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Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
Born	Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar March 1, 1910(1910-03-01) Mayavaram, Madras Presidency, British India
Died	November 1, 1959 (aged 49) Madras, Madras State, India
Other name(s)	M. K. T.
Years active	1934–1959

Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar (Tamil: மாயாவரம் கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி தியாகராஜ பாகவதர்) (1 March 1910 – 1 November 1959), also called M.K.T., was a Tamil film actor, producer and Carnatic music singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful Tamil film actors ever.

Bhagavathar was born in the town of Mayiladuthurai in then Tanjore district of the Madras Presidency, British India. He started his career as a classical singer and stage artist in the late 1920s. In 1934, he made his debut in films with the movie Pavalakkodi which turned out to be a hit. From 1934 to 1959, Bhagavathar acted in 14 films of whom 6 were box-office hits. Bhagavathar's 1944 film Haridas ran for three consecutive years at Broadway Theatre, Madras and created the record for the longest continuous run at a single theatre. Bhagavathar was arrested in 1944 as one of the main suspects in the Lakshmikanthan Murder Case and spent three years in prison before being released in 1947 after a re-trial found him innocent. Bhagavathar's career declined after his arrest and though he did continue to act in Tamil films after his release from prison, none of them did well. Bhagavathar died of diabetes at the age of 50 on 1 November 1959.

Bhagavathar was acclaimed for his powerful, melodious voice and the ease with which he could sing high pitch notes. Critics and film historians acknowledge Bhagavathar as the "first superstar of Tamil cinema".

Bhagavathar was a philantropist and contributed for important social and religious causes. He was awarded a "Diwan Bahadur" title by the Governor of Madras for his contribution to the British war efforts during the Second World War but he turned it down.

Early life

Thyagaraja Bhagavathar was born in Mayavaram, Tamil Nadu, British India, in a family of viswabrahmin goldsmiths. He grew up in Trichy.

Early films

In 1934, businessmen Lakshmana Chettiar and Rm Alagappa Chettiar and film director K. Subramaniam happened to watch a Hindu mythological play called "Pavalakkodi" in which Bhagavathar played the lead role of Arjuna. Thoroughly impressed with the performance, Chettiar planned to produce a movie based on the same story with Bhagavathar playing the lead role. The film was shot in Adyar and was a success. It helped launch Bhagavathar's career in films.

Bhagavathar's second film Naveena Sarangadhara (1936) was again directed by K. Subramaniam and was based on a play called Sarangadhara.

Rise to stardom 1937-1944

In 1937, Bhagavathar was cast in role of Bilwamangal in the film Chintamani directed by Y. V. Rao. Chintamani was a record-breaker and became the first Tamil film to run continuously for a year. Bhagavathar's songs in the movie were especially popular. The Tamil writer Kalki Krishnamurthy wrote that the film has made such an impact on the viewers that the housewife would sing the song Mayaprapanchattil from the movie while preparing coffee in the morning and her husband would sing Rathey unakku kobam in order to please his sweetheart.^[1] However, the songs that were featured in the gramophone records produced by Saraswathi Stores were not sung by Bhagavathar as he did not have any business understanding with the company. With the profits obtained from the movie, the owners of Rayal Talkies constructed a theatre in Madurai and named it Chintamani.^[1][2]

The very same year, Bhagavathar was offered the title role in the film Ambikapathy made by the American film director Ellis R. Dungan. The film was Bhagavathar's second consecutive hit in the year and broke records set by Chintamani. Dungan was, however, heavily criticized by the conservative Hindu society for introducing controversially intimate scenes between Bhagavathar and the heroine Santhanalakshmi. Bhagavathar's next movie was his self production Sathyaseelan (1938) which performed commendably well. Bhagavathar played the role of Saivite saint Thiruneelakanta Nayanar in the 1939 movie Thiruneelakantar.

Career

Singing

Most of M.K.T.'s songs were devotional with a South Indian classical base. Along with lyricist Papanasam Sivan, M.K.T. composed many songs, including "Unai Alaal", "Neelakanta", "Amba Manam Kanindhu", "Soppana Vazhvil Makizhndu", "Maraivaai Maraitha Odu", "Gyaana Kann", "Sathva Guna Bodhan", "Rajan Maharajan", "Krishna Mukunda Murari", "Naatiya Kalaiye", "Radhe Unaku Kobam Aagadadi", "Vasantha Ruthu", and many others.

Acting

M.K.T. made his debut in the 1934 film Pavalakodi; he appeared in another 14 movies before he died. Most of his films were record-breakers. Thiruneelakandar, Ambikapathi, Chintamani were among the first highly successful Tamil films. Haridas, released in 1944, ran continuously for three years at the Chennai Broadway Theatre.

Later years

In 1944, M.K.T., actor N. S. Krishnan, and Coimbatore-based movie studio owner Sriramlu Naidu were charged in the murder of Lakshmikanthan; M.K.T. was acquitted and released in 1946. Prior to his arrest, he was signed up to act in 12 more films, but he lost interest and the few movies he did make after release were unsuccessful. Nevertheless, he still drew huge crowds at his concerts. He had lost almost all his wealth in his case defense.

Followers of the Dravidian movement, such as C. N. Annadurai (the founder of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) political party and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu), tried to entice him to their fold, but because of his convictions, M.K.T. remained apolitical and a staunch bhakta until his death. It is believed that his absence from the film industry provided a window for the Dravidian atheist movement to move in and establish themselves in the Tamil film industry.

Haridas box office record was reset by Chandramukhi in 2007, almost half-a-century later.

Legacy

During the Second World War, at the request of the Governor of Madras, Arthur Oswald James Hope, Bhagavathar organised concerts and plays to raise money for the British war effort.^[3] The Governor recognized his contributions by offering him a "Diwan Bahadur" title which Bhagavathar declined.^[3]

Filmography

M. K. T. in the film Ambikapathy.

References

External links

• M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar at the Internet Movie Database
• A legend fades into oblivion, The Hindu
• M.K.Thyagaraja Bhagavathar at tamilnation.org