Nagesh about MGR

I had come across Nagesh in many studios and knew each other and even did interview of him. Nagesh probably thinking that as I was from an English movie weekly `Screen' at our first meeting said that he is married to Regina who speaks fluent English. He also said that he was a clerk in the Indian Railways. I asked him in all innocence -" Is she an Anglo Indian ?". Nagesh turned red-green- blue , sputtered and kept quiet. I later learnt that Anglo Indian ladies image in Chennai was those wore frocks, smoked and drank wine, danced wildly in parties and came from areas like Doveton.
He told me what he had been saying to everyone. His going to mother's funeral after it was over due to his job commitment etc. The first thing that comes to my mind whenever I saw Nagesh, it was the song `Avalukku enna Alagiya Mugham' ( Server Sundaram). Step aside Micheal Jackson- Prabhu Deva please. It was at the shooting of a Telugu film `Gandeevam' with Balakrishna and Roja which had  ANR in the cast and Mohanlal doing a cameo in a song. I was guest of Balakrishna at Hyderabad. Nagesh and me were sitting in the house where the shoot was going on. Nagesh went for his shots and came back to chit chat. By noon, I decided to go to my hotel and to my surprise Nagesh too was coming with me in the same car.
On the way I picked up a bottle of brandy and Nagesh smiled. . " This is a paid holiday. Evening I am shifting to Jubilee Hills Hotel and my interview with Balakrishna could be tonight or tomorrow. Till then then just relax. Joining me ? " I asked. Go ahead, he said.As I had warmed up, Nagesh came in. He took the bottle and opened it and took  a deep sniff  and with a smile he said this kick is enough. But what came later was dynamite.
Our talk moved to MGR with whom he is said to have a broken friendship  that put his career in jeopardy and led to strained finances. Finally MGR is said to have bailed him out. The talk between us was in 1994.MGR died in 1987. When I asked him about MGR bailing him out when his theater was to be auctioned , he said it is all old stuff. I asked him about whether it was his rift with his comic sidekick Manorama ( a pair that MGR had popularized) was the reason for MGR's anger.
He said that his relationship with MGR was such that he could take any liberties that other's would dread and still get away with it. He said when the dialogue sheet came, he would add some dialogues that would poke fun at MGR. During rehearsal, MGR would hear the dialogue and say - Look you are going too much. Be careful, my boys  ( fans) might beat you up.  I would say -It will never happen as I keep calling you Anna ( big brother) and you call me Thambi ( younger brother).
He them said that he understood MGR after an incident he saw. Nagesh said that everyday he noticed that a unit hand was very vociferous in cheering MGR after a shot. ( It was a norm that unit hands clapped and cheered the actors after each shot, especially after a stunt scene). One day MGR called the aide and asked him what this unit hand wanted. The unit hand was employee of Sathya  Studios owned by MGR . He also told the manager that give him what he wants and tell him to report for work at the Ramapuram residence from now onward. Nagesh at first thought it was a promotion for the flattery but later only did MGR tell him - When somebody starts outdoing others in flattery, then be sure that he has a hidden agenda. By putting him in my farm house, he will be financially secure but will not see the studios again.
Nagesh blasted me saying - Why are you waiting for his interview? He should be waiting for you. These days no respect for press. Then he said - See what waste of time . Cameraman is taking several shots of Roja's backside when she is going upstairs. I was told the camera costs Rs 10,000 per hour. ( Then a Steadycam is said to cost that much).
Later, I met him in Vijaya studios where the shooting of Nammavar was going on. Kamal was the hero and K S Sethumadhavan the director. The makeup rooms and corridors were supposed to be backdrop of a college, I was told. I asked Nagesh who played a college Principal - What Sir, You and Kamal are making a good team now -a-days ? He replied - Kamal himself is a good humorist and his comic timing is perfect. Now he needs an actor who will be a great foil to him and who else but this old WAR HORSE. He is open to hearing you out and best part is he does not put you on a pedestal and instead treats you like everyone .
I don't remember Nagesh having any titles  like the comedians have today. Vaigai puyal, Chinna Kalaivanar, and so on.

Everybody forgets Vanaprastham of Mohanlal

Heard almost all the praises for Lalettan on turning 60. Quite disgusted that nobody mentioned about Vanaprastham. It might not figure in Ettan fans list or those who think he is God's biggest gift to Cinema. The film , I think, in his 40 yrs career as actor and a producer and looking back on his 60th birthday can proudly pat himself on the back. Not just coz it got premiered in Cannes or got him the National award for best actor.

The depth of acting is something that you have to see to experience it. Shaji's direction and handling of the actor in MohanLal is amazing. Vanaprastham is not the first outing for Shaji at Cannes.

Let me share a few happenings. On one side the detractors of Shaji from art house club said the invited viewers walked out midway at Cannes. Some said that Shaji has finally managed to pull the shutters on Mohanlal distribution company Pranavam. Though the BO was not expected to be high, poor planning by Shaji led to phenomenal rise in costs and that too in foreign exchange, said the critics. Shaji wanted a Panavision camera and it costs $1000 per day and lenses with trained crew and cinematographer extra. The rental schedule could not be kept as Shaji had no proper planning of shots. The cameraman and crew fled after pocketing a huge amount. Santosh Sivan stepped in to salvage the film and so amid derisive laughter they said after all it is no first Panavision film. The basic idea was that Shaji had chewed more than he could. Mohanlal was taken for a ride.

