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.
Jaishankar was an Indian actor known for his work in Tamil cinema. He was a notable lead actor in the 1960s and 70s, who was credited onscreen with title of Makkal Kalaingnar or Makkal Thamizhan in most of the films starring him. He was also referred to as Thennakathu James Bond because of his roles in films such as Vallavan Oruvan and CID Shankar.
Rickshawkaran is a 1971 Indian Tamil-language vigilante film directed by M. Krishnan and produced by R. M. Veerappan, who doubled as screenwriter. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, Padmini and Manjula, with S. A. Ashokan, Major Sundarrajan and Manohar in supporting roles. It revolves around a rickshaw puller who witnesses a murder, and decides to unearth the mystery behind it.
Gauravam (transl. Prestige) is a 1973 Indian Tamil-language legal drama film written and directed by Vietnam Veedu Sundaram. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan in a dual role as a barrister and his nephew fighting the same case. It is an adaptation of Sundaram's play Kannan Vanthaan. The film was released on 25 October 1973 and became a commercial success, with Ganesan winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.
Thillu Mullu (transl. Hanky-panky) is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by K. Balachander and written by Visu. A remake of the 1979 Hindi film Gol Maal, it stars Rajinikanth, with Thengai Srinivasan, Nagesh, Poornam Viswanathan, Sowcar Janaki, Madhavi and Viji Chandrasekhar in supporting roles. The film is about Chandran, who lies to his boss to get a leave but gets caught. To save his job, he is forced to pretend to his boss that he has a twin brother.
Maaveeran is a 1986 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Rajasekhar. A remake of the 1985 Hindi film Mard, it stars Rajinikanth, Ambika and Jaishankar. The film revolves around a rude princess, who falls in love with a simpleton after initially being hostile towards him.
Padikkadavan is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language action drama film, starring Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth and Ambika. It is directed by Rajasekhar. The film was produced by Kannada actor Ravichandran along with his father N. Veeraswamy. It is a remake of the Hindi film Khud-Daar (1982).
Justice Gopinath is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language film directed by D. Yoganand. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, Rajinikanth and Sumithra. It was released on 16 December 1978 and became a box office failure.
Naan Vazhavaippen is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film, directed by D. Yoganand. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya and Rajinikanth, while Jai Ganesh and Major Sundarrajan play supporting roles. It is a remake of the Hindi film Majboor (1974). The film was released on 10 August 1979.
Garjanai (transl. Roar) is a 1981 Indian Tamil language film directed by C. V. Rajendran, starring Rajinikanth and Madhavi. The music was scored by Ilaiyaraaja. The film was simultaneously shot in Malayalam as Garjanam and in Kannada as Garjane. All three versions of the film failed at the box office. Garjanai ran for 52 days in Chennai making it one of Rajinikanth's films with the shortest run in theatres.
Thanikattu Raja is a 1982 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by V. C. Guhanathan, and Produced by D. Ramanaidu. It stars Rajinikanth, Sridevi and Sripriya, with Jaishankar, Vijayakumar, Sathyakala and Y. G. Mahendran in supporting roles. The film had music by Ilaiyaraaja and cinematography handled by P. S. Nivas. This movie did excellently well in the box office.
Uruvangal Maralam is a 1983 Indian Tamil-language drama film written, produced and directed by S. V. Ramanan who also composed the film's soundtrack. The film stars Y. G. Mahendran and Suhasini, with Sivaji Ganesan, Jaishankar, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth playing different forms of God in guest appearances. Based on the 1977 American film Oh, God!, it was released on 14 January 1983.
Shiva is an Indian actor and dialogue writer who appears in Tamil language films. Prior to his acting career, Shiva worked as a radio jockey with Radio Mirchi. His tenure earned him the nickname Mirchi Shiva. Acting mainly in comedy films, he rose to fame following his performances in the Venkat Prabhu directorials Chennai 600028 (2007) and Saroja (2008). He is humorously known by fans as Agila Ulaga Superstar after his hilarious spoof on Tamil cinema's portrayal in Thamizh Padam (2010).
Kasethan Kadavulada is a 1972 Indian Tamil-language heist comedy film written and directed by Chithralaya Gopu. The film stars Muthuraman and Lakshmi, with M. R. R. Vasu, Thengai Srinivasan, Srikanth, Moorthy, Manorama, Rama Prabha and Jayakumari in supporting roles. It focuses on a young man (Muthuraman) collaborating with his cousin (Srikanth) and friend (Srinivasan) to steal money from his stingy stepmother (Manorama).
Srikanth was an Indian actor who has performed in around 200 Tamil films since his debut in 1965. He is also referred to as Vennira Aadai Srikanth. He has played the lead hero in around 50 films between 1965 and 1979 and has also played supporting roles in films with actors Sivaji Ganesan, Muthuraman, Ravichandran and Jaishankar in the lead roles. In the late seventies to early nineties, he appeared as a villain opposite actors including Sivakumar, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.
Sadhurangam (transl. Chess) is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Durai. The film stars Rajinikanth, Srikanth, Jayachitra and Prameela, with Thengai Srinivasan, V. K. Ramasamy and Pandari Bai in supporting roles. It is based on Visu's play Bharatha Matharkku Jai. The film was released on 23 June 1978. It is a partially lost film.
Saraswathi Sundaresan Iyer, professionally known as Kumari Sachu is an Indian actress who has acted in more than 500 films in five different languages and a few television serials. She is a character actress/comedienne who nonchalantly blended into the roles she has portrayed over five decades. She made her film début in 1953 in the film Rani at the age of 4, and has since then been a prominent face on the silver screen. She started acting in television serials in 1995.
Badri is an Indian film director and screenwriter who primarily works in Tamil film industry. He started his career with television series Malargal and made his debut in films with Veerappu in 2007.
Vaazhkai is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by C. V. Rajendran and produced by Chitra Raamu and Chitra Lakshmanan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Ambika and Pandiyan, with Jaishankar, M. N. Nambiar and Raveendran in supporting roles. It is a remake of the Hindi film Avtaar. The film was released on 14 April 1984 and ran for over 100 days in theatres.
Kaliyuga Kannan is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by Krishnan–Panju. It is based on the play Sri Krishna Vijayam written by Vaali. The film stars Sowcar Janaki, Jaishankar, Jayachitra and Thengai Srinivasan. It was released on 13 November 1974 and emerged a commercial success. The film was later remade in Telugu as Devude Digivaste (1975), in Kannada as Devara Duddu (1976), and in Hindi as Yehi Hai Zindagi (1977).
