HE WAS A DYNAMIC TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2017 I ADVERTORIAL, ENTERTAINMENT

INDUSTRY PROMOTIONAL FEATURE I CHENNAI

LEADER, HE
EXPECTED EVERYONE
TO DELIVER THEIR BEST,
FAILING WHICH HE WOULD
NOT HESITATE TO REMOVE
THAT PERSON.
— DR HV HANDE
Volume 10 Issue 14 Free with TOI & STOI

AAYIRATHIL
ORUVAN
F
ilm stars and politicians have always en-
joyed humongous fan base in Tamil Nadu
as laymen connect with them instantly.
THE MGR MAGIC
LIVES ON
MGR was a great politician
and he was a very charis-
matic and good-looking ac-
tor as well. I acted with
him in Baghdad Thiru-
dan, and had found him to
be very courteous and po-
lite. My grandmother
used to accompany me
for the shoots, and MGR
made sure that every
To say that many do not mind offering
their lives for artistes and political lead-
ers isn’t an exaggeration as there have been many
such instances. There have been only a handful of
personalities in Tamil Nadu, who were blessed with
scene the film director
would first run it by my
grandmother and only
if she gave her ap-
proval, would he go
10
a fruitful career in both politics and filmdom. MG
Ramachandran, fondly known as MGR, is the name
ahead with the
shoot. No Tamil
BIGGEST
which stands tallest among them. Considered as the
‘messiah of the masses’, the actor-turned-politician
who became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, was
hero ever did that.
That was him. He had an aura about
him, and at public events one had to just
BOX OFFICE
more like a family member for almost every house-
hold in the state. The legendary actor was the face I WAS AN ARDENT FAN OF go…M… G…, and before you could even
utter the third initial, the crowds would
HITS OF
of the state at a point of time, though his contem-
porary in the industry, Sivaji Ganesan, was the one
who refashioned the acting style in cinema. With a
SIVAJI GANESAN, BUT ADMIRED MGR
I have a lot of memories with Puratchi Thalaivar since
my childhood. One among them which I cherish is the
go hysterical. That’s the kind of sway he
held for the masses. Even when I was a
politician, and my Congress party had
MGR
knack of picking roles which had ample heroism prize he awarded me when I was in Law College. After an alliance with his AIADMK party in Nadodi Mannan
which the common man could relate to, he eventu- knowing that I was MR Radha’s son, he asked me to take the state, just the mention of his name
ally went on to become the epitome of stardom and care of my health. Later, I started acting in films and be- would send the crowds into a frenzy. Aayirathil Oruvan
leadership. He was the beloved ‘Puratchi Thalaivar’ came busy in filmdom, there came another occasion when Even today when he’s no more, the
Illustrations: Shreethar AP