Pranavam shut shop and so rest of the story had to be true. Doing art-house movies and for a pittance by sale able actor's is the norm. Mohanlal invested his own money and with a Euro American company as partner for what ? To show that he is an actor par excellence ? The answer to the question will give you the Complete personality of Mohanlal. At least one of the channel could have telecast Vanaprastham. The man at extreme left is Pierre Assouline

Raghuvaran - No replacement yet

 

 As I belong to a generation when the technology was slowly shifting from B&W to colour and content moving away from studios , I could say that it was Raghuvaran  that caught the imagination of me. As far as villainy is considered, I would put Raghuvaran as the best villain in South movies and nobody else. My next choice is Pran of Hindi cinema.
I became an admirer of Raghuvaran only after I became a film journalist. Incidentally, seeing FB, I am reminded that today is the birthday of K S Ravikumar. It was on the sets of Puriyatha Puthir that I met Raghuvaran and Anand Babu ( son of Nagesh). Then, I had seen Nagesh only on screen. Once I walked into a set of Puriyatha Puthir and there was a air of anxiety. A unit hand said that Raghuvaran for a scene had actually slit his wrist.
It was by co-incidence that I met Raghuvaran through a common friend - Chandraji, brother of Adoor Bhasi. It was over a few drinks and that too at a room in Hotel Ganpat ( Nungambakkam). Raghu spoke Malayalam but with a Tamil accent and in his usual slow measured style. Chandraji said that Raghu's father and brother were running a hotel in Coimbatore. Raghuvaran and me warmed up and he told the Ganpat hotel manager to give me the key to his room anytime  and serve me anything, needless to say he would pick the tab. However, I did not dare to test this offer as I was afraid that after having a couple of drinks , the manager would give me the bill and ask me - Who Raghuvaran?. Raghuvaran would tell me that he played an alcoholic on screen in his early days.
I kept bumping into him at Telugu- Malayalam sets. I asked him how he managed to speak in all these languages. He said that food- water , money and shelter were important words for any man. So you learn how say the words for this essential and how to say you need it or did not get it. Rest will fall in place was his answer. As a film actor, he had to learn words for light etc.
There was one air hostess girl who was going steady with him and seen her at his house. One fine morning, she vanished. His father and brother shifted to his house and was seen in company of Chandraji. When I came back from Kodai ( Kamal film shoot) after the Rajiv Gandhi riots were over in Chennai, I was told that Raghu was beaten up by a few slum guys staying near his bungalow in Lake Area. At midnight, he was sitting on the compound wall and drinking without knowing about

the assassination. The guys thought he was celebrating.
An incident that still haunts me is the shoot of a scene in ` Izzatdar' the first film of Raghu in Hindi. It was a conference hall in Taj. There is a verbal battle  between Dilip Kumar and Raghuvaran, both who deliver dialogues slowly. The shot began. Dilip said his part and Raghu was to finish the scene with an ending line looking at Dilip. Camera for that shot in placed behind Dilip. Raghu said his part and with emotion , eyes blazing and a body language, that even Dilip was taken aback. Cut said the director but Raghu continued to be in that menacing mood looking at Dilip.
In the night, at the Presidential suite of Taj Coramandel, Dilip , myself and my Editor Taraji with Saira Banu was sitting around a table watching the TV. Dilip asked me - Raghuvaran is your friend ?. I nodded. Then what he said was something memorable. " As long as an actor is saying his dialogue , he is doing theatrics. When he does not say anything and his face , eyes and cheek muscles speak, that is acting. Your friend has that ability. Don't leave him," said Dilip. When I told Raghu about this , he laughed and said - " My first Hindi film and a scene opposite a legend called Dilip Kumar , whom the industry does not say his name but call him as Yusuf Saab, I was shit scared inside and that probably got me into the scene." I asked Raghu how he managed his dates and he said that there was one Giri whom he described as `very resourceful'.
Many baddies have come. Nasser is brilliant actor  and whenever he has got a chance to emote he has made use of it. But then it is not always that a Thevar Maghan or Kuruthipoonal comes by. After that is Prakashraj. He too is multilingual and takes pain to study the role, if it is different. Otherwise, he just hams his way through film after film. I think the best opportunity has yet to come to him.
On an ending note, I think of what Dilip Kumar said. Is there any punch dialogues that you remember of Raghuvaran ? To me No , but still he lingers in the hearts.When someone says that Baasha made Rajinikanth a Superstar, I retort asking - Without Mark Antony ?

