This is not the first time a film or serial is being made on vaishnavite saint and social reformer Ramanuja. As early as in 1939, Va. Ramaswamy Iyengar, freedom fighter and social reformer, who was described as “agraharathu athisaya manithar” (an unusual agraharam man) by E.V. Ramasamy Periyar, made a film on Ramanuja. The lyrics for the film were penned by Bharathidasan, the poet laureate of the Dravidian movement.
“Even at that time there was strong criticism against Bharathidasan that he was writing songs for a film of a Hindu sanathani,” said Dravidian scholar K. Thirunavukkarasu. But the film came a cropper.
Though they maintained a good relationship, Bharathidasan was unhappy with Va.Ra. over the comforts made available to him during the making of the film.
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“Bharathidasan wrote a stinging letter accusing Va.Ra. of not making proper arrangements. Bharathidasan said he was tolerating everything because Va.Ra. was his friend,” said Prof. Arasu, who is compiling the letters of Va.Ra.
Mr Thiurnavukkarasu said he would not agree with the DMK leader M. Karunanidhi penning dialogues for the tele-serial Ramanuja. “Kalaignar is one among the leaders who sought to create a society eradicating the four varnas and casteism. It is unacceptable to me that such a leader has come forward to write dialogue for a film revolving around a character delved in varnashrama dharama and brahminism,” said Mr Thirunavukkarasu, who has already written a letter to Mr Karunanidhi in connection with the tele-serial.
Bharathidasan had penned the lyrics for the film