Actor and theatre veteran Y Gee Mahendra has revealed that the seed for his upcoming film Charukesi came from a deeply personal memory involving legendary Carnatic vocalist MS Subbulakshmi.
In an exclusive interview with CE, Mahendra recalled how witnessing a globally celebrated musician lose her memories to Alzheimer’s made him think about fame, identity and what remains when memory begins to fade.
Without initially naming the musician, Mahendra described her as “a music giant” and “an icon” whose condition deeply affected him. “A music giant, an icon, died because of Alzheimer’s. My first thought was – someone celebrated across the world for her music, someone who once had all seven swaras at her fingertips, was unable to remember herself,” he said.
When asked if he was referring to MS Subbulakshmi, Mahendra agreed. He then revealed a personal connection with the legendary vocalist. “MS Amma sang for my first birthday. I have known her since my birth,” he said. Mahendra recalled meeting her in the final years of her life and being shaken by what happened.
“When I met her during the last few years of her life, she didn’t recognise me.” That moment, he said, stayed with him and eventually became the starting point for Charukesi. “It immediately made me think: what if famous people across the world begin forgetting themselves because of a disease?” he said.
Over time, that idea evolved into a musical narrative. “Eventually, I thought of this story as a musical, and our playwright Venkat worked on it, which resulted in Charukesi.” Mahendra also revealed that the earliest conversations around the idea involved late playwright and actor Crazy Mohan and his brother Maadhu Balaji.
According to him, the brothers first considered developing the concept as a comedy play before deciding against it. “They realised that approaching this subject as comedy would make it insensitive,” he said.
Mahendra said Crazy Mohan eventually felt he would be the right person to adapt the one-line concept into a stage production. “Unfortunately, he passed away. Balaji told me this when Mohan was laid to rest,” he recalled.
Adapted for the screen by director Suresh Krissna from Mahendra’s popular stage play of the same name, Charukesi stars Y Gee Mahendra as a veteran Carnatic musician dealing with Alzheimer’s and complex family relationships. The film also stars Sathyaraj, Samuthirakani, Suhasini Maniratnam, Ramya Pandiyan, Raj Ayyappa, Jayaprakash, Thalaivaasal Vijay, Sai Dheena and YG Madhuvanthi.
Produced by R Arun under the Suresh Krissna Productions Private Limited, Arun Visualz and Madras Cine Production banners, the film features music by Deva, dialogues and lyrics by Pa Vijay, cinematography by Sanjay and vocals by Shankar Mahadevan. Charukesi releases on June 12.
