Paraasakthi

Parasakthi was film starring Sivaji Ganesan, Pandari Bai, S. S. Rajendran, S. V. Sahasranamam and Sriranjani. The story is based on the tale of three brothers, Chandrasekaran (Sahasranamam), Gnanasekaran (S. S. Rajendran) and Gunasekaran (Sivaji Ganesan) who settle down in Burma during the Second World War. The youngest Gunasekaran gets the opportunity to visit India for the marriage of their younger sister Kalyani (Sriranjani) but as fate would have it, he gets stranded at sea due to intense Japanese bombardment of Burmese ports[3]. The epic court scene from Parasakthi which propelled Sivaji Ganesan to superstardom As the Japanese shelling of Burma intensifies, Chandrasekaran and Gnanasekaran decide to pack their belongings and cross over to India. But Gnanasekaran is lost and is presumed killed in Japanese bombardment. Meanwhile, Kalyani delivers a boy. But soon after the birth of the child, her husband as well as her father die leaving her destitute. Misfortune befalls the family when Kalyani becomes the target of anti-social elements and is raped by a temple priest while Gunasekaran is robbed of his belongings on arrival in India. Swearing revenge, Gunasekaran kills the temple priest and lands up in jail. Gunasekaran fights an epic battle in court explaining the misfortunes which had befallen him and justifying his actions. Gunasekaran's valiant defence in the court filled with soul-stirring dialogues revolutionized Tamil film industry. The film, regarded as the first significant attempt by the Dravidian Movement to use media for propaganda, catapulted Sivaji Ganesan to fame overnight and evoked comparisons with the Hollywood legend Spencer Tracy.