CLINT EASTWOOD ACTOR,DIRECTOR,PRODUCER, POLITICIAN BORN 1930 MAY 31

CLINT EASTWOOD ACTOR,DIRECTOR,PRODUCER,

POLITICIAN BORN 1930 MAY 31

கிளின்டன் "கிளின்ட்" ஈஸ்ட்வுட், ஜூனியர் (Clint Eastwood, பி. மே 31, 1930) ஒரு அமெரிக்க நடிகர், இயக்குனர், தயாரிப்பாளர், இசையமைப்பாளர், பியானோ வாசிப்பாளர், தொழிலதிபர், முதலீட்டாளர், மற்றும் அரசியல்வாதி ஆவார்.[1][2]

ஈஸ்ட்வுட் முதலில் ராஹைடு(1959-1966) என்ற டிவி தொடரில் ஒரு துணை நடிகராக அறிமுகமானார்.அவர் 1960களின் பிற்பகுதியில் செர்ஜியோ லியோனின் டாலர்கள் முப்படத்தில் (எ ஃபிஸ்ட்ஃபுல் ஆஃப் டாலர்ஸ் (1964),ஃபார் எ ஃபியூ டாலர்ஸ் மோர் (1965) மற்றும் தி குட், தி பேட் அண்ட் தி அக்ளி (1966)) பெயரில்லாத கதாநாயகனாகவும் மற்றும் டர்ட்டி ஹாரி படங்களில் (டர்ட்டி ஹாரி, மேக்னம் ஃபோர்ஸ், தி என்ஃபோர்ஸர், சடன் இம்பேக்ட், மற்றும் தி டெட் பூல்) ஹாரி கலஹனாகவும் (1970 மற்றும் 1980 முழுவதும்) முரட்டுத்தனமான வேடங்களில் நடித்துப் புகழ்பெற்றவர்.இந்த பாத்திரங்கள், அவரை ஒரு பண்பாட்டு சின்னமாக புகழ்பெறச்செய்தன.அவரது அன்பர்கிவன் (1992) மற்றும் மில்லியன் டாலர் பேபி (2004),படங்களுக்காக ஈஸ்ட்வுட் சிறந்த இயக்குநர் மற்றும் சிறந்த தயாரிப்பாளருக்கான அகாடமி விருதுகளை வென்றுள்ளார்.மொத்தம் ஐந்து தடவைகள் அக்கடமி விருதினைப் பெற்ற இவர் அரசியலிலும் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளார்.[3]

சான் பிரான்சிஸ்கோவில் பிறந்த இவர் 1950 களின் நடுப்பகுதியில் திரைப்படத்துறையில் நடிகராக நுழைந்தார். 1958 இல் றோகைட் எனும் தொகைக்காட்சித் தொடரில் 'ரௌடி யேற்'சாக நடித்துப் புகழ் பெற்றார். 1959 சனவரி முதல் ஏழு ஆண்டுகள் அத்தொலைக்காட்சித் தொடர் ஒளிபரப்பானது. அத்தொலைக்காட்சித் தொடரில் நடித்துக் கொண்டே பல திரைப்படங்களிலும் நடித்தார்.1960 களில் தொடங்கி 1980 களின் தொடக்கம் வரை வெஸ்டர்ன் என அழைக்கப்படும் சாகசத் திரைப்படங்களில் இவர் நடித்தமை குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது. 1971 இலிருந்து திரைப்படங்களை இயக்கியும் வருகிறார்.

ஆரம்பகால வாழ்க்கை
ஈஸ்ட்வுட் சான் பிரான்சிஸ்கோ,கலிபோர்னியாவில் கிளின்டன் ஈஸ்ட்வுட், சீனியர் (1906-70), ஒரு எஃகு தொழிலாளி,மற்றும் மார்கரெட் ரூத் (ரன்னர்) ஈஸ்ட்வுட் (1909-2006), ஒரு தொழிற்சாலை தொழிலாளி ஆகியோருக்கு மகனாக பிறந்தார்.அவர் பிறந்தபோது 11 பவுண்டுகள் 6 அவுன்ஸ் (5.2 கிலோ) எடையிருந்த்தால் மருத்துவமனை செவிலியர்களால் "சாம்சன்" என செல்லப்பெயரிடப்பட்டார்.ஈஸ்ட்வுட் ஆங்கிலம், ஐரிஷ், ஸ்காட்டிஷ் மற்றும் டச்சு வம்சாவளியை சேர்ந்தவர் மற்றும் அவரது இளைய சகோதரி, ஜீன் (1934 இல் பிறந்தவர்) உடன் வளர்க்கப்பட்டார்.அவரது தந்தை வெஸ்ட் கோஸ்ட் பகுதியில் வேலை தேடியதால் அவரது குடும்பத்தினர் அடிக்கடி புலம்பெயர்ந்தனர்.குடும்ப இறுதியாக பிட்மான்ட், கலிபோர்னியாவில் வசித்தபோது ஈஸ்ட்வுட் பிட்மான்ட் ஜூனியர் உயர்நிலை பள்ளியில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டார்.அவர் பிட்மான்ட் உயர்நிலை பள்ளியில் சேருவதன் முன்பு,பைக்கை பள்ளி விளையாட்டு துறை மைதானத்தில் ஓட்டி சேதாப்படுத்தினார்,இதன் காரணமாக பள்ளியில் சேர வேண்டாம் என்று

கேட்டுக்கொள்ளப்பட்டார்.அதற்கு பதிலாக, அவர் ஓக்லாண்ட் தொழில்நுட்ப உயர்நிலை பள்ளியில் படித்தார் அங்கு நாடக ஆசிரியர்கள் அவரை பள்ளி நாடகங்களில் பங்கேற்க ஊக்கப்படுத்தினார். எனினும், ஈஸ்ட்வுட் ஆர்வமாக இல்லை.அவர் மெய்க்காப்பாளர்,, மளிகை எழுத்தர், வன தீயணைக்கும் பணியாளர்,செய்தித்தாள் அளிப்பவர் மற்றும் கோல்ஃப் காடியாகவும் பணியாற்றினார்.1951 ல் கொரிய போரின் போது, ஈஸ்ட்வுட் அமெரிக்க இராணுவத்தில் ஒரு மெய்க்காப்பாளராக கலிபோர்னியாவில் உள்ள ஃபோர்ட் ஓர்டில் பணியாற்றினார்.1951 ஆம் ஆண்டு விடுப்பின்போது, அவர் பயணித்த ராணுவ விமானம் எரிபொருளின்றி கடலில் விழுந்து நொறுங்கியது,மூழ்கிய விமானத்தில் இருந்து தப்பிய, அவர் மற்றும் பைலட் 3 மைல் (5 கிமீ) நீந்தி கரைசேர்ந்தனர்.

