Century is a content for celebration, be it age, or number of runs in cricket, or number of films in one's career. As far as ageing is concerned, seeing one hundred years in one's life is one of the rarest phenomena. Among politicians Mr. Morarji Desai {1896 to 1995}one of our former Prime Ministers, missed it by ten months and twenty days. Recently Mr. V.S Achuthanandan former Chief Minister of Kerala, passed away surpassing the century, by missing a couple of months to reach 102. But Mr.N.Sankaraiah,a celebrated communist leader of Tamil Nadu ,outlived Mr.V.S .Achuthanandan seeing 102 years but missed 103 by a few months. Now we have another communist leader Mr. R. Nallakannu who after seeing his century is presently struggling to sustain his longevity. Hundred is certainly the hall mark of a long life.
In cricket, many Indian cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Navjoth Singh Sidhu, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin,ViratKohli,Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Yuvaraj Singh, M.S.Dhoni, and Gautam Gambhir,are all said to have established their century records in international matches, for the celebration of countless lovers of cricket.
Beyond people's longevity of life and cricket, it is cinema that sets the proudest stage for century in one's acting career. As far as Tamil cinema is concerned, even the most popular hero M.G.Ramachandran took thirty-two years to see his one hundredth film. Though he started his acting career in 1936 doing minor roles, it was in 1968 he clinched his record of century with the release of the greatly successful film Oli Vilakku. Whereas, Sivaji Ganesan who stepped into Tamil cinema in 1952 with his simultaneous films Parasakthi and Panam, won the favour of time and talent, and recorded his century through the extraordinary film Navarathiri, in which he played nine roles. Both the film and the nine roles he played, made history at that time.
For Gemini Ganesan between his first film Miss.Malini {1947} and Seetha {1967} the one hundred film journey was a matter of two decades. R.Muthuraman the costar of Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan, who made his first entry in the Sivaji Ganesan film Rangoon Radha {!956} mostly travelled as a second hero in many films, and reached his century through the film Annai Velankanni {1971] after sixteen years.
S.S.Rajendran who began his career along with Sivaji Ganesan in Parasakthi and Panam joined the Chevalier in many films, and also acted as the main hero in popular films like Mudhalali, Kuladheivam,Vanambadi, Kumudham,Manapandal,Panam Pandhiyile, Petra Maganai Vitra Annai, Edhaiyum Thangum Idhayam, Saradha, Nanum Oru Pen Poompuhar, Marakka Mudiyuma and a few other films; but his century dream was a little shaken by the drop of a few films.
The shortest time taken for reaching one hundred film was for the James Bond hero Jai Shankar, who had just eight years between his first film Iravum Pakalum {1965} and his century film Idhayam Parkiradhu {1973}.His contemporary hero Ravichandran seems to have run a little short of a century. Sivakumar the other close hero of Jaishankar times, made his first appearance in Kaakum Karangal in 1965 and reached his one hundred mark after fourteen years, through the film Rosaapoo Ravikkai kaari in 1979.
Rajinikanth who is now the super star, took only a decade to reach his one hundredth film. His first film Abhoorva Raagangal was released in 1975.His Sri Ragavendrar marked his century in 1985. Interestingly, while it was Balachander who introduced Rajinikanth into Tamil cinema, he also produced Sri Ragavendrar, the one hundredth film of the hero. Kamalahasan being very familiar to the Tamil film audience as a child artist, through AVM's Kalathur Kannamma released in 1960, took two decades to record his century through the film Raja Paarvai released in 1980.Whereas, it was only a dozen years journey for Captain Vijayakanth between his first film Inikkum Ilamai released in 1979 and his one hundredth film Captain Prabakaran released in 1999 that earned him his immortal title. Sathyaraj, who came to Tamil cinema a year before Vijayakanth as a villain in the Kamalahasan film Sattam En Kaiyil (1978) took a year less than Vijayakanth to clinch his one hundred, through the film Vaadhiyaar Veettu Pillai released in 1989.
Among female stars traditional impediments would have blocked talented actors like T.R.Rajakumari,V.N.Janaki and Madhuridhevi not to stay long with the big screen. The times of Anjalidhevi P.Bhanumathi,Padmini Savithri and Jamuna were better because they had longer innings.While P.Bhanumadhi reached one hundred films with more Telugu entries than Tamil,Padmini did more Tamil films along with scores of Malayalam and Hindi films to cross the century. Her initial entries were confined to mere dance sequences. She did a couple of Sinhala and Russian films also. Savithri like Padmini, stuck to the field of Cinema for nearly three decades, doing equal number of Tamil and Telugu films. Though her Tamil entries were less than one hundred, her Telugu films added together helped her reach the two hundred mark. However, Praptam in Tamil,was her last film as heroine, though she did quite a number of films of after that.
Among the next generation actors Sarojadevi,K.R.Vijaya and J.Jeyalalitha took Tamil cinema to new heights of feminine glory. Sarojadevi with the combined strength of Tamil and Kannada films easily crossed the one hundred march. K.R.Vijaya who began het career with K.S.Gopala krishnan's Karpagam had Nathaiyil Muthu as her century film, directed by the same director. Jeyalalitha surpassed the magic number,with the film Thirumangalyam. Other stars like C.R.Viajaya kumari, Pushpalatha,Devika, Vanisri,Sowcar Janaki, Jeyanthi,Sujatha, Saritha,Latha, Sumithra, Sripriya,Ambika and Radha were all main players who would have narrowly missed their dream of century in their career. Among the new generation actresses,Meena Devayani,Kushbu,Simran and Jyothika deserve a special mention for their great acting credentials,though not hitting the One hundred goal.
Today things are totally different. The more the heroes, the tougher the competition. There are of course a couple of reasons for the difficulty in seeing one hundred films in a hero's career. First of all, theatre visits have come down to a great extent. Secondly, the mind to compromise in playing second hero roles: has significantly come down. There are fewer heroes who are ready to share the screen with their fellow heroes. It was not like this in the case of heroes like Gemini Ganesan S.S.Rajendran. R.Muthuraman, Sivakumar and Vijayakumar, who had an easy mind to act in a smaller number of scenes but were ready to act with one another. In fact, all these actors happily acted with Sivaji Ganesan. The spirit of rivalry was least explicit then, excepting in the case of MGR and Sivaji Ganesan,who shared the screen only in Koondukkili directed by T.R.Ramanna. Whereas their successors Kamal and Rajini had an amazing team spirit and worked together around a dozen films.
The two mass heroes of this century are Vijay and Ajith. They shared the screen only in Rajavin Paarvaiyil and even after three decades they have not hit the century in Tamil cinema. The other talented hero Suriya is just behind them in number. Though technology has made film making an easier process than before, the same technology poses threat in the form of video piracy.Hundreds of crores are spent for making films of heroes who are yet to see their one hundredth film.
Hitting the hundred is no more a fitting task. Contrarily, hurting the tone and tenor of cinema through rancour and rancid competition, makes the field of cinema, struggle more for survival, than celebrate its success stories.
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