No 60, Kottur Road was a very popular jaunt for love, care, warmth and happiness in Pollachi around the 50s and 60s. It was not just popular for the lovely gardens and the big mansion-like look, but because it was house to a family with lovable people.
It was my father’s ancestral home. His was a joint family with 23 members; his mother, four brothers and four sisters. As a child, he was always mischievous, but was still the ‘pet’ of the family, with everyone calling him ‘Appu’.
During his childhood, weekends for him meant frenzied frolic... watching his favourite hero Raj Kapoor’s films. When most of the boys and teens his age were leading an average life during the weekends, he would be watching back-to-back movies at the talkies.
Just like one of his favourite classics, If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium , dad’s weekends were filled with films. If it was Saturday, it was Raja Rani Talkies (Pollachi) for him!
- During the shooting of Annai Oru Aalayam, Appa had the opportunity of getting to bond with the elephant calf Ganesh. He loved going that extra mile to visit Ganesh at Devar’s Gardens, which was at Kodambakkam then. Feeding him sugarcane and jaggery was his hobby at that time. The best part was that he cajoled every actor, including the call-sheet-tight Superstar, to adjust their call-sheets according to Gany’s mood swings.
After studying in Pollachi, he went on to pursue Chemistry in Peelamedu with the intention of becoming a chemist. It was in 1966 that he married T Subbulakshmi, who was the daughter of Sandow MMA Chinnappa Devar — who was referred to as the ‘dashing dynamite of a producer’ due to his ability to announce the release date of a film even on the day of its pooja .
That was when his career took a different path — towards the big screen.
He started from scratch; as part of the story-discussion panel in 1968 and slowly progressed to the editing department. He also worked as an assistant director and editor in the films, Haathi Mere Saathi and Nalla Neram .
His first directorial venture was in the year 1974, with Vellikizhamai Viradham , which portrayed the charming bond between the heroine and her deity, the ‘Naga-Devatha’. The film was a success at the box office and was also remade in Hindi the very same year.
During Devar’s regime, Appa directed 11 films, and after Devar’s demise, 22 films, in various regional languages. He also had in his kitty a unique record; after SP Muthuraman, he has directed the highest number of films (11) with Rajinikanth. In fact, they shared an amicable rapport that went beyond their professional endeavours.
He was a perfectionist behind the camera and the brains behind some interesting shots in cinema. Like the tiger-chasing stint in Maa (Hindi) and the rekla race in Thayilla Kuzhandhai. Like the unforgettable scenes in Annai Oru Aalayam , Vellikizhamai Viradham and Aattukara Alamelu. His peers always mention how he was among the very few filmmakers who could handle animals and mass heroes with equal ease. On the personal front, he was a fanatic of Raj Kapoor films. He was also a sports aficionado who played basketball, football and cricket with keen interest.