தொழில்
ஆரம்ப காலம்

ஈஸ்ட்வுட், ராஹைட் விளம்பரப் புகைப்படம்
சிபிஎஸ் செய்தி வெளியீட்டின் படி,ஃபோர்ட் ஓர்டில் படப்பிடிப்பு நடந்தபோது ஈஸ்ட்வுட் ஒரு உதவி இயக்குனரால் அடையாளம் காணப்பட்டார்.ஏப்ரல் 1954 இல் அவரது ஆரம்ப ஒப்பந்தம் வாரத்திற்கு $ 100 (2013ன் படி $869) அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள்.ஒப்பந்தமான பிறகு, ஈஸ்ட்வுட் ஓர கண்ணால் பார்த்தல் போன்ற அம்சங்களால் விமர்சிக்கப்பட்டார்,பின்னாளில் இவையே அவரது ஸ்டைலாக மாறின.

ஈஸ்ட்வுட் முதல் கதாபாத்திரம் ஒரு ஆய்வக உதவியாளராக 1955ம் ஆண்டு திரைப்படமான ரிவென்ச் ஆஃப் த க்ரியேச்சரில் கிடைத்தது.அடுத்த மூன்று ஆண்டுகளில், அவர் பல படங்களில் சிறு வேடங்களில் நடித்தார்.1959 ஆம் ஆண்டில் நட்புக்காக "மேவ்ரிக்" படத்தில்,பணத்துக்காக ஒரு பணக்கார பெண்ணை திருமணம் செய்யும் ஒரு கோழைத்தனமான வில்லனாக நடித்தார்.ஈஸ்ட்வுட் பிரஞ்சு படமான "லஃபாயெட்டெ எஸ்காட்ரில்லெ"வில் ஒரு ஓட்டுநரான சிறு வேடத்தில் நடித்தார்.

நீண்ட இடைவேளைக்குப்பின், ஈஸ்ட்வுட் 1958ல் சிபிஎஸின் வெஸ்டர்ன் தொடரான ராஹைடில் ரவுடி யேட்ஸ் என்ற துணை பாத்திரத்தில் நடித்தார்."ராஹைடு" ஆண்டுகள் (1959-65) ஈஸ்ட்வுட் வாழ்க்கையில் மிகவும் கடினமானவையாக இருந்தன, அவர் பெரும்பாலும் ஒரு நாள் சராசரியாக பன்னிரெண்டு மணி நேரமும், ஒரு வாரத்திற்கு ஆறு நாட்களும் நடித்தார்,எனினும் சில இயக்குனர்கள் கடினமாக உழைக்கவில்லை என அவரை விமர்சித்தனர்.

1963 இறுதியில் ராஹைடு தொடரின் புகழ் குறைந்தது.அவர் தனது முதல் இயக்குனர் முயற்சியாக பல டிரைலர்களை இத்தொடரில் படமாக்கினார்,எனினும் தயாரிப்பாளர்களை அவரால் திருப்திபடுத்த முடியவில்லை.நிகழ்ச்சியின் முதல் பருவத்தில் ஈஸ்ட்வுட் ஒரு எபிசோடுக்கு $ 750(2013ல் $ 6,068) அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் மற்றும் இத்தொடர் இரத்து நேரத்தில், அவர் இழப்பீடாக $119,000(2013ல் $881,505) அமெரிக்க டாலர்கள் பெற்றார்.

திரைவாழ்க்கை
1963ம் ஆண்டு இறுதியில், ஈஸ்ட்வுட்டின் "ராஹைடு" இணை நட்சத்திரம், எரிக் பிளெமிங்,செர்ஜியோ லியோன் மூலம் ஸ்பெயினின் ஒரு ஒதுக்குப்புறமான பகுதியில் எடுக்கப்படும்,எ ஃபிஸ்ட்ஃபுல் ஒஃவ் டாலர்ஸ் என்ற ஒரு வெஸ்டர்ன் படத்தில் நடிக்க வந்த வாய்ப்பை நிராகரித்தார்.ரிச்சர்ட் ஹாரிசன் என்பவர் ஈஸ்ட்வுட்டிற்கு இப்படத்தில் நடிக்குமாறு ஆலோசனை வழங்கினார்.அவருக்கு பதினோரு வார வேலை ஊதியத்தியமாக $15,000 (2013ல் $112,902) மற்றும் படப்பிடிப்பின் முடிவில் போனஸாக ஒரு மெர்சிடிஸ் கார் என நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்டது.ஈஸ்ட்வுட் பின்னர் வெஸ்டர்ன் தொடரான "ராஹைடிலிருந்து" எ ஃபிஸ்ட்ஃபுல் ஒஃவ் டாலர்ஸில் நடிக்கும் மாற்றம் பற்றி பேசும்போது:"நான் ராஹைடில் எல்லோரிடமும் அன்பு செலுத்தும் ஹீரோவாக நடித்து சோர்வடைந்தேன், எனவே இத்தருணம் ஒரு எதிர்ப்பு ஹீரோவகும் முடிவெடுத்தென்" என்றார்.ஈஸ்ட்வுட் பெயரில்லாத கதாநாயகனின் தனித்துவமான பாணியை உருவாக்குவதில் முக்கியப் பங்காற்றினார்.


ஈஸ்ட்வுட், எ ஃபிஸ்ட்ஃபுல் ஒஃவ் டாலர்ஸில்(1964)
எ ஃபிஸ்ட்ஃபுல் ஒஃவ் டாலர்ஸ் லியோனின் வெஸ்டெர்ன் படங்களில், ஒரு மைல்கல் என நிரூபித்தது.படத்தின் வெற்றி ஈஸ்ட்வுட்டை இத்தாலியில் ஒரு பெரிய நட்சத்திரமாக மாற்றியது.

