Major Chandrakanth (1966 film)

Mohan is a tailor who lives with his younger sister Vimala. Orphaned at an early age, Mohan goes through a life of hardship and fulfills all his sister's wishes. Rajinikanth, a promiscuous man, lures Vimala and cheats on her. Unable to face her brother, she commits suicide. Mohan confronts Rajinikanth and kills him in revenge. Now a fugitive, Mohan hides in the house of Chandrakanth, a retired and blind major Mohan is amused and fascinated by Chandrakanth's virtues and how he manages to live though he is blind. Mohan reveals why he is on the run from the law and ironically, the deceased happens to be Chandrakanth's younger son. Chandrakanth feels humiliated for nurturing Rajinikanth and is sorry for Mohan's plight. Ultimately, Chandrakanth's elder son Srikanth, an inspector, arrests Mohan along with his father for showing hospitality to a criminal. == Cast ==

• Major Sundarrajan as Major Chandrakanth • Nagesh as Mohan • R. Muthuraman as Srikanth • A. V. M. Rajan as Rajinikanth • Jayalalithaa as Vimala == Production ==

In October 1963, it was announced that K. Balachander had sold the film rights of his play Major Chandrakanth; the film adaptation would be directed by P. Madhavan for Nithyakalyani Films, and star Sivaji Ganesan, but was later shelved. A. V. Meiyappan later decided to produce a Tamil film adaptation of the play under his banner AVM Productions with the same title, and Balachander was chosen as director, as it was Meiyappan's long-time desire that Balachander make a film for AVM. The character's sons Srikanth and Rajinikanth were played by R. Muthuraman and A. V. M. Rajan respectively, replacing Venky and Govindarajan. The film was the only collaboration between her and Balachander. Cinematography was handled by S. Maruti Rao, the art direction by A. K. Sekhar, and the editing by R. G. Gopu. Meiyappan's sons Murugan, Kumaran and Saravanan were assistant producers. The final length measured . == Soundtrack ==

The music was composed by V. Kumar. The song "Kalyana Sapadu Podava" is set in the Carnatic raga known as Sindhu Bhairavi. The song "Oru Naal Yaaro", picturised on Mohan going to prove to the audience in his neighbourhood that his Vimala is singing on the radio, became a chartbuster. == Release and reception ==

Major Chandrakanth was released on 11 November 1966, during Diwali. A critic from Kalki praised the performances of the cast, particularly Sundarrajan, but felt the film looked like a play in many places. The film won two Chennai Film Fans' Association Awards: Best Film, and Best Supporting Actor (Muthuraman). == Legacy ==

Following the film's commercial success, Sundarrajan became popularly known with the prefix "Major". During the making of Apoorva Raagangal (1975), Balachander rechristened newcomer Shivaji Rao Gaekwad as Rajinikanth, named after A. V. M. Rajan's character, and Rajinikanth went on to become one of the most successful stars of Tamil cinema. == References ==