Early Years of MGR Part II
Before going further deep into MGR's career we must first understand his Power centre. None other then his own Fans. His Fans were classified into two categories the first type is Active Fans and the another is Pacific fans. The active fans involved and now also involves mostly in designing his cut outs, bringing out small books about MGR, upkeeping and Garlanding his statue, working in election campaign etc. their presence is predominant in the theatre - example the First scene MGR appears. The other part of his fans are name suggests are quite they never come into limelight but show their faith in him in Elections.
Nowadays though MGR films are shown mostly in TV channels and his titles are coming out in VCD and DVD format, still the theatres are full whenever his film is re-released. We say that in a English movie has this effect and that effect if you want to see the peoples effect you have to watch one MGR movie in a theatre. I had the experience a dozen times watching MGR movie. Eight years back I went to a movie Ulgam Sutrum Valiban, though I have seen that movie 10 times, from the start of the film till the end the Fans never stayed in their seat. They lit camphors when MGR appears and started to praise, even people started to say their problems, I understand, that MGR will hear to their problems and do their needs some of them are saying their life problem even. Whenever the villians say bad about MGR there is reaction from the people. All I came to know from that day is that MGR should not weep, he should not be beaten, he should not die in the movie, he should not loose a battle, he should not be criticised. If all this happens then the film is not a MGR movie. I have checked every film of MGR and say that all these above things are not present. Albeit the villian characters criticies MGR character that wont be much, as the writers of the MGR film and the actors also know how the people react.
An eminent actor Nambiyar who was always the villian in MGR films had a great encounter with MGR fans. In Enga Veetu Pillai, MGR donned two characters one character is coward who gets whipped by Nambiyar. After the release of the film, Nambiyar was driving through a village, he was stopped by some villagers. He came out of the car and the conversation goes like this;
Villagers : You are the one who lashed MGR right?
Nambiyar: No I am his friend.
Villagers : No we saw you lashing MGR in that film?
Nambiyar : It is a film I am an actor.
Villagers: Whatever it is you should not beat our Vathiyar (MGR) right if you do it again we will beat you.
Nambiyar: OK I wont do that, but in that film MGR lashed me back don’t you see that.
Villagers: Vathiyar will beat you, but you should not.
After getting the assurance from Nambiyar that he wont harm MGR they gave way. He also mentions that his fans were so much involved with MGR that in a movie "Thirudathae" in climax scene, where Nambiyar is hiding below the staircase to kill MGR and MGR getting down, his fans mostly ladies were shouting "Vathiyara" be careful Nambiyar in below the staircase. That was the love MGR got from his fans. Even now though 18 years after his death the same feeling is expressed by his Fans.
Hats off to MGR Fans.
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