Films can only be publicly exhibited in India after certification from the censor board. If you are wondering what this certification board is, we are here to tell you. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification organisation within the Indian government’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to “regulate the public showing of films in accordance with the Cinematograph Act 1952.”
On February 2, 1951, Marmayogi was released and it became a commercial success. Made under the direction of K Ramnoth, it established Ramachandran’s image as a star. It was the first Tamil film to receive an A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification. This film stars M. G. Ramachandar, Anjali Devi and Madhuri Devi, with S. V. Sahasranamam, Serukalathur Sama, N. Seetharaman, S. A. Natarajan, M. N. Nambiar and M. Pandari Bai in supporting roles.
Despite all the characters in the story, it all revolved around MGR’s heroic image. MGR played the role of Karikalan, while Anjali Devi played the role of Rani. Sagasranama played Virangan and Madhuri Devi played Kalavati. Cherukalathur Sama played the role of Charikalan’s father king and Marmayogi. The film was directed by Ramnath and produced by Jupiter Pictures. Marmayogi was the main film that made MGR a hero.
The story revolves around the woman, who enters the palace as a dancer, seduces the king and later marries him. After some time, she kills this king and crowns herself. This film was an adaptation of the novel Vengeance by Marie Corelli and William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.
Later in 2003, Vishal Bhardwaj made Maqbool, inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Irfan Khan and Tabu played the lead roles. Despite the film’s failure to find a wide audience in India, critics praised it, and Pankaj Kapur went on to win a Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Critics) and a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.
