M. S. Viswanathan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
M.S.Viswanathan
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Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan
24 June 1928 Elappully Village, Palghat Taluk, Malabar District, Madras Presidency, British India (modern-day Palakkad District, Kerala, India)
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| Died | 14 July 2015 (aged 87) |
| Other names | M.S.V. Mellisai Mannar, Melody King, Thiraisai Chakravarthi, Isai Kadavul |
| Occupation | Film score composer; singer; actor; music director |
| Years active | 1940–2015 |
| Spouse(s) | Yezhuvath Janaki |
| Children | 7 |
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Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan (born June 24, 1928 – died July 14, 2015), often called M.S.V., was a famous Indian music director, singer, and actor. He mostly worked in the Tamil film industry. People knew him as Mellisai Mannar, which means "King of Melody." He created music for over 800 Indian movies and many music albums. Most of his work was in Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu films. He also acted and sang in some Tamil movies. In 2012, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalithaa, gave him the title Thirai Isai Chakravarthy, meaning "The Emperor of Cine Music." She also gave him 60 gold coins and a new car.
Viswanathan worked with composer and violinist T. K. Ramamoorthy from the 1950s to 1965. They were known as Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy and made music for 100 films together. After that, M.S.V. worked alone, composing for 700 more films until 2015.
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Life Story of M.S. Viswanathan
M.S. Viswanathan was born on June 24, 1928, in Elappully village, Palakkad, Kerala, India. His family was from Kerala. When he was only four years old, his father passed away. His mother faced extreme poverty and almost decided to end her life and her children's lives. Luckily, his grandfather saved them at the last moment. His grandfather, Krishnan Nair, worked as a warden at the central jail in Kannur. After his father's death, his family moved to Kannur to live with his uncle, the jailor. As a child, M.S.V. used to sell snacks at a movie theater without pay. He did this just so he could listen to the music from the films. He even had a small part in a film called Kannagi.
He went to school in Pallikunnu, Kannur. He often skipped school and stood outside the house of Neelakanta Bhagavathar, a local music teacher. He would listen to the teacher giving lessons to other students. M.S.V. learned to play the harmonium. One day, Neelakanta Bhagavathar heard him play and sing and was very impressed. He arranged a three-hour concert for M.S.V. at the Kannur town hall. M.S.V. gave his first stage performance in Trivandrum when he was 13. In the 1940s, he worked as an office boy for Jupiter Pictures, earning a small amount of money each month.
Viswanathan was married to Janaki. They had four sons and three daughters. His wife, Janaki, passed away on May 14, 2012, at the age of 77. M.S.V. was known for being very kind. He took care of his first music teacher, S. M. Subbaiah Naidu, when he faced money problems. M.S.V. also helped his friend J. P. Chandrababu, a famous comedian and singer, when Chandrababu had financial difficulties. Chandrababu lived with M.S.V. for his last few years. When Chandrababu died in 1974, M.S.V. arranged his funeral, as his friend had wished.
M.S. Viswanathan's Music Career
M.S. Viswanathan always dreamed of becoming an actor and singer, but it was hard to succeed. In the 1940s, he had a few small roles in stage plays. A composer and violinist named T. R. Papa liked Viswanathan and helped him get a job. In 1942, M.S.V. became an errand boy for S. V. Venkatraman's music group. While working there, Viswanathan realized he had a talent for composing music. He then joined S. M. Subbaiah Naidu and sometimes helped him. Later, he became a harmonium player in C. R. Subburaman's music group. This is where he met T. K. Ramamoorthy and T. G. Lingappa, who were top violinists at the time. T. G. Lingappa also became a well-known music composer later.
Working with T. K. Ramamoorthy
In 1952, C. R. Subburaman sadly passed away suddenly. Ramamoorthy and Viswanathan teamed up to finish the background music for the films Subburaman was working on. These films included Devadas, Chandirani, and Marumagal. N. S. Krishnan, a director, knew both of them well and their talents. Viswanathan also worked as a third composer for the film Genova. The hero of Genova, M.G.Ramachandran, was unsure about a "raw, young music director" at first. But after hearing the songs, he immediately recognized Viswanathan's genius. Their friendship lasted for many years. Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy were then asked to create music for Panam (1952) and later for Ratha Kanneer.
The duo, Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy, composed music for over 100 films together. They worked as a team from 1952 to 1965. On June 16, 1963, at a special event, Sivaji Ganesan gave M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy the title of Mellisai Mannar (Kings of Light Music).
The two composers stopped working together in 1965 after the film Ayirathil Oruvan was released. After that, they composed music for films on their own. However, 29 years later, in 1995, they worked together again for the Tamil film Engirundho Vanthan.
