Unravelled ! The 3 Letter Secret to Superstardom

Tamil cinema has seen some of the most charismatic actors and stars rule the roost and some of them have even gone on to rule the state. Here we have unraveled an intriguing connection to all these larger than life men and that is the 3 letter secret that propelled them to Superstardom.

MKT

M.K.Thiyagaraja Bhagavathar had probably been the first actor who was popularly known by his acronym MKT which inspired MGR, NTR and others. MKT is the first superstar of Tamil cinema who was renowned for his powerful, melodious voice and the ease with which he could sing high pitch notes. He swayed the audiences of his time so much that an astonishing number of men copied his hairstyle and even today it is known as Bhagavathar style although 55 years have passed since his demise.

PUC

P.U Chinnappa fondly known as PUC was the rival of MKT at the box office and enjoyed a huge fan following. Legend has it that much like today the fans of MKT and PUC used to clash during the releases for their respective films. Chinnappa unfortunately died at a very young age of 36 but not before etching his name as an all time great in the history of Tamil cinema.

NSK

One of the first multi talented entertainers of Tamil cinema, N.S.Krishnan used the medium of cinema to subtly impart messages of values to the society and thus came to be known as Kalaivanar. Apart from delighting the audiences with his songs and comedy NSK was an eternal philanthropist who is said to have lost all his wealth because of his generosity to the needy. NSK was instrumental in starting the Nadigar Sangam.

VKR

The one and only V.K.Ramasamy donned the role of a sixty year old man when he was barely twenty two so effectively that he got typecast as an older man for decades to come. Be it comedy , character or villain roles VKR performed with such ease that his star value never waned till he passed away in 2002 after serving the industry for 55 years.

MGR

All that is to be said about this legend has already been said or written. Starting his film career as an extra went on to become the most popular hero ever in Tamil Nadu who then enjoyed an unrivaled political career, becoming the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and continues to live in the hearts of the people.

Gemini

Gemini Ganesan's biggest achievement is that he gave one successful film after another in a time without being affected by the giants MGR and Sivaji who ruled Tamil cinema. Known as the 'Kadhal Mannan' the eternal playboy holds an unshakable place in the history of Tamil cinema.

Sivaji

The Nadigar Thilagam who has inspired generations is considered as one of the greatest actors ever in the world who has done every conceivable role to perfection. V.C.Ganesan became popular after Periyar named him Sivaji Ganesan after he brought to life the Maratha King in the play 'Sivaji Kanda Indhu Samrajiyam'. To this day Sivaji is synonymous to acting.

SSR

A perfectionist when it comes to delivering Tamil dialogues Latchiya Nadigar S.S.Rajendran held his own against the formidable trio MGR, Sivaji and Gemini. SSR has the distinction of being the first Actor in India to be elected to the Legislative Assembly and has been the President of the Nadigar Sangam thrice.

Nagesh

Dubbed as the Jerry Lewis of India Nagesh is considered the greatest comedian, Tamil cinema has ever produced and he is revered by such legends as Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachan. Nagesh had the uncanny ability to have the audiences in raptures over his antics and never failed to move them to tears when he did tragedy.

Rajini

The bus conductor who came to Chennai from Bangalore in the hope of getting a chance to act in any role first debuted in 'Apoorva Raganagal' and had an inauspicious entry as the titled card will read 'Abasvaram'. Destiny had other plans and Rajini the most charismatic hero in Indian cinema is today its biggest superstar.