First southern superstar's centenary is eventless

CHENNAI: About half a century before Rajnikanth's mannerisms became a rage, MKT Bhagavathar's hairstyle was followed by every young man south of the Vindhyas. So popular were his songs that for generations men wooed their sulking women by singing Radha unakku kobam agathade'. Housewives made filter coffee humming another song, Mayaprapanchathil'. Little wonder that film historians hail him as the first superstar of southern cinema, pointing to his enduring legacy. However, the centenary of the actor whose voice enslaved generations of film and music buffs is going almost unnoticed, according to film historian Randor Guy.Presenting the budget in the Assembly this year, finance minister K Anbazhagan had announced that the centenary of MKT Bhagavathar would be celebrated in a grand manner. However, till date, no felicitation plans have been announced. "Bhagavathar had acted only in 14 films in his career and six of them were big hits, with Haridas' running for three Diwalis in a single theatre, a record that remains unbroken," said Guy. "He is an icon and his works deserve to be celebrated every year."

Film historian Vamanan, who delivered a lecture on Bhagavathar as part of Madras Week celebrations at the music department of Madras University -- the only event related to the superstar to be held so far -- felt that lovers of cinema should organise celebrations in honour of the original superstar'. "One need not wait for the official machinery, since Bhagavathar kept off politics and belongs to the people," Vamanan said.Bhagavathar debuted in films in 1934 with Pavalakkodi' and his film Chintamani' is the first Tamil film to run for a year, said the two historians. Born on March 1, 1910, he died on November 1, 1959, his career hitting a block after he was accused and imprisoned in the sensational Lakshmikanthan murder case. Although released after a re-trial, his career never soared again, but his celluloid works remain ever-greener.

When contacted, sources in the information ministry said plans for a grand celebration, along the lines of Anna's centenary celebrations, were being fine-tuned. "A review meeting was held recently. His works will be exhibited in many towns and the grand event will be held either in Trichy or Chennai within 45 days," the sources said.