திரைப்படங்கள்
இவரது திரைப்படங்களில் சில:

1964 - எ ஃபிஸ்ட்ஃபுல் ஒஃவ் டாலர்ஸ்
1966 - ஃபார் அ ஃபியூ டாலர்ஸ் மோர்
1966 - தி குட், தி பேட் அண்ட் தி அக்ளி
1992 - அன்பர்கிவன்
2004 - மில்லியன் டாலர் பேபி
2006 - லெட்டர்ஸ் பிரம் இவோ ஜிமா







14 behind-the-scenes photos of Clint Eastwood at work and play in his early career
These candids show Eastwood at work and play during the 50s and 60s
February 11, 2020, 2:00PM By MeTV Staff

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Clint Eastwood has become such an icon of Hollywood, it's hard to remember that he was once just an up-and-coming actor on a TV show. Playing Rowdy Yates on the hit western Rawhide opened a lot of doors for the San Francisco kid. 

As he turns 90 this year, we though we'd pay tribute to this legend with a look back at his early days. 

Enjoy these candid snapshots of Clint, family, and friends at work and leisure in the 1950s and 1960s.

Adult Swim 

 Image: AP Photo
There's no lifeguard in the backyard, so Clint and his wife, Maggie, can engage in horseplay by their pool.
















For the Birds

 Image: AP Photo
Clint and Maggie hang up some artwork at home in 1962.















Arm Day

 Image: The Everett Collection
Clint hits the gym and curls some iron in the late 1950s.















The Breakfast of Champions

 Image: AP Photo
Maggie makes tea while Clint sucks down some O.J. in costume one fine morning during the production of Rawhide. We love the goofy photo of the couple behind his hand.











C'mon, baby…

 Image: AP Photo
Maggie teaches Clint how to "do the Twist" at home in San Fernando Valley in 1962.















Rowdy in Tokyo

 Image: AP Photo
The cast of Rawhide causes a media storm upon a visit to Japan.


Dip and Dog

 Image: AP Photo
You wouldn't figure Eastwood for a dachshund owner, would you?

Behind the Camera

 Image: AP Photo
Clint plays with his new camera at home. On the wall, you can see ephemera of his Rawhide career, from a TV Cover to an honorary membership into the Pettis County Historical Society, Sedalia, Missouri.









No Horsing Around

 Image: The Everett Collection
Clint practices his trademark squint on the set of Rawhide.

















Lacoste of Fame

 Image: The Everett Collection
This is probably the preppiest Eastwood has ever looked. Don't tell him we said that.













Look Who's Talking

Eastwood, in the middle, earned his first screen credit for a role in Francis in the Navy, a naval comedy featuring Francis the Talking Mule. Eastwood was no stranger to talking equines. He also appeared on Mister Ed.








Swing Set

 Image: The Everett Collection
Clint gives his son Kyle a thrill while on the set of Dirty Harry in 1971.















A Budding Star

 Image: The Everett Collection
Eastwood made his screen debut with an uncredited role on Revenge of the Creature, which can sometimes be seen on MeTV's own Svengoolie. Here is a headshot from around the time of that 1955 feature.














Hand in Hand

 Image: AP Photo
Clint goes for a stroll with actresses Olive Sturgess (left) and Dani Crayne (right) in 1954.








.Clint Eastwood, in full Clinton Eastwood, Jr., (born May 31, 1930, San Francisco, California, U.S.), American motion-picture actor who emerged as one of the most popular Hollywood stars in the 1960s and went on to become a prolific and respected director-producer.


Early Life And Career
During the Great Depression, Eastwood moved with his family a number of times before they finally settled in Piedmont, California, in 1940. He was drafted during the Korean War and stationed in California. Following his discharge from the army in 1953, Eastwood moved to Hollywood. A screen test with Universal in 1954 netted him a 40-week contract, but, after one renewal and a series of bit parts in such movies as Tarantula (1955) and Revenge of the Creature (1955), his option was dropped. He appeared in several TV series before he got his big break in 1959 by being cast as Rowdy Yates in the popular TV western Rawhide (1959–65).

Eastwood achieved international stardom during this same period when he played The Man with No Name—a laconic, fearless gunfighter whose stoicism masks his brutality—in three Italian westerns (popularly known as “spaghetti westerns”) directed by Sergio Leone: Per un pugno di dollari (1964; A Fistful of Dollars), Per qualche dollari in più (1965; For a Few Dollars More), and Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). In 1967 the three films played in the United States and were immediate commercial successes, establishing Eastwood as a box-office star.

For Eastwood’s first American western, Hang ’Em High (1968)—Ted Post’s expert imitation of the Leone formula, enlivened by a superior group of character actors—he formed his own production company, Malpaso. He also worked with Don Siegel on the popular police story Coogan’s Bluff (1968); it was Siegel who taught him most of what he needed to know about directing, a debt Eastwood often acknowledged. He also worked with Siegel on the western Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), the psychological Civil War drama The Beguiled (1971), and the prison-break film Escape from Alcatraz (1979). Their best-known collaboration was Dirty Harry (1971), in which Eastwood first portrayed the ruthlessly effective police inspector Harry Callahan. The film proved to be one of Eastwood’s most successful, spawning four sequels and establishing the no-nonsense character Dirty Harry—known for such catchphrases as “Go ahead, make my day”—as a cinema icon.

Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry
Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry
Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry (1971), directed by Don Siegel.
© 1971 Warner Brothers, Inc.; photograph from a private collection
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First Directorial Efforts
Eastwood turned to directing in such films as the thriller Play Misty for Me (1971), the westerns High Plains Drifter (1972) and The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), and the espionage thriller The Eiger Sanction (1975), all films in which he also played leading roles. Eastwood took over the western The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) from Philip Kaufman, who cowrote the story of a Missouri farmer driven to violence after his family has been slaughtered by renegade Union soldiers. Stylishly photographed by Bruce Surtees, with a fine performance by Chief Dan George as a Cherokee elder, this work humanized Eastwood’s mythic avenger archetype for the first time.

Eastwood went on to make The Gauntlet (1977), a kinetic but formulaic action film in which he played a police detective trying to transport a witness (Sondra Locke) to an Arizona courthouse where she can testify. The gentle good humour pervading Bronco Billy (1980) was far removed from the mayhem of his westerns and cop movies; Eastwood was deft as the proprietor of a two-bit Wild West show who gives shelter to, then falls in love with, a runaway heiress (Locke). Firefox (1982) was a high-tech Cold War story that had Eastwood as a pilot stealing a supersonic jet from the Soviets. The whimsical and sentimental Honkytonk Man (1982), set during the Great Depression, featured Eastwood as a country singer dying of tuberculosis whose dream is to make it to the Grand Ole Opry before he passes on.

