An Actress of Tamil Glory

 














   Unlike the heroes of Tamil Cinema,its most celebrated heroines of the last century, were generally from other languages.P.Kannaamba P.Bhanumathi, Vijayanthi Mala,Sowcar Janaki, Padmini,Savitri,Devika,,K.R.Vijaya,Vanisri,Lakshmi,Jaya Chitra, Sumitra,Saritha,Manjula, Sujatha,Ambika, Radha,Radhika,and Revathi have all embraced Tamil as their creditable spoken language besides their respective mother tongues.The significant exceptions in this regard are, T.R.Rajakumari, C.R.Vijayakumari, Pushpalatha and Sri Priya.
   Of these,T.R.Rajakumari was a ravishing female pair of heroes like Thiagaraja Bhagavadhar, P.U.Chinnappa, K.R.Ramasamy,M.K. Radha and MGR during the early Nineteen forties to late Nineteen fifties.Nobody can forget her very bold performance in Chandralekha countering the evil designs of Ranjan besides secretly planning and executing the moves to save the kingdom and the King{M.K.Radha}from the former's clutches.It was an epic film from the Gemini Pictures.Beyond her heroine roles,she will eternally occupy the memories of the audience,as the most voluptuous Vasanthasena of Manohara.
    Puspalatha who was frequently paired with A.V.M Rajan and who later became his spouse, appeared mostly in supporting roles,excepting in films like Karpooram,Darisanam and Chitrangi.Sri Priya who reigned the Tamil screen frequently pairing with Rajinikanth, Kamalahasan and Sivakumar is celebrated for her roles in films like Ilamai Oonjaladukiradhu, Annai Oru Aalayam, Aattukkara Alamelu and Neyaa.She also needs a separate post in this blog.
    The present article is aimed at projecting the Tamil glory perpetuated by C.R.Vijayakumari who adorned the celluloid world by her wonderful Tamil accent blended with feminine grace, sweetness and fury.She was one particular woman who could be simultaneously modest and mighty,submissive and stubborn, fascinating and furious.The way she articulated her Tamil dialogues spontaneously stuck her to the magnificence of the Tamil language.Whether it was a film on historical fiction or family story she knew where and how to fix herself as a performer of meaning and merit. The one and only negative role she played was for the film Padhi Bakthi.
   Most of Vijayakumari's films were with the great Dravidian hero S.S.Rajendran initially her pair and later on her husband.The huge list of memorable films of the duo were Alayamani,  Petra Makanai Vitra Annai,Kumudham,Naanum Oru Penn,Saratha, Shanthi,Anandhi, Panam Panthiyile,Edhayum Thangum Idhayam,Pachai Vilakku,Avan Pithana,Muthu Mandapam, Deivathin Dheivam,Neengadha Ninaivu,Thanga Rathinam,Kaakum Karangal, Poomaalai and the historic film Poompuhar in which she donned the role of Kannagi.The best in this list were Kumudham, Saradha,Naanum Oru Penn,Kaakum Karangal and Poompuhar.
   Vijayakumari who acted in about ten films of Sivaji Ganesan and four of MGR was hardly paired with either of them excepting the film Kungumam in which she was shown as the love interest of the Chevalier.However, even in that film of several twists and turns,the romantic aspect was surpassed by a kind of suspense element over an act of crime involving S.V.Renga Rao,O.A.K Thevar and Sivaji Ganesan.In fact S.S.Rajendran also portrayed the role of a police officer in that film.The other film in which Vijayakumari was paired with the Chevalier was Raja Raja Cholan as the Chola king's wife.Otherwise,in most of the films of Sivaji Ganesan she was shown either as his sister or as the wife of his brother or friend.Similarly of the four films she did with MGR,excepting Vivasayee in which she did a different character role, she performed only as MGR's younger sister in Kanavan,Kanchi Thalaivan and Therthiruvizha. Her most memorable film with Sivaji Ganesan was as his daughter in Paar Makale Paar.
   Some of the prominent films of Vijayakumari without her husband were Sridhar's Kalyana Parisu{as the wife of Gemini Ganesan}Policekaran Makal{ as a desolate woman forlorn by a playboy {K.Balaji}Kodimalar {paired against R.Muthuraman}and K.Shankar's Padha Kanikai{ as a character undergoing the trauma of one side love for the hero{Gemini Ganesan}.Her other popular entries include Teacheramma, Jeevanamsam ( in a victimised role as the wife of Jaishankar under entangling circumstances)  and Mani Osai. 
  Some of the films in which she ruled with feminist grace were Nanum Oru Penn and Saratha.
Similarly her feminist force and voice of feminine power, were stunningly reflected in films like Kumudham,Savaale Samaali and Poompuhar.In Kumudham she took up a criminal case involving her lover{S.S.Rajendran} and placed her defence arguments with sparkling style to counter the stand of the Public Prosecutor who happened to be her own father{ greatly performed by the Veteran S.V.Renga Rao}In Savaale Samaali when M.N.Nambiyar attempts to outrage her modesty by pulling down her saree she rises like fire,setting ablaze the arable field with a maddening cry to establish the power of feminine dignity.In this attempt she was also seen as reforming the mindset of her vagabond husband{R.Muthuraman}.Above all in Poompuhar how formidably she carried on the role of the epic character Kannagi through her awe inspiring arguments with the Pandiya King over the issue of her innocent husband Kovalan being framed in a case of theft of an anklet.
    Her mighty voice ruled not only her emotions but also the entire royal chamber.It was a tremendous impact she created in the minds of the audience by crying for justice on the unjust execution of her husband and then setting the whole city of Madurai into flames.In the earlier version of Ilangovadikal's epic Silappadhikaram it was P.Kannaambaa who bravely took up the role of Kannagi and brought fame to the epic,the female protagonist  Kannagi and to herself as an indomitable actress. Vijayakumari performed the same miracle in her own way in a film for which the dialogues were penned by none other than the Tamil literary genius Kalaignar.
    Vijayakumari's later spell of acting moved to maternal roles as the mother of Rajinikanth in films like Thanga Makan and Naan Mahaan Alla.She also came as the mother of Raj Kiran in Aranmanai Kili.Finally she portrayed the role of a grand mother alongside M.N.Nambiyar in Vijay's Poove Unakkaaga and Vikram's Kaadhal Sadugudu.
   Excepting in the films which showed S.S.Rajendran as primary hero,Vijayakumari donned only supporting roles or those of a second heroine.For her, a little screen space was enough to display the glory of Tamil through which she let her emotions reach the audience along with the fragrance of the Tamil soil.In most films she was portrayed as a sorrow laden victim of circumstances,suppressing her anguish and privation caused by betrayal or exploitation in the name of love.But she stood as a pure symbol of womanhood of the last century subjected to male domination and family enslavement.Notwithstanding the prevailing realities of those decades,the truth remains that Vijayakumari was one among the rarest Tamil voices of Tamil cinema,genuinely exhibiting the diction and grandeur of a language that is known for its ancient splendour.
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