Saravanan Natarajan writes:
2. Nallathambi (4.2.1949/ NSK Films)
N.S. Krishnan was pronounced a free man on the same day as Bhagavathar. At that time, his NSK Films was in the midst of making a movie with S.V. Sahasranamam, MGR and T.A. Mathuram playing the lead roles. Now that NSK had returned, a role was created for him and the story slightly modified accordingly. Directed by the young duo Krishnan-Panju, ‘Paithiyakkaran’, the movie did good business.
‘What next?’ was the question that NSK now asked of Krishnan and Panju, and was taken aback when they replied that he would be the hero of their next project. Highlighting instances of comedians such as Charlie Chaplin, Red Skelton and nearer home K. Sarangapani (En Manaivi) and T. R. Ramachandran (Sabapathi) who had been successful as lead actors, the director duo convinced a reluctant NSK that with the right script, he could carry it off as well.
Now came the question of a suitable story. The director duo had to earlier decline the prestigious offer of directing the movie adaptation of Annadurai’s Velaikkaari when they were preoccupied with the making of Paithiyakkaran. Knowing this, NSK took them forthwith to Kanchipuram to the house of Annadurai. Hearing them out, Anna agreed to work on a suitable script for them. Without much ado, he got ready and the car sped back to Madras, to the offices of NSK Films at Venkataraman Street, T. Nagar.
The movie was titled ‘Nallathambi’. Krishnan-Panju were the directors and the movie introduced C.N. Annadurai M.A. as the story and dialogue writer. However, truth was the story was lifted from the 1936 English movie ‘Mr. Deeds goes to town’. Based on Clarence Budington Kelland’s story ‘Opera Hat’ and adapted for screen by Robert Riskin, ‘Mr. Deeds goes to town’ was directed by Frank Capra. It told the story of a small-timer Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper) who suddenly finds himself the heir to an enormous fortune. When his eyes open to the travails of the unemployed poor, he decides to put his fortune to good use- he offers the poor vast farmlands for free if they would work on them. A crafty attorney who had planned to usurp the fortune by keeping Deeds under his thumb finds all his calculations going awry at this unexpected gesture of Deeds. He joins forces with some relatives of Deeds and tries to get Deeds declared insane. However, Deeds proves his mental competence and all is well that ends well.
Sahasranamam and director Krishanan had been highly impressed with the movie and sat with C.N. Annadurai to work on this story and amend it appropriately to suit the native milieu. Accordingly, Annadurai created the Soppanapuri Zameen. Pushpa and her cousin Nallathambi are the joint heirs. While the city bred Pushpa is highly conscious of her status and upbringing and has the haughtiness of the idle rich, Nallathambi is a diehard socialist, passionate in the upliftment of the poor.
Krishnan and Panju were determined that the movie should be a mere comic caper and hence expressed their opinion that it would be better not to have Mathuram pair with NSK, as the pair would bring in expectations of a full-length comedy. They were working with Bhanumati at the time on ‘Ratnakumar’ and wanted her to essay the role of the strong-willed Pushpa in “Nallathambi’. Mathuram was woebegone at being left out of the project and NSK did not appear to be enthused with the idea as well. Sensing this impasse, Annadurai cleverly inserted into the script the character of the nurse Rani for Mathuram. The story was altered to show that Pushpa wants to marry Nallathambi, but Nallathambi has brought along with him his lover Rani who had the same zeal for social reforms. Bhoopathi, a distant relative had been eying this enormous fortune, and now steps in to create a wedge between Pushpa and Nallathambi. He carries tales to Pushpa of Nallathambi’s secret love. At this time, Nallathambi commences co-operative farming to help the landless poor. Goaded by the cunning Bhoopathi, Pushpa files a suit that Nallathambi is of unsound mind and not capable of managing the property. As in the English original, Nallathambi proves his saneness in the end.
Annadurai worked on the script at his house in Kanchipuram and completed it within a fortnight. A assistant at NSK Films called Challamuthu was assigned to write down the dialogues dictated by Annadurai. Krishnan & Panju took a month to prune the script to a workable version and the filming commenced at a brisk pace. NSK played Nallathambi, Mathuram was his lover Rani and Sahasranamam was the wicked Bhoopathi. And as desired by Krishnan-Panju, for the role of the supercilious Pushpa, NSK brought in Bhanumati.
