| Miruthanga Chakravarthi | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | K. Shankar |
| Screenplay by | A. L. Narayanan |
| Story by | Kalaignanam[1] |
| Produced by | Sakunthala N |
| Starring | Sivaji Ganesan K. R. Vijaya M. N. Nambiar V. K. Ramasamy Prabhu Sulakshana |
| Cinematography | M.C. Shekar |
| Edited by | K. Shankar |
| Music by | M. S. Viswanathan |
Production company | Bhairavi Films |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Miruthanga Chakravarthi (transl. The Mridangam Maestro) is a 1983 Indian Tamil-language musical drama film directed by K. Shankar and produced by Sakunthala N. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, M. N. Nambiar, V. K. Ramasamy, Prabhu and Sulakshana.[2] It was released on 24 September 1983.[3]
Plot
Subbaiah is a maestro when it comes to playing Mridangam. He is so renowned that he outshines the singers to whom he serves as accompaniment much to their jealousy. They manipulate the situation where they get his fellow musicians to question his integrity as the chief of union of mridangam causing him to vow off touching mridangam ever again.
His son, however shows keen interest which he discourages. As fate would have it, his son falls in love with the daughter of a music lover. Further, his enemy who has now relented, feels guilty and wants the great musician to come back. They use his son as a prop to challenge him forcing him to come back and play one last time. He wins outshining his very talented and capable son on stage and retires due to the pressure of playing after a long time with such high stakes.
Cast
- Sivaji Ganesan as Subbaiah[4]
- K. R. Vijaya as Deivanai
- M. N. Nambiar
- V. K. Ramasamy as Rajarathnam Pillai
- Prabhu as Kannan[4]
- Sulakshana as Radha
- Thengai Srinivasan
- Senthil
- Y. G. Mahendran
- Manorama
Production
Madurai T. Srinivasan played the mridangam offscreen for Prabhu.[5]
Soundtrack
The music was composed by M. S. Viswanathan.[6][7]
| Song | Singers |
|---|---|
| "Om Nadam Omkara Nadam" | T. M. Soundararajan |
| "Idhu Ketka Thigattatha Ganam" | M. Balamuralikrishna |
| "Adi Vannakiliye Ingu" | T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela |
| "Gopala Govinda Mugunda" | T. M. Soundararajan |
| "Abinaya Sundari Aadukiral" | Sirkazhi Sivachidambaram, Vani Jairam |
| "Sugamana Ragangale" | Vani Jairam |
Reception
Jayamanmadhan of Kalki praised the acting of Sivaji Ganesan, Prabhu, Vijaya, Nambiar and Viswanathan's music.[8]
Controversy
Initially, the producers, Kalaignanam and T. N. Venkatraman took recordings of earlier mridangam performances from both T. K. Murthy and Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman to decide which one would best suit the role played by Ganesan, leading to a huge conflict with two of the artists narrating each version of their story. However the producers insisted that originally, neither Murthy nor Sivaraman was booked for any particular role and that Murthy "was that he was agreeable to play only for Sivaji, and implicitly in the competition scene".[4]
Legacy
The performance of Ganesan is often used to mock him for over-doing the scene. However, according to Tamilaruvi Manian, Ganesan is said to have replicated the mannerism of Murthy and Sivaraman together to get the essence of his character and only those ignorant of the two would call it overacting. M. G. Ramachandran, then the chief minister, upon his return from the United States, saw a preview of the show and is said to have commented that the only person who can call himself an actor in the whole world was his competitor and rival, Sivaji Ganesan.[9]
References
- ↑ "Rajinikanth gifts house worth Rs 1 crore to producer Kalaignanam". The Times of India. 7 October 2020. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ↑ "231-240". nadigarthilagam.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ↑ ராம்ஜி, வி. (24 September 2020). "மிருதங்க நடிப்பிலும் சக்கரவர்த்தி... சிவாஜி! - 37 ஆண்டுகளானாலும் கம்பீரம் காட்டும் 'மிருதங்க சக்கரவர்த்தி'". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- 1 2 3 Venkatramani, S.H. (30 April 1983). "Conflict between mridangists T.K. Murthy and Umayapuram K. Sivaraman boils over into major controversy". India Today. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ↑ Kolappan, B. (31 October 2012). "Artiste Cheena Kutty no more". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ↑ "Miruthanga Chakravarthy (1983)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ↑ "Miruthanga Chakaravarthi Tamil Film LP Vinyl Record by M S Viswanathan". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ↑ ஜெயமன்மதன் (9 October 1983). "மிருதங்க சக்ரவர்த்தி". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 13. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ↑ Tamilaruvi Manian Speech On Shivaji || TAMIL NEWS (in Tamil). Rajkumar baskaran. 22 March 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023 – via YouTube.