Those were the years of M G Ramachandran, the glittering star who was slowly but surely morphing into Makkal Thilagam and Puratchi Thalaivar.
Nambiar had been acting with him side by side, sharing the same movies where one was the embodiment of good while the other the personification of evil.
It was in 1965 when two films burst into the Tamil scene that kept astonished audiences talking for years to come. How many of us can forget the vile 'Uncle' who terrorises innocent Ramu, snatching his wealth and ruling in his stead? And who, by the same token, can forget Naan Anaiyittal, the song that never fails to inspire even now -- when a jubilant MGR takes a whip in his hand to thrash Nambiar?
To say that Enga Veetu Pillai became a blockbuster is hardly doing it justice -- the movie swiftly acquired legendary status. And then Aayirathil Oruvan happened. There was no beating this pirate leader, who cast evil eyes on heroine J Jayalalitha and tried to get the best of hero/physician MGR: his evil machinations struck fear into every gullible viewer.
Also See: Composing for Avakkai Biryani
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