Remembering the Legendary M.R. Radha

“Madras” Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan is better remembered as M.R. Radha – an acting genius who was decades ahead of his time, and an under-appreciated and under-celebrated actor in the Tamil film industry.

He ran away from home when he was a little boy and later joined a drama troupe when he was 10 years old. He enjoyed tremendous success on the stage and one of his most successful stage plays was Ratha Kanneer –  a play that was adapted into a film with the same title – His fourth film, and his first as lead actor.

Radha made his film debut in 1937 with the film Rajasekaran Emantha Sonagiri, followed by the 1939 film, Santhana Devan, After starring in the 1940 film, Sathyavaani, he returned to the stage with a series of successful plays.

When the directorial duo Krishnan-Panju wanted to make a film version of the highly popular play, Raththa Kanneer, Radha was hesitant as he was enjoying tremendous success on stage. Eventually, he agreed to act, provided that the entire film was shot at night after the staging of his nightly plays. The film was a runaway hit and made M.R. Radha a household name. Raththa Kanneer – released on 25 October 1954 – has since become a cult classic with literally hundreds of films referencing the film or M.R. Radha’s character there.

Radha went on to star in nine other films in the lead role. These included Rathinaouri Illavarasi, Ondru Pattal Undu Vaazhvu and Kongu Naatu Thangam in 1960, Naagamalai Azhagi, Kannadi Maaligai and Kavitha in 1962, Kadavulai Kanden in 1963 and Enga Veetu Penn in 1965.

Radha’s first film with Sivaji Ganesan was the 1959 film Bhaaga Pirivinai and his first with M.G. Ramachandran was Sabaash Mapillai in 1961. He went on to share the screen with both giants and co-produced the MGR starrer Petralthaan Pillaiya.

Shortly after the release of Petralthan Pillaiya, came the infamous incident that occurred on 12 January 1967 when Radha shot MGR at point-blank range before turning the gun on himself. Miraculously, both survived. Radha was tried for attempted murder and was sentenced on 04 November 1967 to seven years’ imprisonment. Considering his age, the Court reduced the term to four years and three months. Nobody really knows why Radha shot MGR and there are many theories about it, but the truth behind the incident remains one of Kodambakkam’s unsolved mysteries.

After Radha’s release from prison, his first film was the 1974 film Samaiyalkaaran. He went on to star in 8 other films, the last being the Rajinikanth starrer, Naan Pota Savaal, released 11 months after his death.

M.R. Radha passed away on 17 September 1979 at the age of 72 after being infected with jaundice.

M.R. Radha was an innovative, creative and talented actor who could easily oscillate between villain roles and comedic roles, often combining the two. He brought a freshness to film acting unsurpassed at the time and could easily have been more successful had it not been for some of his bad habits.

Radha had 12 children from three wives. The acting world knows his sons M.R. R. Vasu who had a prolific period in the 1970s. His other son, M.R Radha Ravi continues to act in films. His daughters M.R. Radhika and Nirosha are still active on the big and small screens. Radha’s grandson, Vasu Vikram has also enjoyed significant success on the big and small screens.

Today marks the 118^th birth anniversary of M.R. Radha.