongal and sachets of buttermilk amongst the audience…
And if you thought I was describing the scene at some new release of a Vijay, Surya or Ajit movie, you are way off mark. The occasion was the re-release (after many years) of MGR’s 1958 blockbuster ‘Naadodi Mannan!’
And there is not a word of exaggeration in my report… There were serpentine queues for every show filling the theater owners with ceaseless wonder; “Even the release of a new movie of the top stars of today does not whip up such an interest!” gasped one of them. The record collections filled the distributors ‘Divya Films’ with glee. TV channels reported this astounding feat in their news programs. Analysts wondered if this interest was an offshoot of the success of ‘Imsai Arasan 23aam Pulikesi’, which itself was a hilarious blend of ‘Naadodi Mannan’ and ‘Uththama Puththiran’. Newspapers, both English and vernacular, covered the story of the release and remarkable success of this 48-year-old movie. ‘The Emperor Returns!’ screamed the headlines in even a normally staid and sober journal. Vairamuthu, Pandiarajan and Rajesh were spotted at Bharat Theater and they exclaimed that they had seldom witnessed such a grand opening. Vairamuthu recalled aloud his childhood memories of traveling by cart from Vadugappatti on long-winding dirt roads to watch ‘Naadodi Mannan’ at Periakulam’s Rahim Theater every day of its screening, and he remarked that he could perceive the same thrill among the crowds that were thronging Bharat Theater now! Indeed in this day when every new movie is soon available soon in the net, TV serials retain most people at home and only movies with spectacular visuals and special sound effects lure the public to cinema halls, the triumphant screening of the good old ‘Naadodi Mannan’ was enough cause for jubilation. And considering that the crowds consisted predominantly of teenagers, many of them born after the demise of MGR, this success seems simply miraculous! Verily, the magic of MGR continues to sway the masses decades after his death, and perhaps will continue to do so for generations to come.
There was a special show of the movie at Albert Theater to commemorate this event. Artistes who were part of the MGR era and fortunate to work with him arrived at the venue, smilingly acknowledging the enthusiastic greetings of the huge crowds. Padmini, who passed away a month later, was among the first to arrive. Sarojadevi and M.N. Rajam, who had acted in ‘Naadodi Mannan’, were present on this historic occasion and shared their memories of working in the movie. Both women lamented aloud the fact that Bhanumati was no longer with them to witness this joyous event. TMS, M.S. Viswanathan, SSR, Manjula, ‘Vennira aadai’ Nirmala, Rajashri, Rajasulochana and Chachu were among the other old-timers who watched the movie sitting amidst the rapturous fans of the Puratchi Thalaivar.
The unprecedented success of this screening in the city led to the movie’s release in suburban theaters of Chennai - history was repeated at Golden Eagle (Nerkundram) and Kannan (Cholapuram). In the months that followed, Naadodi Mannan’ was released in other parts of the state as well, and the results were magnificent in the southern districts. Unable to find seats, hordes of people sat on the steps and even on the floor and watched the movie when it was released in Madurai’s Chintamani Theater on 29th December 2006. Traffic came to a standstill on the 31st - being a Sunday, the crowds were simply unmanageable. At Jaya Anand Theater in Rajapalayam, fervent fans carried ‘Paal Kaavadi’ on 5th January 2007. There was a virtual stampede on 17th February 2007 when the movie was released at Deivam Theater in Srivilliputhoor.
Thus ‘The Wanderer and the King’ continued to celebrate their triumphant return; their stately sojourn continued all over the state…
* * * *
Circa 1956. One morning people woke up to find the front page of ‘Dhina Thandhi’ bearing two advertisements side by side that caused ripples all over the state- they were for two proposed remakes of the Modern Theaters’ classic ‘Uththama Puththiran’. This 1940 blockbuster was now suddenly in great demand- both MGR and Sivaji Ganesan were interested in donning the dual roles that had propelled P.U. Chinnappa to instant stardom. MGR intended to produce it himself under his Emgeeyaar Pictures banner. As for Sivaji, Sridhar spearheaded the movie backed by Venus Pictures. And in the end, it was Venus Pictures who succeeded in securing the rights to the story (itself an adaptation of ‘The Man in the Iron Mask’) from Modern Theaters and went on to make the movie with Sivaji Ganesan.
