Tamil cinema has never failed to entertain actors and actresses from other regions and celebrate their glory on its silver screen.However,it is always an extra privilege and pleasure for any region to celebrate film personalitities of its own soil.In a way,Tamil cinema has been unique in giving hero status to leading men like N.T.Rama Rao and Nageshwara Rao from the Telugu region,Kalyan Kumar,Rajinikanth and Arjun from the Kannada soil and many men from Malayalam cinema starting from Prem Nazir to Pridhviraj with a special space for Mammootty.
As far as actresses are concerned, a majority of them are from other regions including many from the Northern belt,during these days.These references are not intended either to boast the broad outlook of the Tamil film industry,or to underestimate the similarly accommodative spirit of the film fraternity in other states.But in terms of number of participants from other regions,Tamil cinema would always find a leading position.
Among Tamil actresses who own their nativity to the Tamil soil we could think only of names likeT.R.Rajakumari,C.R.Vijayakumari,G.Sakunthala,A.Sakunthala, M.N.Rajam, Sri Priya and character artists like C.T.Rajakantham,T P.Muthulakshmi, C.K.Saraswathi,Gandhimadhi,Vadivukkarasi and a few more.In this list,one of the most unforgettable names will be Pushpalatha,an actress with consummate grace and performance zeal.Her sparkling eyes and fascinating smiles accompanied by heavy tone delivery,made her a symbol of exemplary womanhood,on the Tamil screen.
One extraordinary feature about Pushpalatha was her teaming spirit peridically reflected whenever she joined the company of C.R.Vijayakumari.This women team, was strongly and vibrantly built,like that of Sivaji Ganesan and S.S.Rajendran or Sivaji Ganesan and R.Muthuraman.The other historic point of reference for teaming spirit was the one that prevailed between Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan.As a matter of coincidence,both Vijayakumari and Pushpalatha are tagged in together in their nativity fold,because both of them were born in Mettupalayam.
Like Vijayakumari who became a female leading star in the film Naalvar, Pushpalatha started her career as a heroine paired with C.L Anandan for the film Kong Naattu Thangam produced by M.M.A.Chinnappa Devar and directed by his younger brother M.A.Thirumugam.The film was a moderate show.Her very next film was teamed up with Vijayakumari who was the main heroine, for the film Panam Pandhiyile.From then on a number of Pushpalatha's films were as second or third heroine along with Viyakumari.The list would include many great films like Saaradha Policekaaran Magal,Aaalya Mani,Paar Magale Paar{the two women as sisters one biological and the other adopted} Naanum Oru Penn,Mani Osai, Neengadha Ninaivu, Pachai Vilakku and Jeevanaamsam.
Both Vijakumari and Pushpalatha maintained a perfect sync as feminine duo reflecting tremendous compatibility and harmony.Both of them were identical even in their heavier voice mode and tone delivery.As coexisting artists they beautifully shared their acting space with a rare radiance of sense of belonging.This was the rarest of the rare things,to exist in equal spirit,between two female stars.This is another nostalgic memory spot of Tamil cinema.
Pushpalatha's best male pair was A.V.M Rajan and this beautiful pair who started their captivating show of romance in Naanum Oru Penn,soon became life partners too.In this capacity too,her life was similar to that of Vijayakumari,who married S.S.Rajendran,the hero of her second film Petra Makanai Vitra Annai.'The other popular films in which Pushpalatha and A.V.M Rajan paraded as pairs were Chitrangi,Pachai Vilakku,Aandavan Kattalai, Karpooram, Dharisanam and Engal Thangam.Pushpalatha has acted in a number of Sivaji Ganean films like Aalayamni, Paar Magale Paar,Aandavan Kattalai,Raajapart Renga dhurai,Vasantha Maalikai, Vetrikku Oruvan,,Raja Raja Chozhan,Patta kathi Bhairavan and Ratha Paasam.
Of these films, in Vasantha Maalikai, Pushpalatha played a very important role as the nusring mother of Sivaji Ganesan's Childhood,neglected by his rich mother,who was unduly busy with her lady's club activities.Pushplatha's character was the focal point in the story line of Vasantha Maaligai,because her brutal murder in the hands of Sivaji Ganesan's mother,under the suspicion of an illicit relationship between her husband and the nursing mother,created an emtional trauma in the life of the hero.
On the contrary,as a wealthy and arrogant woman disrespecting her husband and illtreating the poor people in the village,Pushpalatha performed very impressively in Sakalakalaavallavan.As a power crazy woman,she was in the line of S.Varalakshmi of films like Panama Pasama and Poova Thalaiyaa.
Besides Engal Thangam some of the MGR films in which Pushpalatha found a role play were Urimai Kural,Needhikku Thalai Vanangu and Navarathnam.The other special entries of this great actress were,Rajini's Dharmayutham,Aayiram Jenmangal and Naan Adimai Illai,Kamala hasan's Simla Special,Sattam En Kaiyil and Sakala Kalaa Vallavan and other famous films like Dheerga Sumangali,Chittukkuruvi and Pakalil Oru Iravu.
Films in which Pushpalatha played single heroine roles would not have exceeded even half a dozen in number.But as a second heroine she made her presence as impressive as any other heroine and made her presence as a contributing factor for making the films memorable,as movies that included a performing Pushpalatha.In grace and charm,her feminine profile was higly enchanting,especially in films like Chitrangi,Karpooram, Pachai Vilakku and Naanum oru Penn.To a great extent,her facial marks resembled those of B.S.Saroja,the notable heroine of the Pre Independence period.
Pushpalatha's salient acting traits were her solid voice pattern that could naturally convey her sense of determination in imprinting the relevant mood and emotion,in the minds of the audience.There was always a kind of sublimity in her modest role play, coupled with an element of the indispensable courage of womanhood.This kind of screen presence was equally felt in the performance of Vijayakumari. Perhaps that is why Pushpalatha and Vijaykumari were successully teamed up in quite a number of films.
It was always a pleasure to see these two women from the same soil, frequently teamed up in celluoid form, as siblings or intimate friends.Now it is a moment of exceeding joy to recall their screen presence,so as to weigh them as performers of equal merit and mindset.Like Vijayakumari,Pushpalatha could rightly be called the passionate Tamil face of Tamil cinema.
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