Saravanan Natarajan writes:
Entry in Tamil Cinema:
Thus when Bhanumathi came to Tamil cinema, she was already a name to reckon with in Telugu, and was consolidating her position therein day by day. With her well-established credentials and stern demeanor that would brook no nonsense and being a married woman and a mother to boot, her co-actors, members of the technical team and even her directors and producers held her in awe and treated her with deference. Her arrival in Tamil cinema was unprecedented in grandeur. For never before had the ruling male stars of Tamil cinema vied with each other in trying to get Bhanumati to pair with them. They considered it a rare privilege to make it known that Bhanumati was to co-star with them in their forthcoming movies. She acted with reigning legends like M.K.Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, P.U.Chinnappa, Honappa Bhagavathar, N.S.Krishnan, T.R.Mahalingam and M.K.Radha and complemented their performances with her own, be it acting or singing.
She progressed with equal ease to pairing with the actors of the next generation. As in Telugu where she was senior to A.Nageshwara Rao and N.T.Rama Rao, she had become an acclaimed heroine in Tamil when MGR was still climbing his way up and no one had even heard of Sivaji Ganesan. Gemini Ganesh was only a casting assistant in Gemini Studios when Bhanumati came to act in Gemini’s ‘Apoorva Sagotharargal’. In fact, MGR and Sivaji never addressed Bhanumati by name- they called her ‘Amma’. She acted with them all, and carved an enviable niche for herself as an actress who could carry a film on the strength of her performance alone. Long years after actresses stopped singing, Bhanumati continued singing her own songs and made fetching forays into other areas of film making as well.
Her first Tamil film was released in 1948, her last Tamil film was released in 1992, and she acted in 48 Tamil movies in all. And she sang in most of them. Bhanumati has thus left behind indelible prints in the archives of Tamil Cinema, and we shall travel year by year and try to pick out each silken thread of this glorious tapestry…
As we have seen, with ‘Swarga Seema’, Bhanumati plunged into her renewed career with vengeance, and Telugu film offers came pouring in. She cemented the success of ‘Swarga Seema’ by another fine performance in ‘Grihapravesam’ (1946/ Sarati Films). This was the first film directed by L.V. Prasad, and he donned an important on-screen role as well. But it was Bhanumati playing the modern girl Janaki and spewing feminist views at the drop of the hat who stole the show with her breezy nonchalance.
Tamil producers and actors were watching this phenomenon called Bhanumati hold the Telugu film world in a spellbound trance, and realized that it was to their advantage to hasten and harness her talents in their Tamil ventures. The first overture came from Murugan Talkies who were planning an extravaganza titled ‘Ratnakumar’ with the redoubtable singing star P.U.Chinnappa playing the title role. The producers approached Bhanumati to play the leading lady opposite Chinnappa and booked her dates by paying her Rs. 25,000/, a sum unheardof those days, that too for a debutante!
And the whopping sum had arrived at the right time, for it was just then that Bhanumati and Ramakrishna were toying with the idea of establishing their own production company and make movies of their choice to canalize their creative urge and at the same time make commercial profits. And this amount was the catalyst that transformed what was mere wishful thinking into a realistic proposition. With this sum as the initial outlay, the couple floated their company, calling it ‘Bharani Pictures’ after their son.
As ‘Ratnakumar’ was filmed in infrequent spurts and its progress was way off the schedule, Bhanumati went ahead and launched the first film under ‘Bharani Pictures’- the Telugu movie ‘Ratnamala’. Scripted by Samudrala,‘Ratnamala’ was based on an ancient folklore of a woman who is forced to marry the infant prince Chandrakant; Of course, as the result of her penance, the Gods transform the child into a handsome youth. Filled with the wondrous compositions of C.R. Subburaman and directed by Ramakrishna, ‘Ratnamala’ (1947/ Bharani Pictures) was a grand success and proved an auspicious harbinger of the greater successes that would grace ‘Bharani Pictures’ in later years.
And realizing that ‘Ratnakumar’ would be some time in the making, Ramakrishna decided to launch his wife in Tamil under their own banner, and Bharani Pictures’ ‘Pulendiran’ starring the young T.R.Mahalingam and Bhanumati was announced with great fanfare. However, due to various reasons, ‘Pulendiran’ could not make headway.
In the meantime, Bhanumati got a few other prestigious offers in Tamil and many of them were released before ‘Ratnakumar’ eventually saw the light of the day in late 1949.
Let us now proceed to a chronological retrospective of Bhanumati’s Tamil movies, enumerate her songs therein, and listen to many of them.