However, though MGR lost out to Venus Pictures, he did not give up the idea of playing a double role. Then there came an advertisement in the papers heralding the making of ‘Naadodi Mannan’, with an open declaration that it was being based on Anthony Hope’s 1894 novel ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’. The story traced the exciting adventures of the happy-go-lucky Rudolph Rassendyl when circumstances force him to impersonate his look-alike Rudolph V who is to be crowned the King of Ruritania. The story had seen several screen adaptations- in 1913, 1915, 1922, 1937 and 1952. The 1937 version starring Ronald Colman was the most successful one, with the 1952 one starring Stewart Granger being a faithful Technicolor copy of the former.
MGR had to face a hurdle here again- The advertisement had barely appeared when there came a rival advertisement announcing that Bharani Pictures had also embarked on an adaptation of ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’. MGR and Bhanumati spoke to each other, each of them requesting the other to give up the project. MGR explained to Bhanumati how much the project meant to him and confided to her that he had pinned all his hopes on ‘Naadodi Mannan’. Things stood thus and when MGR spoke to Bhanumati next, he told her that his story was not a straight lift of ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’ and if Bhanumati was contemplating a faithful adaptation of the tale, she could proceed with it, as his story would be significantly different. But here the unpredictable Bhanumati sprang a surprise; she said that considering how vital the movie was to MGR, she had decided to give up filming the subject. And going one step further, Bhanumati handed over to MGR a sheaf of papers consisting of the screenplay and dialogues written by veteran A.K. Velan for Bharani Pictures’ adaptation of ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’, so that MGR could use it if required for his ‘Naadodi Mannan’. MGR was filled with happiness at this extraordinary gesture of the doyenne.
MGR was indeed speaking from his heart when he had divulged to Bhanumati how important the project was to him. It was in 1953 that MGR first embarked upon film production- He was one of the partners of ‘Mekala Pictures’ that produced ‘Naam’ (1953). Desiring to get into film production independently, MGR, along with his brother M.G. Chakrapani set up a company called ‘MGR Productions’. Their first project was titled ‘Vidivelli’, to be scripted by M. Karunanidhi. However due to various reasons, chief among which was Karunanidhi’s imprisonment for participating in the Kallakkudi protest, the project had to be shelved. “MGR Productions’ was soon wound up and MGR established the ‘MGR Naadaga Mandram’ and took to producing and acting in stage plays. As the decade progressed, MGR was gaining in prominence with screen successes like Malaikallan and Kulebagaavali. It was then that egged on by his close confidants, MGR felt that the time was opportune to produce a movie that would catapult him to unscaled heights of stardom and ensure his popularity for posterity. ‘Naadodi Mannan’ was the subject chosen for this dream project. The newly formed company ‘Emgeeyar Pictures’ had a young couple holding the DMK flag as the banner.
Further, MGR was being entirely truthful when he declared that his ‘Naadodi Mannan’ was not a scene-by-scene adaptation of ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’. While at Calcutta in 1938 where he was acting in ‘Maaya Machindra’ (Metropolitan Pictures), MGR had watched the movie adaptation of Justin Huntly McCarthy’s stage play ‘If I Were King’. Starring Ronald Colman as the poet Francois Villon who gets an opportunity to rule as Grand Constable of France for a week, the movie and its catchy title made a lasting impact on MGR. Another English movie that MGR found inspiring was ‘Viva Zapata’ (1952). Marlon Brando playing the role of Mexican revolutionary Emilinao Zapata who defies the tyrant president Porfirio Diaz stirred MGR’s imagination to great lengths. MGR made his crew consisting of R.M. Veerappan, Vidwan V. Lakshmanan and S.K.T. Sami watch the three English movies and gave them his suggestions regarding the outline he had in mind. Several brainstorming sessions later, the team came up with an imaginative admixture of the three stories, tailoring it skillfully to suit the Indian context.
