On January 12, 1967, Tamils were in for a shock from a high-profile crime in Madras. A reel life hero was shot at by a reel life villain. The hero was none other than M.G. Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR, who went on to be the Chief Minister. The villain was M.R. Radha, a versatile actor, whose prime was past him. The crime happened when the State was facing a crucial Assembly election. MGR was the star campaigner for the DMK, an off-shoot of Periyar’s Dravidar Kazhagam, which was trying to defeat the Congress, which was ruling the State since Independence. Apart from the popularity of party president C.N. Annadurai and the brilliant oratorical skills of his band of brothers like M. Karunanidhi, the DMK was looking to tap into the massive popularity of MGR, the darling of the masses. MGR was also the DMK candidate in St. Thomas Mount. His film Petral Than Pillaiya, produced by K.K. Vasu, was a super-hit. MGR was the hero in the film and Radha was the villain.