P. Susheela won her first National Award for Best Singer in 1969. This was for the song "Paal Polave," which M.S.V. composed for the film Uyarndha Manidhan. After recording the song, M.S.V. was so happy that he told P. Susheela she would win the National Award for it. In 2006, Sathyabama Deemed University gave Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy an honorary doctorate degree. In 2012, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalithaa, gave them the title Thirai Isai Chakravarthy (Emperors of Cine Music). She also gave them 60 gold coins and a new car.
Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy were the first musicians in India to organize a live stage performance with film singers and a full orchestra. Before them, only traditional classical music was performed live. This started a new trend and helped many new music groups form. It also helped millions of Indians learn about Western musical instruments.
Working as a Solo Music Director
M. S. Viswanathan started his solo career in 1965. He was famous for bringing different types of world music into Indian cinema music. He used sounds like humming and whistling in his songs. He also mixed new styles like Western music and disco with traditional Indian classical tunes. Some of the films he composed music for alone include Idhayakani, Gallatta Kalyanam, Chandrodhyam, Kannan En Kadhalan, Dheiva Magan, Nimrundhu Nil, Rickshakaran, Ulagam Sutrum Vaaliban, and Urumai Kural. M. S. Viswanathan also created music for many non-film albums and for political campaigns.
He also sang songs for films, including 500 songs he composed himself and over 200 songs composed by other music directors. Some of the songs he sang are "Sollathan Ninaikiren," "Inbathilum Thunbathilun Sirithidu Magaley," and "Vidaikodu Engal Nadey."
Viswanathan worked with many different film directors throughout his career. He also worked with many singers, both new and established ones. He helped make singers like S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jairam, and K. J. Yesudas very popular. He gave Swarnalatha her first chance to sing for films when she was only 14 years old. M.S.V. supported many musicians, lyricists, and singers. Lyricist Vaali once said, "Until I met Viswanathan Sir, I had no money to have any food. But from the moment I met Viswanathan Sir, I had no time to have food!" This shows how much work and success M.S.V. brought to others.
After 1995, M. S. Viswanathan also started acting in Tamil films. He appeared in Kaadhal Mannan after actor Vivek and Director Saran convinced him. He also acted in Kamal Haasan's Kaathala Kaathala and Karthik's Rojavanam. He also appeared in other films and TV shows like Kalki.
From 1996 onwards, Viswanathan focused on creating devotional music. He also worked as a judge on Malayalam and Tamil TV reality shows. He collaborated with Ilaiyaraaja on several projects. He sang the song "Vidai Kodu Engal Naadae" for the 2002 Tamil film "Kannathil Muthamittal," which was composed by A.R.Rahman. In 2013, he sang the song 'Alayae o Alayae' for the film Neelam. This was the last song he sang. In 2013, he also composed music for the film Thillu Mullu, with Yuvan Shankar Raja.
The famous actor Rajinikanth once said about M. S. Viswanathan: "You will rarely find someone like MSV in any industry. He lived life like a selfless saint, free from jealousy and lies. He was behind the success of legends like MGR and Sivaji. If not for MSV, the careers of filmmaker Balachander, lyricists Vaali and Kannadasan wouldn't have tasted huge success."
Awards and Recognition
M. S. Viswanathan received many awards for his amazing contributions to music:
- Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South
- PBS Puraskar Award (2013)
- Honorary doctorate from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (2013)
- Paramacharya Award (2006)
- Doctorate from Sathyabama University (2006)
- Gold Remi Award for best music for Vishwa Thulasi (2005)
- Isai Peraringnar (Great Scholar in Music) from Isai Sangam (2004)
- Kalaimamani from the Government of Tamil Nadu (1970-71)
- Seventh Kamukura Award from Kerala Cultural Ministry
- 'Sangeetha Saraswathi' by Poojya Sri Guruji Viswanath
- 2013 - Asiavision Awards - Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1968 - Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director for Lakshmi Kalyanam
- Nandi Award for Best Music Director for Naalaga Endaro (1978)
- Tamil Nadu State Film Honorary Award - Kannadasan Award (2002)
- Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director for Chandrakantham and Jeevikkan Marannupoya Sthree (1974)
- Gnana Kala Bharathi by Bharat Kalachar (1999)
- Lifetime achievement award by Soorya Film and Stage Association Kerala (2002)
- Dr.Sivaji Ganesan Memorial award by Sivaji Prabhu Charitable trust (2005)
- SICA Lifetime achievement award by SICA South India Cinematographers association (2008)
- Isai Nayagan by Bharathi Abu Dhabi (2009)
Passing Away
On June 27, 2015, Viswanathan was admitted to Fortis Malar hospital in Chennai because he had trouble breathing. He had been getting treatment there for some time. He passed away on July 14, 2015, due to health problems related to his age. This was three weeks after his 87th birthday. He was cremated with full state honors at Besant Nagar Electric Crematorium.