* * * *
Ratnapuri. A small kingdom besieged by manifold troubles. The King’s only daughter is kidnapped and the King dies without naming any successor. Marthandan, a member of the royal family is chosen by the majority of the imperial council, including the ministers and the commander-in-chief, to be the new ruler. The crafty Rajaguru, however, has different ideas. Unknown to anyone, he has the princess Ratna in his custody in an island. She has grown up completely unaware of her ancestry. Meanwhile the Rajaguru schemes to do away with Marthandan and put up his stooge Pingalan as the King. He then plans to marry Ratna himself, do away with Pingalan and declare himself the ruler. Meanwhile Veerabagu, the loyal bodyguard of the erstwhile King, and his gang of committed people, including his son Bhoopathi and daughter Madana are furious at an outsider ascending the throne. Elsewhere in the kingdom, people are far from happy. Shortage of food and unemployment are rampant all around. Violent protests erupt all over the kingdom, and the protesters led by the revolutionary Veerangan march to the palace condemning the monarchy and demanding democracy.
Veerangan is arrested and imprisoned. Madana is also incarcerated in the same prison on a similar charge. They are pardoned and released on the occasion of the coronation of Marthandan. They travel together from Naganathapuram to Ratnapuri. Sharing the same ideals and revolutionary thoughts, they find themselves falling in love. In the meantime Marthandan arrives at Ratnapuri, but the Rajaguru asks him to stay in an isolated palace in the outskirts until the coronation, citing the inauspicious placement of the stars. The twist in the tale comes when we come to know that Marthandan and Veerangan are look-alikes. Veerangan is mistaken for Marthandan in a few tight situations and finally they get to meet each other. Veerangan speaks of the pathetic state of the poor and the oppressed and the noble Marthandan agrees to set right the ills as soon as he takes charge. However, on the eve of the coronation, the Rajaguru arranges Marthandan to be poisoned so that he could then seat Pingalan on the throne. Marthandan swoons after drinking a few sips of the poisoned beverage. The hastily summoned doctor does the needful and saves Marthandan. However, Marthandan is still unconscious and apparently would remain so for the next few days. The commander and minister persuade Veerangan to take Marthandan’s place to ensure that the coronation takes place as scheduled. A reluctant Veerangan agrees to do so in the interests of the state, and arrives in the assembly just in time for the coronation. The Rajaguru is taken aback and sends his men to investigate. The villains find the unconscious Marthandan and take him away to the same island where the Ratna has been living all along.
With Marthandan’s sudden disappearance, Veerangan now finds himself saddled with the role of the King for much more than just the couple of days that he had initially bargained for. He puts the opportunity to good use, and enacts several measures for the uplift of the poor. He is however troubled by the fact that he is deceiving the Queen Manohari who believes him to be her husband Marthandan. At one stage he is forced to reveal the truth to Manohari and perceiving his noble character, she accepts him as her brother. In the meantime Madana is killed by Pingalan’s men, and a grief-stricken Veerangan vows to avenge her death. Madana’s father gets to know of Marthandan’s whereabouts and passes on the information to Veerangan. Veerangan sails to the island and comes across Ratna. He identifies her by her unique birthmark and rescues her from Pingalan’s clutches. They travel to the cave atop a hill where Marthandan is held captive, and Veerangan succeeds in bringing him out. And at the end of the thrilling climax, replete with snakes, sword fights, flooding waters, collapsing rope-bridge and what not, the Rajaguru meets a watery death. All is well that ends well - Veerangan weds Ratna, and Marthandan issues a proclamation pronouncing Ratnapuri to be a democratic nation.
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This then was the interesting story that the ‘Emgeeyar Pictures kathai ilaaka’ drafted. “makkaL ellOrum nallavaragL thaan. vaaippum soozhnilaiyumthaan avargaLai engO koNdu niRuththugindRana…avaigaLai namadhaakki koNdaal naadu nalam peRum enbathai theLivupaduththa muyaluvathuthaan ‘naadOdi mannan’ kathai” said MGR in an interview during the making of the movie.