On to the ramble in nostalgia…
* * * *
1. Rajamukti (9.10.1948/ Narendra Pictures)
M.K.Thyagarja Bhagavathar was acquitted in the Lakshimikantan murder case and released on April 25, 1947. Emerging a free man at around 11 in the forenoon, Bhagavathar went first to Vadapalani Murugan temple and then proceeded to Trichy, where he spent a few days in the blissful company of his family. He was soon approached by producers who wanted him to return to the arc lights. But Bhaagavathar had had enough of these avaricious and ungrateful men- for they had shown themselves in their true colours when he was in prison. They had not only demanded back the advances that he had taken for acting in their movies before his incarceration, but without a second thought got him replaced by other actors in their movies, believing firmly that Bhagavathar would remain behind bars for many years to come.
Bhagavathar thus decided to produce a movie himself. Naming his banner ‘Narendra Pictures’, Bhagavathar’s first venture was an elaborate costume drama called ‘Rajamukthi’. He commissioned the legendary Pudhumaipitthan to pen the dialogues. Nanjilnaadu T.N. Rajappa had a hand in writing part of the dialogues. Raja Chandrasekhar drafted the screenplay and directed the film.
Bhagavathar played the hero- King Rajendra Varman of the Vyjayanti empire. V.N.Janaki played his wife, Mrinalini. An upcoming MGR played the neighboring king and rival Mahendra Varman. M.G.Chakrapani played the wily minister, and Bhanumati played the minister’s daughter Kannika who is in love with Rajendra Varman, and aims to attain him at any cost. Serugalathur Sama, P.S.Veerappa (debut), M.R.Swaminathan, P.G.Venkatesan and C.T. Rajakantam were the others in the cast.
Hesitant to shoot the movie in the city where he had been imprisoned for more than 2 years, Bhagavathar booked the legendary Prabhat Studios in Poona and took on lease a sprawling bungalow to accommodate his cast. Most of the technicians- editor M.D.Jadhav, art director Vasudev Stolikar and cinematographers Pandurang Naik and Surendra Pai who worked in the movie were from Prabhat Studios.
It was Bhanumati’s exquisite delineation of an interesting character with shades of gray in ‘Swarga Seema’ that must have prompted Bhagavathar to pick her for the role of Kannika, for this role too had subtle shades that oscillated between good and bad, though finally settling on the latter. V.N. Janaki might have been the official heroine, but it was Bhanumati who cornered a greater share in the proceedings.
Ramakrishna and the little Bharani had gone along with Bhanumati to Poona. One day, seeing the child moving his hands as though playing a violin when a song was being rehearsed, the delighted Bhagavathar is said to have presented Bharani with a new violin!
And this convoluted tale of palace intrigue, suspicion, unreciprocated love, seduction, villainy and piety was interspersed with excellent music- Papanasam Sivan’s lyrics set to C.R. Subbaraman’s enticing tunes.
Way back in 1945, CRS was booked to compose music for a movie called ‘Udayanan-Vasavadattai’ with MKT and Vasundra Devi as the lead actors. Excited at the thought of Bhagavathar singing under his baton, CRS had worked painstakingly on the songs when Bhagavathar was arrested and sent to prison. The movie was later taken up with GNB playing the lead role and C.S.Jayaraman composing the music. CRS had bitterly disappointed at the turn of events, and so was naturally thrilled now that Bhagavathar had singled him out to compose music for his comeback vehicle.
Bhagavathar sang several appealing songs in ‘Rajamukthi’: ‘Unai allaal oru thurumbuasaiyumo, O Paanduranga!’, ‘Maanida jenmam meendum vandhidumo’, ‘Nee palli ezhunthaal’,‘Piravikkadal thaandiye’, ‘Manam ninaindheginene’ etc. CRS introduced a new female singer called Madras Lalitangi Vasantakumari to Tamil cinema through ‘Rajamukti’. Though MLV had already made a mark as a vocalist of rare merit, it was in ‘Rajamukti’ that she made her debut as aplayback singer. She sang for V.N.Janaki on screen, and her songs include ‘Kulakkodi thazhaikka’, ‘Aaraaro nee aaraaro’ (both solos), and ‘Ingum angum engum inbame’ and ‘Enna anandam’ (duets with Bhagavathar). Serugalathoor Sama sang ‘Indirajaala vidhdhaikkaaran’ and P.G.Venkatesan sang the comic song ‘machchi un mugathil meesaiyai kaanom’ .
In the midst of this formidable array of stalwart singers, Bhanumati distinguished herself in her songs ‘Sarasa sallabam seiyya arugil vaarumaiyya’ (solo), ‘Swami arunkanigal ivaiye paareer, amudhathil melaana theenchuvaiyaagum’ (with Bhagavathar) and ‘Sandhoshamaai anbar varuvaaradi’ (with MLV).
Bhagavathar got T.N.Rajaratinam Pillai to play the Nadaswaram for a sequence. The music records of ‘Rajamukti’ witnessed record sales even before the movie’s release. But for all its impeccable testimonials,‘Rajamukti’ was not a success. Not only ‘Rajamukti’, all of Bhagavathar’s subsequent ventures were commercial catastrophes;‘Rajamukti’ marked the beginning of the end for Bhagavathar.
