Karunanidhi launches film version of Russian classic 'Mother'

Chennai, Oct 22 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has launched Tamil film "Thai Kaviyam" (The Mother Epic), based on his own version of Maxim Gorky's Russian classic "Mother". He hopes the movie, which will have Khushboo in the title role, would prove to be "revolutionary".

Lyricist P. Vijay will feature as the male lead in "Thai Kaviyam", which will be produced by the Kalaignar Vellithirai, a company named after Karunanidhi.

At the launch function Sunday, Karunanidhi said that Gorky's novel had helped in creating a situation for working class revolution. He added that during each of his 20-odd jail terms as a DMK activist and leader, "Mother" was one of the books that he either took with him or borrowed from the prison library.

Kaurnanidhi described Khushboo's role as a "continuation" of her part as Maniammai, the young wife of E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, founder of the Dravidian movement, in the film "Periyar".