January 17, 2026, brings a wave of nostalgia and reverence across India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, as the nation commemorates the 109th birth anniversary of Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran, the eternal MGR. Born in 1917 in Kandy, Sri Lanka, to a modest family, MGR rose from the silver screen’s shadows to become a political colossus, embodying the dreams of the common man.