<i>Aayirathil Oruvan</i> paved the way for entry into politics: Jayalalithaa

Digitised version of the film celebrates silver jubilee

September 02, 2014 01:46 am | Updated 01:46 am IST - CHENNAI

Actor R.Sarathkumar honouring veteran playback singer P.Susheela  at the celebration of 175 th day of Aayirathil Oruvan  at Kamarajar Arangam in Chennai on Monday. Music Director, M. S. Viswanathan (centre), is in picture. Photo: B.Jothi Ramalingam

Actor R.Sarathkumar honouring veteran playback singer P.Susheela at the celebration of 175 th day of Aayirathil Oruvan at Kamarajar Arangam in Chennai on Monday. Music Director, M. S. Viswanathan (centre), is in picture. Photo: B.Jothi Ramalingam

As the MGR-Jayalalithaa starrer Aayirathil Oruvan ’s new digitised version celebrated the silver jubilee here on Monday, AIADMK general secretary and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa declared that the film had paved the way for her entry into politics.

Ms. Jayalalithaa, who first played opposite MGR in the film released in 1965 and continued to pair with him in 28 films, the maximum for any heroine, said the film gave her an unforgettable and lifelong experience.

‘It’s still fresh’

“It was a successful film, and it gave me an opportunity to meet and converse with MGR. It is not an exaggeration to say that the film paved the way for my entry into politics,” she said in a message sent to Divya Films that released the digitised version of the film which has had a successful rerun.

“Even 50 years after its release, the film remains like a fresh lotus depicted in a beautiful painting,” she said.

Ms. Jayalalithaa’s speech was read out by G. Chockalingam of Divya Films at a function attended by M.S. Viswanathan, music director of the film; P. Susheela, playback singer of Ms. Jayalalithaa in the film; R.K. Shanmugam, dialogue writer; and Muthu, the makeup man of MGR.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said that at a time when a film was celebrated for completing a week in theatres, Aayirthil Oruvan had run over 100 days in 1965, and the digitised version now completed 175 days. “It stands testimony to the quality of the story and the talent of those who participated in the making of the film,” she said. The film transcended time and attracted people from all sections, particularly the youth.

Actor R. Sarathkumur said that long before the advent of the technological revolution, MGR was able to conceptualise a film that could match Pirates of the Caribbean in every aspect. “His political message was conveyed through the film.”

The digitised version was released in 122 theatres across the State and remained a popular draw in two city theatres.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.