The movie Uyarndha Manithan, directed by Krishnan Panju and featuring Sivaji Ganesan, was released on November 29, 1968. Sivaji Ganesan was impressed with VC Kuganathan’s work and recommended him for his younger sister’s project.
Krishnan directed the film Annaiyum Pittavum exactly a year after the release of Uyarndha Manithan. This film was produced by M. Murugan, M. Kumaran, and M. Saravanan under the AVM banner. AVM had a longstanding reputation for mastering the craft of producing low-budget family films, effectively bridging the gap between blockbuster releases.
In the film, Nagayya loses his eyesight, and the story revolves around how his son, AVM Rajan, takes on the responsibility of the family and overcomes various challenges to achieve success. The movie features a notable cast including Vanisree, Sivakumar, Lakshmi, VK Ramasamy, Manorama, G. Sakundala, DR. Ramachandran, SN Lakshmi, V. Gopalakrishnan, M. Banumathi, and others. The story is penned by a famous story writer VC Kuganathan.
Kannadasan contributed the lyrics for all the songs in the film, and MS Viswanathan composed the music. Out of the six songs in the movie, only one was sung by DM Soundarrajan, while the remaining five were sung by female voices, including L.R. Eswari and B. Susheela, who each sang two songs, and S. Janaki, who sang one song.
The film received mixed reviews from critics. The critics referred to the story as “very familiar” and the screenplay as “naive.” However, they did acknowledge the commendable performances of Nagayya, Gopalakrishnan, and Vanisree, while expressing disappointment in the rest of the cast, finding them unimpressive. Despite the critical observations, the film managed to achieve commercial success, indicating that it resonated with the audience despite its shortcomings.
Writer VC Kuganathan’s journey to success is deeply rooted in the influence of his parents, Chelliah and Rajeshwari. Despite completing his schooling in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, he embarked on a new chapter in Chennai at the age of eleven. It was during his time at Pachaiyappa College that he was introduced to MG Ramachandran.
MG Ramachandran recognized the potential in VC Kuganathan and expressed interest in involving him in politics. However, VC Kuganathan’s true passion lies in storytelling and cinema. MG Ramachandran encouraged him to pursue his dream and suggested, “Write a story and let’s see.” VC Kuganathan took this advice to heart and began crafting narratives.
His storytelling talent soon gained recognition, leading to an opportunity as an assistant to the director Chanakya. VC Kuganathan’s breakthrough came when he penned the story for the 1968 film New Bhumi, starring MG Ramachandran himself. Remarkably, he achieved this at the young age of 17, and the film went on to become a major success, marking the start of his illustrious career in the film industry.
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