The almost-forgotten Ramarajan joins the Pongal race with his film titled Medhai. The film, whose shooting was completed several months back, had been lying in cold storage for want of theatres to release the film.
Ramarajan once ruled the roost in Tamil films in the late eighties thanks to Maestro Ilaiyaraja’s musical scores and the irresistible comedy combination of Goundamani and Senthil who were invariably present in almost all films which starred Ramarajan in the lead. In his heydays, Ramarajan’s fee per film equaled almost that of what superstar Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan received in the corresponding period.
Ramarajan’s Karagattakkaran which had mesmerizing music by Ilaiyaraja and a hilarious comedy section (who can forget the ‘banana’ comedy?) created a new box-office record in 1989. However, his lean period started in the mid-nineties itself when he ran out of the combination of Ilaiyaraaja’s music and the combo of Goundamani-Senthil and delivered many failed projects.
Personally too, Ramarajan had to endure the divorce with his actress-wife Nalini and the setbacks he received in his political career. Finally, he disappeared altogether from the scene in the early part of the first decade of this century. He was injured grievously last year during the election campaign when he was campaigning in support of ADMK candidates.
Directed by NTG Saravanan and produced by Kalaimagal Kalaikkoodam, Medhai has a couple of heroines in Kaushika and Haasini. Let’s wish Ramarajan success in this venture which releases on 15th January!
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