Nevertheless, Bhanumati had made a praiseworthy debut, eliciting notice even when pitted amongst a challenging ensemble.
The following year saw five movies of Bhanumati release in quick succession....
To be continued.
Discussion at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1453290108036044/
Entry in Tamil Cinema:
Thus when Bhanumathi came to Tamil cinema, she was already a name to reckon with in Telugu, and was consolidating her position therein day by day. With her well-established credentials and stern demeanor that would brook no nonsense and being a married woman and a mother to boot, her co-actors, members of the technical team and even her directors and producers held her in awe and treated her with deference. Her arrival in Tamil cinema was unprecedented in grandeur. For never before had the ruling male stars of Tamil cinema vied with each other in trying to get Bhanumati to pair with them. They considered it a rare privilege to make it known that Bhanumati was to co-star with them in their forthcoming movies. She acted with reigning legends like M.K.Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, P.U.Chinnappa, Honappa Bhagavathar, N.S.Krishnan, T.R.Mahalingam and M.K.Radha and complemented their performances with her own, be it acting or singing.
Her first Tamil film was released in 1948, her last Tamil film was released in 1992, and she acted in 48 Tamil movies in all. And she sang in most of them. Bhanumati has thus left behind indelible prints in the archives of Tamil Cinema, and we shall travel year by year and try to pick out each silken thread of this glorious tapestry…
As we have seen, with ‘Swarga Seema’, Bhanumati plunged into her renewed career with vengeance, and Telugu film offers came pouring in. She cemented the success of ‘Swarga Seema’ by another fine performance in ‘Grihapravesam’ (1946/ Sarati Films). This was the first film directed by L.V. Prasad, and he donned an important on-screen role as well. But it was Bhanumati playing the modern girl Janaki and spewing feminist views at the drop of the hat who stole the show with her breezy nonchalance.
Tamil producers and actors were watching this phenomenon called Bhanumati hold the Telugu film world in a spellbound trance, and realized that it was to their advantage to hasten and harness her talents in their Tamil ventures. The first overture came from Murugan Talkies who were planning an extravaganza titled ‘Ratnakumar’ with the redoubtable singing star P.U.Chinnappa playing the title role. The producers approached Bhanumati to play the leading lady opposite Chinnappa and booked her dates by paying her Rs. 25,000/, a sum unheardof those days, that too for a debutante!
And the whopping sum had arrived at the right time, for it was just then that Bhanumati and Ramakrishna were toying with the idea of establishing their own production company and make movies of their choice to canalize their creative urge and at the same time make commercial profits. And this amount was the catalyst that transformed what was mere wishful thinking into a realistic proposition. With this sum as the initial outlay, the couple floated their company, calling it ‘Bharani Pictures’ after their son.
As ‘Ratnakumar’ was filmed in infrequent spurts and its progress was way off the schedule, Bhanumati went ahead and launched the first film under ‘Bharani Pictures’- the Telugu movie ‘Ratnamala’. Scripted by Samudrala,‘Ratnamala’ was based on an ancient folklore of a woman who is forced to marry the infant prince Chandrakant; Of course, as the result of her penance, the Gods transform the child into a handsome youth. Filled with the wondrous compositions of C.R. Subburaman and directed by Ramakrishna, ‘Ratnamala’ (1947/ Bharani Pictures) was a grand success and proved an auspicious harbinger of the greater successes that would grace ‘Bharani Pictures’ in later years.
And realizing that ‘Ratnakumar’ would be some time in the making, Ramakrishna decided to launch his wife in Tamil under their own banner, and Bharani Pictures’ ‘Pulendiran’ starring the young T.R.Mahalingam and Bhanumati was announced with great fanfare. However, due to various reasons, ‘Pulendiran’ could not make headway.
In the meantime, Bhanumati got a few other prestigious offers in Tamil and many of them were released before ‘Ratnakumar’ eventually saw the light of the day in late 1949.
Let us now proceed to a chronological retrospective of Bhanumati’s Tamil movies, enumerate her songs therein, and listen to many of them.
On to the ramble in nostalgia…
* * * *
1. Rajamukti (9.10.1948/ Narendra Pictures)M.K.Thyagarja Bhagavathar was acquitted in the Lakshimikantan murder case and released on April 25, 1947. Emerging a free man at around 11 in the forenoon, Bhagavathar went first to Vadapalani Murugan temple and then proceeded to Trichy, where he spent a few days in the blissful company of his family. He was soon approached by producers who wanted him to return to the arc lights. But Bhaagavathar had had enough of these avaricious and ungrateful men- for they had shown themselves in their true colours when he was in prison. They had not only demanded back the advances that he had taken for acting in their movies before his incarceration, but without a second thought got him replaced by other actors in their movies, believing firmly that Bhagavathar would remain behind bars for many years to come.