The movie meant everything to MGR and he invested heavily on the project. Justifying his decision to produce the movie himself, MGR said, “naan pala aaNdugaLaaga uruvaakki vandha uruvam idhu. enadhu vaazhvil oru thiruppaththai virumbi adhaRkaaga ikkadhaiyai thERndheduththEn. adhilum naanE direction poruppaiyum yetRukoLLappOgiREn. naan virumbuvathai en thozhilil seithukkaatta vENdum enbathu en neengaatha aasaiyaagum. oru vELai en viruppam thavaRaagavum irundhuvidalaam. ennudaiya aasaiyai niRaivEtRikkoLLavENdum enbathaRkaaga piRarudaiya paNaththai vaiththu sOdhanaiyil iRanga naan thayaaraaga illai”.
No expense was spared- MGR wanted the best and got it. The amounts that were being expended towards the project were simply mind-blowing. When he was asked some money to buy an additional coil of rope one day when the climax sequence involving the rope bridge was being shot, a frustrated M.G. Chakrapani is said to have asked if it would suffice for all of them to hang themselves with! The industry was agog with speculation at MGR nonchalantly putting all his eggs in this basket. His well-wishers were filled with anxiety, for if the movie did not fare well, MGR would be facing financial ruin. Commenting wryly on the title, MGR is said to have confessed that if the movie did well, he would be a King; if it flopped, he would be a homeless nomad. The movie was some years in the making. All dedicated members of MGR’s entourage were put to work night and day on the project. With characteristic foresight, MGR ensured that no other movie of his was released in 1958, so that his fans would wait eagerly for ‘Naadodi Mannan’ and ensure its success. His last movie immediately preceding ‘Mahadevi’ was released on 22nd November 1957 and his next movie after ‘Naadodi Mannan’ was ‘Thaai Magalukku Kattiya Thaali’, released on 31st December 1959. He put all other projects on hold, so that he could devote all his time and attention for ‘Naadodi Mannan’.
MGR had initially requested the brilliant K. Ramnoth to direct the movie, and the venerable veteran had accepted the offer with pleasure. But fate willed otherwise- K. Ramnoth passed away on 4th October 1956. Not wanting to give the responsibility to anyone else, MGR took upon himself the responsibility of directing the movie.
MGR acted in the dual roles of Veerangan and Marthandan, and brought subtle differences in his delineation of the King and the commoner. As the King, his stylish mannerism of running his fingers over his nose and snapping them with a sigh became immensely popular with the youth. MGR chose his co-actors with care. No else but Bhanumati could bring empathy to the character of the fiery, irrepressible Madana. MGR picked M.N. Rajam to play the dignified Manohari. And as for the guileless Ratna, MGR brought in Sarojadevi, the newcomer who had hitherto appeared only in insignificant roles in movies like ‘Bhoologa Rambai’ and ‘Thangamalai Ragasiyam’. P.S. Veerappa was the epitome of deceit and treachery as the evil Rajaguru, while M.N.Nambiar was dashing and dangerous as the unscrupulous Pingalan. MGR sent for old-timer K.R. Ramsingh to play the loyal Veerabagu. M.G. Chakrapani acted as Karmegam, the sidekick of the villains who undergoes a change of heart towards the end. Playing the comic Sagayam, Chandrababu punctuated the proceedings with sidesplitting moments, aided by G. Sakuntala and T. P. Muthulakshmi. Angamuthu was simply hilarious in the single scene in which she made an appearance.
Rumours are numerous concerning an apparent clash of wills between MGR and Bhanumati during the making of ‘Naadodi Mannan’. One account of the story is that Bhanumati was not pleased with MGR taking such a long time to make the movie and taking her call-sheet for granted. They had some exchanges over this issue. Another account has it that some mischief mongers carried tales to both them, resulting in a misunderstanding. The outcome was that MGR amended the story, bringing about the death of Madana and introducing Ratna into the proceedings. Some facts do bring credence to this hypothesis. The first is the almost abrupt exit of Madana from the story. Even her death is depicted only in surmise- Veerangan is seen grieving over the picture of a fatally wounded deer. The other fact is that Sarojadevi was originally called only to dance for the song ‘Paaduppatta thannaanlE’. The song had already been shot with Sarojadevi when MGR decided to make her act as Ratna. ‘Paaduppatta thannaanlE’ was then filmed afresh with a danseuse called Chandra.
