Saravanan Natarajan writes:
JK & Tamil Cinema Part 3: S.V.Subbiah & Kaaval Deivam (Continued)
So this was the story that Subbiah desired to take up for celluloid adaptation. JK agreed to give Subbiah the rights to the story, with the disclaimer that he would not involve himself in writing the screenplay or dialogues. JK himself changed the title to ‘Kaaval Deivam’. A befitting title, considering the remarkable characterization of Superintendent Raghavan. This, juxtaposed with the Aiyanaar statue, considered to be the guarding deity in the village, which plays a silently evocative role in the story, must have inspired JK to come out with the apposite title of ‘Kaaval Deivam’.
Subbiah enjoyed the goodwill of all in the film fraternity, and many of them came forward to appear in guest appearances in his ‘Kaaval Deivam’.
Thus the movie boasted of stalwarts like Sivaji Ganesan, Muthuraman, T.S. Baliah, Nambiar, Nagesh and V.K. Ramasami who all appeared in well-etched roles. Subbiah played the pivotal role of the benign Superintendent Raghavan; yet in the titles, the humble artiste chose to place his name way below that of Sivakumar (Manickam) and Ashokan (Marimuthu). Sowcar Janaki essayed the role of the jailor’s understanding wife Alamu, while Lakshmi played the role of Kokila. V. Gopalakrishnan, Sriranjini and G. Sakuntala were the others in the cast.
Vijayan did a magnificent job for a first-time director. The narration never sags, and the movie seems to have been refreshingly off-beat for its time. The jail settings, by Art-Director B. Nagarajan are realistically conceived. Considering the rural milieu, Vijayan inserts bits of folk arts such as Karagam by Kalaimani & Party, and Naiyaandi Melam by Madurai Aavaiyapuram P. Sundararaj & Party in the sequences showing the rural fair. And Vijayan added an astute touch by inserting the Prahalada therukkoothu depicting the ‘Narasimha Avataram’ episode by Purisai Natesa Thambiraan & Party in the sequence where Chamundi escapes from his cell and kills his daughter’s molester. The prison guards desert their posts and slip out to watch the play being staged in the adjoining street, and Chamundi makes use of this opportunity to seek his revenge. Playing the radical jailor Raghavan, Subbiah’s performance was simply brilliant. Eschewing flamboyant histrionics, Subbiah brings across a rare dignity in his delineation.
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For composing the songs of ‘Kaaval Deivam’, Subbiah did not go the reining composers of Tamil Cinema; instead he sent for G. Devarajan. And assisted by R.K. Shekhar, Devarajan Maash made a grand entry in Tamil with ‘Kaaval Deivam’. Subbiah’s choice of lyricists was also way off the beaten track- he roped in Mayavanathan, Thanjaivaavan and Nellai Arulmani. There are 4 songs in the album. The ‘Aiyanaaru’ villupaattu, beginning with ‘AiyennenbOm appanenbOm’ written by Thajaivaanan and performed by Kuladeivam V.R. Rajagopal & Party is a rare rustic delight. For a sequence depicting an evening of entertainment for the prison inmates, Vijayan inserted a Bharatanatyam performance by danseuses Sarala and Kanaka, choreographed by K.J. Sarasa. For this sequence, Devarajan chose the Muthuthandavar piece ‘Maiyal migavum meerudhe’ and got the dulcet-voiced (Radha) Jayalakshmi to render it. Another song is the brooding ‘Porappadhum poradhum iyarkkai’ which Chamundi (Sivaji Ganesan) sings on the eve of his hanging. Written by Nellai Arulmani, the song is rendered by TMS accompanied by chorus voices.
The most popular song in the album is the duet ‘Aiyanaaru neranja vaazhvu kodukkanum’ written by the forgotten Mayavanathan. Manickam and Kokila gambol along the fields and meadows, and sing a song of hope for their future. They dream of the joys of marital life that seem to beckon to them. The future looks tranquil and blissful, and it is this mood of a serene happiness that Devarajan infests the song with. Dharapuram Sundararajan was indeed a good choice for this caressing pastoral delight and Suseela is a treat as always.
There are several interesting incidents associated with ‘Kaaval Deivam’; let us look at some of them revealed by different celebrities in their memoirs.
