Sir,
This is with reference to the article ‘MGR’s life was a song‘ by News Today Editor, T R Jawahar dated 17 January.
It was a beautiful piece well compiled by Jawahar, picking the details from MGR’s film songs.
TRJ has crafted his feelings straight from his heart. This will be possible only for a person who has a passion for those ‘living’ songs. And that is also possible only if those songs are lively in all aspects.
If one has to analyse all the songs of MGR, then it will go on for many chapters and volumes. But, just with one or two lines from a few songs, TRJ has admiringly conveyed the whole concept! MGR had to swim against the stream throughout his life.
No one has understood the human/mass psychology better than MGR. He loved the people and in return, he is still adored by them. He always emphasised that one has to be good as well as be strong. The victory of good over evil was the theme of his films as well as his political life. MGR, the only megastar who had synchronised his reel image and real image, is still living in the hearts of the people of Tamilnadu, even after three decades since his death.
He is unbeaten since he directly faced elections way back in 1967. The party he founded is still in power. Certain things happen naturally by the will of God. People gave him lot of titles but three of them have been very popular – Makkal Thilakam (Mega Star), Pon Mana Chemmal (Golden Hearted Person) and Puratchi Thalaivar (Revolutionary Leader) – yes, three magical letters M G R stand for these three titles naturally!
MGR songs are really unique and incomparable. Many professionals, especially music directors and lyricists contributed to make those songs so lively. But it was MGR who outperformed everyone with his actions, body language and facial expressions!
However, the one man who really contributed to the greatest extent was the one who lent his voice for those songs – TM Soundarajan, simply known as TMS. T R Jawahar has rightly highlighted this fact and has paid his due respects to TMS very well. Those songs wouldn’t have been so appealing without TMS’s voice. TMS modulated his golden voice so well that it matched the voice of both the superstars of his time – MGR and Sivaji, and brought fame to all the three. In TMS, it will be fitting to say that T stands for TMS, M stands for MGR and S stands for Sivaji! Again, everything falls in place naturally by the will of God!
Thanks to Jawahar for the loving thoughts.
Amudhachari Srinivasan,
Vadodara, Gujarat.