for Tamilians across the globe. Like many celebri- he put a ring on my finger. This time, he appreciated my MGR magic lives on, and will live on Ullagam Sutrum
ties, his life, too, had fitness level and said, ‘You have a good physique, main- forever.
its own share of tain this always.’ I have been a Sivaji veriyan, and was — Vyjayanthimala Bali,
Valiban
controversies the head of Sivaji mandram in Trichy. But, I always liked actress
— be it his rela- him as a person and admired him. There was always a
Enga Veetu Pillai
tion with Jay- fire and valour in the roles he portrayed.
alalithaa, ac- —Radha Ravi, actor JUST THE En Thangai
tress and the for-
mer chief min-
MENTION OF HIS Rickshawkaran
ister of TN, the shoot- MGR WAS A CLOSE NAME WOULD Urimai Kural
ing episode which had FAMILY FRIEND SEND THE
another veteran artiste Since my mother, Soundra CROWDS INTO A Madurai Veeran
MR Radha in trouble, Kailasam, was part of the Cen-
any news which had sor Board then, she had a close FRENZY Adimai Penn
his involvement was association with MGR. He was
celebrated by people I HAVE BEEN — VYJAYANTHIMALA Oli Vilakku
our close family friend. I re-
like never-before. To- member how my mother was A SIVAJI
day is the 100th birth instrumental in getting him the HE LIKED PICHI POTTA
anniversary of the best actor award by the Government
VERIYAN, AND
cine icon, who con- of India when everyone thought Sivaji Ganesan WAS THE KOZHI AND MUTTON KOLA
tinues to inspire mil- would BALLS
lions of people be- win. My mother
HEAD OF MGR wasn’t too involved in politics back
longing to different walks of was a member of the selection committee and SIVAJI then, but was already a popular figure in films. I am talking about
life. It’s an irony that ‘Pu- she strongly recommended MGR’s name for the late 1950s and I was hardly around 12 years old then. I used to ac-
ratchi Thalaivi’ Jay- award. There’s another incident that’s still etched MANDRAM IN company my father to MGR’s shooting locations and served him
alalithaa is not with us food there. We opened a small mess in 1954 and served only Chet-
today for the milestone
in my memory. There was an event that was held TRICHY. BUT, I tinad cuisines. Two of his favourite dishes were pichi potta kozhi
at Children’s Theatre in Government Estate which
occasion, which oth- was attended by the likes of former Prime Min- ALWAYS LIKED (shredded boneless chicken) and mutton kola balls. He would or-
erwise would have ister Jawaharlal Nehru, former TN chief min- der them at least once a month. He would always order a bit extra
been celebrated with HIM AS A and get others at the shooting location to eat with him as well.
ister K Kamaraj, etc. MGR was not expected for
much pomp and gaiety. the event as he was only an actor then. But then PERSON AND — V Ganesan, co-owner of Ponnusamy Hotel
CT speaks to a few people my mother, who was a member of the organ-
who had close association ising committee, told everyone that she was
ADMIRED HIM
with the actor-politician, who the one who brought him there. — RADHA RAVI HE WAS A UNIQUE POLITICIAN
reminisce their memories of — Nalini Chidambaram, lawyer The political situations were not the same
him. then as it is now. He had a way of han-
dling issues in a distinct manner. A dy-
WE ARE REVIVING MGR’S PRODUCTION HOUSE namic leader, he expected everyone to
WHEN HIS FILMS My brother Sekhar and I have decided to revive MGR’s production house from to-
day, and we have begun working towards it. We are confident that we will make some
deliver their best, failing which he would
not hesitate to remove that person. When
WERE RE-RELEASED good films. It’s been 60 years since MGR started his production house, and the last
film that he made was, Ulagam Suttrum Valiban in 1973. My father Ravindran was
MGR bounced back victoriously in 1980,
despite an alliance between the Congress
A slew of MGR’s films — (Popularly known as Appu) MGR’s adopted son. Though we have been staying in T and DMK, I was attending Health Minister’s
Aayirathil Oruvan, Nagar for years, we will have our production office in MGR Gardens (Ramapuram). conference in Delhi when MGR phoned me and
Ulagam Sutrum Valiban, Our portion there was locked for years, and now we are in the process of renovating it, and asked me to meet Indira Gandhi. Moopanar was swift to get me an
Ninaithathai Mudippavan, setting it up as our office. All we want is to produce good films with good script. In fact, we are appointment with her. Upon walking into the room, she was very
and more — was re- looking to encourage new filmmakers, instead of opting for established ones. Since, it is MGR productions, we curious and asked, ‘I want to know if MGR is my friend or foe’, to
released in 2000s which have decided not to produce films which get ‘A’ certificate. MGR left us when I was just a nine-year-old, and we are which I replied, ‘that is exactly why I’m here to tell you, he’s your
saw his ardent fans, still in awe of the life he lived. He used to visit our home often when he travelled from secretariat to Arcot Road. friend, not just now but in the future also if our interests lie in the
belonging to different age In fact, it was he who named us. We are looking forward to sign a film in his centenary year. welfare of the people’.
groups, celebrate with great — Selvam, MGR’s grandson — Dr HV Hande, former health minister
fanfare.
Ashish.Joseph1@timesgroup.com, Logesh.Balachandran@timesgroup.com, Purba.Dutt@timesgroup.com, Thinkal.Menon@timesgroup.com and Atul Jacob Isaac

