M. R. Radha

Madras Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan (14 April 1907 – 17 September 1979) was an Indian actor and politician active in Tamil plays and films. He was given the title "Nadigavel" (King of acting) by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy. He mostly played villain roles, but had also acted in several films as comedian. Career Madras Rajagopalan Radhakrishna was born on 14 April 1907 at Chintadripet, a locality in Chennai (then Madras), Tamil Nadu. Radha left his home at an early age due to a quarrel with his mother in which she declined to give an extra piece of fish to eat. Radha was a popular theatre artiste who performed in more than 5000 stage shows. Starting at the age of 10, he appeared at first in small roles and eventually grew to a level that stories for dramas were custom-made for him. Radha gained popularity with the success of his stage play Ratha Kanneer. His performance in the 1954 film version of the play, directed by Krishnan–Panju, brought wider recognition of his talents and made him a household name in Tamil Nadu.