These women inspire me!

These women inspire me!

I remember it was in the 1990s, a Tamil New Year’s day, an actress’s interview was to be telecast on the TV.At the announced time,believe me,there was not a single soul to be seen on the roads or on the streets.The streets were deserted.Ofcourse every one in Tamilnadu,young or old were sitting glued to the tv screen,waiting to see and listen to this super star of the Tamilcinema .She appeared on screen and you could see the adoration in the faces of those who were waiting to see the programme.This star was none other than Kushbhoo, the reigning lady super star of the Tamil cinema at that time.People were crazy about her.A temple was constructed by some ardent fans of the actress somewhere near Kumbhakonam. Was she the most beautiful actress of her time?No,not at all.She was plump,she was not extraordinarily beautiful,she was a good actress nodoubt, but was not a patch on the great actresses of the past like Savithri and Padmini.So what was it that attracted the people to her.She was a great dancer,she had an infectious smile and she had a zest for life that shone in her personality and the way she interacted with people.
Her days as heroine were over. She is married,is a mother of two kids,happily running a home.But she is still a popular actress on the small screen .She is busy acting in a couple of tv serials and is conducting the popular TV show,Arokyavin jackpot.This show has endeared her to the fans, more and more.She is spontaneous,no starry airs about her and is very friendly with the participants.The participants, whether they are professionals ,house wives,house maids or school going children, feel very comfortable with her,answering her questions with a smile on their faces and you can see their comfort level with her, yourself.Middle class housewives identify themselves with this glamorous popular cine star.

The Bharathiraja film ‘Kizhakke poghum Rail’ was released in 1978.The heroine of the film was , fifteen years old Radhika,The great actor M.R.Radha’s daughter.None of the people who saw that film would have believed, had somebody forecast to them that the heroine Radhika would in later years become a leading lady who would rule the Tamilsilver screen at the top and would carry many a heroine oriented films , on her shoulders to success.Nor would they have even dreamt that this fat,young girl who could only smile from ear to ear in the entire film,would one day become the ruling queen of TV and produce great hit serials one after the other.Radhika blossomed into a very good actress ,she had a natural flair for comedy.When she was at the top,suddenly she decided to step into the small screen.Many fans of hers,me one of them, felt that she had commited a blunder in coming to the small screen when she was a top heroine in the silver screen.But our fears were unfounded.Today, in the small screen she is a force to reckon with and owns Raddan Productions,a big production company.

Manorama, the evergreen actress,popularly known as Achi is a living legend.She was the only actress who could act on par with Nadigar thilagam Sivaji Ganesan.There are fans who come to see a film even if it is a flop one,provided Achi is acting in the film.Her talent is amazing.

These three ladies belonging to different age groups have certain qualities in common.All the three of them are talented,courageous,very focussed in their ambition,very hard working and they did not flinch in the face of adversities.
Manorama Achi was born in a vey poor family.Her mother used to make snacks at home and sell them.Mother and daughter knew what it was to go hungry.But lady luck smiled on Manorma.She joined dramas,acted as heroine in dramas and later joined films,never to look back again.Her success story is built on hard work,tremendous sacrifices on her part and her dedication to her profession.Her personal life was no bed of roses,but that did not deter her from her desire to be an achiever.She faced the problems that life threatened her with and emerged victorious.
Her costars say that even to day,she is more than seventy now, and does not need to prove anything to anybody,she is very punctual.If she has to report on the set at 8 o’clock,she would be there at 7.45 ,she is till today a director’s actress and obeys the director.She is a grandmother,lives for her only son.Her success story is the one classics are written about.
Radhika again is a fighter.She never allowed her disappointments or heartburns to interfere with her professional life.Today she is a happy wife,a good mother and a great TV Serial producer.Somebody asked her husband Sarathkumar an actor,what was the secret of Radhika’s success,as a film producer and as a home maker.He said that she was an excellent manager of time.She plans her day well in advance and never wastes a single minute,even when she travels to the studio,she is on the phone discussing the day’s itinerary with her people or discussing a shot to be taken with the director.She is focused and never compromises on quality whether at the studio or at home front.

Kushboo!My heart goes out to her.She is a terrific fighter alright.She got into trouble with different sections of the media over some issue or other.While being praised for her contributions in the small screen,she had to be visiting the court,appearing for the many cases filed against her one after the other.A lesser mortal would have called it a day and packed up,not withstanding the tension and anti publicity.But not Kushbhoo.There she is, coming to the courts as per the court’s direction and at the same time carrying on with her Game show.Looking at her face ,her sweet smile and the manner in which she interacts with people ,no one would believe that here is a lady who has seen so many heartbreaks in life.She rises after every encounter with a new problem like a phoenix.


