65 Years Of Uthama Puthiran: How Sivaji Ganesan Set a Precedent for Kollywood’s Anti-Heroes

Uthama Puthiran, which set the template rolling for dual-hero stories, turned 65 years last week. The historical action film released on February 7th 1958 and catapulted lead actor Sivaji Ganesan to superstardom.

The Sivaji Ganesan starrer was the remake of a 1940 film with the same title, based on The Man in the Iron Mask (1939). PU Chinnappa, the superstar of the 40s, had donned the dual role (a first of its kind in Tamil cinema) and it was a success.

In 1949, the concept of twin brothers was made again with MK Radha titled Apoorva Sagodharargal (Kamal Haasan later got the rights to use the title for his film from Gemini Studios). Both PU Chinnappa’s Uthama Puthiran and MK Radha’s Apoorva Sagodharargal were huge successes. Still, Venus Pictures (producers CV Shridhar, T Govindarajan and S Krishnamurthy) chose to remake the story of Uthama Puthiran with Sivaji Ganesan who had just given them a hit in Amara Deepam (1956). The young and talented actor was proving himself to be an ace with historical and social dramas with his sharp dialogue delivery and ability to portray any character. 

This story of a good brother and an evil one would be his first dual role film. Sivaji Ganesan set the template for how the same actor can and should play two different characters in this technically-superior iteration. And the scenarios and manner of filming went up several notches with T Prakash Rao helming this Uthama Puthiran. For example, Vincent Master who handled the camera ensured that the lighting would be in varying shades of grey for the bad brother and in all white for the good one.

While Parthiban (the good twin) is seen in a mock sword fight with his adopted father in daylight, Vincent Master moves to cut the light in the scenes involving Vikraman (the bad twin) to denote shades of grey to convey his selfish, greedy and petulant character. The good brother is shown in full light even during fight scenes, whereas the bad brother is shown in half light even when not fighting. In the pre-climax scene, for instance, the difference in lighting is striking.

Sivaji Ganesan makes you fall in love with his bad boy act from the very first time you lay eyes on him. In a scene, his scheming uncle explains how he will bring him up as his puppet: thaagam eduthaal madhurasam, thaavi vilaiyaada mangaiyar koottam- idhudhaan inimel ivan vaazhkai.” (There are drinks to quest his thirst and young women to play around. From now, this is how his life will be). And the song that follows proves his point — Sivaji Ganesan owns his evilness in style as an inebirated Vikraman dancing to the tunes of his uncle in Tamil cinema’s first rock ‘n’ roll dance number ‘Yaaradi Nee Mohini’ (with Helen and choreography by Hiralal). Thus was born the first anti-hero who people fell in love with.

Legend has it that once the news of its production reached MGR, he quickly teamed up with Kannadasan and even made an announcement of his version of Uthama Puthiran, with him in a dual role for the first time. But that film fizzled out no sooner than it began and MGR started working on his own story - but a double role film nevertheless. Nadodi Mannan which released in August 1958 also became a great success but the record for donning a double role ahead of him and having a film that raced to the frontline at the box office belongs to Sivaji Ganesan. 

Uthama Puthiran’s Vikraman became a hit with viewers and the film roared at the box office. The film boasts of trendy dialogues — CV Shridhar going against the trend of lengthy lines of the time and  G Ramanthan’s splendid music. Vincent Master also introduced zoom shot in Indian cinema in the song ‘Unn Azhagai Kanniyargal Kandathinaale’ which was picturised in Brindavan Gardens, Mysore.

When I interviewed Sivaji Ganesan, he too said that this was his first ticket to becoming a superstar with real box office clout. He gave the entire credit for his portrayal to the team behind Uthama Puthiran and spoke of how they all took care to embellish the bad twin to a level of instant appeal because it was Vikraman’s parrot-like submission to his uncle that held the story together. For example, all his conversations with his uncle would end in him repeating the same words or agreeing to all his instructions. 

Sivaji Ganesan’s Vikraman stood apart from Sivaji Ganesan’s Parthiban in more ways than one. Vikraman’s manner of walking reflected his uncle’s upbringing — he was a king so he walked with a certain majesty to his gait. Vikraman spoke in a high pitch and doled out orders and held his kingly pride as his key trait. For example, when Parthiban imprisons him while he’s wearing the iron mask, he says he feels ashamed to be in a cell like this. Guilt and remorse were not on top of his mind but “shame” — how can a king be helpless and powerless in prison?! And Sivaji’s Vikraman had what we now term as “swag”. If Vikraman walked in a manner which conveyed his inebriated state and his laidback attitude, Parthiban was the quintessential hero - upright, bright-eyed and Buddha-like in his countenance. He was the stoic prince in waiting. 

When Vikraman faces the diabolic uncle’s schemes with some semblance of doubt, the light on his face becomes all white for a split-second (in the pre-climax face-off) but he’s also quick to believe his uncle who plays with his greed over his love for his mother or brother (which is when the light on his face goes back to being dark). The film largely swapped dialogues for more expressive moments and beautiful songs which were filmed in outdoor locales, not confined to sets. The 1958 Uthama Puthiran outshone it’s predecessors also because it was led from the front by portrayals of the hero and the antihero by a unforgettable Sivaji Ganesan. 

Later, when I interviewed superstar Rajinikanth, he had mentioned Uthama Puthiran’s Vikraman as his favorite role. He has in many earlier interviews admitted how he was inspired by the way Sivaji Ganesan portrayed the bad brother with aplomb. Rajinikanth’s swag and style is heavily inspired from Sivaji Ganesan’s Vikraman and this is evident in Netri Kann (1981), where Rajinikanth plays both father and son. The father Chakaravarthy is modeled on Vikraman with the excesses intact. Chakravarthy is a Casanova but he is a man of style and specific tastes in his clothes, perfume and use of cigars. Ilaiyaraaja gave a special violin score just for the way Rajini walked and moved as Chakravarthy in the film, much like Sivaji Ganesan had a special mannerism for Vikraman (the high pitched “hah” that followed any sentence he uttered would also have high octane violins that formed the underlay for his scenes).

Years later another Rajinikanth dual-role film harked back to Uthama Puthiran. Enthiran (2010) was that film in which Rajinikanth brought to life the “evil twin act” of Vikraman in portraying Chitti, when he’s programmed by the villain and becomes obsessed with Sana. Enthiran also had the good Rajini playing imposter with the bad Rajini (just like how Sivaji’s Parthiban exchanges places with Vikraman to bring the villain uncle to books and takes over the kingdom).

Other films which followed this template were - Ajith’s Vaalee (1999) and Vijay’s Azhagiya Tamizh Magan (2007). Sivaji Ganesan was one of the first heroes to have the guts to play the bad guy on screen and he has played wholly negative characters in films which have broken box office records prior to Uthama Puthiran also. But the “anti-hero” who was one step short of the villain and several steps away from the righteous hero was born when Sivaji Ganesan raised his left hand and said “hah”.