The Plight of Two Professors.

 



  Tamil cinema abounds in romances,family dramas,action and suspense thrillers,historical fiction,horror films mythological narrations and so on.We would have come across repetitions in treatment of themes and narration as well as in fixing titles for films.
   Similarly,there have been films glorifying the careers of farmers,doctors, lawyers,cops, bureaucrats and judges,besides taking a dig at politics,as a career.Among Tamil heroes,it is none other than Sivaji Ganesan who would have donned almost all kinds of characters.He was a sincere railway engine driver {Pachai Vilakku},a sensitive Station Master,{Anbukkarangal}an admirable advocate,{Ethiroli and Gowravam}a dedicated doctor,{ Paalum Pazhamum and Dr.Siva} an honourable Judge,{Justice Gopinath,Needhipadhi and Padikkadhavan}and a dynamic police officer{Thanga Padhakkam and Vellai Roja}to mention a few professions,in which he excelled as an actor.
    As the list goes,when a Tamil film director of the Nineteen sixties wanted to portray the predicament of a college professor,he would naturally have thought only of the chevalier to fit impeccably into that role,with all noble shades of the profession attached to it.This was how the film Andavan Kattalai{1964}should have come into existence, under the production house of PSV pictures owned by P.S.Veerappa,one of the most luminous villain actors,who adorned the Tamil big screen during its early decades.The film ran successfully, thanks to its unique theme and narration under the able direction of K.Shankar, who was best known for his most successful hits like Panathottam,Paadhakaanikkai,Aalayamani,Idhu Sathiyam,Kudiyirundha Koil,Panjavarna kili,Adimai Penn and Mirudhanga Chakravarthi.
    The hero Krishnan in Aandavan Kattalai was shown as an exemplary professor with cherished values of personal ethics and nobility,stuck to his heart besides being dedicated to the core principles of Swami Vivekananda. As a staunch devotee of the saintly philosophical  leader,the hero maintained self dignity and celibacy,as his basic code of life and this dignifying factor earned him a lot of respect from his students,colleagues and the society at large.However, to turn his lofty ideals into turtle,there came a girl student called Radha {fascinatingly performed by Devika}who was bent upon winning the love of this self declared celibate.Her immense beauty and enchanting demeanour,soon pulled the heart of the professor to her side,like the captivating advances of Meneka,who won over the sober saint Viswamithra. 
    Andavan Kattalai beautifully showcased the ordeals and privations,that would normally cloud the life of a most respected teacher,falling in love with his own student.Loss of social acclaim and subsequent hurling of abuses from those who adored once,are the most unbearable eventualities in the life of those,who once stood to their conviction,but later fell a prey to temptations,that had destructive blows knocking at the door.The stories of fallen angels  are a bundle of ills,hitting the victim,one after the other,like serial bombs killing one's name and fame,at one go.This is what happened in the life of the college professor in Aandavan Kattalai. For a Himalayan hero like Sivaji Ganesan,these shades in character formation,consisting of a galaxy of dimensions and emotional holocaust, were just a cake walk and he walked away with success,reflecting the range of emotions encircling the character.