Kannadasan and Raveendar wrote the dialogues, which were filled with powerful, rhetoric flourishes. The enlightening conversation between Veerangan and Marthandan, the eloquent arguments that Veerangan puts forth to convince the minister and commander that his responsibility would be meaningless bereft of authority, the announcement of the populist measures by the newly crowned King, the emotional highpoint when Veerangan reveals all to Manohari and explains to her his ideals and Manohari’s subsequent declaration that the entire country is looking up to him for succor were some of the scenes where the dialogues dazzled with brilliant analogies.
The latter portions depicting the happenings in the island were shot in colour. Cinematographer G.K. Ramu was dabbling in color for the first time and took care to ensure that the shots came out well. The colour reels were processed at Film Center in Bombay.
The completed movie ran for around 5 hours, and the editors had a tough job ahead of them. MGR sat with R.M. Veerappan and Vidwan Lakshmanan and after several rounds of discussions, decided which scenes could be eliminated. Arumugam was the editor initially appointed. But when he left after working for a few days, K. Perumal took over the responsibility. However, he too left midway, and finally it was Jambu who edited the portions shot in colour. Despite chopping off whole sequences, the final version ran to more than 3.5 hours.
Likewise, it was Music Director N.S. Balakrishnan who was MGR’s first choice to compose music for ‘Naadodi Mannan’. N. S. Balakrishnan had earlier composed music for some of MGR’s plays and also for the 1955 movie ‘Ulagam Palavidham’. Balakrishnan composed music for three songs and then S.M. Subbiah Naidu stepped in and set music for the remaining songs and composed the background score as well.
P. Leela and P. Susheela find place in the titles as well, but I do not hear their voices in any of the above songs. The three songs that N.S. Balakrishnan had composed music for were ‘senthamizhE vaNakkam’, ‘sammadhama naan ungaL kooda vara’ and paaduppatta thannaanlE’. ‘senthamizhE vaNakkam’, which is heard as the titles roll by was originally composed for MGR’s stage play ‘Advocate Amaran’.
The feet-tapping dances were choreographed by Thangaraj. The thrilling stunt sequences were conceived by R.N. Nambiar. ‘Naadodi Mannan’ was the first movie to list the names of all the stunt artistes in the titles.
The sets erected at the Vijaya-Vauhini Studious were of hitherto unseen scales of grandeur. MGR has gone on record appreciating the wholehearted support that he received from Nagi Reddy, and said that thanks to Nagi Reddy’s cooperation, he shattered the myth that only studio-owners could make movies with magnificent sets.
While filming the island sequences, many of which were intricate miniature shots, MGR received help from unexpected quarters. S.S. Vasan was closely following the making of ‘Naadodi Mannan’, and hearing of the MGR’s difficulties in filming the miniature shots, Vasan lent his expensive equipment voluntarily so that the scenes would come out well. It was said that it was the only time that any equipment of Gemini Studious was ever permitted to be taken out of the premises.
Another person whose invaluable assistance MGR remained forever indebted to was Director K. Subramaniam. When he decided to take the director’s mantle upon himself, MGR met K. Subramaniam and requested the seasoned director to oversee his work. KS attended one shooting schedule and was so impressed with MGR’s diligent approach that he said that there was no need for anyone to supervise MGR, and it would be unfair of him to take credit for doing nothing. However, KS continued to evince keen interest in the progress of the movie; it was KS who made all arrangements for many of the outdoor shoots, especially at Munnar and he even flew to Bombay to ensure a fresh supply of color film so that the shooting could continue uninterrupted.
