MGR’s 104th birth anniversary: Rare photos of the beloved actor-politician

MG Ramachandran or MGR is famously known by two titles, Makkal Thilakam (foremost among the people), and Puratchi Thalaivar (revolutionary leader). While the former name was given due to his onscreen roles in the Tamil film industry, the latter he earned for his political achievements. MGR first joined politics by becoming a member of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) under the leadership of CN Annadurai before he floated his own political party, AIADMK. On the actor and political leader's 104th birth anniversary, we dig into our archives to present some of his rare photos. (Express archive photo)

MGR was born on this day in 1917 in Kandy, Sri Lanka to a Malayali family. His father Maruthur Gopala Menon returned to his ancestral village Vadavannur, in the Palakkad district, after his retirement as the magistrate of Kandy. MGR joined a drama troupe to help his family financially and made his film debut in 1936 film Sathi Leelavathi. After appearing in supporting roles in a series of movies, he debuted as a hero in 1942 film Tamizhariyum Perumal, which had 22 songs, and he never looked back. He dominated the Tamil film industry for about three decades. (Express archive photo)

During his struggling days as an actor, MGR endured poverty and starvation. He then went on to play characters in films which instantly clicked with the audience and made him the leader of the masses. (Express archive photo)

MGR shared a good relationship with top leading actors of his times. Here he is seen with Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan. (Express archive photo)

M G Ramachandran was the heartthrob of Tamil Nadu, both as a leader and a leading actor. He used his popularity to make AIADMK a successful political party that would go on to achieve sweeping victories over many elections. In 1977, the AIADMK won state Assembly elections for the first time and MGR was sworn in as the seventh chief minister of the state. In this photo, MGR is seen with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. (Express archive photo)

Generally starring in romantic or action movies, MGR directly appealed to the sentiments of Tamilians with films that were easily identifiable by both the rich and the poor. MGR was the biggest name in Tamil film industry right until his death in 1987. A still from the movie Mahadevi featuring MG Ramachandran with Savithri. (Express archive photo)