Bhagavathar thus decided to produce a movie himself. Naming his banner ‘Narendra Pictures’, Bhagavathar’s first venture was an elaborate costume drama called ‘Rajamukthi’. He commissioned the legendary Pudhumaipitthan to pen the dialogues. Nanjilnaadu T.N. Rajappa had a hand in writing part of the dialogues. Raja Chandrasekhar drafted the screenplay and directed the film.
Bhagavathar played the hero- King Rajendra Varman of the Vyjayanti empire. V.N.Janaki played his wife, Mrinalini. An upcoming MGR played the neighboring king and rival Mahendra Varman. M.G.Chakrapani played the wily minister, and Bhanumati played the minister’s daughter Kannika who is in love with Rajendra Varman, and aims to attain him at any cost. Serugalathur Sama, P.S.Veerappa (debut), M.R.Swaminathan, P.G.Venkatesan and C.T. Rajakantam were the others in the cast.
Hesitant to shoot the movie in the city where he had been imprisoned for more than 2 years, Bhagavathar booked the legendary Prabhat Studios in Poona and took on lease a sprawling bungalow to accommodate his cast. Most of the technicians- editor M.D.Jadhav, art director Vasudev Stolikar and cinematographers Pandurang Naik and Surendra Pai who worked in the movie were from Prabhat Studios.
It was Bhanumati’s exquisite delineation of an interesting character with shades of gray in ‘Swarga Seema’ that must have prompted Bhagavathar to pick her for the role of Kannika, for this role too had subtle shades that oscillated between good and bad, though finally settling on the latter. V.N. Janaki might have been the official heroine, but it was Bhanumati who cornered a greater share in the proceedings.
Ramakrishna and the little Bharani had gone along with Bhanumati to Poona. One day, seeing the child moving his hands as though playing a violin when a song was being rehearsed, the delighted Bhagavathar is said to have presented Bharani with a new violin!
And this convoluted tale of palace intrigue, suspicion, unreciprocated love, seduction, villainy and piety was interspersed with excellent music- Papanasam Sivan’s lyrics set to C.R. Subbaraman’s enticing tunes.
Way back in 1945, CRS was booked to compose music for a movie called ‘Udayanan-Vasavadattai’ with MKT and Vasundra Devi as the lead actors. Excited at the thought of Bhagavathar singing under his baton, CRS had worked painstakingly on the songs when Bhagavathar was arrested and sent to prison. The movie was later taken up with GNB playing the lead role and C.S.Jayaraman composing the music. CRS had bitterly disappointed at the turn of events, and so was naturally thrilled now that Bhagavathar had singled him out to compose music for his comeback vehicle.
Bhagavathar sang several appealing songs in ‘Rajamukthi’: ‘Unai allaal oru thurumbuasaiyumo, O Paanduranga!’, ‘Maanida jenmam meendum vandhidumo’, ‘Nee palli ezhunthaal’,‘Piravikkadal thaandiye’, ‘Manam ninaindheginene’ etc. CRS introduced a new female singer called Madras Lalitangi Vasantakumari to Tamil cinema through ‘Rajamukti’. Though MLV had already made a mark as a vocalist of rare merit, it was in ‘Rajamukti’ that she made her debut as aplayback singer. She sang for V.N.Janaki on screen, and her songs include ‘Kulakkodi thazhaikka’, ‘Aaraaro nee aaraaro’ (both solos), and ‘Ingum angum engum inbame’ and ‘Enna anandam’ (duets with Bhagavathar). Serugalathoor Sama sang ‘Indirajaala vidhdhaikkaaran’ and P.G.Venkatesan sang the comic song ‘machchi un mugathil meesaiyai kaanom’ .
In the midst of this formidable array of stalwart singers, Bhanumati distinguished herself in her songs ‘Sarasa sallabam seiyya arugil vaarumaiyya’ (solo), ‘Swami arunkanigal ivaiye paareer, amudhathil melaana theenchuvaiyaagum’ (with Bhagavathar) and ‘Sandhoshamaai anbar varuvaaradi’ (with MLV).
Bhagavathar got T.N.Rajaratinam Pillai to play the Nadaswaram for a sequence. The music records of ‘Rajamukti’ witnessed record sales even before the movie’s release. But for all its impeccable testimonials,‘Rajamukti’ was not a success. Not only ‘Rajamukti’, all of Bhagavathar’s subsequent ventures were commercial catastrophes;‘Rajamukti’ marked the beginning of the end for Bhagavathar.
Nevertheless, Bhanumati had made a praiseworthy debut, eliciting notice even when pitted amongst a challenging ensemble.
The following year saw five movies of Bhanumati release in quick succession....
To be continued.
Discussion at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1453290108036044/
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