HOMAGE TO L V PRASAD

by, N.Thyagarajan

Producer, director and actor L.V.Prasad was a person with the principles of equality through his revolutionary ideas produced films with boldness, said the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi at the late director's 100th birth day fell recently.

The Chief Minister said, that the late L.V.Prasad started out his career as an ordinary person and with his tireless work he reached the pinnacles of the film industry. He recalled, that he wrote dialogues for three of Tamil films - Manohara, Iruvar Ullam, Thai Illa Pillai. The Chief Minister recalled that he charged only one rupee for writing his dialogues for the film Thai Illa Pillai. After accepting the offer from Karunanidhi, Prasad promised him that he would come and see him, with Rs.10,000 if the film ran for 100 days. On the 100th day, Karunanidhi saw that a car which reached his door step and from where L.V.Prasad was getting down. He hurriedly came to see Karunanidhi and gave him Rs.10,000 in currencies and told him that he had fulfilled his promise. Recalling the past, Karunanidhi said that he was the only one who alone maintained promises. He narrated another incident, in which another producer had promised him that he would be paid Rs.50,000 if the film ran for 100 days. Karunanidhi said, the producer had stopped the screening of the film on the 99th day from cine theaters.

Speaking about the dialogues which he wrote for the Thai Illa Pillai, he recalled that L.V.Prasad wanted to produce films showing the trend of principle of equality of all religions and castes. Karunanidhi said, that he achieved this through this film. He said the L.V.Prasad was a social reformer who had the courage to produce film like this in those days.

Kamal Hassan in his speech said, that he felt proud to participate in the function, because he had worked with the late director, Shivaji Ganesan and Kalaignar Karunanidhi. The actor recalled an incident. He said when he was travelling with the late producer in a car, he suddenly asked the driver to stop the car and showed a cine theater in which he worked as a ticket checker. Kamal recalled that he was the first man to produce various vernacular languages films in India. He also said that he was the first man to introduce various new techniques and Kamal said that he had set an example to him while he produced his own films, Kamal said.

Anajali Devi, Saroja Devi, Sowcar Janaki, Director K.Balachander and many other ace personalities of the film industry took active role in the late director's 100 birthday