K S Sethumadhavan- Sanyasi in filmdom

The intention was to write about my interactions with Nagesh and later Raghuvaran. As I was recollecting about Nagesh, it struck me that it was at the shooting of `Nammavar’ that I interacted the most with the ace comedian. The director was K S Sethumadhavan. I then decided that my interaction with Sethumadhavan was the one that had to be written now. In my entire career, I think Sethumadhavan is one director who does not go to great lengths to explain why his movies are classics. All you need is to ask any  director  about a striking scene in the film and probably the only saving grace of the film, the director would get excited and­­­­ explain in detail. In case of Sethumadhavan, the explanations are simple and no rhetoric. He would acknowledge your compliment with a smile and not say something like even Marlon Brando thought so.

The making of his movies were all done methodically and silently. He did not have any juicy bits like how he got the lead actors to emote or got involved in their personal tiffs. I remember Sharadha who was talking to me suddenly  running say that Master is calling. According to her, Sethumadhavan is like a school master who wants his actors to emote the way he wants. She said that he was a stickler for timing, the place you stand and the angle. If you look at his movies from this angle, you will never find any such touch of a `master’ behind it. The actors are their natural best. Many directors say that they can mould anybody to the role. Sethumadhavan had the ability to make a hero play the villain, a heroine a vamp and get away with it.

If you look at the range of actors he has worked, it  is amazing. All the top actors and actress of Malayalam, he also handled multi starrer films with ease. He also directed MGR in the remake of Yaadon Ki baarat.  He was not keen to do the film as he had already done a remake in Hindi with Sanjeev Kumar. MGR agreed and he did it as his brother was keen to produce it.

Most of the director’s whom I have come across have said that it was very difficult to handle literary writers   when it came to making  their works into films. They could not understand the commercial elements that needed to be added to their work. If you look at his films, the range of writers whose works he has adapted and made into hit films is amazing. As an example, one should read Pamman’s  Chattakari and then see the film to understand how Sethumadhavan has used the craft to tell the story.

I asked him about `Chattakari’ which even today fascinates me. The music, the sensuousness in the air and all time great acting by Adoor Bhasi had caught my imagination. I was then in my school final. When I got to interview the man who created this movie, I simply could not resist asking the question- `How did you conceive those tender love scenes in `Chattakari’?. This question was partly triggered by Sethumadhavan saying that his wish in younger days was to be a sanyasi. Generally ( going by the biographies)  the makers of romantic love stories are die hard romantics in real life but Sethumadhavan was far from all this .  All he did was blush.

A man who is polite to media but do not chase it, surprised me. I got a call saying, “Look, I want you see my Telugu film and give me publicity. It is a NFDC production and they will not do a good job. It is for the first time that I am asking a journalist to write about my film,” he said. I saw the film and had a chat with him and took the stills and left. As I was about to write about the film, Sethumadhavan called me and said –“Sorry. NFDC says they will handle the publicity. So please don’t write about it,” I laughingly told him that in your life for the first time you asked a journalist to write about your film and for the first time in my career, a director tells me not to write about his film.  I felt bad when `Marupakkam’ directed by him in Tamil and his screenplay based on the Indira Parthsarathy’s novel `Ucha Veyil’  gave Tamil cinema the first national award for Best Film and Silver Lotus award for best screenplay. Jayabharathi got special jury mention. It was the joke of the year and the start of Bollywood lobby gaining upper hand, when Amitabh got best actor award for Agneepath. Till last minute Sivakumar for his performance in `Marupakkam’ was the front runner for the coveted award.

Challenges for Kollywood ahead and an Iron Man Chintamani Murugesan

If the Iron Man `Chintamani’ Murugesan  had way back in 1993 relented, doing business in  Kollywood would be easy and beneficial to all stake holders in movie business. Post Covid, the Tamil filmdom is going to witness an election to Producer’s Council, Nadigar Sangham and opening up of a new platform called OTT for the Tamil Aaam aadmi. The restrictions put in place over number of employees to work in a film unit are going to make the workers depend on the movie business, a restless lot.

Uzhaippali, a P Vasu film with Rajinikanth – Roja in the cast and produced by Chandamama – Vijaya Productions that draws it lineage from Nagi Reddy was hot property. Rajini and Vasu was hit combo. Now Murugesan with an undisputed hold over the film trade says that the actors should take a cut in their salary as returns for distributors after settling theaters was meager or in a deficit. Those days the film was bought outright for 5 years. Hit or miss, it was the distributor’s lookout. Regular producer’s had an edge as they had the dates of stars whom the distributors banked on for their forthcoming projects.  Rajini says that if actor’s are the cause of a film loss, then he would not take payment and instead keep some areas for distribution.  He decides to keep the NSC area of Uzhaippali  for distribution. NSC is North- South- Arcot Area, those that include Kanchipuram- Thirivalluvar- Chengalpet areas. In short the adjoining areas of Chennai. City- NSC area was the top selling area. The letter from Producer to Distributor Association stated that NSC area has been given to Rajinikanth and he will do as he likes. Many producers were happy over this move as it gave them relief from settling Star’s rising fees. Some distributors too said that when actors learn the real worth after becoming distributor, they would cut the salary.

