Arignar Anna Durai’s 102th Birthday

 

 

                                    

 

Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai (Tamil: காஞ்சீபுரம் நடராஜன் அண்ணாதுரை) (15 September 1909 – 3 February 1969), popularly called Anna (which means elder brother in Tamil), was a former Chief Minister of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He was the first member of a Dravidian party to hold that post and was also the first non-Congress leader to form a majority government in independent India.

Annadurai was born on 15 September 1909 in Kanchipuram (then called Conjeevaram), Tamil Nadu, to Natarajan and Bangaru Ammal in a dominant Sengunta Mudaliar caste. He was raised by his sister Rajamani Ammal. At the age of 21, he married Rani while he was still a student. The couple had no children of their own hence they later adopted and raised Rajamani's grandchildren.He attended Pachaiyappa's High School,but left school to work as a clerk in the town's Municipal office to assist with the family finances.In 1934, he graduated with a B.A. degree (Hons) from Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai. He followed that up with a M.A degree in Economics and Politics from the same college. He worked as an English teacher in Pachaiyappa High School. Later he quit the teaching job and began involving himself in journalism and politics.

He was well known for his oratorical skills and was an acclaimed writer in the Tamil language. He had scripted and acted in several plays. Some of his plays were later made as movies. He was the first politician from the Dravidian parties to extensively use Tamil cinema for political propaganda. Born in a middle class family of weavers, he started his career as a school teacher and then moved into the political scene of the Madras Presidency as a journalist. He edited several political journals and enrolled as a member of the Dravidar Kazhagam. As an ardent follower of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy he rose in stature as a prominent member of the party.

With differences looming with Periyar, on issues of separate independent state of Dravida Nadu and on inclusion in the Indian Union, he crossed swords with his political mentor. The antipathy between the two finally erupted when Periyar married Maniammai, a lady much younger than him. Angered by this action of Periyar, Annadurai with his supporters parted from Dravidar Kazhagam and launched his own party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The DMK initially followed ideologies the same as the mother party, Dravidar Kazhagam. But with the evolution of national politics and the constitution of India after the Sino-Indian war in 1963, Annadurai dropped the claim of an independent Dravida Nadu.

 

Various protests against the then ruling Congress government took him to prison on several occasions. The last was during the Madras anti-Hindi agitation of 1965. The agitation itself helped Annadurai to gain popular support for his party. His party won a landslide victory in the 1967 state elections. His cabinet was the youngest at that time in India. He legalised Self-respect marriages, enforced a two language policy (over the three language formula in other southern states) for the state, implemented subsidising cost of rice and renamed the Madras State to Tamil Nadu.

However, he died of cancer just two years into office and his funeral was the most attended one at that time, holding a Guinness record. Several institutions and organisations are named after him. A splinter party launched by M. G. Ramachandran in 1972 years after the death of Annadurai was named after him as ADMK (Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).

M.G.R’s Mentor Click Here

 

Filmography

.1949  Nallathambi
         Story, Screenplay and Dialogues

1949   Velaikaari
          Story, Screenplay and Dialogues

1951    Or Iravu
           Story and Dialogues

1954   Sorgavasal

          Story and Dialogues

1956 Rangoon Radha
        Story

1959  Thaai magalukku kattiya thali
         Story

        Edhayum Thangum Idhayam
       Story

1961  Nallavan Vazhvaan
         Story

1970  Kadhal Jothi
         Story

1978  Vandikaaran magan
         Story

 

To be Contd…

M.G.R’s Platinum Function At Chennai-2

 

 

 

The Grand function of Platinum Jubilee of MGR in Cinema conducted by various MGR Fans Association from all over Tamil Nadu, Pondichery, Karnataka, Malaysia and Singapore in Kamarajar Arangam, Chennai on 29th August 2010. 

 

          

B.S.Raj,Mr.S.S.R,Mr.Shankar Ganesh,Mr.Antony         B.S.Raj,Mr.S.S.R,Mr.Antony

                                                                                             Director Saroj Kumar

 

                        

  S.S.R ‘s Speech                                                 Jayanthi Kannapan ,M.G.C.B.Pradeep,

                                                            B.S.Raj(Urmai Kural Editor) and Nalai Namathey Editor

 

                                         Mr.,Antony,M.G.C.B.Pradeep,Vellore Rammurthy and

                                                                     Mr.Mani

 

                        

Shankar-Ganesh Singing for the song                                               Puratchi Nadigar Fans

         Ponandhi Malai…

 

                                                 

                                       Mr Antony,Raja Sherif,Jayanthi Kanappan,M.G.C.B.Pradeep

                                                   

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A Tribute To Puratchi Nadigar (Clippings from 136 movies)  Coming Soon

