Cinemania’s “Blast from the Past” series sheds light on unsolved mysteries associated with people from the film industry that have been forgotten over time.

In this article, we focus on the murder case of Tamil language film journalist C. N. Lakshmikanthan which attracted intense media attention in British-ruled India in the 1940s due to its high-profile suspects M.K.T. and N. S. Krishan, two of the biggest stars of Tamil cinema at that time.

The 1975 Hindi-language film “Sholay” shattered all box office records and became the highest grossing Indian film at the time of its release. The action-adventure also created history by running continuously for more than five years at the 1500-seater Minerva Theatre in Central Mumbai. “Sholay” elevated the stardom of its lead actors Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, and is believed to have earned Mr. Bachchan the sobriquet “Superstar of Hindi cinema”.

Prior to Sholay, another Indian film ran continuously for over two years and held the record for the longest-running Indian film until 1975.

It was a Tamil language film called “Haridas” that released in October 1944 at Broadway Theatre, Madras Presidency and ran until November 1946 in what was then British-ruled India.

In a stark contrast to the fortunes of Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra whose careers soared upward after “Sholay”, the stars of “Haridas” M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and Comedian N. S. Krishnan, who were already popular at the time of the release of that film with the former referred to as the “Superstar of Tamil cinema” and the latter considered as the “Charlie Chaplin of India”, suffered a dramatic fall from grace by the time the film completed its running in cinemas. The duo were convicted of murder a month after “Haridas” released and spent the next 30 months languishing in prison.

Who were the duo?

M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, who was referred to by his moniker M.K.T., is regarded as one of the most successful actors in Tamil cinema and was a household name in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu during the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to his film performances, M.K.T. was also acclaimed for his melodious voice and the ease with which he could sing high pitch vocals.

The actor was considered as the heartthrob of his generation due to his good looks, long locks and performances in films and concerts. Several young men looked up to M.K.T. as a role model and grew long hair imitating him. M.K.T. had also reportedly organised and performed at concerts and plays to raise money for the British war effort in the Second World War at the request of the then Governor of Madras.

N. S. Krishnan was an actor-comedian, theatre artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry in the 1940s and 1950s. He was Tamil cinema’s most popular comedian during his time and his pun on the traditions and superstitious beliefs in the society were very well-received.

What were the duo accused of?

M.K.T. and N. S. Krishnan were accused of murdering a film journalist named C. N. Lakshmikanthan.

Mr Lakshmikanthan, prior to becoming a journalist, was convicted of forging an affidavit and sentenced to imprisonment at the Andaman Islands for a period of seven years from 1932 to 1939. Upon his release from prison, he forayed into journalism by starting a weekly film magazine called “Cinema Thoothu” which gained success as well as notoriety for publishing provocative and scandalous articles involving several high-profile politicians, artists, entrepreneurs and film stars. Mr Lakshmikanthan allegedly wrote articles on the basis of rumours and hearsay, following which actors responded by offering large sums of money to prevent him from reporting stories that were likely to tarnish their reputation, which in turn made the journalist wealthy and enabled him to start his own printing press.

Provoked by the articles in “Cinema Thoothu”, M.K.T., N. S. Krishnan and a film producer S. M. Sriramulu Naidu successfully influenced the Governor of Madras to revoke the license of Mr Lakshmikanthan’s magazine in January 1944 as a result of which “Cinema Thoothu” was forced to cease publication.

Unfazed by the closure, Mr Lakshmikanthan started another weekly magazine titled “Hindu Nesan” in July 1944 and continued writing defamatory articles against the trio, and went on to accuse them of “seduction of innocent girls” and claimed that “the wife of the N. S. Krishnan was a prostitute” as per the case diary.

On 8 November 1944, Mr Lakshmikanthan was stabbed by a group of unknown assailants while he was returning home in a hand-pulled rickshaw on General Collins Road, Madras. He was taken to the hospital and died as the result of his wounds in the early hours of the next day.

In the days following the murder, the police arrested six people including M.K.T., Mr Krishnan and Mr Naidu, and accused of them of being the key suspects in their inquiry. In an year-long court trail that ensued, Mr Lakshmikanthan’s articles against the trio were analysed and considered as the motivation behind his murder. The Madras High Court acquitted Mr Naidu and the others, however it sentenced M.K.T. and N. S. Krishnan to life imprisonment after the jury upheld the verdict with a majority of 6 – 3.

As M.K.T. and N.S. Krishnan’s film “Haridas” continued running and shattered box office records, the two actors languished in a prison in the Andaman Islands awaiting retrial.

After spending nearly 30 months in prison, the duo made a successful appeal against their imprisonment at the Privy Council, London, which was then the highest court of appeal, and were acquitted of the murder due to lack of evidence and released from prison in April 1947.

Aftermaths of the incident

Upon his release from prison, M.K.T. continued to act in films but none of them were successful and the actor seemed to be a pale shadow of his former self. The actor grew spiritual and developed a philosophical attitude, undertaking journeys to Hindu pilgrimage centres whilst losing interest in wealth and popularity. M.K.T. succumbed to diabetes at the age of 49 in 1959.

N. S. Krishnan continued to act as well, however only some of his films were successful and he never reached the heights he had attained prior to his imprisonment. The comedian died at the age of 49 in August 1957.

“Haridas” held the record of being the longest-running Indian film at a single theatre for 784 days for the next 30 years until “Sholay” took over that feat, and remained the longest-running Tamil film for 60 years until its record was toppled by “Chandramukhi” in 2005.

The Lakshmikanthan murder mystery remains unsolved to this day.