And all the hard work, painstaking attention to detail and the prayers of friends, well-wishers and fans did not go in vain. Released on 22nd August 1958, ‘Naadodi Mannan’ was a runaway hit. The engrossing story with heartwarming socialist morals, mesmerizing dialogues, the double delight of MGR’s dual roles and the tricky shots where the two are seen together, enchanting visuals, the surprise of the color portions, electrifying stunt sequences, the hair-raising climax and the wonderful songs all contributed in equal measure to the movie’s success. MGR won the ‘Cinema Kathir’ award for the best director. The reviewers were wholesome in their praise. ‘kai thatti thatti kai valichchu pOchchu!’ declared Ananda Vikatan. Arignar Annadurai exclaimed, “innum pala kaalaththukku makkaL pEsakkodiya oru nalla padam”.
A magnificent function was held in Madurai on October 26th 1958 to celebrate the mammoth success of ‘Naadodi Mannan’. MGR was taken in a resplendent procession from Mangamma Chathiram to the Thamukkam grounds where leaders of political parties and film artistes were waiting to offer their felicitations. Organizer Madurai Muthu called upon Nedunchezhiyan to present MGR with a gold sword. In later years, MGR auctioned the sword and presented the sale proceeds to the National Defence Fund during the Chinese aggression.
There are many more stories concerning the making of ‘Naadodi Mannan’. Suffice to say that ‘Naadodi Mannan’ was a landmark movie and MGR became the unquestioned monarch of mainstream Tamil cinema with this unparalleled success.
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Let us conclude this recollection with the magnificent song ‘Summa kidantha nilaththa koththi’
Veerangan has assumed the role of the King, and is about to enact several measures for the welfare of the downtrodden. One day he has a rendezvous with his beloved Madana. He tries to pull a fast one on her by disguising himself as an old man with one eye blinded and having a huge drooping moustache. He pretends to be smitten by her beauty and declares his love for her. Madana is repulsed at this lecherous old man’s advances, and in anger she tugs his moustache, only to find it coming away in her hands! She recognizes Veerangan and then there is playful banter between the lovers… they then take a ride in a cart through winding rustic alleys. Observing the men and women at work in the fields, their thoughts turn to the wretched plight of the landless labourers who toil so hard for the rich landowners…
She sings sadly of the misery of the poor, and he consoles her that good times are just ahead.
Pattukkottai Kalyanasudaram had experienced in person the untold miseries of the agricultural labourers in the villages in the fertile Thanjavur district, and the atrocities perpetuated by the wealthy landowners made his blood boil with fury. He vented all his anger in his verses. ‘summaa kedantha nelaththaik koththi’ for instance was written originally for the 1956 Pongal issue of the communist magazine ‘Janasakthi’. What did Pongal mean to the poor oppressed field hands, he asked in helpless rage.
maadai uzhaichchavan vaazhkkaiyilE
pasi vandhida kaaRanam enna machchaan
avan thEdiya selvangaL vERa idaththilE
sErvathinaal varum thollaiyadi
Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram was working for MGR’s stage plays and writing lyrics for songs. MGR was intrigued by this brooding, intense youth whose thoughts were egalitarian and verses elegant, and asked him to write for ‘Naadodi Mannan’. Taking lines from his poem published in ‘Janasakthi’, Pattukkottai added lines offering solace and predicting better times -‘patta thuyar ini maarum kitta nerunguthu nEram’ to suit the situation in the movie. He finished with the prophetic lines, ‘naanE pOda pOREn sattam, podhuvil nanmai purindhidum thittam- naadu nalam peRum thittam’ .
When heated arguments were going on debating which sequences were to be eliminated to bring the movie to a reasonable length, it was R.M. Veerappan who was vehement in objecting to proposals put forth to remove ‘summaa kedantha nelaththaik koththi’. He said that the song had some scintillating lines and would become immensely popular. Pattukkottai and RMV were the closest of friends, they were even staying together in the same room in Royapettah at that time. RMV was proved right when the movie was released; the song struck a chord in all those whose hearts beat for the voiceless poor. And when such wonderful lines come adorned in an attractive folksy tune and sung by TMs and Bhanumati, its timeless appeal is but inevitable.
Presenting the quaint ditty ‘Anju rooba nottai’ from Andaman Kaithi (1952)
Sung by T.V. Rathinam.
