Mukta Srinivasan,the Ever Modest Film Maker.{Posted again as Homage, on his death on 30th May 2018}

   
     Tamil Cinema has come across exuberant film makers at various points  of time. During the earlier years there were fabulous film makers like Gemini Studios S.S.Vasan,AVM's Meyyappa Chettiyar, Vijaya Vahini Studios Nagi Reddy,Modern Theatres T.R.Sundaram,the R.R.Pictures T.R.Ramanna, Padmini Pictures B.R.Bantulu and several others.Besides these production houses,there were other amazing directors like A.Bhimsingh, A.P.Nagarajan, P.Madhavan, Krishnan Panju,A.C.Thirulokchandar, followed by other most creative and popular film makers like K.Balachander, K.S.Gopala krishnan, Balu Mahendra, Barathiraja,J.Mahendan and S.P.Muthuraman. Among these there was another very modest film maker who under his Mukta Films came out with a sizable number of films of his chosen heroes, worthy of decent  family watch.This film maker V.Srinivasan whose very first film Mudhalaali which is still remembered for the most popular song ''Yerikkaraiyinmele Poravale Penmayile''fetched him national award,later on came to be known as Mukta Srinivasan.During the initial years he worked under eminent directors like T.R.Sundaram,K.Ramnath and K.S.Sethumadhavan.
      This modest face of Tamil Cinema had his own preferences of themes,course of narration, music component and above all his team of actors.His earlier notable releases were Panithirai, Idhayathil Nee and Poojaikku Vandha Malar and for the last in this list,it was K.Balachander who wrote the script.His hero would be Gemini Ganesan the soft romantic face of Tamil Cinema those days.He then tried his hands with sensitive, suspense prone stories with Gemini Ganesan in Thein Mazhai and with Ravichandran in,Ninaivil Ninraval.Then came the two Jai Shankar films  Bommalaattam and Aayiram Poi.These films are remembered as much for their quality of story line,music composition and clean narration as for their hilarious comedy sequences. Nagesh and Cho Ramasamy provided a combined show of humour in the first two and Cho Ramasamy with Thengai Seenivaasan and with comedienne Manorama enriched the comedy segment of Bommalaattam.
     After these,Srinivasan's attention was drawn towards the Chevalier.With Sivaji Ganesan some of the interesting movies like Niraikudam,Thavapudhalvan,Arunodhayam, Anbaithedi, Andhamaan Kadhali,Imayam,Paritchaikku Neramaachu and Keezh Vaanam Sivakkum, turned out to be distinct, with variety in theme content, story line and narration .The last two in the list were award winners. All these movies became great pointers to the growing popularity of Mukta Films as makers of aesthetic entertainers on the big screen..Cho Ramasamy was a regular addition in the films of Mukta Srinivasan and he took care of the humour component of all the films, with a significant thrust on satirical verbal force, leading to moments of vigorous humour and loud thinking.In fact, Cho Ramasamy's presence was an added attraction for dependable audience support, for most of the films of the Muka Pictures.
     Mukta Srinivasan's themes and mode of narration were mostly centering around human and psychological foibles.He would also focus on individuals' whims and vagaries, by showing them  as the traits of the main or supporting characters.Some of the pointed expositions in this regard were somnambulism causing entanglements,including those with criminal implications for the victims {Thein Mazhai}, amnesia resulting in a depressing personal predicament {Ninaivil Ninraval},day dreaming making the victim worthless in the perspective of others,{Anbaithedi} evening blindness bringing undesirable problems to the victim{Thavapudhalvan] and a husband's inferiority complex over his wife earning more than him,that became an irritant in the conjugal routine {Sooryakanthi}. Srinivasan handled these ticklish issues with maturity and understanding without letting down the momentum in narration.
     Besides these, the film Keezh Vaanam Sivakkum  discussed in a very subtle and commendable way, the plight of an eye doctor, struggling to save his erring son, from the hands of a blind man {Jai Shankar} brutally waiting to kill his son for avenging the death of his wronged  sister.The emotional moments involving Sivaji Ganesan,the ophthalmologist and Saritha[Sivaji's daughter-in-law in that film}were a great treat to watch.The climax of the film showing Saritha dead and the vengeful Jaishankar with his restored vision, thanks to the eyes of the deceased Saritha, created cathartic moments, eliminating the revenge goal of the wronged Jaishankar. Srinivasan deserves an extraordinary acclaim for this,as a maker of marvellous scenes, worth cherishing, in audience memory.
    Similarly the sentimental sequences of Andhamaan Kaadhali, presenting the helplessness of Sivaji Ganesan and Sujatha in making a meeting point, after a prolonged conjugal separation and the profound emotions displayed by both of them, as love lorn husband and wife, showed the finest possibilities for narrating beautifully,a precious romantic element in a catchy form.Very rarely we come across, movies like Keezh Vaanam Sivakkum and Andhamaan Kaadhali.Apart from Keezh Vaanam Sivakkum,Balapareetchai and Avan Aval Adhu were also award winning films of V.Srinivasan.
    On the comedy track ,Srinivasan has clearly shown that he can provide decent humour with relevant scenic continuity adding gusto to the over all narration and quality of his films.Apart from Cho,his other preferred comedians were, the veteran comedians Nagesh, Thengai Srinivasan, Neelu and Mouli [whom he first introduced  as an actor in Sooryakanthi}. All Mukta films movies were endowed with adequate and appropriate comedy segment, mostly supporting the main plot and at times, existing separately as independent sub plots. Thein Mazhai,Ninaivil Ninraval, Bommalaattam, Aayiram Poi, Kadhaanaayagan and Vaaikkozhuppu, were a few of his films known for valued comedy sequences.
     From Sivaji Ganesan to Paandiarajan,Mukta Films Srinivasan has worked with many prominent heroes, including Rajinikanth{Pollaadhavan and Sivappu Sooriyan} and Kamalahasan[Andharangam and Cinema Paithiyam}.Interestingly Mani Rathnam's  block buster movie Naayagan ,with Kamalahasan's supreme performance winning him an award,was produced by Mukta Films.
     V.Srinivasan stands apart, as a modest but outstanding film maker, not only for producing the colossal film Naayagan but also for being part of Andhanaal, the first Tamil film without any songs, directed by Veena S.Balachander.He has worked with distinguished film makers like L.V.Prasad and K.S.Sedhumadhavan. He has teamed up with music directors K.V.Mahadevan, M.S.Viswanathan, T.K.Ramamurthy, V.Kumar and Ilayaraja
    However, he has not worked with the mass hero and former chief minister MGR even once, though he takes credit for exhibiting the best acting dimensions of the great woman and late Chief minister Jeyalalitha, in his immortal film Sooriyakanthi.In the passing phase of events,all things pass by.Many people come and go.Some are immortalized for their achievements.But many talents remain without being marked high, in spite of their power of performance to be marked high, because they are modest and have not claimed their place or clamoured for it. Mukta.V.Srinivasan belongs to this modest category of film makers,whose power of performance stands vindicated by the successful reach of most of his films, with a vast section of the Tamil audience.This day, the Thirtieth May 2018 is certainly a deeply mourning day for the Tamil film industry.
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