NSK ensured that all members of his NSK drama troupe were accommodated in the cast of Nallathambi. The NSK films office was bustling with activity all day long with the cast and crew of ‘Nallathambi’ occupying the premises. Though it was the time of the food crisis and rationing, NSK ensured that the entire staff had a sumptuous spread thrice a day. It is said that there were some men, not connected with the film in any way, who would quietly come in and partake of the meals. One of them, when questioned, answered innocently that he had assumed that the building was a free ‘sathiram!’
When Annadurai was screened the completed movie, he famously remarked ‘My story has been nicely sandwiched between Therukoothu and Kaalatchebam!’. However, he left at that, accepting that NSK had made the changes keeping in mind the expectations of the people. NSK was proved right, the movie was a commercial success. Annadurai named NSK’s son born at the time of the movie’s release as ‘Nallathambi’. However, fearing further such interference, Annadurai declined to work for NSK’s subsequent project titled ‘Thambidurai’ citing lack of time and the project was shelved soon thereafter.
Though the role of Pushpa was truncated to accommodate Mathuram’s Rani, Bhanumati was scintillating even in the limited space. The role was that of an inflexible, overbearing young woman who finds her defences crumbling when she falls in love with Nallathambi and retains her dignity and poise even in her unrequited love. Bhanumati was just the choice to define the contours of the complex characterization to sculpted perfection. The bashful smile of hushed desires that her lips curl in as she is asleep and dreams of wooing Nallathambi, the plethora of expressions that dance upon her face when she confronts Nallathambi with Rani- incredulity, hurt, fury, jealousy, scorn and despair- they all have their say in those fleeting seconds, her look of wry resignation at the end when she remarks to Bhoopathy that times have changed…A bravura performance that only she was capable of…. Bhanumati cast some iridescent hues even upon a canvas whose warp and weft was wholly NSK, and that was some achievement!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6uf3Cp0_rg
C.R. Subbaraman composed the music; Udumalai Narayana Kavi and K.P. Kamkshisundaram penned the lyrics. Bhanumati had some noteworthy songs in the movie. Listen first to the amazing ‘Enadhu uyir Egypttu’. The song is Bhanumati’s show all the way. Hark at the soprano humming she affects before declaring ‘Enadhuyir Egypttu’, and the hauteur that she manages to put across the lines….Fascinating stuff!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-7WbqxEdjo
‘Malarthanil oru azhagu mayil’ This was the famous ‘Cleopatra’ sequence with Bhanumati appearing as the Egyptian empress and NSK as the love-struck Anthony. The song is a rare instance of NSK not singing for himself. His lines are sung by Ghantasala. Ghantasala’s first song in Tamil had been ‘Kuyil pola isai paadum’ in ‘Paithiyakkaaran’, and it was C.R.Subburaman who again gave him this opportunity to sing a few lines in ‘Nallathambi’. Listen to the magnificent prelude, one that extends to well over 2 minutes before ‘Malarthanil oru azhagu mayil’. In a careless wave of his magic baton, the brilliant Subbaraman transports us to the exotic banks of the Nile.
Watch at 1.44.48 here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wwWwT3rqik
Watch now the quaint ‘Varuvaare dear varuvaare’ which Pushpa sings with the joyous expectations of Nallathambi’s arrival (by ‘Boat Mail’!). Bhanumati bestows all this happiness into the opening humming itself,and the song portrays the love that Pushpa has for Nallathambi, much before the scoundrel Bhoopathi corrupts her thoughts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRY1XumhXxI
Another song is the remorseful ‘Naan vanangum deivam’ that a repentant Pushpa sings. Her song is tinged with the sorrow of a rather late realization of the error of her ways and the innate greatness of Nallathambi. Pride, they say, goes before a fall, and the truth of this adage is witnessed all over the song. Bhanumati brings the newly found humility and penitence of Pushpa into her song.
Bhanumati’s performance, her ‘Cleopatra’ extravaganza in particular, was one of the factors that all the magazine reviews mentioned with awe. Annadurai’s lifelong admiration for Bhanumati began with ‘Nallathambi’; he would anoint her as ‘Nadippukku ilakkanam’ in future years. Speaking of ‘Nallathambi’ in an interview (The Hindu/ V. Gangadhar), Bhanumati grumbled good-naturedly, “This was a film where I could not do anything even when the hero Nallathambi distributed my entire wardrobe of saris to poor women!” Touché!
To be continued...
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