Madurai was always seen as the bastion of MGR and it was here many of his firsts were achieved.

Madurai is a city which is synonymous with a strong visual culture and carnivals, the most important aspect of the visual culture still even in this era of creative commons and digital era seems to be films.

Madurai has Asia's biggest film theatre, Thangam (now defunct) with a seating capacity close to 4,000. It has had a history of frenetic fan following which always had a spiritual dimension where the film stars who were treated as demigods. MGR always had (still has a) vivid presence in the visual, political, and emotional landscape of Madurai, says film historian Sara Dickey.

Demigod Status

In fact it was here that when MGR suffered a stroke, fans cut off fingers, limbs, and offered them to God praying for his recovery.

It was Madurai Veeran( Warrior of Madurai) a film after the folklore legend turned deity, the first MGR film which ran for 25 weeks (silver jubilee), his first fan club was from Madurai and his foray into politics all had the Madurai connection, and of course his last film Maduraiyai Meeta Sundarapandian (The King who liberated Madurai) had the city as its central subject.

MGR came to cinema from a stage career, beginning at the age of six, when he entered the Madurai Original Boys Company, where he learned acting, dancing, and sword-fighting—arts that served him well in his later career.

It was in Tamukkam grounds in Madurai, a grand function was held on October 26, 1958 to celebrate the astounding success of Naadodi Mannan.