One man who created magic on both reel and real life was MGR. From a humble beginning, he went on to become a popular actor and then on to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Though he passed away a couple of decades ago, he still remains fresh in the hearts of his followers.
Interestingly, his Nadodi Mannan, featuring MGR and Banumathi in pivotal roles got released again last week. The film of the late 50s, was directed by MGR himself, and he played a dual role. Released in six screens, the movie has witnessed a mammoth crowd in all the theatres. A rhetoric-laden MGR film at the start of his political rise, came as a boon to his fans and students of modern Tamil Nadu. The film has a Technicolor sequence in a tropical island.
MGR fans are jubilant at the re-release of Nadodi Mannan. They feel it is a happy occasion to see their master again.
So says actor-director Pandiarajan too. An avid MGR fan, he says, 'I was stunned at the response to MGR's films. He has no parallel.'
Such is the power of MGR.