Iam not a great movie watcher.I just don’t have the patience to sit for three hours and watch a movie,no that’s not my cup of coffee.But Iam keenly interested in knowing about our stars.These actors and actresses take us on a jolley ride in cinemas.For three hours peopleforget their worries and are transported to a glamorous world.For three hours it is fun for them.But the actors and actresses who make this possible for an average man to forget his worries and relax,lead mostly strenuous lives.Many are their tribulations.This cine world is a man’s world,for a woman to make a name for herself in this world and carry on is a marvelous feat.Some of them have done it and are doing it.The above mentioned cine stars,Khushbhoo,Radhika and Manorama Achi reached great heights in their professional lives and continue to command respect and adulation from their fans.It is no mean feat.


According to me,my dear friends, These ladies are enigmas.They show to me again and again that in life, if you have to win,you should be tireless,be focussed,be courageous and should have the urge to stand on your own legs .Whenever I feel low,whenever I get this feeling that’s all,my life is over,now is the time for me to eat and sleep,whenever small problems in life trouble me,I think of Khushbhoo,I remember Radhika, I bring to my mind,Manorama Achi.My fears,my listlessness and my anxieties about the future vanish.I know that life has to be lived and in order to live life to the fullest,you have to give it your best shot.
To sum up, my dear friends,these ladies inspire me.

Dear Mithila,

A totally different take from you! Something I did not expect to read going from the title.
One thinks you may be naming Mother Teresa and the greats like her. But then, that would be the norm.
You being you, have gone for women who seem to be family members in every household in Tamilnadu, thus touching a common chord in many.
It is very easy to make idols of the great names, whose lives are larger than life and who are world reknown names.
But you are firmly rooted to the ground and have taken these three women who come from the tinsel town. In spite of the glamour and fame surrounding them, they must have gone through turbulent private lives and pressures and still come out there into the spotlight, shining and in glory. There are too many who have opted suicide and other self destructive paths as an escape. It does take a special woman to survive and thrive in spite of everything.

L, Kamla

My dear Kamla,
My heart goes out to these ladies who go through pain everyday in their lives.Yes,many opted for suicide.How difficult life must have been for those women,beautiful ,glamorous and enjoing all material comforts to opt for this cruel end to their lives?In such a world,where the man dictates and the woman obeys,these gritty ladies, and there are many more like them,held their own.
There are starlet,small time actresses who experience insults and humiations,but they have no other go but to put up with everything,people in their homes have to eat.Many are their sacrifices and many are their heartburns.I feel for them.To me they are wonderful creations of God.I salute their courage,their grit,their ability to sacrifice a lot in order to take care of their families.
love
mithila kannan

Dear Mithila,
WOW. totally a different topic this time from you in your imitable style.Yes, i too like all these 3 actors from tinsel town!! Kushboo,Radhika had being a great personality for their enduring courage and hardwork. Manorama is an epitome of style, acting and grace personified. I'm all vote for all these 3 ladies.They inspire me too

kool post Mithila, well writtern...

My dear dear aishu,
Thank you dear for the nice comment.These three ladies are liked by all cinegoers.But how many of us know how much they had to struggle to come to this position?
love
mithila kannan

Hi Mithila Kannan Mam,

I was thinking about ur postings that there were not appeared these days...
Glad to see one more..
I love Radhika a lot,she is ruling the telugu silver screen and ofcourse manorama but I had seen her acting when she became old,Ilike her voice..Coming to Kushboo I think she is known but less acted in telugu films...She has natural beauty..

Thanq for their personal life info..and their success stories..

hugs,
dg..

My dear dream.girl,
Thank you or your kind words.Iam also a Radhika fan.Manorama is an enigma.Whichever film she acted in and whichever role she did,she shone.Kushbhoo is a great dancer.I like all the three of them.
love
mithila kannan

Dear Mithila,

Each and every one of your snippets never cease to amaze me.You are to be placed in that genere of writers who whip the readers right onto your articles- Short , crisp, simple language and most importantly, you seem to convey a message through every writing of yours in a subtle and sometimes in a very humours way.

Of the ladies you have mentioned -- Kushboo tops the list for me. Right from her youth , she was completed exploited. Any other actress in her place would have ended her life by now. In her teens, she was induced hormonal tablets to make her look like an 'adult' on screen. Later, exploited by a large number of actors. But every time she was pushed off, she jumped up again. Now she is a true winner ... she has no family backup(like Radhika), nor was she as talented as the evergreen Manorama. Yet she has managed to create a niche for herself in this rat raced field of Cinema.

Good article Mithi.... very inspiring.... :)

Regards,
Purnima

Purni

My dear purnima,
Thanks for those wonderful words of appreciation.I need them my dear.Yes,I too love khushbhoo.May God keep her and her family happy.
lots of love
mithila kannan

MK,

Loved your observations on the determined ladies. Each having a own special way of tackling life isn't it.

Just saw the weekend (The hindu) with the cute photograph of khusboo, and was thinking wow, look at her happy cheerful face...

All of them with their never say die attitude, and fighting spirit, and raising back from fall (whether it was from their own mistakes/because of others)...
definitely are women inspirational.