Today most of the Bollywood biggies have actors as co-producers and in Andhra, actors take only 10% as advance and a share of the business. Only in Kodambakkam, the hero gets paid in full before release and a 50% advance. Now the situation has changed with many fly by night distributors putting the actor’s on the block to settle the dues, if they want to see the film released. As publicity is already done, many of the new crops of heroes were caught in this trap. Now as alarm bells are ringing, many have got cold feet.

Coming back to Uzhaippali, though Murugesan lost the battle, the victory of Rajinikanth remained a flash in point. It was business as usual. Kamal took other South States distribution and other language remake rights. Later , he shifted to a first copy basis by which he produced the film for an agreed amount to the producer. Now for Indian 2, he is said to hold some area rights and that includes North India. He had put forth an idea by which a film would get theatrical and release over satellite DTH networks at the same time. Theater lobby revolted. Today, movies are to get premiered on OTT which will be on every DTH platform and on every online piracy site. So who is the loser?

Chintamani Murugesan, the President of the Association, said that if actors started being distributors, then distributors would have to be film reps who reported theater collections to the actor. Also a rule was in force that a non- member cannot distribute a film. If the Association issued a Red Card, theatres would not give any advance to the distributor. This was a major source of finance for a producer. Egged by Rajanikanth, the Production house held a pooja. Distributors usually turned up at the pooja and gave the advance amount. This did not happen. Many actors including Sivaji Ganesan came but that can only be a morale booster and not  cash to the producer. There was even some bullying tactics. Hotels at locations of shoot were not offering discounts on threat of boycott from other producer’s as they were in line with the Murugesan ban.

As release date neared, Rajanikanth met Kamal Haasan and drove down to Meeran Sahib Street ( also known as Ritchie Street, Next to India Silk House in Anna Salai). The street ,where film distributors and smuggled electronic goods and spare part dealers set shop, he met Murugesan and had a talk. Nothing happened. Meanwhile there was a cross current happening against Murugesan.. AVM’s Yejamaan was to release as the dispute was going on and it was exempted from the Red Card. The collections were high. As in many cases, the issue reached the CM. It was Jayalalithaa. Chandamama Vijaya productions handed over the NSC rights to Ramana distributors of Rajinikanth. Many theatres defying the ban had already given advance to the Producer and bypassed the distributors. The ban flopped. Rajini did not bear any grudge. He asked the Producer to not hold any 100 day function as it would mean rubbing salt in the wound of Murugesan. His fans did hold a function and honored the loyal theaters.

It was at the function of 200 days of Padaiayappa that one saw Muthukumariah son of Murugesan presenting a huge silver sword to Rajanikanth. Murugesan’s son was the distributor of the film. The battle saw the start of the decline of a man called Iron Man who ruled the all powerful body that controlled the business for 18 long years. Sometimes life’s twists and turns are more creative than any scriptwriter. Murugesan was hauled to court by the executive body and stripped of all rights and put as associate member with no voting rights. Murugesan had a lifestyle around which filmdom revolved. Being a close friend of Mathioli Shanmugham, then brain behind GV and Kayaar and a trade pundit, I was privy to many meetings of the Iron Man. He came to his office in Meeran Sahib Street in the morning. He had called panchayat ( disputes) to handle. By noon, he moved to his room in Cosmopolitan Club. He then had his session and in company of his aides who were also took part in the morning meetings. He then had his food and went to sleep. Woke up in the night, changed to yet another starched kurta and mundu and did a small prayer. With holy ash on his forehead, fresh as ever, he came back to his office. The dispute meet continued and sometimes past midnight, the decision was taken. Distributors and theater owers waiting in labs gave extra money to take delivery of prints. It was derisively referred as spreading the towel by the producer to pick the crumbs to release the film. Today, it has shifted to office of those who hold the rights of digital release in theaters. Then it was called strike order and now it is KDM that gets a film coming alive on your screen.

Mohanlal's Vanaprastham forgotten

Heard almost all the praises for Lalettan on turning 60. Quite disgusted that nobody mentioned about Vanaprastham. It might not figure in Ettan fans list or those who think he is God's biggest gift to Cinema. The film , I think, in his 40 yrs career as actor and a producer and looking back on his 60th birthday can proudly pat himself on the back. Not just coz it got premiered in Cannes or got him the National award for best actor.

The depth of acting is something that you have to see to experience it. Shaji's direction and handling of the actor in MohanLal is amazing. Vanaprastham is not the first outing for Shaji at Cannes.

Let me share a few happenings. On one side the detractors of Shaji from art house club said the invited viewers walked out midway at Cannes. Some said that Shaji has finally managed to pull the shutters on Mohanlal distribution company Pranavam. Though the BO was not expected to be high, poor planning by Shaji led to phenomenal rise in costs and that too in foreign exchange, said the critics. Shaji wanted a Panavision camera and it costs $1000 per day and lenses with trained crew and cinematographer extra. The rental schedule could not be kept as Shaji had no proper planning of shots. The cameraman and crew fled after pocketing a huge amount. Santosh Sivan stepped in to salvage the film and so amid derisive laughter they said after all it is no first Panavision film. The basic idea was that Shaji had chewed more than he could. Mohanlal was taken for a ride.

