CHENNAI: Ask anyone in the neighbourhood of Star theatre in Triplicane for MGR and they will guide you to an auto stand. No, we are not talking about legendary actor-politician MG Ramachandran, but his die-hard fan, Santhana Krishnan. When we reach his auto, we are stunned. One look at his auto and his love for the yesteryear stalwart is evident. It is entirely decked up with posters of MGR. Junior MGR, as he is fondly called, has curly hair and a dyed mustache.
Dressed in a red velvet shirt, yellow tie, and sporting black sunglasses, he asks us to take a seat inside his auto for a chat. Buddhan yesu gandhi song plays in the background. Krishnan used to work in a lottery ticket shop. But he wanted to be his own boss. He purchased an auto 20 years ago. As a father of two daughters and a son, Krishnan has been juggling parenting and his work since his wife’s death in 2015. “Every day, my routine begins with a shave. I pick my costume for the day from the 40 garments, five pairs of shoes and four pairs of glasses.
Then, I gear up for the savaris,” says Krishnan, who spends his free time watching MGR movies. There have been instances when people mistook him for MGR. When Star theatre used to play MGR films, Krishnan would get a paal abhishekam. From childhood, Krishnan has idolised MGR and followed his principles. When he offers a ride to the poor, or kids, he doesn’t charge money, but accepts what they offer. Recalling the political era of MGR, he says, “Every weekend I would go to MGR’s house to serve tea and breakfast to the people.
MGR used to feed even his enemy before getting into a battle with him. That’s one of his qualities that I follow. Out of the `10 I earn, I give `5 to kids or the needy,” says Krishnan, who earns around `750- `900 a day. The only difference between the star and the fan is that Krishnan is a vegetarian. “I’ve been following the same diet for 25 years and weight fluctuates between 53 kg and 54 kg,”he laughs. Krishnan is 54 years old now. He has never missed any important day related to MGR. On MGR’s birthday, he goes to MGR memorial at Marina to spend some time.
He hopes to continue inspiring people and live by the principles of his ‘God’. “Passersby hoot when they spot me on the road. I have loyal customers. Nobody has stopped me from doing what I like and it’s that respect that keeps me going. The lyrics from my God, MGR’s film songs are so meaningful that they keep motivating me. I’ve been living more as MGR than Santhana Krishnan by following every mannerism of his and I am proud of it.
Even a good night’s sleep is assured only after listening to his songs,” he says. Krishnan has also played cameos in films like Mersal. During state elections, he canvasses along with the area councillors. As we chat, junior MGR sings certain verses from MGR’s movies. “The smile on Krishnan’s face lights up our day. One day he dresses up like the fisherman from the film Padagotti, and on another day, like the slave from Aayirathil Oruvan,” says Kannan, a fellow auto driver.