P.K.Kaliappan left home by the age of 12 to Chennai and began his career as a boy artist in the K.R.Ramaswamy Nadaga Sabha.
P.K.Kaliappan left home by the age of 12 to Chennai and began his career as a boy artist in the K.R.Ramaswamy Nadaga Sabha.
He had worked with Nawab Rajamanickam's theatre for some time and also with M.G.Ramachandran theatre group.
“MGR did dramas like “Inba Kanavu” and “Advocate Amaran” those days. He was a talented person with knowledge of techniques connected with cinema” smiled Kaliappan, who was always known for his handlebar mustache.
“Cinema and politics were entwined during the time when the Dravidian ideologues were in their younger days and I used to do small roles in movies, drive the artists during the outdoor shoots and tours.
I was a dupe and a stunt driver too and therefore had the opportunity to drive all kinds of cars during my long career in cinema. I have driven for former Chief Ministers C.N.Annadurai, M.G.Ramachandran, Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa.
“I still remember the instances when I drove the car for V.R.Nedunchezhian, Kaviyarasu Kannadasan among other people. Kannadasan was a child-like person. In fact, I learned driving in order to advance my career in films but it did not move forward. One day I went to get a walnut cake, a favorite of M.Karunanidhi while he was visiting M.G.Ramachandran and on the very next day he was announced as the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu” Kaliappan recalled his fond memories
“Now I remember the time when Mu.Ka.Muthu was doing his education at Madras Christian College and he used to like a song done by MGR in Nadodi Mannan. He was the schoolmate of actor P.S.Veerappa son. Once Anna went in incognito to a meeting addressed by Communist leader Jeeva and I had the joy of driving the car on that occasion. Anna used to like street plays and he used to enjoy them unobserved. Arignar Anna was an amazing person and was a wise gentleman. He was the Bernard Shaw of our times," grinned the septuagenarian who spends his retired life with his wife Karunambal at his native Coimbatore.
P.K.Kaliappan used to work as a driver for Megala Pictures and the company had been owned by M.Karunanidhi and others.
He recalled a few more incidents during his conversation with Simplicity, “The DMK leader M.Karunanidhi would always sit next to the driver during the course of travel and was an avid reader who would put the book down only on reaching the destination. Similarly, AIADMK Supremo J.Jayalalthaa was a continuous reader and I have dropped her in the Church Park convent during her younger days. Once I picked up LTTE leader V.Prabhakaran from his house on the instructions of MGR who chided him for getting into conflicts with other Tamil groups. I was a mute spectator that day. Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N.T.Rama Rao and thespian Sivaji Ganesan were excellent performers. Their dedication was fabulous and both of them used to be present at the shooting spot much before the anointed time."
The former President of the South India Cine TV Drivers Association has done small roles in movies. He has acted with Sivaji in ' Garuda Soukhyama ' and comes in the suspense thriller ' Vidiyum Varai Kathiru ' starring Bhagyaraj and Sathyakala. He is a great admirer of the screenplay skills of K.Bhagyaraj. He has been a fortunate observer for he has witnessed a number of incidents which have changed the course of politics and cinema.
P.K.Kaliappan has a special place for former Chief Minister M.G.Ramachandran. “I met MGR in the year 1962 and I am grateful to P.S.Veerappa for introducing me to the great man. MGR would always recall his difficult days while traveling with us and used to get sweets and food quite liberally for everyone around. Once I got injured pretty badly while doing a stunt role for the Jaishankar starrer ' Kaalam Vellum ' and was being treated in the Government Hospital. On learning about this MGR visited me in the hospital and helped me by getting me treated at the Sangunni Menon Nursing Home. Ramaswamy and Kadiresan were his main drivers but I used to drive for him regularly. He did not wish to have Government protection in spite of being in office and Gundumani, Ramakrishnan along with myself used to be with him all his life. He never used to ask for details pertaining to money given to us in connection with his expenses and disbursements but he wanted to know the details pertaining to public money later on. Well, that’s a different story altogether.
" My mind is still fresh with regard to the movie ' Maduraiyai Meetta Sundara Pandian '. The Mysore Palace ' Amba Vilas ' was the location for three months and the movie shoots used to take place during the night hours. I cannot forget the moment when MGR took a picture with me in spite of his busy schedule, “added a nostalgic Kaliappan.
The memory of P.K.Kaliappan is amazing and it’s amply demonstrated while he listed the 23 associations affiliated to FEFSI (Film Employees Federation of South India). He added further by stating that the technicians association was started by Cameraman Ramnath in Coimbatore long ago. The stunt driver and production person P.K.Kaliappan has driven for a number of actors including N.T. Rama Rao ,A.Nageswara Rao, Rajkumar, Satyan, Prem Nazeer, Devanand, Sanjeev Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Padmini, Saroja Devi, Vijaykanth, Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Gemini Ganesan, S.S.Rajendran, Vijayakumari, M.N.Nambiar and many other leading lights of the yonder years. He recalled all the top music directors like G.Ramanathan, S.M.Subbiah Naidu, M.S.Viswanathan etc., during the chat. P.K.Kaliappan is further keen to share details of his days as a production person with P.S.V Pictures owned by the famous villain actor P.S.Veerappa.
" I will forever remember my parents Kumarappan and Sundariammal, Bangaru Naidu, Mani Chettiar, my friend Natarajan and Gandri in whose house I had stayed during my early days in Chennai. I can never forget the huge ' Kappal cars ' like Plymouth, Dodge, and Chevrolet which ruled the roost those days in the world of cinema, “supplemented the man of experience who took many a risk during the shoots in order to make it interesting for the public.
The dangers connected with the entertainment industry were met by bold men like P.K.Kaliappan and we must feel proud that he belongs to Coimbatore.