Having wandered rather far afield from his star action persona, Eastwood directed the fourth Dirty Harry film, Sudden Impact (1983), with Locke portraying a rape victim on a vengeful murder spree. He then returned to his screen roots with the neo-mythic Pale Rider (1985), a quasi-religious western. It showcased Eastwood’s iconic presence and Surtees’s gorgeous photography and was one of the few hit westerns of the 1980s.

Clint Eastwood marine sergeant (Eastwood) on the verge of retirement whose tough approach whips a group of raw recruits into shape for the invasion of Grenada. White Hunter, Black Heart (1990) was Eastwood’s most audacious project of this period of his career, an adaptation of Peter Viertel’s roman à clef about his on-location collaboration with director John Huston on The African Queen (1951). Bravely tackling the part of Huston, Eastwood embodied the great director’s rugged physical presence.

A lifelong devotee of jazz and an accomplished pianist, Eastwood also directed the well-regarded Bird (1988), a film biography of saxophonist Charlie Parker (Forest Whitaker), and produced the documentary Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988). Off-screen, Eastwood made national headlines in 1986 when he was elected mayor of Carmel, California; he served for two years.

Learn More!
Clint Eastwood
QUICK FACTS
Clint Eastwood
View Media Page
BORN
May 31, 1930 (age 90)
San Francisco, California
(Born on this day)
NOTABLE WORKS
“Million Dollar Baby”
“Unforgiven”
“Mystic River”
“American Sniper”
“Richard Jewell”
“Invictus”
“Hereafter”
“Sully”
“The 15:17 to Paris”
“Jersey Boys”
AWARDS AND HONORS
Academy Award (2005)
Kennedy Center Honors (2000)
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (1995)
Academy Award (1993)
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Films Of The 1990s
Because Eastwood’s style of acting was minimally expressive, his films initially drew little praise from critics. Yet his strong resonant screen presence earned him success at the box office. His standard role was that of a tough loner whose violent behaviour conformed to his own understated moral principles. However, Eastwood’s willingness to demythologize such stock characters as western heroes and cops eventually brought him critical acclaim, as did his lean, crisp directorial style. He became known as a director equally adept at presenting deep character studies and fluid action sequences. After the unsuccessful police drama The Rookie (1990), his revisionist western Unforgiven (1992) featured a towering performance by Eastwood as an erstwhile “regulator” who lays down his plowshare to execute a thug who has disfigured a prostitute. Both the picture and Eastwood (for best director) won Academy Awards. The film was critically lauded for Eastwood’s unsentimental look at frontier violence.

Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven
Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven
Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven (1992), directed by Eastwood.
KPA/Heritage-Images/Imagestate
In the quiet drama A Perfect World (1993), an escaped convict (Kevin Costner) takes a boy (T.J. Lowther) hostage, and an unlikely bond forms between them. Eastwood played a Texas Ranger tracking them down. He made a rare appearance in another director’s film when he played a U.S. Secret Service agent trying to thwart a presidential assassination in Wolfgang Petersen’s popular action thriller In the Line of Fire (1993).

The Bridges of Madison County (1995) was Eastwood’s effective mounting of the enormously popular novel by Robert James Waller. Eastwood was excellent as a photographer traveling through Iowa for a magazine piece on its historic covered bridges, and Meryl Streep played a farmer’s wife who, against her better judgment, enters into an affair with him.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) was also based on a book that became a publishing phenomenon, the nonfiction best seller by John Berendt about a murder that rocks the community of Savannah, Georgia, which is populated almost entirely by eccentrics. In the thriller Absolute Power (1997) Eastwood played a thief who, in the midst of a robbery, witnesses the Secret Service murder a woman whom the president of the United States (Gene Hackman) has just attacked sexually. In True Crime (1999) Eastwood starred as a veteran reporter whose investigative skills revive when he learns that a prisoner (Isaiah Washington) scheduled for execution that night is probably innocent.

2000 And Beyond
Space Cowboys (2000) had Eastwood as the head of a team of elderly test pilots (Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner, and Donald Sutherland) who have been summoned out of retirement to rescue the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) when an obsolete Russian satellite requires disarming. Blood Work (2002) was a serviceable thriller about a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) profiler who is convinced that only he can locate a murderer.

Mystic River (2003) set a new standard for Eastwood as a director. Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and Tim Robbins starred as childhood pals who have grown up to live widely disparate lives while still bound to the working-class neighbourhood they were born into. Eastwood took another best director Oscar nomination, and the film was also a best picture nominee.

Million Dollar Baby (2004) was another success for Eastwood. A crusty fight trainer (Eastwood) is haunted by his failed relationship with his daughter and a female aspiring boxer (Hilary Swank) who wants to train under him. But tragedy strikes in the midst of her big match, and the rest of the movie is concerned with what makes life worth living. Probably the biggest dark-horse success of Eastwood’s career, Million Dollar Baby won Oscars for best picture, best actress (Swank), and best supporting actor (Morgan Freeman). It also brought Eastwood his second Oscar for best director. The film broke the $100 million mark at the American box office. Eastwood next directed the World War II films Flags of Our Fathers (2006) and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), both of which focus on the Battle of Iwo Jima. The latter, told from the Japanese perspective, was nominated for several Oscars, including best director and best film.

Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby
Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby
Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004), directed by Eastwood.
© 2004 Warner Brothers, Inc.
Changeling (2008) was a period piece set in Los Angeles in 1928. It was based on a grim true story of a missing boy whose mother, Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie), is horrified when, several months later, the police “return” him to her in the person of an entirely different child. Eastwood won a special award for Changeling at that year’s Cannes film festival. In Gran Torino (2008), Eastwood played Walt Kowalski, an irascible retired autoworker living in a blue-collar suburb of Detroit who is forced to shake off a lifetime of suspicion toward minorities so as to don the role of protector to a family of Hmong immigrants. The film was a major box-office hit.

Shot in Capetown, South Africa, Invictus (2009) took as its subject Pres. Nelson Mandela (Freeman) and his plan to unite his racially divided country by using the 1995 Rugby World Cup, in which South Africa’s almost all-white Springboks team, typically reviled by the majority black populace, faced heavily favoured New Zealand in the finals. Their inspirational victory was presented in thrilling fashion by Eastwood, but the film’s real strength was its painstaking attention to the political and cultural issues negotiated by the players and Mandela.

