MGR is the only accepted actor-turned-politician in Tamil Nadu: Actor Samuthirakani

In his candid dialogue with veteran journalist S Gopalakrishnan at MBIFL, the acclaimed actor Samuthirakani stated that except for MGR, no other actor has been accepted as a politician in Tamil Nadu. 

His life in cinema started at the age of 8 when he watched his first movie 'Muthal Maryade', Samuthirakani said.

"The love for cinema and the urge to watch more became strong after the first experience. I didn't have money to watch movies so I used to sell 'murukku' to earn money or would stealthily enter the theatre and watch. I was caught many times and was punished too. But nothing stopped me from watching movies. When we couldn't enter the theatre, my pet dog Bhairava and I would lie outside the theatre and listen to the audio by visualising the scenes in our minds". 

"My all-time companion Bhairava would accompany me wherever I go. He would drop me to school in the morning and join me to take me back home in the evening. He used to sit beside me to watch the cinema. When I ran away from my home at Rajapalayam in Madurai to Chennai, he knew that I was moving out. He joined me on the bus, but the conductor didn't allow him to continue. Bhairava was forced out. When I returned home after a few days, I learned that he was starving on all the days. When I touched him, he breathed his last. 

Bhairava has always been a painful memory for me. Now I have a six-month-old Bhairava at home. I have decided to shower all my love on him as a penance to my lost companion." he said.

The emotional actor redirected his conversation to his acting life and said, "My cinema career can be divided into three sects. First, I worked for  Sundar K Vijay as an Assistant Director. It was a fast-paced world there. I approached him for an acting opportunity but was considered for assistant director as I had good handwriting. The second is with my Guru, father figure, and friend K. Balachander. It was a peaceful experience 
like poetry. The third was with Amir, which was of violence. All this comprises my life in Cinema" he shared.

Samuthirakani believes that if we genuinely desire to achieve anything in life, it will reach us irrespective of time and space. 

"When working for three TV serials on a ten-day busy schedule with ten assistants each in every set,  Sasikumar called me to act in  'Subramanyapuram'. 

Actress Lakshmi, the producer asked me to leave my present job and go, as I had reached the industry to perform as an actor.

When I reached the cinema set, forgetting my job,  I ran to manage the crowd. Sasikumar called me back and said, "There are people for crowd management. You handle the camera, I am going to act." My association with Sasikumar started then. 

Samuthirakani thanked the Directors of the Malayalam movies, 'Shikkar', 'Thiruvampadi Thampan', 'Vasanthathinte Kanalvazhikal' and 'Oppam' for connecting him with Malayalam movies. 

"Fondly addressed as 'sakhavu' by Keralites for the biopic of P Krishna Pillai, I can visit any house in Kannur anytime. They love me for the character I play. Sakhavu Krishna Pillai's cot was brought from the museum and I was made to lie on it, which was a great experience beyond words," he added. 

Commenting about the evolution of language in cinema from the movie  'Veerapandyakattabomman'  to the present movies, he said, "Now there is no rule or grammar in making cinema or language usage in cinema. Anything can be spoken and done though I am not in favour of that". 

Movies like 'Appa'  were made after doing research for months with teachers, parents, and students. He shared, "I have earned name, fame, and money from cinema. Now it is time for me to return it to society, hence I like to make socially committed movies."

The seasoned actor ended the session with the message, "How we are is how the world is to us, and that any genuine wish will be fulfilled if it is from a true heart".