MGR: A Biography

A matinee idol turned chief minister, a Sri Lankan-born Malayalee who made the hearts of millions of Tamils his home. . . Mgr was a phenomenon. Born in 1917, Marudhur Gopalan Ramachandran, better known as Mgr, was an iconic Indian film actor, director, producer and politician. A member of the Congress Party and then the Dmk, and the founder of the Admk, he served as chief minister of Tamil Nadu for three successive terms. Apart from his illustrious political career, he starred in numerous blockbuster films, including the box office hits Malaikallan and Ulagam Sutrum Valibhan, and also turned director and producer. In his lifetime, Mgr rose to overwhelming popularity among the masses as both politician and matinee star. Reputed also for his philanthropy, he was idolized as Puratchi Thalaivar ('revolutionary leader') and served as chief minister until his death in 1987. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1988. Often referred to as a god, Mgr's achievements are spoken of even today. This concise and informative biography seeks to examine the various facets of this fabled superstar and leader, and presents to readers the man behind the legend.

A senior management professional, Shrikanth Veeravalli obsessively creates time for his hobbies and other pursuits. His interests span a wide spectrum: from movies to music, from cooking to books. History and crime fiction are among his favourite literary genres. He loves all things associated with words - whether it is reading or writing, solving or setting crossword puzzles, listening or speaking. He has recently been empanelled as a crossword compiler for The Hindu, and plans to produce a lot of written work in the future. Brought up on a steady does to Tamil movies, he thinks it is only natural that MGR is the subject of his first book.