Matt Damon in Invictus

Matt Damon in Invictus
Matt Damon in Invictus (2009), directed by Clint Eastwood.
© 2009 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.; all rights reserved
Hereafter (2010) was an oddity in the Eastwood canon—a measured, quiet drama about three characters whose widely divergent life experiences have left them convinced of the reality of an afterlife. The anguish experienced by each is etched expertly by Eastwood, but the story is told at a languid pace. J. Edgar (2011) was a weighty biopic of J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio), the longtime head of the FBI. Armie Hammer had the film’s other key role, Clyde Tolson, Hoover’s right-hand man and the love of Hoover’s life. Thus, J. Edgar was as much a romance as an account of a power-hungry bureaucrat who became one of the most feared—and loathed—figures in American life. Eastwood then helmed a film adaptation (2014) of the Tony Award-winning (2006) musical Jersey Boys, about the rise of the American rock-and-roll group the Four Seasons.

Eastwood’s adaptation of a Navy SEAL sniper’s memoir, American Sniper (2014), was lauded for the finesse with which it depicted both the violence of the Iraq War and the difficulty of a soldier’s adjustment to civilian existence. The film received an Academy Award nomination for best picture. Eastwood continued to draw inspiration from true-life events with Sully, about airline pilot Chesley (“Sully”) Sullenberger (played by Tom Hanks), who landed a malfunctioning commercial jet on the Hudson River. The docudrama recounts both the emergency landing and the ensuing investigation into Sullenberger’s handling of the event. In his next film, The 15:17 to Paris (2018), Eastwood chronicled the 2015 terrorist attack on an Amsterdam-to-Paris train, and he cast the three Americans who thwarted the strike to play themselves. He also directed and starred in The Mule (2018), a drama based on The New York Times article about a horticulturist and World War II veteran who became a courier for a drug cartel. Eastwood again looked to true events for his next directorial effort, Richard Jewell (2019), a biopic that centres on the Atlanta Olympic Games bombing of 1996 and the security guard who was wrongly suspected of the attack.

Besides his Academy Awards, Eastwood received the Irving G. Thalberg Award for lifetime achievement in 1995 and the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award in 1996. In 2007 he was made a chevalier of the French Legion of Honour; he was elevated to commander two years later.

Michael Barson
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

LEARN MORE in these related Britannic

M G R REMEMBERED PART -22

M G R REMEMBERED PART -22

.MGR Remembered – Part 22
Sibling Rivalry and Siblicide in DMK of 1950s
MGR with S.S.Rajendran (in late 1950s)
MGR with S.S.Rajendran (in late 1950s)

Part 21

by Sachi Sri Kantha, November 3, 2014

In the previous chapter, I introduced Erik Erikson’s generativity concept by MGR as a member of DMK in 1950s. As previous observers of DMK politics of that era, especially Robert Hardgrave Jr., had noted MGR was not alone in promoting DMK policies. Due credit should be given to other film artistes, who were MGR’s contemporaries. Apart from leader Anna himself, there were actors N.S. Krishnan, K.R. Ramasamy, D.V. Narayanaswamy, Sivaji Ganesan, S.S. Rajendran (Narayanaswamy’s brother in law), music director-playback singer Chidambaram S. Jayaraman (Karunanidhi’s brother in law), lyricist Udumalai Narayana Kavi, scriptwriter-lyricist M. Karunanidhi, lyricist-script writer Kannadasan and script writer-producer Murasoli Maran (Karunanidhi’s nephew) as well. The death of S.S. Rajendran (SSR) on October 24 at the age of 86, closes one chapter among the DMK’s ‘heavies’ of that era. This death leaves Karunanidhi alone, as the ‘last man standing’!



Difference between Madras and Bombay movies of 1950s

During the 1950s, there were two big differences between the movies produced in Madras and Bombay. First, Hindi movies produced in Bombay, in the spirit of newly independent India, the call was for unity and nation-building. Contrastingly, due to the influence of DMK’s then secessionist principle and its major players in the drama-movie world, Tamil movies promoted separate state idea for Tamils, and the separate culture of Northern Aryans and Southern Dravidians. Secondly, Muslims played a major role Hindi movies as actors (carrying masked Hindu stage names), play back singers, lyricists, music directors and directors. But, in Tamil movies, Muslims couldn’t gain a prominent strong hold. In 1950s, among the Muslims who shined in the Hindi movies the following deserve mention. Actors: Dilip Kumar (Yusuf Khan), Madhubala (Begum Mumtaz Jehan), Nargis (Fatima Rashid), Waheeda Rehman; Playback singer: Mohammed Rafi; Music director: Naushad Ali; Director: Mehboob (Ramjan Khan); Lyricist-director: Kamal Amrohi (Syed Amir Haider Kamal).

In the Tamil movies, there was one hero with Muslim name – G.M. Basheer. He couldn’t rise to the top rank. Another actor with a Muslim name, M.K. Mustapha, was in MGR’s drama troupe. Though he acted in a few Tamil movies, he couldn’t elevate himself as a top rank hero. Susequently, there was a stunt Muslim actor C.L. Anandan (as a masked name) who became a ‘hit’ for a few movies, but faded soon. Lyricist Ka. Mu. Sheriff, was the only one Muslim who was able gain distinct name recognition in 1950s. There was one music director with the name T.M. Ibrahim, who scored for a few Tamil movies. In his autobiography, MGR mentions briefly about this Ibrahim (as one “who is younger to me by one or two years”), who later became a music director, though he was more interested in acting and singing. Why Muslims couldn’t make it to the top in Tamil movies deserves an in-depth study. Not that, Hindu parochialism ruled the roost in Tamil Nadu. Afterall, DMK preached atheism and anti-Brahmin sentiments in 1950s.



Leading Heroes of Tamil Movies in 1950s

In chronological order of birth, the leading heroes of Tamil movies in 1950s were as follows: K.R. Ramasamy(1914-1971)–singer/actor, MGR (1917-1987), T.R. Ramachandran (1917?-1990), Gemini Ganesan (1920-2005), T.R. Mahalingam (1923-1978) – singer/actor, SSR (1928-2014), and Sivaji Ganesan (1928-2001). Comedian actor N.S. Krishan (1909-1957) should also be added to this list as a senior contemporary. Among these, five other than T.R. Ramachandran, Gemini Ganesan and T.R. Mahalingam were affiliated with DMK. Among the eight, K.R. Ramasamy, T.R. Mahalingam and N.S. Krishnan belonged to the old school of singer-actor category, and their opportunities waned in the late 1950s, with the rise of triumvirates of Tamil movies (MGR, Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan). N.S. Krishnan became an alcoholic and died prematurely in 1957. SSR held on his own, for his polished Tamil dialogue delivery style and occasionally appearing with Sivaji Ganesan, in movies. SSR also appeared with MGR in two costume-adventure movies, Raja Desingu (King Desingu, 1960) and Kaanchi Thalaivan (Leader of Kanchi, 1963).