Lyrics by Ku.Sa. Krishnamoorthi
Music by G. Govindarajulu Naidu.
* * * *
This mournful, meandering (literally, from Karachi to Trichy to Andaman!) story by Ku.Sa. Krishnamoorthi was adapted for the stage by T.K.Shanmugam, and ‘Andaman Kaithi’ was a hugely successful drama. Its success must have prompted its celluloid adaptation. Ku.Sa. Ki wrote the script himself and penned the lyrics as well for the movie Andaman Kaithi (1952/Radhakrishna Films).
The film was directed by V.Krishnan and had a galaxy of stars in its cast- MGR (this was the first film where he was referred to as M.G. Ramachandran in the titles; he was called M.G. Ramachandar in his earlier ventures), Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair, P.K. Saraswathi, M.S. Draupadhi, K. Sarangapani, T.S. Baliah and T.N. Sivadhanu.
* * * *
The proceedings were punctuated with a surfeit of songs. Each song that Govindarajulu Naidu created for the film is worth cherishing. Among those that I recollect, Bharathiar’s ‘Kaani nilam vendum’ finds emotive delineation by C.S. Jayaraman and MLV. ‘Vaazhvin jeevan kaadhale, valarum anbin nilaiyaale’ has two versions by Ghantasala (happy) and P. Leela (pathos), each one enthralling in its way, glittering with Ku.Sa.Ki’s alliterative wordplay. ‘Vanna malar thannai kandu’ (beginning with ‘O…Balu, O…Leela’), is a fetching Ghantasala/ PL duet. Chandrababu and Ratnamala have a hilarious duet ‘ I love you..I love you.. aasaiyanene un mele’. CSJ’s high pitched ‘ Inbam illadha illara vaazhvil’ raises sorrow to heartrending proportions.
P.Leela, A.P.Komala and T.V. Rathnam have a blast in ‘College padippukku goodbye; nam kaadhal vaazhvukkini welcome!!’ And even before any old-timer could quiver with indignation at the (then) presumably bold lyrics, Ku.Sa.Ki clarifies in the lines that follow: ‘ B.A. pareetchai mudinju pochchu, result first class-ilE pass seidhaachu!’ T. V.Rathinam had two other solos too: the breezy ‘Mayangaadhe.. mathi mayangaadhe..’ and the melancholic ‘Inbam neruma, en vaazhvil inbam neruma’
* * * *
‘Then why doesn’t the Govt. just print more money?’ was my naïve question when our Economics professor was striving hard to drill into us the complex concepts relating to inflation. And as the entire class laughed, that venerable man threw up his hands in frustration and despair. I am sure Ku.Sa. Ki never had to labor with never ending pages of Inflation (neither the Cost-Push nor the Demand-Pull kind!), Deflation, Stagflation, the Phillips Curve or the Keynesian Cross, yet what an astute and simple précis he presents of the entire gamut of those time-tested concepts- truly a dissertation that Keynes himself would have been proud to own up to!
And after shaking his head gloomily on this unhealthy trend, Ku.Sa.Ki goes on to lament the plight of the poor and condemn the vicious circle of inflation, hoarding, black- marketeering, adulteration, empty promises of politicians…
And remember, this was in 1952!!
Ku.Sa.Ki had worked in various ‘boys companies’ from an early age (This rich experience came handy when he wrote ‘Thamizh naadaga varalaaru’, a veritable treatise). He wrote a few film songs in the 50s. Popular among them are ‘Kutram purindhavan’ (Rathakkanneer- this song was originally written for Ku.Sa.Ki’s drama ‘En kaanikkai), ‘ennamellam inba kathai pesuthe’ (Chakravarthi thirumagaL), ‘pennin perumaiye perumai’ (Pathiye deivam), ‘Nilavodu vaanmugil’ (Rajarajan), ‘adhi madhura anuraga’ (Engal kudumbam perisu) and ‘Azhagaana chinnapponnu pogudhu’ (Thirudaadhe).
