'Ettavathu Vallal' MGR Philanthropist, The Ultimate - Part 1

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'Ettavathu Vallal' MGR Philanthropist, The Ultimate - Part 1

Author:

Manavai Pon. Manickam

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Table of Contents

Fond Memories of MGR

Unforgettable Memories of MGR

MGR - Philanthropist, The Ultimate

CHAPTER 1

MGR Who Grew Domestic Lion!

CHAPTER 2

What Do You Want? What Do You Want To Be Through Me?

CHAPTER 3

MGR?! I Don’t Know Him!

CHAPTER 4

The One Who Put An End To The Word ‘No’

CHAPTER 5

Celluloid Arrows...

CHAPTER 6

Protector Of The Poor... Protector Of Enemies... Protector Of Protectors...!

CHAPTER 7

No Mind To Clean His Hand-Touched Spot!

CHAPTER 8

You Keep Away As Support Artiste!

CHAPTER 9

Heart Alone Was Not At All Affected...! It Ever Throbs Through All MGR Lovers!

CHAPTER 10

King Peegan Gave Blanket To Peacock... MGR Gave It To An Old Lady!

CHAPTER 11

The Stabilizing Strength

CHAPTER 12

Mother... His Goddess

CHAPTER 13

If One Mistake Is Done...?

CHAPTER 14

Kuchelan And Kannan

CHAPTER 15

Even His Enemies Shone Up In His Name!

CHAPTER 16

Chanting Of His Name Has Become As Sacred As The Recitation Of A Prayer!

CHAPTER 17

The Clever People’s Darling

CHAPTER 18

MGR Became Drooped To See The Drooped Pulses!

CHAPTER 19

Water From The Hill To The Low-Lying Plains!

CHAPTER 20

Then... Chariot For Jasmine... Now... Car For A Child!

CHAPTER 21

The God Who Removed Poverty!

CHAPTER 22

As Head Of The Poor Workers And Legs Of Their Employers

CHAPTER 23

How Many Times You Have Saved Yourself From The God Of Death?!

CHAPTER 24

The hand that punished loved all... as much!

CHAPTER 25

If They Upset The Ministry... Let Them Go Ahead!

CHAPTER 26

Every Day Blooms With His Memory!

CHAPTER 27

You Only Know!

CHAPTER 28

You Are The Real Communist!

CHAPTER 29

You Are The Real Communist!

CHAPTER 30

For The Old Lady Who Served Old Rice!

CHAPTER 31

Your Holy Foot Must Set In!

CHAPTER 32

Not The One Who Avenged His Enemies... But The One Who Won Over Their Minds!

CHAPTER 33

What Happened?

CHAPTER 34

Never A Day Without Giving Alms...! Never A Time Without Honouring Mother!

CHAPTER 35

With Crown Also... He Knelt Down Before The Masses!

CHAPTER 36

One Colossal Vessel Full Of Water... And Half Bottle Soda!

Fond Memories of MGR

M. Saravanan

AVM PRODUCTIONS

MGR - the three letters became life-giving catch-word, virtually ambrosia itself, to millions in Tamilnadu, conjuring different images in different people to whom he was the very ‘apple of their eyes’, uniting them against caste, creed, language and gender discrimination.

A multi-faceted personality with endless behavioral patterns and shades of innumerable characters, MGR is a wonder beyond comparison, and defining him would be as futile as confining moonlight within one’s fist.

MGR believed in people who believed in him and he selflessly loved and even lifted the deserving ones along with him to befitting positions... and it was as though God Himself made that special soul with a major part of His own heart.

I vividly remember when I first met in person MGR in my life. Being a classmate of Mrs. Janaki’s son who used to play with me either in my house or in his during my school days, and it was on one of those days I met that prodigious man at his house. On introduction, he gently patted me and smilingly said, So... you are his son! You should study well!

Twelve years elapsed by the time we met again, when all of us had decided to cast MGR as the hero of our fiftieth and the first colour film, Anbe Vaa. A few incidents during the film’s shooting schedules in Simla in Himachal Pradesh left indelible impressions about Makkal Thilakam (Masses’ Darling) in my heart.

One day, suffering from a very bad cold and fever, I was tempted to accompany the troupe for night shooting on the slope of a hill. The car was stopped at the foot of the hill from where we had to walk upwards on the slope to reach a hotel, and it was impossible for me to take a step further. Hence I decided to relax in the car. While I was almost dozed off, was suddenly roused by someone knocking on the car door, and I opened it to find to my utter surprise that the great MGR was before me with a tumbler wrapped with woolen shawl, extending it to me with a smile and words as warm as the milk he carried for me, Take this hot milk - with your illness you should not starve!

