M. G. Ramachandran

M. G. Ramachandran, often called M.G.R., was a famous Indian actor, producer, and politician. He was a big supporter of Tamil culture and became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until he passed away in 1987.

Early Life and Background

M.G.R. was born in Nawalapitiya, close to Kandy, in what was then British Ceylon and is now known as Sri Lanka. His parents, Gopalan Menon and Maruthur Satyabhama, were immigrants from Kerala, India. They belonged to the Nair community, which follows a matrilineal tradition. The family originally hailed from Vadavannur, Palakkad, Kerala, but had moved to Ceylon.

Notably, M.G.R. was a Hindu and considered himself a devotee of Lord Murugan, a common practice among Hindus in Sri Lanka. However, his beliefs evolved. When he joined the D.M.K. (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), a party supporting rationalism, he embraced rationalist ideology, though he didn't strongly advocate atheism. Later, after forming his party following his expulsion from the D.M.K., he displayed some inclination towards religious faith. He urged his followers to pray for the triumph of his AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) party, and they fervently prayed for him during his kidney illness. After his passing, his wife established a temple in his honor.

Following his father's death, M.G.R. joined a drama group called Original Boys. Eventually, he ventured into the film industry, starting as an actor and later taking on roles as a director, producer, and editor. M.G.R.'s personal life included marriages to Bargavi (Thangamani), who sadly passed away early due to illness, and Sathanandavathi, who also succumbed to Tuberculosis. Following the passing of his second wife, he entered his third marriage with V. N. Janaki, a former Tamil film actress. Janaki divorced her husband, Ganapati Bhat, to marry M.G.R.

Acting Career

M.G.R. started acting in movies in 1935, and his first film was Sati Leelavati, directed by Ellis Dungan, who was originally from America. M.G.R. usually appeared in romance or action movies. He became really famous after the 1947 film Rajakumari, which M. Karunanidhi wrote. Some of his biggest hits were movies like Nadodi Mannan, Enga Veettu Pillai, and Adimai Penn. He was honored with a National Film Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Rickshawkaran. Nadodi Mannan, released in 1956 and directed by himself, was a huge success. He also received the Bharat Ratna, a prestigious award. Unfortunately, he faced a setback when he was shot by another actor named Mohan R. Radha, affecting his ability to speak clearly. Despite this, he continued to make a significant impact in the film industry.

Political Journey

M.G.R. started his political journey with the Congress Party. In 1953, he switched to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (D.M.K.) with the help of M. Karunanidhi. This move marked his entry into Tamil and Dravidian nationalism, making him a prominent member of the D.M.K., also known as the Dravidian Progressive Federation. M.G.R. brought a lot of style to the Dravidian movement that was gaining popularity in Tamil Nadu.

He joined the state Legislative Council in 1962 and subsequently secured a seat in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1967. When his mentor Annadurai passed away, M.G.R. took on the role of the treasurer of D.M.K. in 1969, following Karunanidhi's appointment as the chief minister. This marked an important phase in M.G.R.'s political journey.

1967 Assassination Attempt

M.G.R. and actor-politician M. R. Radha were good friends and had acted together in 25 films. However, on January 12, 1967, something terrible happened. While discussing a future film project with M.G.R., M. R. Radha suddenly stood up and shot M.G.R. in his left ear two times, and then he tried to harm himself.

After the surgery, M.G.R.'s voice changed because he couldn't hear properly in his left ear anymore, and he had a constant ringing sound in that ear. These issues became more noticeable in 1983 when he also faced kidney problems. Despite all this, when Sinnappa Devar visited M.G.R. in the hospital, he gave him money for his next film. After leaving the hospital and finishing the movie Arasakattalai, M.G.R. went against the doctors' advice and acted in Devar's film Vivasaayee. Because of the surgery, M.G.R.'s dialogue portions in the film Kaavalkaaran had to be decreased. This was the only movie where M.G.R. spoke with both his old and new voices in different scenes. The shooting incident occurred while he was filming Kaavalkaran in 1967 with J. Jayalalithaa.

Petralthan Pillaiya turned out to be the last film in which M.G.R. and M. R. Radha acted together. The shooting had just finished a few days before M.G.R. was shot. The bullet stayed in his neck, and his voice was permanently affected. Shortly after the shooting incident, approximately 50,000 fans congregated at the hospital where M.G.R. was undergoing treatment. People were crying in the streets. For six weeks, he stayed in the hospital while fans anxiously waited for updates on his health. Despite considerable challenges, he managed his campaign for the Madras Legislative Assembly from his hospital bed. He won with twice the number of votes as his Congress rival, the highest votes for any candidate in the Assembly.

Criticism and Controversies

Even after the demise of M. G. Ramachandran, many people in the state still think highly of him, considering his leadership as one of the best in the country. However, there are some criticisms of his rule. Economic data from his time as a leader showed that the annual growth and per-person income were lower than the national average. The state, which was initially second in development among 25 industrialized states after Kamaraj's rule, fell to the tenth position. Critics argue that this decline occurred due to the government reallocating resources from power and irrigation to the social and agricultural sectors, according to a report by the Madras Institute of Development Studies in 1988.

Some also criticize M.G.R.'s focus on "welfare schemes" such as free electricity for farmers and mid-day meal programs, as this is taking away money from building infrastructure that could have helped people escape poverty. The liquor tax imposed during his regime is considered regressive and affects low-income people the most.