Karunanidhi (lt) and Sivaji Ganesan (rt) in 1950s
Karunanidhi (lt) and Sivaji Ganesan (rt) in 1950s

Brief Chronology of Political and Cinema Activities of DMK Members (1954-59)

To summarize the activities of MGR’s contemporaries, I provide the following chronology, based on the sources (Film News Anandan, Kannan, Kannadasan, Karunanidhi and Sivaji Ganesan) cited at the end.

1954 March 3: release of Manohara (Manohara) movie, starring Sivaji Ganesan and SSR, scripted by Karunanidhi. A big success in box office.

1954 April 9: release of Illara Jothi (Light of Domesticity) movie, starring Sivaji Ganesan and scripted/lyrics by Kannadasan. A box office failure.

1954 May 25: release of Sorga Vasal (Heaven’s Gate) movie, starring K.R. Ramasamy and scripted by Anna. Moderately received, due to bad mauling by censors.

1954 June 22: First release of Kannadasan’s journal Thenral.

1954 July 22: release of Malai Kallan (Mountain Thief) movie, starring MGR and scripted by Karunanidhi. A big box office success.

1954 July 30: release of Thuli Vizham (Poison Drop) movie, starring K.R. Ramasamy (hero) and Sivaji Ganesan (villain), scripted and directed by A.S.A. Samy.

1954 Aug. 26: release of Koondu Kili (Caged Parrot) movie, starring MGR and Sivaji Ganesan. A box-office failure.

1954 October 15: release of Rathak Kanneer (Blood Tears) movie, starring M.R. Radha and SSR, with Chidambaram Jayaraman as music director. A big success

1955 July 29: release of Gul e Baghavali (Gul e Baghavali) movie, starring MGR. a big success.

1956 January 14: release of Alibabavum 40 Thirudarkalum (Alibaba and 40 Thieves) movie. The first Tamil movie to be produced in color (Geva). A big success.

1956 April 13: release of Madurai Veeran (Hero of Madurai) movie, starring MGR. A big successful movie for MGR, in which the hero character dies at the end!

1956 September 4: release of Thaiku Pin Thaaram (Wife after Mother) movie, starring MGR. The first successful movie in a social theme for MGR. A big success.

1956 November: Tamilnadu suffered from disruptive cyclone damage. DMK launced a fund drive to support victims. Sivaji Ganesan also became a victim of sibling rivalry and discord in receiving deserved recognition. The instigator of such a design, was not identified by him openly, but he hints Karunanidhi.

1957 March 31: Madras State Assembly election. DMK candidates contested for the first time, under Independent label. While Karunanidhi won at Kulithalai constituency, SSR and Kannadasan lost in their respective constituencies Theni and Thirukoshtiyur.

1957: Sivaji Ganesan sidelined from DMK and dissociate himself from the party, after a visit to Tirupathi temple. MGR receives prominent treatment. Kannadasan openly attacks Sivaji Ganesan, in his journal Thenral.

1957 August 30: death of comedian actor and senior contemporary N.S. Krishnan.

1957 December 9: Prime Minister Nehru delivers a speech at Tiruchirapalli that he was ready even for a war against secessionist tendencies promoted by DMK.

1958 January 6: Black Flag protest to prime minister Nehru during his visit to Madras. MGR detained at Madras jail with SSR.

1958 February 22-23: DMK’s regional conference held at Deva Kottai at Ramanathapuram district. Opening address delivered by SSR. Karunanidhi scripted drama ‘Rising Sun’ staged for the first time.

1958 March 1: DMK receives ‘Rising Sun’ as its official symbol from the Election Commission.

1958 June 27: release of Malai idda Mangai (A Virgin, who garlanded) movie, starring T.R. Mahalingam; produced by Kannadasan. Success in box office, but not for Kannadasan!

1958 August 22: release of Nadodi Mannan (Vagabond King) movie, the first movie under ‘MGR Pictures’ banner. A big success in box office.

1959 January: DMK wins prominently at the Madras municipal council elections. DMK candidates won 45 seats (compared to Congress Party candidates winning 37 seats) for 100 seat assembly. Subsequently A.P. Arasu of DMK was elected as the mayor of Madras city. At the felicitation meeting held, Kannadasan was disillusioned with the recognition Karunanidhi received from the hands of Anna.

1959 February: At the general council meeting of DMK held in Puthukottai, E.V.K. Sampath (then ranked no. 2 in DMK hierarchy) accused Anna and Nedunchezhiyan for not spreading the party message to other three (Andhra, Kannada and Kerala) states.

1959 May 6: release of Veera Pandiya Kattabomman (Heroic Pandiya Kattabomman) movie, starring Sivaji Ganesan in the title role. A big success in box office.

1959 May 19: release of Sivagankai Seemai (Distant land of Sivagankai) movie, starring SSR, produced by Kannadasan; failure in box office.

1959 June 16: Left leg injury to MGR at the drama stage in Sirkazhi.



Sivaji Ganesan autobiography front coverSibling Rivalry and Siblicide among DMK Artistes

In early 1950s, DMK was promoted in prose, poetry and stage as a ‘party of siblings’, following the leadership of leader Annadurai; a play on the leader’s personal name ‘Anna’ which means elder brother. As the above chronological synopsis indicates, generativity of DMK-affiliated artistes was unquestionable. But, such generativity also generated rivalry, jealousy and distrust among the participants. As a consequence, siblicide became a factor in eliminating weaklings.

Luckily, one can rely on the autobiographies of four principals – Kannadasan, MGR, Karunanidhi and Sivaji Ganesan – to learn about the inner currents which prevailed then. I have listed the four names in the chronological order they had recorded their versions. Truth has many shades, and one can infer what really happened by comparing notes. Reading these four autiobiographies, one finds that MGR had not mentioned about the friction he had with Sivaji Ganesan, which led to latter leaving DMK fold in 1957. Not only MGR, even Karunanidhi (in his volume 1, which covers his life up to 1968) and Kannadasan do not mention this conflict with Sivaji Ganesan. In a subsequent volume, Karunanidhi had implied that it was MGR who worked ‘behind’ actively to push Sivaji Ganesan out of DMK.