Praveen Tyagarajan

CITY GIRL TAKES A CBI ENQUIRY IS

BIG BOLD STEP TO
ELIMINATE HUNGER
Ashish.Joseph1@timesgroup.com
hanks to this 25-year-old, many a poor
T soul has been spared the frightening
but real prospect of going to sleep
hungry. Still a student, Sneha Mohandoss,
has been on a drive to feed the
hungry in Chennai for the last
two years. A resident of
Saidapet, Sneha says, that this
altruistic cause runs in her
blood. She explains, “It is some-
thing which I learned from my
grandfather. That’s how I start-
ed the practice of giving
Annadhanam every Thursday
at a Sai Baba temple even when I was a
teenager. But I felt I wasn’t doing enough
and the next step was to inspire others to do
the same. And that’s how the idea of
FOOD BANK-Chennai was born.”
Sneha started the initiative with a few
friends in Saidapet a few months before
Chennai floods in 2015. Now, there are 18
chapters of FOOD BANK-Chennai in the
city. “We have drawn up a schedule and we
serve people in each area based on that. For
example, every Thursday we feed the needy
Sneha in Anna Nagar and T Nagar, and
Mohandoss Saturdays, in areas around Tambaram and
Velachery.”
PROCEEDING AT
A bunch of volunteers from Sneha’s
group serves food at an old-age home on
A FAST PACE
After recording his
the occasion of Pongal statement with the
Admitting that there were teething CBI, wrestler Nars-
issues in the initial stages, Sneha says, “It
wasn’t an easy task to get it going initially. I ingh Yadav reveals
was criticised when I started uploading
photographs of us feeding the poor. People
would say that I was doing it for publicity.
why he is training in
Mumbai these days Narsingh Yadav
But I never let myself get bogged
down by those criticisms. I used
social media as a platform to find
Vinita.Chaturvedi@timesgroup.com officials, and the wrestler says, ing agency, we will move to the
like-minded people. Now, there are
“There was no question of any Court of Arbitration for Sport
volunteers not just in Chennai, but
he past few months’ fear because I was just speaking (CAS) in Switzerland. Once
other locations in Tamil Nadu and
other states as well. Two weeks ago
I went to Pune to help a group of
volunteers to start another feed-
T upheaval in his life has
not turned Narsingh
Yadav into a bitter person. The
the truth. I told them exactly
what I knew and the rest is up to
them.” Narsingh goes on to add,
they give me a clearance, I will
be able to participate in various
wrestling events. Honestly, I’m
wrestler, who is currently fight- “Now I want this ordeal to be just living for that day,” says he.
the-hungry drive there. Now, we’ve
ing to clear his name from the over; I’m really glad that the CBI TRAINING NOW CONTIN-
a common platform for all these groups to
doping scandal that led to his enquiry is proceeding at a fast
interact on social media called FOOD UES IN MUMBAI
ban at the Rio Olympics, recent- pace. My agni pariksha has last-
BANK-India.” The athlete reveals that he has-
ly recorded his statement with ed quite long, but I won’t break
According to Sneha, the initiative rests n’t allowed his training to suf-
the Central Bureau of or bend. I’m happy that the
on two principles — serve the hungry fer. He adds, “I’m doing my best
Investigation, which is checking entire wrestling fraternity is
freshly cooked food and do not accept any to ensure that my training
if the claims of his food and supporting me because they
money. “The people whom we feed on remains unhampered. That is
water being contaminated are realise that a conspiracy was
streets are already malnourished and what why I’m training in Mumbai
true. The wrestler spoke to us hatched against me.”
they need is freshly cooked and nutrient- these days. But I have learnt my
about this latest development NEXT STEP: SWITZERLAND
rich food. So, we encourage volunteers and lesson well; I have become extra
and more… The wrestler has pinned his
contributors to pack a meal of whatever vigilant about my food, nutri-
they cook fresh for their families. We make NO FEAR IN MY MIND hopes on a positive outcome of tion and water, so that nobody
it a point not to collect leftover food. Ask him if he was worried while the enquiry. “After getting a can play havoc with my life
giving a statement to the CBI clean chit from the investigat- again.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3