Karunanidhi: 1924-2018
Chennai : Muthuvel Karunanidhi – widely known as Kalaignar (‘artiste’) – was a politician par excellence whose name was synonymous with not just his party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), or the politics of Tamil Nadu for half a century but with the world of Tamil letters and culture as well.
Born on June 3, 1924 in Tirukuvalaiyur in Nagapattinam district to Muthuvelu and Anjugam Ammal, Karunanidhi was inspired by the Dravidian movement as a teenager.
He also took part in the anti-Hindi agitations of 1937-40 and published a handwritten newspaper ‘Manavar Nesan’ (Friend of Students) and later formed the first student wing of the Dravidian movement, Tamil Nadu Manavar Mandram.
The anti-Hindi agitation was revived by the DMK in 1965, leading to massive anti-Congress sentiments amid much violence.
Karunanidhi also published ‘Murasoli’, a monthly which grew to become a weekly and the DMK’s official daily.
Last year it celebrated its platinum jubilee.
Karunanidhi was a multifaceted personality — journalist, poet, playwright, script writer — whose fiery dialogues as an iconoclast in films unleashed changes in Tamil Nadu’s social scene.
Starting off as a screenwriter and poet in the Tamil film industry in 1944, he blended stories with his socialist and rationalist ideals of the Dravidian movement. The controversial film Parasakthi, released in 1952, is one such example. A runaway success for its Dravidian plot, the film raised several eyebrows for its anti-Brahminism tone. Kalaignar, as he was called, through the power of his pen, infused life into the character of Gunasekaran that introduced and immortalised Sivaji Ganesan in the Tamil film industry.
Some of Karuna’s best scripts
Rajakumari (1947): At 23, Karunanidhi decided to turn his art into a weapon. For this film he collaborated with MG Ramachandran (MGR), who would later become a fierce political rival.
MANTHIRI KUMARI (1950): Based on Tamil epic Kundalakesi, with at least five primary characters, the film showed how good-writing can create drama through twists and turns. It was one of the biggest hits of the year and a validation or Karunanidhi’s talent.
PARASHAKTI (1952): Sivaji Ganesan and SS Rajendran made this film immortal. Even now, it’s one of the finest stories on the ‘lost and found’ theme. The tale of three brothers and their sister has all the elements of an entertaining movie, yet it was a sharp comment on the state of women and poor in society.
IRUVAR ULAM (1963): Karunanidhi wasn’t only good with satirical writing, he also knew how to strike a balance between popular taste and complex themes. On the outset, it was about two people falling in love, but in his own way, the writer slipped in some hard-hitting social comments.
NYAYA THARASU (1989): Karunanidhi’s screenplay was all about conveying the real meaning of othering in Indian society. With many layers, this story brought back the focus on the idea of women emancipation and how free are our surroundings in reality.
PONNAR SHANKAR (2011): This was Karunanidhi’s last outing as a screenplay writer. Actor Prashanth played the lead roles of twin brothers and it became a commercial success at the box office.