Trivia

Shot at fellow actor M.G. Ramachandran in 1967 and spent several years in jail for it.

He was given the title of "Nadigavel" for his acting prowess. At first he was a stage performer and once did a play called "Raththa Kanneer". When this play was planned to be made into a movie, the role was offered to Shivaji Ganesan. However, he kindly refused to do the role suggesting only M.R.Radha can do justice to it.

Starting at the age of 10, he appeared at first in small roles and eventually grew to a level that stories for dramas were custom-made for him.

He was an Indian actor and politician active in Tamil plays and films.

On 12 January 1967, Radha and producer K.N. Vasu of Muthukumaran Pictures visited the actor and politician M. G. Ramachandran at his home to talk about a future project. During the conversation, Radha suddenly got up from his chair and shot twice at Ramachandran's left ear. Both bullets got lodged in Ramachandran's neck. Radha then turned the gun on himself and tried to shoot himself, but the bullet just scratched his right temple. Radha and Ramachandran were admitted to the Government General Hospital, Chennai, where they survived after proper treatment. The only eyewitness for the shooting was Vasu. In the assassination trial, held at Saithapet First Division Magistrate Court under Magistrate S. Kuppusami in May 1967, and later at the Chingleput Sessions Court held under Justice P. Lakshmanan, Radha was represented by eminent criminal attorney N. T. Vanamamalai. The verdict was delivered on 4 November 1967. As majority of the evidences were against Radha, he was sentenced to a seven-year term. At the High Court hearing, considering his age, the sentence was reduced to four years and three months.

Radha left his home at an early age due to a quarrel with his mother in which she declined to give an extra piece of fish to eat.

Radha gained popularity with the success of his stage play Ratha Kanneer. His performance in the 1954 film version of the play, directed by Krishnan-Panju, brought wider recognition of his talents and made him a household name in Tamil Nadu.

Radha played both villain roles and comedic roles. In the 1960s, roles were specially written for him, and he often overshadowed actors like MGR and Sivaji Ganesan.

He mostly played villain roles, but had also acted in several films as comedian.

Radha was a popular theatre artiste who performed in more than 5000 stage shows.