Nagaswaram player M.P.N. Ponnusamy, who shot to fame after playing for Thillana Mohanambal, starring Sivaji Ganesan in the lead role, died in Madurai on Monday, aged 90. Ponnusamy played the instrument along with his elder brother M.P.N. Sethuraman while the thavil was played by Devur Santhanam and Thiruvidaimarudur Venkatesan.
In an interview to The Hindu in 2011, Ponnusamy had recalled how the roaring audience at Chintamani Talkies watching the film lifted him and his brother up to express their appreciation. “That was enough for us to lead a happy and contented life,” recalled Ponnusamy, who was born into a family of nagaswaram players. His great-grandfather M.K.M. Ponnusamy Pillai was not only a renowned nagaswaram player, but also a musicologist and wrote a book, Poorviga Sangeetha Unmai.
It was while playing at a wedding reception in Karaikudi did the brothers receive a letter from film director A.P. Nagarajan offering them a chance to play for the film Thillana Mohanambal. The film was a running hit and the career chart of the brothers soared. Nagumo, a keerthana of Saint Tyagaraja, played by them in the scene introducing Sivaji Ganesan and AVM Rajan became a trendsetter. The English notes, the Thillana and a duet in the combination of nagaswaram and P. Susheela continue to remain evergreen melodies.
“Suddenly my diaries overflowed with VIP functions,” he had said. His brother Sethuraman died some years ago.
Ponnusamy received the Kalaimamani award of the Tamil Nadu government in 1977 and Sangeetha Choodamani award of Krishna Gana Sabha in 1997.
