Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan, also known as M.S.V., was an Indian music director, singer and actor who predominantly worked in Tamil film industry. Popularly known by the sobriquet "Mellisai Mannar", he composed songs for more than 800 Indian films and various albums across languages primarily in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. He has also acted and sung in a few Tamil films. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa conferred the "Thirai Isai Chakravarthy" title on him in August 2012 and presented him with 60 gold coins and a new car.
Nadodi Mannan is a 1958 Indian Tamil-language action adventure film directed by M. G. Ramachandran in his debut as a filmmaker. He stars in dual roles alongside P. Bhanumathi, M. N. Rajam and B. Saroja Devi. P. S. Veerappa, M. N. Nambiar, M. G. Chakrapani, T. K. Balachandran and Chandrababu play supporting roles. The film revolves around a king being replaced by a look-alike after getting abducted on the eve of his coronation. The look-alike begins to implement social and economic reforms to uplift the poor which irks the kingdom's high priest, who has kidnapped the very person the look-alike resembles. The rest of the film shows how the look-alike saves the man he impersonates and defeats the high priest.
Thirudathe is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film directed by P. Neelakantan. A remake of the Hindi film Pocket Maar (1956), it stars M. G. Ramachandran, B. Saroja Devi and M. N. Nambiar. The film was released on 23 March 1961, and ran for 100 days in theatres.
Panathottam is a 1963 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by K. Shankar. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran and B. Saroja Devi. It was released on 11 January 1963.
Subburayulu Munuswami Subbaiah Naidu was an Indian composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He was one of the oldest music directors. He worked as an in-house music composer for Central Studios and Pakshiraja Studios and well associated with S. M. Sriramulu Naidu. SMS also worked with many films under Jupiter Pictures banner and a favorite of M. G. Ramachandran.
Latha Sethupathi, mononymously known simply as Latha, is an Indian actress who starred in leading roles in South Indian films from 1973 to 1983. She is also known for her roles in various Tamil serials.
Uthama Puthiran is a 1958 Indian Tamil-language historical action film directed by T. Prakash Rao. Co-produced by C. V. Sridhar, who also wrote the screenplay, the film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini, with M. K. Radha, M. N. Nambiar, K. A. Thangavelu, Ragini and Kannamba in supporting roles. It revolves around twins who are separated at birth; one grows up as a kind and honest man, while the other grows up as a greedy and arrogant man.
S. P. Muthuraman, also referred to as SPM, is an Indian film director who works in the Tamil film industry. He has directed 72 films in Tamil. He was one of the most successful commercial directors in Tamil cinema. Initially he worked mainly with R. Muthuraman, Jaishankar, Sivaji Ganesan and went on to direct successful films with Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.
Puthiya Paravai is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language romantic thriller film directed by Dada Mirasi. Produced by Sivaji Ganesan, the film stars himself, B. Saroja Devi, M. R. Radha and Sowcar Janaki, with Nagesh, Manorama, V. K. Ramasamy, O. A. K. Thevar and S. V. Ramadas in supporting roles. The plot revolves around Gopal, who falls in love with Latha, a woman he recently befriended, when his presumed-dead wife Chitra arrives to tell him that she is still alive. He claims her to be an impostor but no one believes him.
Annaiyin Aanai is a 1958 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Ch. Narayana Murthy, starring Sivaji Ganesan and Savitri. The film was released on 4 July 1958, and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.
Adimai Penn is a 1969 Indian Tamil-language historical action film directed by K. Shankar and produced by M. G. Ramachandran and R. M. Veerappan. The film stars Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, with Ashokan, Pandari Bai, Rajasree, Manohar, Chandrababu and Cho in supporting roles. It revolves around the efforts of a deceased king's son to free the enslaved people of a kingdom from their tyrant king.
Meenava Nanban is a 1977 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Sridhar. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran and Latha, with Vennira Aadai Nirmala, M. N. Nambiar, Nagesh among others enacting supporting roles. It was released on 14 August 1977.
Paavai Vilakku is a 1960 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by K. Somu and written by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Sowcar Janaki, Pandari Bai, M. N. Rajam and Kumari Kamala. It is based on Akilan's novel of the same name, serialised in the Tamil magazine Kalki. Paavai Vilakku was released on 19 October 1960, Diwali day.
Thirisoolam (transl. Trident) is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language film directed by K. Vijayan. The film has Sivaji Ganesan playing triple roles. It is a remake of the Kannada film Shankar Guru (1978). The film was released on 27 January 1979 and turned out to be a silver jubilee hit, running for over 175 days in theatres eventually becoming the highest grossing Tamil film at the time of its release.
Rishi Moolam is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by S. P. Muthuraman and written by Mahendran. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and K. R. Vijaya. It is based on Mahendran's play of the same name. The film was released on 26 January 1980.
Urimaikural is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language action drama film, written and directed by C. V. Sridhar. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, Latha, Anjali Devi and V. S. Raghavan. It was released on 7 November 1974, and became a silver jubilee hit.
Uyarndha Manithan is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language drama film written by Javar Seetharaman and directed by Krishnan–Panju. The film was produced by A. V. Meiyappan, M. Saravanan, M. Kumaran and M. Murugan under AVM Productions. It stars Sivaji Ganesan and Sowcar Janaki, while S. A. Ashokan, Major Sundarrajan, Vanisri and Sivakumar play pivotal roles. The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by M. S. Viswanathan, while the lyrics for the songs were written by Vaali.
Vaira Nenjam is a 1975 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written, directed and produced by C. V. Sridhar. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Padmapriya, R. Muthuraman and K. Balaji. It is a remake of Sridhar's own 1973 Hindi film Gehri Chaal. The film was released on 2 November 1975.
Naan Vanangum Deivam is a 1963 Indian Tamil language film, directed by K. Somu and produced by C. T. Chettiar. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini, T. R. Ramachandran and V. Nagayya. It is based on the novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley. The film was released on 12 April 1963.
S. Yesudas known by his stage name Aaroor Dass, was an Indian stage, film and television Screenwriter who was active in Tamil cinema during the latter part of the 20th century. Aaroor Dass has written the story and dialogues for over 1000 films, who dominate the Tamil film for more than 40 years. He wrote his first film for actor Sivaji Ganesan's Pasamalar (1961). He debuted as a director with the film Penn Endral Penn (1967).