Sivaji Ganesan’s Gripe

I present Sivaji Ganesan’s version of truth, as he reminisced to his interviewer before his death.

“…in 1956, the mother of all storms hit Tamil Nadu and disrupted normal life for many persons. Arignar Anna appealed to all of us to raise funds for flood relief. I raised funds in my individual capacity. I spoke the Parasakthi dialogue in Virudhunagar and collected the money that was placed on the cloth that I spread out for this purpose. The first to donate was a man from the Nadar community. I handed over the collections to the party and left for Salem for a shoot. Anna was conducting a function to felicitate the person who raised the maximum collection…I waited at home presuming that someone would telephone or invite me personally for the function but there was no communication. The function took place at six in the evening and for the first time MGR was called on stage and honoured. Such irony! It was I who had collected maximum funds, but the honour went to MGR. Anna had apparently asked the party workers why I was not present and he was told that I was unable to make it! Some elements hovering around Anna wanted to send me away from him. Kalignar [i.e., Karunanidhi] was also present. We were so close, yet he was unable to insist that I be invited. Well! What could he do?

No one acknowledged my presence a fact which unsettled me. I had always been patient, and impervious to all insults but this incident drove me crazy. I had been part of this movement from the time I was very young, and without warning, I was dismissed as someone of no consequence and my anna MGR, admitted instead. He was not in the least bit connected with this movement at that point. They did this just to sideline me. This is the truth and I swear by it. Many were aware of these facts but for reasons best known to them kept the truth under wraps. I wish to disclose everything. This autobiography is like my last will, so I do not wish that anything be hidden.”

In Sivaji Ganesan’s version, both MGR and Karunanidhi were mentioned. But, he had noted, MGR “was not in the least bit connected with this movement at that point.” That more or less leaves Karunanidhi as the plotter in this episode. There are two more issues which deserve consideration. First, Sivaji Ganesan’s autobiography also indicates that he “have never been a member of the DMK…I accepted the principles for which the party stood, but did not become a member.” May be, giving the benefit of doubt to Karunanidhi, (as Sivaji Ganesan had remained outside the party membership since Dec. 1949), MGR who had joined DMK and become a member in 1953, it could be argued that Sivaji Ganesan was eliminated from consideration on a technical point! Secondly, as indicated in the chronological synopsis above, MGR’s three released movies of 1956 had box office success. It could be that he might have donated more funds ‘silently’ to the party coffers without any publicity, as his philanthropy came to be recognized later, even by his enemies. Thus, MGR’s contributions came to be publicly acknowledged. One also finds it difficult to accept, that this particular insult of not receiving due recognition made Sivaji Ganesan so bitter with DMK hierarchy. After all, he was not a stranger to such insults in the cut-throat world of Tamil cinema, before the success of his debut movie Parasakthi in 1952. It is on record that notable producers of that era like A.V. Meiyappa Chettiar, S.S. Vasan, director P. Neelakandan and cameraman Jeeva had ‘insulted’ him with words such as one with ‘horse face and fish mouth’!



Kannadasan autobiography vol. 1
Kannadasan autobiography vol. 1

Kannadasan’s Troubles

Kannadasan did have serious sibling rivalry with Karunanidhi, since 1951. In his autobiography, Kannadasan had noted a few. He mentions that, in 1951 when he married second time (while his first wife, married in 1950, was alive), Karunanidhi had criticized him strongly, even though it was his personal affair. Karunanidhi also ordered him not to participate in the party conference. Kannadasan also mentions that in 1954, when the movie Illara Jothi starring Sivaji Ganesan was released, to which he had written the script, Karunanidhi had mixed ‘a little poison’ about him in his own journal, that a segment to that particular movie was scripted by himself (i.e, Karunanidhi). To this mischief, Kannadasan had mentioned that he delivered a zinger, comparing Karunanidhi to Shakespeare, with a caption ‘Shakespeare gained fame by stealing’! This was after he (Kannadasan) had learnt that even Shakespeare’s play plots were not original. Kannadasan mentioned that in those days, there was a common belief that the writings of Karunanidhi were not his own!

In the 1957 elections to the Madras Legislative Assembly, both SSR and Kannadasan lost. DMK didn’t receive official party recognition then. The election records show, Kannadasan came third, contesting Tirukoshtiyur (constituency 99) as an Independent. He received 9,389 votes (20.15% votes polled), against the victor N.V. Chockalingam’s (Congress Party) 20,611 votes (44.2% votes polled). In between these two, was the Communist Party candidate S. Shanmugam who polled 11,533 votes (24.75% votes polled). For this loss, Kannadasan blames his political naivete. Comparatively, SSR performed better, contesting Theni (constituency 134) as an Independent. He received 31,404 votes (21.9% polled) against the victor N. R. Thiagarajan (Congress Party) 38,185 votes (26.6%). In his autobiography, Karunanidhi had mentioned that the lack of a party symbol was a hindrance for the DMK candidates in that election. As ‘rising sun’ was an independent symbols, in some constituencies other Independent candidates not belonging to DMK had the same ‘rising sun’ symbol. Thus, it was difficult to ask for vote for the ‘rising sun’ symbol in some constituencies, and in other constituency (especially Salem, where DMK leader Nedunchezhiyan contested) another symbol had to be pleaded for voters. In that Salem constituency, Nedunchezhiyan contested under rooster symbol, as another independent candidate had received the ‘rising sun’ symbol.

To contest this 1957 election, Kannadasan had mentioned that he received a loan for 3,000 rupees. To retrieve this sum, he attempted to make a movie, having MGR in the hero role.

In his autobiography, Kannadasan adopted an unusal style, of referring himself in third person singular (he). Thus, depending on the context, in the translation of Kannadasan’s story, ‘he’ appears to reflect himself (Kannadasan) and his acquaintances as well. To quote, “He wrote a story entitled, ‘Oomaiyan Kottai’ [Fort of a Dumb Man]. One well known actor of the party was his close friend. [note by Sachi: Kannadasan do not mention MGR by name; but it was an open secret.] It was wrong to belief that he (MGR) was also a friend in day job; because of friendship, he had made contract with him. Because both were friends, another friend was willing to finance. He talked that ‘he would finish this movie, like that of his own’. But after two months, 62,000 rupees had been spent. The actor didn’t offer call sheets. He didn’t even talk to one’s face. The movie stopped abruptly. The financier lost trust, and he filed a case.”