Pranavam shut shop and so rest of the story had to be true. Doing art-house movies and for a pittance by sale able actor's is the norm. Mohanlal invested his own money and with a Euro American company as partner for what ? To show that he is an actor par excellence ? The answer to the question will give you the Complete personality of Mohanlal. At least one of the channel could have telecast Vanaprastham. The man at extreme left is Pierre Assouline

Madhuri Dixit - Sivaji Ganesan and South Screen Awards

A few days back the media was all talking  all about Madhuri Dixit’s birthday. My acquaintance with this Bollywood Diva was on three occasions. One when Madhuri made her first appearance at a public function in Chennai – the first Edition of South Screen Awards. Second at the Tamil film `Engineer’ launch and third coverage of a song sequence shoot in Chidambaram for a film `Izzataadar’ directed by Bapiah and produced by Sudhakar Bokade. It was Raghuvaran’s first film in Hindi.

The South Screen Awards was the first to hold an open air event of film awards in South. It turned into an open air event  by default and due to the enmity of then CM Jayalalithaa towards Rajinikanth who was one of the recipients.  More of that in coming days. The award function marked the public appearance of Sivaji Ganesan after a long hiatus and received the Life Time Achievement award in the presence of many Bollywood veterans. The most interesting part was that Sivaji and Madhuri had come in separate cars. Both came in  white Contessa model car parked close to each other and parked inside the venue. I was in charge of chaperoning Sivaji. Soon after the function was over, Madhuri  walked up to the car and entered with her aide. Just behind, Sivaji came and knocked on the window and smilingly asked  Madhuri – “By your leave, could I  have my  car”. A sheepish Madhuri got out and apologized and soon she was escorted to her car. Next day the dailies carried a photo of a sheepish Madhuri coming out of Sivaji’s car.

The other was the shoot in Chidambaram Lake where there were speed boats. Madhuri had come to the locale and was waiting for us. Press team from Mumbai and only Madrasi from Madras had followed Govinda from Chennai. As usual, what was to be a journey that begins after breakfast in Chennai, turned to be a post brunch ride as Govinda wakes up late and so do the Mumbai press. Some of them who woke up had  gone to Pondy Bazar to pick up Kanchivaram sarees. Poor me, used to actors turning up at early hours in the morning for shoot, had no option to be at the PRO’s room and doze off. The PRO was heading the shopping team.

A few boat rides with the lead pair and shot in different angles, it was pack up. Reason was that Govinda is a single take actor. PRO introduced me to Madhuri who greeted me and asked about my Editor ( Taraji). We drove down. On reaching the Chennai hotel, I saw Madhuri leaving for the airport as she had no scenes in Madras.

Next was the pooja of Engineer. It was a sensation. Post Roja, Aravind Swamy was the hottest guy in the nation and teamed with a Diva like Madhuri . Director Gandhi Krishna, a sishya of director Shankar and what more you need. Rahman’s music and Jeeva’s camera. Boy, the works. Any Producer’s dream project. Hot property. It all fizzled out after a 85% shoot. No idea.

In my office cabin wall, I  had  a poster of Amitabh  with Madhuri Dixit together, shot by our then Screen photographer R Krishna. The shoot took place at Big B’s house and it was a casting coup as both of them had not worked together then. Madhuri’s manager Rikku’s dedication and the immense trust that she had  in him is something that I have heard from my Screen colleagues in Mumbai. Recently, I saw photos of Rikku’s daughter’s wedding reception in which Madhuri attended with her hubby Dr. Nene.

Where is Kanaka the Karahatakkaran and Godfather actress ?

In fact, in my entire career as a film journalist, I never came across a lady like Devika, the mother of actress Kanaka. (Remember Kanaka in Karakattakkaran  and Malayalam film Godfather ? ). It also surprises me that nobody is even asking the question about where Kanaka is now?. The actress whose Tami debut film `Karakattakkaran’ created box office history by running for a full one year and her Malayalam film `Godfather’ ( remember theater actor N N Pillai in it ?) ran for 404 days. Coming back to Devika. I went to her house to interview her daughter Kanaka. Devika has acted as heroine opposite S S Rajendran , MGR, Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesah. She had memorable roles in Sridhar directed films. The younger lot can watch her in the song Sonnadhu Nee Thaana in Nenjil Oru Aalayam.

So, I was introduced to Devika by Filmnews Anandan as Screen correspondent. Devika said that though she acted with Stars like Rajendra Kumar, Kishore Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar in Hindi, it was the Bombay heroines like Nargis, Sadhana and Asha Parekh who got the write-up in Screen. She acknowledged that that her South outings were well covered. Now to correct the historical imbalance done by my predecessors decades back in Screen,  I was commanded to do an elaborate interview  of her. So it was that I interview the mother to get her daughter to talk.

It started with her grandfather being the first to produce a Telugu film and how an uncle of her as Mayor of Madras changed the face of the city. She spoke about the standing ovation she got from likes of Rajendra Kumar and the heroines got jealous, her undying love for Tamil cinema and director Sridhar kept her away from Bombay. In between, her hubby Devadas came in to listen. After the interview was published ( it came in nostalgia column) I was given the opportunity to interview Kanaka. The girl started off saying something but to be interrupted by Devika. It turned out to be a Kanaka interview as told by Devika. I said that a photo shoot was needed and Devika agreed.