I asked him that with all the people at the hotel for his help, why should he take the trouble to walk down the hill, and he calmly said, I missed you very much for the supper... and couldn’t proceed with my eating... nor was it fair of me to ask anyone to brave the weather up and down. Hence slowly slipped out with the hot milk.

The film, Anbe Vaa was released and it was a big bang hit, and MGR had by then already become the CM of Tamilnadu. One night I got a surprise phone call from MGR., informing that next day morning I would get a glad tiding, and indeed, it was all the more surprising. All the morning papers carried the news that I was made the Sheriff of Chennai. A prestigious honorary posit, although I did not know about its do’s and don’ts and modes operandi, I slowly got used to it, thanks to his personal guidance and encouragements. In that position I was to help facilitate and co-ordinate with various socio-cultural and humanitarian service activities of the state with CM as the magnetic centre.

Innumerable were such incidents in MGR’s glorious life of which if we listen to, can keep on wondering about him throughout our life!

I wish all the best to Manavai Ponmanickam, the original Tamil writer of the book, ‘Ettavathu Vallal – MGR’ and Puthiyankom Murali, film-writer and writer of its English version, ‘MGR - Philanthropist – the Ultimate’

K.S. Sethumadhavan

Film Director

Flm Directors’ Colony

Kodambakkam, Chennai 600 024

So many people have so much to speak about the great prodigy, MGR. I too have a number of personal experiences about him, preserved in my heart, which would be voluminous if printed. I just wish to relate here a small incident that took place during the shooting of the film, Nale Namathe, of which I was the producer and director, under the banner, Gajendra Films.

One day, during the lunch-break after food, we were all relaxing along with MGR in a shooting location called Kailasanatha Konai, on the way to Thirupathy, AP, in 1977. All of a sudden, as though unnoticed even by the surrounding personal securities on vigil, a vagabond-looking strange old man with unkempt and outgrown hair and beard appeared before MGR., and nobody knew wherefrom and how he came! He was almost naked except for a narrow tiny clothe covering the portion below his waist. He carried a piece of brown paper wherein he had apparently scribbled a message in Tamil for MGR., which he extended to him. Within seconds before he glanced through it, the visitor had disappeared! MGR himself was not relieved off his surprise as he read out the message to us.

The message was that God has blessed MGR with a touch of Divinity and that is why drizzles have come in that dry land after he stepped in, and that he is going to sit in the position of a king soon, whereafter he must not forget to make night visits to trace out and catch hold of spies and thieves! The stranger’s prediction, however, came true as MGR became CM of the state soon.

I convey my heartiest wishes to Puthiyankom Murali, writer of the English version of the book, ‘MGR Philanthropist, the Ultimate’ and Manavai Ponmanickam, the Tamil writer of its original, ‘Ettavathu Vallal- MGR’

Unforgettable Memories of MGR

A. Jaganathan

Film Director

Film Directors’ Colony

Kodambakkam Chennai 600 018

Although I wish to write volumes about my experiences about the God-like MGR., I would prefer to confine all that to a page due to shortage of space.

I am proud to have worked as an assistant director in 13 MGR films viz: Mattukaravelan, Kavalkkaran, Padagotti, En Annan, Neerum Neruppum, etc.

When he won the Bharath Award for his best performance in the film, Rikshawkaran, produced by Sri. RM Veerappan of M/s Sathya Movies, a special felicitation function along with a banquet, was organized by Sri. Padmanabhan, Manager, Sathya Studios. On that memorable occasion, when I garlanded him while receiving him, he smilingly took the garland and put it on my neck, wishing me that I would soon become a director! His words came true the next month itself, when I was fixed as director by his grace for the film, Manippayal, produced by Sathya Movies, which became a bumper hit.

After the release of Manippayal, I was blessed to direct the film, Idhayakkani, enacted by MGR himself. Idhayakkani was a box-office hit, and it had created history in revenue.

Although I directed only one film as such for MGR., that would be enough to fill my whole life with utmost contentment and thrill me throughout.

I gratefully recall that I visited his residence on the eve of Pongal every year to have his blessings with a token of love of Rs.100/- which carried auspice for me for the whole year.

I wish All the Best to the original Tamil writer of the book, ‘Ettavathu Vallal - MGR’, Sri. Manavai Ponmanickam as also Sri. Puthiyankom Murali, the writer of its translated version in English, ‘MGR - Philanthropist, the Ultimate’