Maruthur Gopalan Chakrapani (13 January 1911 – 17 August 1986), commonly known as Ettan ("elder brother" in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

), was an Indian actor and producer based in the Tamil film industry. He was the elder brother of actor-politician

M. G. Ramachandran Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...

Early life

Chakrapani was born in Vadavannur,

Kingdom of Cochin The Kingdom of Cochin, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until 1949, when monarchy wa ...

(now

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

), on 13 January 1911. His parents, Gopala Menon and Sathyabhama, named him Neelakantan, but this was soon changed to Chakrapani because of his father's religious beliefs. Soon after his birth, the family migrated to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where Chakrapani's two younger siblings (brother

and a sister) were born. Gopala Menon worked as a magistrate in

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

, until he suffered an early death. Chakrapani's sister also died while they were in Ceylon. Sathyabhama took her sons to Kumbakonam to be close to her brother. Chakrapani studied at Yanaiadi School, but left after the seventh grade. His mother then enrolled him and Ramachandran in the Madurai Original Boys Company (MOBC), a professional Tamil theatre company.

Career

Chakrapani made his Tamil cinema debut in '' Iru Sahodarargal'' in 1936. ''

Maya Machhindra ''Maya Macchindra'', also titled alternatively as ''Alakh Niranjan'', is the title of various number of films produced in different languages in India. The story is based on the life of Matsyendranath or Machindranath one of the eighty-four Mahasi ...

'' and '' Tamizhariyum Perumal'' came next, where he began to be known as a character actor. His breakout role came in 1944 with '' Mahamaya''. His character, Neelan, is believed to have been modelled after the Indian philosopher

Chanakya Chanakya (Sanskrit: चाणक्य; IAST: ', ; 375–283 BCE) was an ancient Indian polymath who was active as a teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist, and royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭil ...

. Though ''Mahamaya'' was a box office failure, Chakrapani's lines continue to be spoken.His acting in the role of police inspector in Malai kallan and as villain in En Thangai are notable. He had a very good role in Nadodi Mannan . His big success came some years later with ''

Thaai Magalukku Kattiya Thaali ''Thaai Magalukku Kattiya Thaali'' () is a 1959 Indian Tamil-language film produced, directed and photographed by R. R. Chandiran. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran, N. Jamuna and P. Kannamba. It was released on 31 December 1959 and became a ...

'', where he again played a villain. Later in his career, Chakrapani transitioned from actor to director and producer, managing his brother's career. Chakrapani worked with his brother on several projects which failed to see the light of day. One such film, ''Bhavani'' had Ramachandran in the lead role. It was written by A. K. Velan, directed by Masthan, with Chakrapani producing. Years later, Chakrapani tried again, this time taking the director's seat in the renamed '' Arasa Kattalai''. It was a success.

Personal life and death

Chakrapani was married to Meenakshi. They had 10 children together: seven sons and three daughters. Chakrapani died on 17 August 1986 at the age of 75.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chakrapani, M. G. 1911 births 1986 deaths 20th-century Indian male actors Indian male film actors Male actors in Tamil cinema