Veteran actor Sathyaraj is the front-runner to essay the coveted role of M.G. Ramachadran, the legendary actor and politician in the biopic of MGR, which is being produced and directed by Balakrishnan. The filmmaker is well known for his earlier projects like Kamaraj — The Kingmaker and Mudhalvar Mahatma, with the latter dealing with how Gandhiji might react if he were still alive and visited modern-day India!
At a time when the whole of Tamil Nadu is celebrating the centenary of MGR, Balakrishnan’s film on the iconic actor comes as a fitting tribute. Talking to DC, Balakrishnan says, “I am chronicling his film and political career, the challenges he faced, his testing times, how he took everything in his own stride, strategically eliminated his enemies and his successes, after doing thorough research. I have written the screenplay in an interesting manner without making any compromises.”
Adding more, he said, “MGR’s life really fascinated me. He started as a stage actor in Madras and was also interested in politics. He was drawn by Congress policies and was a simple man, who used to always wear khadi veshti and shirt those days. After he became a huge star in films — to make use of his fame and name — DMK lured him to join their party. But later, he branched out and started his own party AIADMK. After Kamarajar, MGR was the only leader who strived hard for education for all and even reintroduced the ‘Noon Meal Scheme’ in schools to attract children to attend school. I am bringing all these episodes into my film — including a portion on the late Madam Jayalalithaa.”
Why did he opt for Sathyaraj to essay the role of MGR? “Sathyaraj is an ardent fan of MGR and follows his ideals. He himself has admitted this on several occasions. He would perform fervently, and with a little bit of makeup, would fit in the role to a T.” We have seen Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar, which was also on the same lines of MGR’s life. How different is Balakrishnan’s film? “Mani sir’s film is a fiction and a commercial movie — I have seen the film and like it. My movie, on the other hand, is an engaging biopic, which registers the facts as it is without adding any of my thoughts. I am not using any real-life clippings or footage related to his cinema or political careers in my film,” he signs off.