JK reveals that Subbiah had originally asked him to write the lyrics for the song to be filmed on Chamundi on the night before his execution. JK wrote the song with suitable philosophical lines. Even in the novel, JK had depicted Chamundi murmuring a folk song beginning with the lines ‘Kullanchaavadi sandhai, naan kooththu parka vandhen’. But when the movie was nearing completion, JK heard that his song was replaced by one written by Nellai Arulmani, as Subbiah had found it more suitable for the sequence. The short-tempered JK rushed to Subbiah’s house and reprimanded him in harshest tones. JK admits in his memoirs that he hardly knew what he spoke, but he recalls the gentle Subbiah’s eyes filling with tears at this verbal assault. Subbiah got into JK’s car and traveled with JK back to JK’s house, all the while pacifying him with profuse apologies. Subbiah’s car followed them. After reaching home, JK realized what he had done, and apologized to Subbiah for his outburst. They agreed to forget this unpleasant incident, and Subbiah returned home, his mind at peace.
Next we have AVM. Saravanan reminiscing on ‘Kaaval Deivam’. AVM. Saravanan counted among his close friends only 2 actors- one was Ashokan, and the other was S.V. Subbiah. Saravanan recalls that Subbiah’s ‘Kaaval Deivam’ and AVM’s ‘Uyarndha Manithan’ were being made at the same time.
Subbiah wanted Sivaji to spare few days for completing his scenes in ‘Kaaval Deivam’, but Sivaji was too busy to comply with Subbiah’s request at that time. AVM. Saravanan know that this delay meant mounting financial costs for Subbiah, and so when Subbiah pleaded with him to speak to Sivaji on his behalf, Saravanan did so willingly. He volunteered to give away a few days from the days that Sivaji had allotted for ‘Uyarndha Manithan’, and it was thus that Subbiah got Sivaji to complete his portion in ‘kaaval deivam’.
The story does not end there. It seems that Sivaji had not asked for any particular amount as his remuneration for ‘Kaaval Deivam’. After Sivaji had completed his portion in the movie, Subbiah sent him a tiffin-carrier one day, with the message that he had packed some home-made delicacies for Sivaji in it. True, the upper section of the box did contain some snacks, but the lower section was crammed with rupee notes amounting to Rs. 15,000! Sivaji was startled at this, and called Saravanan to look into it. They sent for Subbiah, who came to the studios and explained that since he did not know how and how much to pay to Sivaji, he did so in this manner. Sivaji exploded with anger, telling Subbiah that his current remuneration was 10 times that amount, and he never expected to be paid for his work in ‘Kaaval Deivam’. Sivaji returned the money to Subbiah even as an overwhelmed Subbiah expressed regret for any unintended affront.
In his ‘Idhu Raajapaattai Alla’, actor Sivakumar too recalls happy memories of working in ‘Kaaval Deivam’. He recalls that the day ‘Kaaval Deivam’ was released, he went to the Globe Theater (known later as Alankar after renovation) in Mount Road to look at the banners. Seeing the banners giving his face giving equal prominence to that of Sivaji, the young and upcoming actor was thrilled. He recalled his childhood fascination with movie hoardings and posters, and how he had nursed an ambition to be a banner painter. Later he had even undergone training for painting banners in ‘Mohan Arts’ before enrolling in the Madras School of Arts. Now observing his own face painted by his friends in ‘Mohan Arts’, Sivakumar was filled delirious joy.
Sivakumar goes on to express his admiration of the qualities of head and heart that Subbiah was known for. He ends his reminiscences on a sad note- he recalls attending the funeral of Subbiah- as Subbiah’s mortal remains were being buried in his farm, Subbiah’s little son Saravanan shrieked that his father would feel suffocated if they covered him with soil…
Time marches on it its remorseless stride. Subbiah’s son Saravanan appeared in the TV serial ‘Suryavansam’. And revealed that he has inherited his father’s thirst for doing something different- he produced and acted in ‘Vidya’, a 30-minute short film that had an interesting take on the relationship between a manager and a subordinate.
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The movie was a modest success, and earned favourable reviews. Even the fastidious JK expressed overall satisfaction at Vijayan’s adaptation of the novel. In his ‘Oru ilakkiyavaadhiyin kalaiyulaga anubavangaL’, JK reserves warm words of praise for the performances of Subbiah and Sowcar Janaki.
Encouraged by the favorable outcome of ‘Kaaval Deivam’, S.V. Subbiah set about his next venture- this time he picked JK’s ‘Brahmopadesam’, and titled the movie version ‘Guruve Deivam’. Subbiah acted as Sankara Sarma and Sivakumar acted as an Odhuvaar. However, after completing few schedules of shooting, Subbiah could not continue with the movie due to various insurmountable hurdles.
Nevertheless, ‘Kaaval Deivam’ stands testimony to the determination of Subbiah to dare to be different and to succeed at that…
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Discusion at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1594486990583021/
First Part of Kaaval Deivam here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1593549837343403/
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