Kannadasan continued his story further. I translate his story here, because he had provided real numbers for movie production costs during that period. “It was January 5th. The next morning, would be January 6th [1958]. On that day, DMK had planned to make Black Flag protest to Nehru. The news reached in Tiruchi on 5th that many had been arrested. He had received money and car. He feared that if he reach Chennai, he also would be arrested. He feared that those who lent money would distrust him. As such, rather than going to Chennai, he reached Bangalore. Only after the Black Flag protest events, he returned to Chennai. He wrote a poem about Black Flag protest, and escaped from the ‘sin’ of not participating in such a protest.

He had written a story based on Sarath Chandra’s ‘Chandranath’ and titled it as ‘Maalai idda Mangai’ (A Virgin, who garlanded). With 17 songs, he produced as a movie. It was over within three months. It brought him success. But, as he had sold the rights to another guy, all the profit moved to him. Then, he produced a movie with the title ‘Sivagankai Seemai’ (Distant land of Sivagankai). [note by Sachi: The hero of this movie was SSR] There was pro and con debate during the production of this movie. He produced it, in confrontation with another movie [note by Sachi: That movie was Veera Pandiya Katta bomman, with Sivaji Ganesan in title role. There was bad blood between Sivaji Ganesan and Kannadasan then.] Though that movie was of some quality, it flopped in box office, relatively to its competing movie. Credit had increased from 62,000 (rupees) to 150,000 (rupees).”

After describing his conflict and disatisfaction with Anna and Karunanidhi on how his efforts were ignored, following the 1959 Madras municipal council elections, Kannadasan had described his troubles as a third time producer. To quote, “Rather than the disgusting thing Annadurai did to him, what he did to himself was more disgusting! He produced his third movie, entitled, ‘Kavalai Illatha Manithan’ [A Man without any Troubles], as a shareholder. Uncomfortable mind. Couldn’t think seriously without worries. Situation was that one had to produce a movie in borrowed money. His partner would sign carelessly without checking what’s on the paper. Under these circumstances, he thought of something, but wrote another thing and produced it as a movie. All he had done for that movie was wrong. Troublesome story. Miscasting of actors…With all these complications, when the movie was released in September 1960, he became credit unworthy. He had lost, 590,000 rupees, in those days. Later, with interest, the amoung ballooned to 700,000 rupees.”

In sum, Kannadasan had antagonized Karunanidhi, Sivaji Ganesan and was not in good terms with MGR in late 1960s. Though I don’t have documents in my hand, I have read that singer-actor K.R. Ramasamy (who was a favorite of Anna, and senior to Karunanidhi by 10 years) was also sidelined in 1950s due to his conflict with Karunanidhi. Here is a tally, in which Karunanidhi had a dubious hand. Sivaji Ganesan quit his affiliation with DMK in 1957; K. R. Ramasamy was sidelined in DMK during late 1950s; Kannadasan quite DMK in 1961; SSR was sidelined in DMK during late 1960s; MGR was thrown out of DMK in 1972.



MGR and SSR in detention in January 1958

In his autobiography, MGR had described briefly about the time he spent in detention about that Black Flag protest event, which Kannadasan had deliberately avoided. Excerpts:

“That particular Black Flag demonstration was decided to criticize because [Nehru] had insulted Periyar’s [talk] as nonsense, and not for accepting the wishes of Tamilnadu people. Because, that demonstration was not directly decisive to nation’s welfare, artistes, lawyers and students were exempted from that protest. I returned home from shooting after midnight 12 o’ clock, and took notes for the next day’s shooting and went to bed around 2 am. I thought, I was being waked for next day’s shooting. Then only, I realized that it was the police personnel.

I asked him: ‘Where is thamby SSR? Where is Mr. KRR? Are you taking me to the place where they are? If so, I’m happy. ”[Initials KRR refers to actor K.R. Ramasamy.] I was greeted with silence. I was taken to Mylapore police station. The officer there asked me to sit in a bench, and took care of his work. Not a word with me.

After a while, thamby SSR also arrived. Like me, he also had asked the same questions. “Where are Mr. KRR and MGR?”

Mr. K.Subramaniam, late director and one who treated me like his elder son, worried much and talked with Mr. Bakthavatsalam [then a cabinet minister in Kamaraj ministry] to release artistes like us. We received a message that we had to express our apology for participating in Black Flag protest and hereafter we’ll not take part in such a protest. We had informed that we cannot offer such apology. We also received again a message, that if our nearest kin can offer such an apology, it would suffice. Though we wished to contact our nearest kin, we couldn’t contact them. Somehow, we were released next day afternoon.”



Nehru’s Firm Hand

M.J. Akbar, one of Nehru’s biographer, noted that in late 1950s, Nehru’s firmness on the question of Indian unity strengthened with time. Thus, by guile, Nehru deflated the separatists raising their heads in Kashmir (leader was Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah), Nagaland (leader was Zapu Phizo) and the then Madras state (leader Annadurai). As far as DMK was concerned, Nehru was lucky in that he had Congress Party (then led by K. Kamaraj) in power. Karunanidhi’s ambition to raise himself to the top after Anna’s demise notwithstanding, in hindsight, one may wonder whether a couple of bureaucratic officials in alliance with the Congress Party in power manipulated defections of E.V.K. Sampath and Kannadasan from DMK in 1961. Why I pose this question is because, Karunanidhi himself had alluded to such ‘soft blackmailing’ by Central government’s tax officials dancing according to the whims of Indira Gandhi, in pulling MGR out of DMK in 1972. Creating friction between number One and number Two of rival parties has remained a time-tested Chanakiyan or Machiavallian strategy of political enemies. To the best of my knowledge, positive evidence for such a defection to deflate secessionist tendencies in Tamil Nadu has not been offered, but M.J. Akbar alludes to such Nehruvian guile in the cases of Nagaland and Kashmir. Two specific facts do provide meager support to the ‘soft blackmail’ theory. First, Sambath was one of the two DMK MPs elected in 1957. Thus, Central government officials might have had easy access to him at New Delhi. Secondly, after leaving DMK in 1961, Sambath in association with Kannadasan, floated a short-lived Tamil National Party (TNP) for a while, but merged his party with the Congress Party within a few years.



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