After that, I and Devika became friends. Her house was in R A Puram, I think.  It had Telugu speaking workers and a bossy Devika shouting at them. The last I saw Kanaka was at locales of Narasimham, the Mohanlal film that was a blockbuster hit. She had several hits in Malayalam including Vietnam Colony and quite a few opposite Prabhu in Tamil. Soon after Karakattakkaran , the same pair came together in Thangamana Rasa ( which did fairly well). However, they never came together again. One reason said was that Devika asked heavy amount to act opposite Ramarajan ( hero of Karakattakkaran )

One day I came across Devika. I told her that Kanaka has easily merged wth Kerala industry and she is considered a lucky mascot. This was her reply –“Malayalam directors do not have the expertise to utlise an actress dates. A big production manager came and said that they need 20 days call sheet. They want a week gap between. I told them to bring the director and I will them him how to manage without disruption.” So what happened, I asked. They did not come back, she said. I was told that the film was `Akashdhoothu’. Murali was a very busy actor and hence a slight gap in dates was needed. Madhavi did the role and got Kerala State Award for second best actress. Also the best actress award from FilmFare. The director who did not go to learn how to utilze dates of actors was Sibi Malayil.

Some say that she got hitched to a cameraman in Hyderabad. Another person claims that she is in Chennai and manages her real estate holdings.

Rajanikanth - Govinda and bottle

All those who are heaping praises on Rajanikanth for his view on opening of TASMAC  has missed the point. He said that if you open before lockdown ends you will not come to power. After Lockdown ??? Back to business???. But I also appreciate EPS for his counter reaction to Kasturi Sankar who asked -Is it food that one needs every day? He announced opening of all tea shops but with a rider – only parcels. So you can get your vessel and collect tea and the bites ( don’t mistake it for bytes). By one stroke EPS says look I am not only in favour of saraku but also of tea-kadai class. Now Radhakarishnan IAS will have to handle Nair tea kadai cluster in Teynampet to Annachi kadai in Pulianthope. Tea can be sold on  cycles too. So tracking of cycles is needed. GPRS fitted cycles or vendors linked to setu app. Anything to do with Setu creates controversy. Remember Ramar Sethu bridge?

The most   frightening assignment I got was to cover a Govinda – Karisma film shoot in Hyderabad. During my tenure in Delhi, I was send to cover riots in UP and Bihar. It never scared me. It was a cover story or inputs to a cover story. But this assignment given to me based in Chennai scared me. I called Bombay and said that I had an important Tamil film shoot on same day to cover. My News Editor said ‘” Look, no one here is free”.  Anyway, I was told by Bombay PRO that Govinda and team was going back same night. I was relieved. I could come back to Chennai, the same night. It was not my desire to be with my wife that I wanted to come back or that I missed Chennai. Whole of Andhra was under prohibition.

I reached the hotel and the counter staff gave me the return ticket. My heart sank. My flight was only the next day. So what about the night ?. I entered the room and first thing that caught my eye was a full bottle of Whisky inside my cupboard. I quickly shoved it my bag. So night is taken care off. The PRO said the car was ready to go to the location. I left. Govinda and Karishma were shooting a song. Came lunch break. Silver tumblers on silver trays went around. All of us picked one and Govinda remarked that it was very Royal. The tumbler contained whisky with soda. After a few a Royal treats, we had lunch.

The PRO said –“Sir evening we are having a press conference and all of us will leave for airport. Your flight is tomorrow,” I nodded and I thought of the bottle in my bag and thanked the good soul who left it in my cupboard. As I was crossing the lobby, I saw a few read beacon cars outside. At the door to hall stood  khaki uniformed men. Inside was a big party on. Usually, the meet has journalists and cast and sometimes the family of the producer – financiers. Here it looked like a shaadi ka Baarat. There was a bar counter, barmen and waiters going around with glasses and bites. I nearly swooned.

At that time the man behind this entire miracle popped up and hugged me. “ Ayyappa. Where have you been?. I hope you got my welcome bottle kept in your room? Enjoy. You stay as long as you want. Your flight is tomorrow morning,” he said.  The man is none other than the Great Movie Moghul D Rama Naidu. The PRO told me that the families were that of the Excise Commissioner and other top brass. There was also the Police top brass. I innocently asked – “ They can have booze anytime and anyplace they want, why here and in public  ? “ . The PRO said that – “It is not always you get to drink with Govinda and Karishma”. He added – “Your Press friends did not believe that Naidu gaaru will pull it off and somebody scared them of being in jail. Even your office chickened out and send you,”

The next day in Chennai. I opened the bottle for my friends and said I brought it from Hyderabad as a gift from D Rama Naidu and the first drink was toasted to the finest movie maker of India and man who understands the feelings of a thirsty man.

