Kovai Chezhiyan was an Indian senior leader of the Dravidian movement in the Kongu Nadu community and film producer who worked in the 1950s up to late 1990s. He was also the vice-chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission when M. G. Ramachandran was the Chief Minister. He had produced films with famous stars including Ramachandran, N. T. Rama Rao, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Sivakumar, R. Muthuraman, J. Jayalalithaa, Vijayakanth, Rajesh Khanna, Mammotty, etc. Chezhiyan, originally from Tamil Nadu, also produced Telugu and Hindi films also and was the first president of Tamil Film Producers Council. He was earlier the Honorary Secretary of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce. He was involved in politics and closely associated with Periyar, Anna, Kalaignar, and Ramachandran.[citation needed]
Kovai Chezhiyan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Murugesan 29 December 1931 Kungarupalayam, Kangeyam, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Died | 14 March 2000 (aged 68) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Other names | Kovai Chezhiyan |
| Years active | 1931-2000 |
| Spouse | Kamalam Chezhiyan |
| Children | Sembian Sivakumar , Madhavi, Vasuki, Kabilan |
| Parents |
|
He was later introduced to Tamil films as a producer by his friend Kavignar Kannadasan, who initially produced films with Kannadasan as partner and later individually from the movie Sumaithangi directed by Sridhar. He produced and distributed various films in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi successfully. He was the first President of the Tamil Film Producers Council.[citation needed]
Kovai Chezhiyan was the founder President of Kongu Vellala Goundergal Peravai.[citation needed] He was elected as an MLA of Kangeyam in 1971.[1] He was also the selection committee chairman of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. During the later part of his life he worked tirelessly for the uplifting the folks of the Kongu region and the Kongu Vellala Gounders. He was one of the main person, who along with his colleagues got the Backward Community Status for the Kongu Vellala Gounders, during the tenure of chief minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi.[citation needed]
He died on March 14, 2000.[2] After his death in 2000, the Kongu Vellala Gounder Peravai constructed a memorial and arch in his native place at Kungarupalayam, near Kangayam in Tirupur district where thousands from Kongu region visit every year on his anniversary (14 March) to pay respects to him.[citation needed]
[3] Kamalam Chezhiyan, wife of Kovai Chezhiyan died on April 24, 2021, due to age related ailments.
Filmography
edit- Sumaithaangi (1962)
- Ooty Varai Uravu (1967)
- Kumari Kottam (1971)
- Uzhaikkum Karangal (1976)
- Circus Ramudu (1980)
- Chandamama (1982)
- Asha Jyoti (1984)
- Enakku Nane Needipathi (1986)
- Mounam Sammadham (1990)
- Azhagan (1991)
- Pudhayal(1997)
References
edit- ^ 1971 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
- ^ "வனக்காவலர்களை துப்பாக்கியால் சுட்ட கடத்தல்காரர்கள்". 14 March 2000.
- ^ "டோடோவின் ரஃப் நோட்டு — Tamil Kavithai -- தமிழ் கவிதைகள் - நூற்று கணக்கில்!". Archived from the original on 13 May 2001.