M.G.Chakrapani's impressive performance in “MahaMaya -1944

 

P. U. Chinnappa, P. Kannamba, M.G. Chakrapani, N. S. Krishnan, T. A. Mathuram, M. S. Saroja, R. Balasubramaniam, D. Balasubramaniam, S.V. Sahasranamam, M. K. Meenalochani, ‘Baby' T. D. Kusalambal (later, Kushalakumari ), T. Rajbala (later T. R. Rajani) and T. R. B. Rao

Inspired by the unexpected box office success of Kubera Kuchela, the first star screenwriter of Tamil cinema, Elangovan, began to work on his next movie Mahamaya (1944) and according to S. K. Habibullah, (son of S. K. Mohideen,) he worked for nearly a year on the screenplay and had some problems, ending the story. So he worked out three different endings and left the final choice to the producers, M. Somasundaram and ‘SK', and director T. R. Raghunath. And all three endings were shot!

To briefly narrate the storyline…Gandhara princess Mahamaya (P. Kannamba) and Vikram  (P.U. Chinnappa), prince of a neighbouring kingdom, are students of the same guru in an ashram. One day, Mahamaya innocently garlands Vikram's sword unaware of the implication of her act. According to tradition, it means she had married him! However, both get married to different partners, but when they meet again, Vikram reminds her of the garland and insists she belongs to him and when she rejects his advances, he abducts her. Mahamaya escapes but is disowned by her husband. Therefore, she kills her child and herself to prove her chastity.

The successful lead pair of Kannagi, Chinnappa and Kannamba, were cast again in lead roles, Kannamba as Mahamaya and Chinnappa as the king who lusts after her. In his hunt, he is encouraged by his wily friend Neelan, played superbly by M.G.Chakrapani (MGR's brother). This character of the manipulating genius was believed to have been based on the historic character, Kautilya, who wrote the Arthashastra and was advisor to the great Maurya emperor, Chandragupta.

Filmgoers of the 1940s considered this aspect of the king lusting after another person's wife vulgar. Especially after Kannamba had played Kannagi, the personification of chastity among the Tamils. Mahamaya flopped at the box office even though critics considered it a good film and praised the performances of Kannamba, Chinnappa and Chakrapani.

Surprisingly there were only 10 songs, which was rather unusual for a movie of that era. The reason was the restriction on footage (11,000 feet) imposed during the Second World War (1939-1945). S.V. Venkataraman and Kunnakudi Venkatarama Iyer composed the music with the lyrics by Kambadasan and Sundara Vathiyar. However, only one song rendered by Chinnappa, ‘Silaye nee ennidam', became a hit.

This film, which was shot at the Newtone Studio, had technical finesse. The cinematography was by the maestro Marcus Bartley, while Jiten Banerjee (camera), F. Nagoor (art) and Dinshaw K. Tehrani (sound), famed film technicians of that period, and directors of Newtone Studio contributed to the gloss.

There were dances by M. S. Saroja (later Mrs. Raghunath) which were choreographed by M. Meenakshisundaram Pillai and Pandit Bholonath Sharma, a Kashmiri who came down to Madras to work in films. His wife was the noted film star B.S. Saroja and sadly Sharma died in a car accident.

Elangovan was credited as co-director with A. Kasilingam, a fine editor as assistant director, who later became a noted filmmaker.

Despite the pluses, technical and creative, Mahamaya did not make the grade.

Remembered for technical finesse and M. G. Chakrapani's impressive performance.

Article From: Randor Guy (Hindu -Blast From the Past)

M.G.R’s Platinum Function At Chennai

 

 

                                                     

                            Click Here To know More Details Of Fans Meeting in the Mornning on 29.08.10

 

                             

Platinum Jubilee Celebration of MGR in Cinema from 1936 to 2010 was held in grand manner in Chennai on 29.8.2010, the function was held on behalf of all MGR Fans Association and Urimaikural MGR Magazine.
The function started by 2 pm and ended at 10.15 pm. MGR Fans from all over Tamil Nadu, Pondichery, Karnataka, Malaysia and Singapore participated in the function.

By 2 pm MGR Photo exhibition was inaugurated by Producer Rajan, from 3 pm to 6 pm MGR Songs Dance programmed was performed by Cini Abhinayam and from 6.30 pm to 10.15 pm MGR Songs were played by Selva's Sivaranjini. In the Function Special Edition Book (Pavala Vizha Malar) was released by Veteran Actor S.S.Rajendran and the first issue was received by Director Saroj Kumar.
The Chief Guests are Actor S.S.Rajendran, Director Saroj Kumar, Music Director Sankar Ganesh, Producer K.Rajan, Child Artist from the Film Thirudathae Lakhsmi and Devi, Industralist Antony.

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Details Continues…..