* * * *
When the great G.Ramanathan decided to bestow a rare honor upon the album of Ponmudi (1950/ Modern Theatres) by singing the songs himself, the female singer he chose to pair with was T.V. Rathinam; and the dazzling duets ‘neelavaanum nilavum pole’, ‘vaan mazhaiyindRi vaadidum payir pol’, aaruyire premai amudha vaariyil’, and ‘meikkadhal arumbu vaazhvinilE poothadhE indre’ continue to cast their spell on listeners to this day. TVR stands out in her solo as well ‘Inbathin ellai idhudhaana’. That then was the kind of regard that TVR commanded in her hey day.
Tenkasi Vallinayagam Rathinam learned music from the tender age of seven under a guru called Ramalinga Aachari , and gave her first full-fledged concert in Sri Lanka. She was barely 10 years old when she acted in Bhaktha Chetha (1940/ Madras United Artitstes). She then acted as the child Kannagi in Kannagi (1942/ Jupier Pics) and also sang her own song. In the meantime, she had continued her training under Ramnad Krishnan, and later trained under Chembai Vaidyanatha Bagavathar.
For a quick tour of TVR’s breathtaking capabilities, look up 3 of her songs in Miss Malini (1947/ Gemini). Listen to the scintillating ‘jagamE oru chithira saalai janani parasakthi thiruvaruL leelai’- while you’ll doubtless be spellbound with TVR’s arresting Devagandhari opening, you’ll sit up and applaud at her seamless and swift sojourn in Gowlai in between. From there, TVR’s alluring Aarabi essay ‘Sri Saraswathi namosthuthe’ would be a great next stop. And just when you decide that she is a just a great classical singer, switch on ‘Paadum radio button-ai thiruppi vittaa’, a hilarious village vs. city argument- listen to TVR sound so haughty in ‘kuzhaayai thiruppi vittaal kottuthu water, kudam thookkum thollai illai theerndhadhu matter’.., and reach a comical crescendo in ‘galagalavena kulukuluvena mazhai pozhiyum shower bath’- her consummate artistry would be an joyous revelation!
TVR blossomed into a much sought after singer in the late 40s and was an integral part of Tamil film music in the 50s. Most of her works became very popular. All the ruling MDs summoned her repeatedly and in that glorious period TVR rendered a staggering variety of challenging songs.
C.R. Subbaraman (‘Aada varuvaaya kanna’ /Velaikkaari, ‘Vaan nilave’/ Paarijaadham), T.G. Lingappa (‘Naagareegama idhu naagareegama’/ Kalyaanam panniyum brahmachari), S.M.Subbiah Naidu (‘Manathirkisaindha raja’/ Marmayogi), C.S. Jayaraman (‘AaLai aalai paarkiraar’/ Raththakkanneer), Ghantasala (‘kKchimalai kudagu malai’/ Vaazhkkai oppandham, ‘Govindan kuzhalosai keleer’/ Paropakaaram), S.V. Venkataraman (‘NilaavilE ullasamaaga paadalaam’ / Manohara, ‘Kalyaana velai vandhu kaathirukkuthu’/ Nannabikkai), S. Dakshinamoorthi (‘ketta penmani’ / Mangaiyar thilakam, ‘andha naalum vandhu serum’ / Yaar paiyyan), KVM (‘Sollavallayo kiliye’/ Koondukkili, ‘Maamiyaarukku oru sedhi’ /Panithirai), T.R. Papa (‘Aayarpaadi kanna nee’ / Rangon radha), ‘Oviyanin ullamthanai’ / Aasai) and V-R (‘Manamudayore manithargaLennum’/ Panam- TVR was part of their very first album, ‘Anbe nam deivam’ / Neethipathi) constitute merely a random selection of the various MDs who wrought wonders with TVR’s voice.
After being all but forgotten for many years, V. Kumar fetched TVR to render a few pasurams and also set the opening for L.R. Eswari’s unforgettable ‘Mappillai ragasiyam sollava’. ‘Anbe unyarndhadhu avaniyile’ the scintillating duet that she sang with Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi under the baton of S.V. Venkataraman for ‘Sri Krishna Leela’ (1977) was perhaps TVR’s last outing in Tamil Cinema.