Jayalalithaa - Karunanidhi and more

Stalwarts I met and did not

I met some film stalwarts as a political journalist and some as a film journalist. Prem Nazir , NTR and MGR, I met as a political journalist I never interacted with Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi and interviewed Dr Rajkumar and Karnataka CM Bangarappa as a film  journalist. Interactions with Nadigar Thikam Dr Sivaji Ganesan will come as a special section. 

Prem Nazir coming from Cheranyngir a little town off Trivandrum ( my home town) was known to me even before I came to journalism. Many of his relatives were my classmates and friends. Through them, I have talked to him and seen him at marriages etc. He knew my grandfather S S Pillai ( then Editor of Screen weekly). In fact, we had a group that saw every first second show of Nazir film. Second show was convenient to say some excuse from home and escape. In fact, we started a fan club of Nazir funded by Latheef Bhai. Latheef was  a know production controller in Malayalam films and a right hand of Nazir.

The announcement came that Nazir is to enter politics and that too on a Congress ticket. Karunakaran was said to be behind the move. The talk was that pressure from IT raids had led him to take refuge in Congress. I was then working for The Sunday Observer and took his interview. His entry did not go as planned. One night, I got a call saying Nazir was no more and his body was coming next day from Madras to Trivandrum. Photographers climbed to a parked ladder to shoot the body coming out of the exit door of the passenger side but instead it came from the luggage loft below. At one end there was a microphone blaring that Kerala’s  golden son’s mortal remains has touched ground. Later after I was doing my film rounds in Chennai, I was told that Indian Airlines asked for passenger charges if the body had to be kept o top. It meant removing seats. Hence Kerala’s Golden Son came in a regular flight and in a luggage hold. Many producers who became lakhpati due to Nazir suddenly went penniless when they were asked to pay for the airline charges. What about Nazir’s brother and son;s decision ? Your guess is as good as mine.

MGR

As the custom in Trivandrum, we were members of MGR and Sivaji fan clubs. The theaters showing Tamil films belonged to my classmates Dad, a Tamilian himself. Cut-out came from Nagercoil by road. Burly men in cycles fitted with load racks and sporting multicolored lungi and net bannian came in droves for MGR films while car parking lot overflowed for Sivaji films. One fine morning, we were told that MGR was coming to campaign for Kovalam beach constituency. He had a press meet at Guest House and what he said was not clear. His public speeches were translated into Malayalam but bore no link to his mutterings.  He had a man who shouted the question in Tamil and interpreted the mumblings into Malayalam. That was interview of MGR for Sunday Observer.  A big disappointment for a fan turned journalist.

Dr. Rajkumar

My first meeting with Dr Rajkumar was at his Trustpuram house. He had an interpreter to translate his Kannada into Tamil and vice versa.. His wife Parvathamma and sons spoke good Tamil. He had the best of relations with all thespians and more so with Sivaji. In fact, he spearheaded the shift of Kannada filmdom to Bangalore. Behind his white and white dress and a messiah like smile lay a sinister man who went to any extent to keep his rivals out, was what many said about him. All said, his charisma remained intact even after quitting films and not having occupied any political chair. Till his end, he kept politicians on tenterhooks saying that he nursed political ambitions. Luckily for him, his sons too have taken after him.

NTR

During the Shivarathri festival of ten nights, we usedt o see purana ( mythological) films every night to keep awake We saw NTR in many such films and followed by Gemini and Sivaji. We heard that people  fell at his feet and prayed when he came out  of his house. Later while covering a Sivaji film shooting, I was introduced to the cameraman Williams ( known as Korangu ( monkey) Williams). I was told by Williams that he had the audacity to smoke and not get up from the chair , when NTR walked in. Williams got away with it or not, I can’t recall.

I was investigating a major scam In Tirupati temple  involving sale of laddus and sharing of revenue among a few families called archakaras. I stayed in a seedy lodge and with a tout gathered all evidence of a underworld operating from the free room facility for pilgrims to national level flesh trade. Later, taking my iD as reporter of The Onlooker and I met the TTD Executive officer, He made me the TTD Guest and gave me a royal suite with staff and I could walk straight to deity without any queue   My next was to meet NTR who as CM and Tirupati MLA had decided to take on the crime syndicate in the temple town. I went to CM’s office and gave a letter asking for an interview. In no time, a team came and asked me to give the questions as he answered only after seeing the questions and answers were in written form. No recorders were allowed when he answered supplementary. I was told that Illustrated Weekly took an interview of his in English and published it ad verbatim to show him as a clown. Appointment time was 4 AM. Car comes to hotel and takes me to a cottage that looked like a set where the hermits lived. Trees and landscaped with creeks etc. I sat on the floor. (No chairs around). Before NTR came, a plate full of fruits came. It was carried by men and not women.

As he entered, I froze. Should I fall at his feet or just do a namaste? Fresh as ever ,with many precious stones on him, silk kurta and dhoti. I had read the answers and asked a few supplementary. He conversed in broken English. A few minutes later  he waved me off saying, -Before you reach Bombay, everything will be changed. It did. The whole temple was taken over. How can you protest when the GOD NTR who has played Shiva- Vishnu etc takes over the abode?

