Kalaignar says 'Thai Kaviyam' will be a revolutionary film

Chief Minister Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi was among those who were present at the launch of "Thai Kaviyam" which is based on one of his novels written several years ago. Speaking at the function organized at Rajeshwari Theatre in Chennai on Oct. 21, the Chief Minister said this would turn out to be a "revolutionary film".

The story revolves around two women with mother sentiment being the ideological underpinning. Mr. Karunanidhi said he drew the inspiration from Russian playwright and novelist Maxim Gorky's much acclaimed work "The Mother" to write "Thai Kaviyam" which he said he still cherished as a classic. Gorky's work which was published as a novel aroused the working class all over the world and created a revolution among them all over the world.

The Chief Minister said he carefully preserved Gorky's novel. He had been to jail 20 times in his life and every time he was incarcerated, he unfailingly read this novel which he carried with him or borrowed from the jail library, he added.

Comparing his novel "Thai Kaviyam" with Gorky's "The Moither", Mr. Karunanidhi said he was born in an "Isai Vaanar" family in Thanjavur district and brought up in the same circumstances as the hero character, Powell, which Gorky had developed in "The Mother".

He reminisced that though his desire to write a novel with a worker as the central to the theme and make a film of it was fulfilled with the production of "Nam" featuring MGR, it was not a "one hundred per cent success" as the cuts made by the censors distorted the story and its essence was lost.

But, "Thai Kaviyam" would in calm and quite way create an awakening among the people and bring about a renaissance among the working class, Kalainagar said. He said actress Kushboo would play the mother and she would be as successful as in "Periyar" in which she played the role of Manimmai, the second wife of the rationalist Dravidian leader.

Lyricist Pa. Vijai, who is making his debut as an actor in the new film, would play Powell, the hero character developed by Gorky in "The Mother". "Thai Kaviyam" will be produced jointly by Pa. Vijai, K.P. Narayanan and J. Suthanantham under the banner of 'Kalainagar Vellithirai' (Kalainagar Silver screen).

It will be directed by Bali Srirangam, who is a gold medalist from the Film and Television Institute in Chennai. The lyrics are by Vaali. Vidyasagar is the music director.

Pa Vijay, in an interview, said he is happy to act in a film for which Kalaignar has given his script. "I must thank the Chief Minister for allowing me to act in this film. He wrote it some years ago and it is eminently suitable for the present situation," he said.

Among those who addressed the gathering were Kushboo, director Vikraman, K. Bhagyaraj, Cheran, K.S. Ravikumar and producer R.B. Chowdhary.