Patriotic Tamil Movies Based On Revolutionary Freedom Fighters

Veerapandiya was the ruler of Panchalankurichi, a village in Tuticorin district. He had two brothers Kumarasami & Duraisingam. After he became king in 1790, he got into a tiff with British East India Company. The problem arose when he refused to pay taxes to the company as he felt they had no right to demand it. After few mighty battles, the brave man was arrested & was hung from a tamarind tree. His fort was razed & the riches were looted. Sivaji Ganesan portrayed the king in the biopic 'Veerapandiya Kattabomman'. The film, which released in 1959, received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. It won many awards in the categories of best film, best actor & others at the 1960 Afro-Asian Film Festival. A still of the film has been posted below.

​Chidambaram (1872-1936), who was also known by his initials V.O.C., was a pleader who was a disciple of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. After being advised by a saint to do something for his country, V.O.C. joined the freedom struggle & mobilised many Tamilians against Britishers. After his subsequent arrest by the colonists, he was imprisoned for a long time & he wasn't allowed to practice law after he was released. After a long struggle, he got back his law license & once again joined the freedom struggle. After ideological differences with Indian National Congress, he withdrew from the struggle & disappeared from the public eye. Sivaji Ganesan portrayed the lawyer in 'Kappalottiya Thamizhan'. The film, which released in 1961, received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil category. A still of the film has been posted below.

Bharathi (1882-1921) was a revolutionary poet who was known for his patriotic poems. He was a royal poet in the court of Ettayapuram Raja. After getting acquainted with journalism, the poet understood the power of journalism & started working as an assistant editor for a Tamil daily. He joined the freedom struggle & became friends with Chidambaram Pillai during the struggle. After Pillai's arrest by British, Bharathi was targeted by the Britishers. To evade arrest, he escaped to Pondicherry & edited newspapers in his exile. After his return to British-controlled Cuddalore in 1918, he was arrested & imprisoned. After his release, his health worsened & passed away in 1921. S. V. Subbiah first portrayed the poet in 'Kappalottiya Thamizhan' in 1961. The poet's life was once again captured in the bio-pic 'Bharathi'. Actor Sayaji Shinde donned the poet's life. Posted below is the image of the freedom fighter.​

Kamaraj (1903-1975) was an Indian National Congress (INC) politician who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu during 1954-1963. After the Jallainwala Bagh Massacre, Kamaraj joined INC & participated actively in the freedom struggle. Despite being imprisoned six times, Kamaraj didn't give up hope & continued his struggle after his release. After independence, he went on to become the CM of Tamil Nadu. After noticing that the INC was losing its fame, he resigned from his office & proposed all the senior leaders should resign & dedicate their time to restore INC to its former glory. This was known as 'Kamaraj Plan'. Awed by his dedication, Nehru made him the INC president. After Nehru's death, Kamaraj turned down the Prime Ministerial post & made Lal Bahadur Shastri as the PM. He also made sure Indira Gandhi became the PM after Shastri's untimely death. Due to this skill, he became to be known as kingmaker. After his death in 1975, Kamaraj was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1979. Richard Madhuram was cast the kingmaker in 'Kamaraj'. Despite being praised by the critics, the film, which released in 2004, didn't become a blockbuster. A still of the film has been posted below.

Periyar was a freedom fighter who vehemently opposed the Hindu caste system. After being subjected to harsh treatment due to his caste, he became an atheist & decided to challenge the Hindu caste system. After joining the Indian National Congress, he advocated the reservation system for government jobs. However, he observed that most of the INC were controlled by brahmins. Due to this, he quit INC & undertook many protests against British rule & the caste system. He also challenged the introduction of Hindi into the education system. He later joined Justice Party & reshaped it as Dravidar Kazhagam (DK). However, due to some differences with party member Anadurai, DK got bifurcated into two factions. One faction, headed by Periyar, remained as DK while the other one, founded by Anadurai, became Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). He was later honoured by UNESCO by describing him as the 'prophet of the new age' and an​ award was handed to him. Satyaraj donned the role of this rationalist freedom fighter in 'Periyar'. The film, which released in 2007, was produced by the Tamil government which was then headed by Karunanidhi, chief of DMK. A still of the film has been posted below.

Duraisingam, who was also known as Oomaithurai, was the brother king Veerapandiya Kattabomman. After his brother's execution by Britishers, Duraisingam sought protection under Marudhu Brothers who ruled Sivagangai during the 19th century. Muthazhagu was one of two Marudhu brothers. After causing opposing the imperial rule for decades, the Marudhu brothers became targets to colonists for granting refuge to Oomadurai. After engaging in a series of battles, the imperial power defeated them & killed the mighty brothers. S. S. Rajendran, the first Tamil actor to venture into state politics, portrayed the Muthazhagu in 'Sivagangai Seemai'. The film, which released in 1957, didn't fare well & but over time, it became a cult classic. A still of the film has been posted below.