Critics also point out that M.G.R.'s central decision-making led to inefficiency and corruption in his administration. Examples encompass the implementation of the Goondas Act in 1982 and various other legislative measures that curtailed political criticism in the media, fostering a "police state" throughout his tenure. Although these criticisms are not the majority opinion, supporters of M.G.R. argue that many of these issues were caused by party members rather than M.G.R. himself.

In his autobiography, Natwar Singh claims that M.G.R. secretly supported the cause of independent Tamil Eelam and financed the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), accusing him of considering Jaffna an extension of Tamil Nadu. There are also accusations of intolerance towards the media, as seen in the imprisonment of Ananda Vikatan's editor, S. Balasubramanian, in 1987 for publishing a cartoon critical of the government. Despite these criticisms, both supporters and critics agree that M.G.R.'s charisma and popularity played a significant role in his success as the chief minister.

Awarded with Bharat Ratna

After M.G.R.'s passing in 1987, he became the third Chief Minister from Tamil Nadu to receive the Bharat Ratna, a prestigious award in India, following C. Rajagopalachari and K. Kamaraj.

Some people found it controversial because the award was given shortly after his death, and he had been Chief Minister for only 11 years. Critics, mainly outside Tamil Nadu, said that the ruling party, I.N.C. (Indian National Congress), led by Rajiv Gandhi, might have influenced the selection committee to give the award to help win the 1989 Lok Sabha election.

The ruling party, forming a coalition with J. Jayalalithaa, who succeeded M.G.R., went on to win big in Tamil Nadu, taking 38 out of 39 seats. However, I.N.C. didn't win nationally.

Commemorative Coins

In 2017, to celebrate M.G.R.'s 100th birthday, the Government of India's Ministry of Finance decided to make special coins. These coins, with values of ₹100 and ₹5, have a picture of M.G.R.'s face and words that say "Dr. M. G. Ramachandran Birth Centenary". It was a way of remembering and honoring him on his 100th birthday.

Philanthropy

M.G.R. was a very kind person who helped out during tough times like fires, floods, droughts, and cyclones. He was the initial contributor to offer financial aid during the 1962 war with China, donating Rs. 75,000 to the war fund. M.G.R. also started and looked after a weekly magazine called 'Thai' and a daily newspaper called 'Anna', both in Tamil. He owned Sathya Studios and Emgeeyar Pictures (which he left for charity), the places where many of the movies he acted in were made. He presented a unique golden sword weighing half a kilogram to the Mookambika temple in Kollur, located in the Udupi district. His generosity showed in many ways.

Illness and Passing Away

In October 1984, M.G.R. got very sick. Doctors found out that he had kidney failure because of uncontrolled diabetes. He experienced both a minor heart attack and a severe stroke. They rushed him to a hospital in New York City, U.S.A., where he got a kidney transplant. Even though he was still sick, he ran in the election while in the hospital and won from Andipatti. Pictures of his improving condition in the hospital forced people to take pity on him. He returned to Madras on 4 February 1985. He became the Chief Minister again on 10 February 1985, but he had to go to America for treatment for about three years.

M.G.R. never got completely better, and he died on December 24, 1987, at 3:30 am at his home in Ramavaram Gardens, Manapakkam, after being sick for a long time.

At the age of 70, he was only a month away from celebrating his 71st birthday on January 17, 1988. His death caused a lot of chaos and rioting all over the state. People damaged shops, cinemas, buses, and other public and private things. The police had to give orders to shoot troublemakers if needed. Schools and colleges had to close until things calmed down. About 129 people were killed and 47 police officers were injured in the violence during his funeral. Some people even did extreme things like burning themselves and their villages.

People were invited to pay homage at Rajaji Hall for two days. On December 25, 1987, he was buried in the northern part of Marina Beach, now called M.G.R. Memorial, next to Anna Memorial.

This went on for about a month in Tamil Nadu. Around one million people followed his funeral, about 30 followers took their own lives, and people shaved their heads and did other extreme things. Following his demise, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was divided between his wife V. N. Janaki Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa. They joined back together in 1989.

In 1989, Dr. M.G.R. Home and Higher Secondary School for the Speech and Hearing Impaired was started at his old house, M.G.R. Thottam, Ramapuram, following his will written in January 1987.

The residence at 27 Arcot Street, T. Nagar, his official home, has been transformed into the M.G.R. Memorial House and is now accessible to the public. His film studio, Sathya Studios, is now a college called Dr. MGR-Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women.

Awards and Honors

Impactful Honors

• In 1974, The World University in Arizona gave M.G.R. an honorary doctorate for his big contribution to Indian cinema.
• In 1987, the University of Madras recognized him for his contributions to Tamil cinema.
• In 1988, the Government of India awarded him the Bharat Ratna for his significant contributions to public affairs.

Other Cinema Awards

• In 1965, at the Filmfare Awards South, he received a Special Jury award for his role in Enga Veettu Pillai.
• In 1968, at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, he won Best Actor for Kudiyirundha Koyil and Best Film for Adimaippenn.
• In 1969, he again received the Best Film award at the Filmfare Awards South.
• In 1971, M.G.R. was honored with the National Film Award for Best Actor for his role in Rickshawkaran.