Sudalaimadan Koil Street in Tirunelveli occupies a distinctive place in the landscape of modern Tamil literature. The street has been home to several literary figures, including Sahitya Akademi Award winners Thi. Ka. Sivasankaran, popularly known as Thikasi, and Vannadasan. Thikasi also served as the editor of Thamarai, the Communist Party of India’s literary magazine launched by P. Jeevanandham. The street was also a vibrant hub of the DMK — a rare confluence of literature and grass-roots politics. And, it is also associated with Kalapriya, a modern poet who has been shortlisted for the Sahitya Akademi Award for 2025.

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“There was no money. During elections, we would get a cup of fruit sherbet in return for our work. Even tea was scarce. I remember the day when DMK candidate A.L. Subramaniam met us with 25 crisp one-rupee currency notes in 1967. But we refused to accept them,” recalls  Kalapriya.

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An active participant in party activities, Kalapriya was also an ardent admirer of M.G. Ramachandran (MGR). He worked for the DMK from the 1967 election, and then for MGR’s AIADMK. In the 11th ward, the MGR fan club functioned almost as an affiliate of the DMK, complete with a small library that took newspapers and fostered debates on politics and cinema — a political-cultural model that helped to sustain the party’s  grassroots organisation.

“There was an L-shaped street where meetings took place. The DMK  secured a sweeping victory in the 1971 general election, largely because MGR campaigned for the party. He could not participate in the 1967 general election as he was shot by [actor] M.R. Radha, and filed his nomination from the hospital,” says Kalapriya.

Though his admiration for MGR is well known among modern writers,  Kalapriya switched his support to the DMK after MGR’s demise. Writer  Jeyamohan once remarked that Kalapriya would smear the posters of other film actors with cow dung. “There is no truth in that claim. We watched all films, debated their merits, and even distributed pamphlets articulating our views in support of MGR,” Kalapriya says. He was honoured with the Tamil Nadu government’s ‘Ilakkiya Mamani’ award in 2025.

Watching films — including those of MGR — on the first show of the very first day of their release was the norm. Cinemas in and around  Tirunelveli — Central, Parvathi, Ratna, Popular-Royal, and Palace D Vales — were the favourite haunts of Kalapriya and his friends. “We never confined ourselves to debates on the story and the acting. We discussed direction, lyricists and their songs, camera, editing, and other aspects of cinema,” says Kalapriya, who has published En Ullam Alagana  Vellithirai, a collection of essays on films. In the book, he recalls a debate with his friend Ganapathy on the song Thannilavu Theniraikka in the film Padithal Mattum Poduma, which drew the attention of a lawyer, who invited them to his residence.

“Is he firm that the lyricist is Kannadasan? You are all DMK,” the lawyer said.

“Kannadasan was sitting on the fence in the DMK. E.V.K. Sampath had already left the DMK. That was why lyricists like A. Maruthakasi wrote for Sabash Mappillai and Madappura after Thirudathe,” Kalapriya writes.

When asked why other actors could not replicate MGR’s success,  Kalapriya says MGR had carefully constructed a public image that “trapped” the masses. In almost every film, he featured songs that carried explicit political messages, subtly reinforcing his ideology among the audience.

Before joining the DMK, MGR was associated with the Congress. Over the time, he surrounded himself with seasoned political minds, including communist leaders K. Baladhandayutham and Kalyanasundaram. He was further supported by experienced figures such as K.A. Krishnaswamy  and Panruti S. Ramachandran. This combination of cinematic influence and political acumen gave him an exceptional grasp of governance as well as mass psychology.

Kalapriya also highlights MGR’s extensive tours across Tamil Nadu as a decisive factor in his success. These tours enabled him to connect directly with the people and understand their concerns. In contrast, actor Vijay may not yet possess a comparable political experience or the support system of leaders attuned to public sentiment, he says. According to Kalapriya, Vijay may require more time to grasp the complexities and dynamics of politics.

Asked about Jayakanthan’s novella Cinemavukku Pona Sithalu, often read as an indictment of MGR, Kalapriya says he was angry with the writer at that time. But that did not prevent him from engaging with his work and watching his films. “As I began writing, my passion for films and actors was absorbed into literature.”