Karunanidhi-Jayalalithaa and Bangarappa :

Jayalalithaa is one person that I have not interacted. The only time I got to see her close was to go on stage during a function organized by FEFSI to celebrate her becoming CM. I was part of the office bearers of South Indian Film Journalists Association run by Filmnews Anandan and Cinema Express Ramamurthy. In case of Karunanidhi, it wa a case where I could meet him anytime I wished. But it never happened. Right from Murasoli Selvam to Amritham to Cochin Haneefa ( dear friend) and all at Murasoli Movies were great buddies but never did I come across Karunanidhi on the sets. He usually turns up late night on sets, I was told. The time I saw him close was at the wedding of Priyadarshan with Lizzy at Taj.

The other CM whom I saw and interviewed was then Karnataka CM Bangarappa. His son Kumar Bangarappa was acting in a Kannada film produced by Kottarakara ( a family friend). He just took me past the security and put me in front of Yedurappa. As I was a film journalist, I asked him about how he planned to make Bangalore into a film makers dream.

Balakrishna and Wills :As I had mentioned about NTR, I think, I should talk about his son Balakrishna. We used to meet often in Chennai and he later started spending more time in Hyderabad. He asked me to fly over to Hyderabad to do a promotion of his film. I was put up in Banjara Hills Hotel. He said that he would meet me by the pool-side. I went to the pool side and saw that opposite to the lawn was a hall filled with Congressmen. Hordes of cops  at entrance. Balakrishna is in TDP ( not MLA) and how will he cross these cops and sit by the pool to have a drink ?. He came and I saw the cops salute him. He walked towards the pool and pulled up a chair. What will you have he asked. Rum and water, I said. I added a packet of Wills please. He smiled and told the waiter- same here. His drink and smoke was the same. He said that he carried Wills when he went abroad. From there, he drove the car to a busy narrow street which was full of pungent chicken masala. He got out and like any guy ordered two plates and sat on the stool at the roadside and ate. I asked him if he did not feel nervous that the CM( of Congress) was in a hall by the pool side and now eating here on the roadside without any bodyguard. He laughed and said- “ If you have people who love you, they will take care of you. As for CM, We the NTR clan are here for generations. They do not see us as politicians.”

Remembering KKKK

Kandukondain Kandukondain, the Rajiv Menon directed film was released 20 years ago. There was lot of write-ups about this iconic film and Rajiv talking about it. I was wondering what producer Kalaipuli Dhanu had to say about it as I was inadvertently a party to a payment settlement feud between the former and Rajiv. Later I found Dhanu’s talk on KKKK in OneIndia Tamil. He spoke about how for the  Royalty agreed to give their Palace in Karaikudi for the first time and the shooting of a song abroad when there was a terrorist attack. He also spoke about Aishwarya Rai telling Rajiv that she would not shoot on the final day if Dhanu did not join her for lunch. No mention of the bad blood.

It all started with an interview in Screen weekly ( I was the South Chief). The assigned person was Girija Sudheendharan , known to Rajiv and his mother Kalyani. Usually, as a policy, We do not carry any allegations as we were a trade paper. A single line in the interview let hell break loose. Rajiv said – “I have not been paid a single penny for my work for past two years of work”. Dhanu and I had a meeting. He had taken the matter with the Film Chamber. He wanted us to give his version of the story. He gave me hotel and phone bills , outdoor unit bills to show how the budget had far exceeded the estimate and along with it some photos of Rajiv partying with Tabu and Aishwarya in the pool etc to show time was wasted. I carried the expense side of the story as that was the charge and the partying and frolicking was not our lookout. Later the issues were sorted out.

I remember the audio launch. Right from Rajiv to all of cast came wearing white kurta- dhoti attire. Rahman came in his usual attire. The dhoti was a Kerala style zari one and there was talk of a Malayali touch to it. The facts given  was that Rajiv got 60% share of the business t as he would bring in the ensemble cast including Rahman on board and also his direction fee. As part of the deal, Rajiv took Madras city (considered the biggest box office earning territory), Overseas distribution and Bombay rights.

I then heard that the posters of KKKK in Bombay had no mention of Dhanu. Later this iconic movie’s screenplay was released in book form. Here too the name of Dhanu was missing. Apart from missing out on credits as a producer, Dhanu lost a huge chunk of money as outside of Madras, it was a bomb. To keep the prestige of the banner, Dhanu pulled the film to 50 days and saw that it reached 100^th day in Madras to keep his banner name. The surprise is that Mammooty who was part of the film could not bring the crowds in Kerala.

There were some interesting tit bits that were doing the rounds. One was that Prasanth flush with success of Jeans was approached to play Ajith’s role. He wanted to be paired opposite Aishwarya and Rajiv is said to have asked “Are they the RK- Nargis pair ? “

It was said that Rahman had taken a break to work with Andrew Lyold Webber and so the composition for KKKK did not come on time. Aishwarya who gave two hits Taal and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in Hindi after signing KKKK got busy and had no dates. There was no formal agreement with her and so one had to just wait.