Madras Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan (14 April 1907 – 17 September 1979) better known as M.R. Radha was an Indian actor and politician active in Tamil plays and films. He was given the title "Nadigavel" (King of Acting) by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy.[1] He mostly played villain roles, but had also acted in several films as comedian.
M. R. Radha | |
|---|---|
 Radha in his later years | |
| Born | Madras Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan 14 April 1907 |
| Died | 17 September 1979 (aged 72) |
| Other names | Nadigavel |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, politician |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 12 (including M. R. R. Vasu, Radha Ravi, Radhika and Nirosha) |
| Parents |
|
| Family | M. R. Radha family |
Career edit
Madras Rajagopalan Radhakrishna was born on 14 April 1907 at Chintadripet, a locality in Chennai (then Madras), Tamil Nadu.[2][3] Radha left his home at an early age due to a quarrel with his mother in which she declined to give an extra piece of fish to eat.[4]
Radha was a popular theatre artiste who performed in more than 5000 stage shows. Starting at the age of 10, he appeared at first in small roles and eventually grew to a level that stories for dramas were custom-made for him.[citation needed]
Radha gained popularity with the success of his stage play Ratha Kanneer. His performance in the 1954 film version of the play, directed by Krishnan–Panju, brought wider recognition of his talents and made him a household name in Tamil Nadu.[5]
Radha played both villain roles and comedic roles. In the 1960s, roles were specially written for him, and he often played the villain to actors like M.G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan.
M. G. Ramachandran shooting incident edit
On 12 January 1967, Radha and producer K.N. Vasu of Muthukumaran Pictures visited the actor and politician M. G. Ramachandran at his home to talk about a future project. During the conversation, Radha suddenly got up from his chair and shot twice at Ramachandran's left ear. Both bullets got lodged in Ramachandran's neck. Radha then turned the gun on himself and tried to shoot himself, but the bullet just scratched his right temple. Radha and Ramachandran were admitted to the Government General Hospital, Chennai, where they survived after proper treatment.[6] The only eyewitness for the shooting was Vasu.
In the assassination trial, held at Saithapet First Division Magistrate Court under Magistrate S. Kuppusami in May 1967, and later at the Chingleput Sessions Court held under Justice P. Lakshmanan, Radha was represented by eminent criminal attorney N. T. Vanamamalai. The verdict was delivered on 4 November 1967. As majority of the evidences were against Radha, he was sentenced to a seven-year term. At the High Court hearing, considering his age, the sentence was reduced to four years and three months.[7]
Death edit
After being released from jail, Radha died of jaundice on 17 September 1979 aged 72 at his residence in Thiruchirappalli. His popularity had improved and his funeral procession was one of the largest in South India, as over 200,000 mourners paid respect.[8][9]
Personal life edit
Radha is a Telugu and traces his roots back to Andhra Pradesh.[10] He married three times, and his marriages were concurrent. The names of his wives were Saraswathi, Dhanalakshmi and Geetha. Radhakrishnan was the father of 12 children by his three wives. His four sons were M. R. R. Vasu, M. R. Radha Ravi, Raju and Mohan. Also had eight daughters including Rashya, Rani, Rathikala, Ganavalli, Kasturi, Rajeswari, Radhika Sarathkumar and Nirosha. His first son Vasu was a leading character artist until the mid-1980s. His other son Radha Ravi is also an actor. Radhika is an actress and producer and is married to actor R. Sarathkumar. Nirosha (also known as Niroja) is an actress working mostly in supporting roles; she is married to actor Ramki.
Filmography edit
This is a partial filmography. You can expand it.
1930s edit
| Year | Film | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Rajasekaran Emantha Sonagiri | Debut Movie | |
| 1939 | Santhana Devan |
1940s edit
| Year | Film | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Satyavaani |
1950s edit
| Year | Film | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Ratha Kanneer | Mohan | [1] |
| 1958 | Nalla Idathu Sammandham | Muthu | |
| 1959 | Ulagam Sirikkirathu | Jagadeesan | |
| 1959 | Thamarai Kulam | ||
| 1959 | Bhaaga Pirivinai | Singaram | [11] |
1960s edit
1970s edit
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Samaiyalkaran | ||
| 1976 | Dasavatharam | Hiranya Kashipu | |
| 1978 | Mela Thalangal | ||
| 1978 | Panchabootham | ||
| 1978 | Vandikkaran Magan | ||
| 1979 | Velum Mayilum Thunai | Velayudham/Thanikachalam | |
| 1978 | Taxi Driver |
1980s edit
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Saranam Ayyappa | ||
| 1980 | Naan Potta Savaal | Arthanari |
References edit
- ^ a b Sundaram, Nandhu (31 May 2020). "'Ratha Kanneer': MR Radha's film is a scathing indictment of our culture". The News Minute. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ^ Guy, Randor (27 July 2014). "The ultimate bad guy". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via PressReader.
- ^ Naig, Udhav (1 August 2014). "M.R. Radha: The star who questioned it all". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ^ Guy, Randor (9 August 2014). "Rajaguru of villains". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Ramakrishnan, T. (22 July 2005). "On Sivaji death anniversary, M.R. Radha, Kannamba remembered". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ^ Srivathsan, A. (23 December 2012). "The day M.R. Radha shot MGR". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ^ Srivatsan, A. (24 December 2012). "Radha pleaded innocence; was found guilty". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ^ Balachandran, Logesh (18 September 2020). "Radikaa Sarathkumar shares throwback pic on dad MR Radha's death anniversary: Always in our hearts". India Today. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ^ Majordasan. "Potpourri of titbits about Tamil cinema – M. R. Radha". Kalyanamalai. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
- ^ "Raadhika Sarathkumar Open Heart with RK || Full Episode || Season-3 || OHRK". YouTube.
- ^ Guy, Randor (31 January 2015). "Bhagapirivinai 1959". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ Guy, Randor (9 January 2016). "Blast from the past: Chandhrodhayam (1966)". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
External links edit
- M. R. Radha at IMDb