Actress Rani Chandra's death in plane crash October 11,1976, shook Tamil film industry,halting production of Bhadrakali by A.C . Thirulokchandar . Chandra,her mother,three sisters died when plane,used after canceled flight, crashed soon after takeoff from Bombay (now Mumbai). By then,almost 5,000 meters of Bhadrakali had been filmed.
Thirulokchandar planned to keep Chandra on set,but she left for cultural event in Dubai,leading to her doomed return. Passengers argued with airline officials; substitute plane took off,met a grim end. No survivors. Thirulokchandar was shattered, his career already in trouble. “There is no hope for me. I am finished. She took revenge on me as the real Bhadrakali,” he lamented. Grief consumed him.
Before crash,Bhadrakali had financial woes. Thirulokchandar showed parts of film, Ilaiyaraaja's music, to potential distributors. They responded well,giving financial backing needed to continue. But Chandra's death darkened the project,director wrestled with grief,need to finish film.
In Bhadrakali, Chandra played Gayathri, first wife of Ganesan,portrayed by Sivakumar. Story of happy couple torn by tragedy,mental illness. Gayathri's struggle ends in powerful scene: “You go your way and I will go the way as fate of mine,” she says,walking away to haunting song. Her final performance.
With no digital tech to recreate Chandra,Sivakumar,cinematographer Viswanath Roy found creative fix. They chose dancer Pushpa,similar to Chandra. Talks led to using Pushpa,with careful makeup,lighting,camera angles to create convincing visual.
Around 3,000 feet of film with Pushpa was shot,mostly long shots to hide differences with Chandra. Only close-up was touching scene of Ganesan cradling Gayathri. Another challenge: re-recording Chandra's dialogue for continuity . Thirulokchandar decided to redo dialogue across board for consistency.
Against odds,Bhadrakali premiered December 10,1976,and was a hit, running 100 days in theaters. Sivakumar remembered Chandra's dreams: to make mark in Tamil cinema,secure family's future. Those dreams,overshadowed by her death…