    The purpose of this article is not to narrate the story of the film,but to bring home the fact that Tamil films have cut a solid niche for their victory march on various tracks and this film marked such a victory march,by walking delicately on a tight rope with extraordinary dalliance.Music by Viswanathan and Ramamurthy added a stupendous value to the film with soothing melodies like "Azhage Vaa"in the mesmerizing voice of P.Suseela"Amaidhiyaana Nadhiyinile Odam"the ever delightful duet,sung by T.M.S and P.Suseela and the most philosophical number"Aaru Maname Aaru"from the mighty voice of T.M.Sondarajan.Javert Seetharaman as college principal,S.A.Asokan as the antagonist and A.V.M Rajan and J.B.Chandrababu as the adoring students,were all seen more as characters forming a vital part of the film,than as mere actors. Aandavan Kattalai followed the mega hit film Aalayamani.Both these films in the combination of P.S.V Pictures and Sivaji Ganesan,would ever remain as milestones in the acting career of Sivaji Ganesan.But the difference is Aandavan Kattalai focussed on an unusual theme and successfully moved towards its remarkable goal post.
   The next film that discussed the trials and tribulations of a noble college professor was Nootrukku Nooru{1971},a fine movie from the brilliant creative hands of K.Balachander,under the  Kalakendra film production house.It was totally a different film for the action hero Jai Shankar,who was more sleek and sharp in detective roles.Here too,the hero,Prof. Prakash,was the most esteemed person of the institution,where he worked,with unflinching commitment to the noble traits of the teaching profession.
   All the students as well as his colleagues adored him for his indisputable credentials of professional excellence and personal values.The Principal {played by Gemini Ganesan with his innate warmth and subdued charm and grace}also held him in high esteem. Nevertheless, situations changed soon,ringing tragic notes without raising alarm bells.The image of the incomparable teacher,took an unforeseen beating on account of three girls charging him of sexual harassment. 
    However,as a note of contrast it was the Professor's fiancee {Lakshmi}who arduously undertook the ordeal of finding out the truth of the unbelievable allegations from three girl students against the professor,for their own varied personal reasons. Among the three,one {Srividya} had a crush for the teacher,which the professor vehemently turned down after a suitable course of warning and advice to the girl,as to how dignified the relationship between a teacher and a student should be.The second girl Julie {Vijaya Lalitha}who fell for a labourer called Robert,working in a quarry owned by her formidable father,became pregnant following a romantic relationship with him and when her lover was shunted to another unknown place, she got unnerved about her unwed pregnancy and fixed the professor as the scapegoat,for concealing the truth of her own plight. 
    The third student{Jeyakumari} blamed the teacher for a letter of love proposal, purportedly written by him,though the author of the letter was a mischievous boy classmate of the girl.The film like most other Balachander's powerful screen shows, precisely pictured the course of events,with relevant flash back reviews and with calculated moves for untying  the knots of entanglement that led to the imprisonment of the Professor. Like Aandavan Kattalai Nootrukku Nooru also depicted the distinct threads of issues involving man woman relationship  and the invisible bond of love that exists between great teachers and their heartwarming students.Unlike in Aandavan Kattalai the student movement spearheaded by Nagesh in Nootrukku Nooru was shown as the most effective venture,in retrieving truth from the clutches of falsehood.
    If Aandavan Kattalai was a fantastic show of human emotions{most prevalent during the Nineteen fifties and Sixties when sentiments always overtook sense and sensibility}leading to a cathartic climax,Nootrukku Nooru was a realistic approach to finding solutions,through well planned action drives,rather than weeping over demoralizing events  in a mood of depression and pointless frustration.As far as music is concerned, the former stood on a higher pedestal despite the fact that V.Kumar's solo scintillating number"Naan Unnai Vaazhthi Paadukiren" in the mellifluous voice of P.Suseela,was really worthy of repeated hearing.It was perhaps the directorial stamp of K.Balachander to set this song getting repeated in the film,not only for the sake of revisiting the actual happenings,but also for the purpose of taking the beautiful song closer to the hearts of the audience.
    Themes and narration of events and characters are the most vital parts of any worthy film. Nevertheless,it is the characters who deliver the essence of themes,through their enlivening participation in various scenic events,programmed and carried on by the entire film making unit.Without characters,the story is just a skeleton.It is they who provide the flesh and blood and transmit enormous levels of energy to the viewers.The demonstration of themes by characters passing through well knit events,makes a film hit the goal post,with outstanding appeal and power of reach.Film makers who facilitate characters to rise,fall and rise,also enable the actors to perform their given roles,as independently as possible.Role realization is the hallmark of the acting arena.
    The Chevalier was never found lacking in role perception and commanding delivery of any character,because he was an actor who delivered nine roles in a single film and created new records. Hence,it was no wonder that he perfectly fitted into the garb of a college Professor and underwent the plight in his uncommon style.But Jai Shankar who belonged to the succeeding generation and was best known as an awesome action hero,also proved his worth as an all rounder,by performing the role of a college professor,in a film directed by an exacting film maker like Balachander. For Jai Shankar,apart from the pressures of the role,the nervousness of acting in the film of a director with a whip,would have been yet another plight.