'Jana Nayagan' trouble brings back MGR memories
CHENNAI: Nearly two-and-a-half months have passed since January 9, when actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Jana Nayagan was originally slotted for theatrical release.
After the producers locked horns with the CBFC and took the battle to the courts and then back to the certification agency, reports now indicate that the CBFC has referred the movie, which reportedly has politically loaded dialogues, to ECI since the Model Code of Conduct has come into force.
To a question on this, Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik on Thursday told the media that since it was a situation without precedent, the ECI would take a final call if the movie has to be released ahead of the elections.
However, Tamil Nadu had faced a situation in 1973 with similar ingredients — a matinee idol, his newly launched party, an election around the corner and a big-budget movie waiting for release.
With elections-related restrictions not so stringent back then, as ECI only had a Minimum Code of Conduct that was more of an appeal for fair play, the drama that unfolded over the release was purely due to politics and not procedural hurdles.
The movie was AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran’s Ulagam Sutrum Valiban (globetrotting youngster), which, true to its name, was shot on a huge budget across many countries in Southeast Asia.
MGR had launched his party in 1972, and the party had decided to test the electoral waters in the bypoll announced for Dindigul Lok Sabha constituency on May 20, 1973. The movie was slotted for release just ahead of the election. Though the movie managed to get released on May 11, 1973, just nine days ahead of the polls, it was not without facing a lot of drama from his political rival, the DMK.
Recalling the incident, former journalist Durai Karuna, who has penned a book in Tamil, MGR Arasiyal Pathai, said the movie’s release was openly challenged by some DMK leaders on political platforms. A key opponent was the then Mayor of Madurai Corporation, Madurai S Muthu, a regional strongman of the DMK. It is noteworthy that Dindigul was then part of the Madurai district.
“He said the movie reels will be burnt to ashes. Threatened by DMK, nobody in Tamil Nadu was even ready to do the post-production, and MGR got the reels ready from Mumbai through his close associate VP Raman,” according to Karuna.
With uncertainty looming large, MGR began campaigning for its candidate, Maya Thevar. During a campaign on May 3, 1973, at Batlagundu in Dindigul constituency, which Karuna witnessed in person, MGR assured the crowd that the movie would be released.
“When the crowd asked him when, MGR in turn asked the crowd if they would just watch the movie and not work for the election. When the crowd responded that they would watch and work 10 times harder for the victory, MGR announced the release date as May 11,” he recalled.
To make a political statement and as a challenge to Muthu, MGR’s fans club members carried out a road show in Madurai with a replica of the globe in a chariot vehicle to the theatres, saying that the chariot had the movie reels.
“However, the original reels were not there. They had already reached the theatre safely,” Karuna recalled. Not surprisingly, the film went on to become a major commercial success.
About 10 days later, AIADMK tasted its first electoral victory. The party won the constituency with a huge margin by securing around 51% of the votes. Writer R Kannan, who has authored biographies of DMK founder CN Annadurai and MGR, however, called the linking of movie releases with elections as absurd.
“Elections have nothing to do with movie releases. Anyone can act in movies, and I don’t see any connection. It is completely absurd,” Kannan said. It can, however, be recalled that ECI blocked the release of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s biopic, slotted for release days before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.