Category Archives: Tamil Cinema

Tamil Films to be showcased in Busan

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Three Tamil films will be showcased in the 20th Busan International Film Festival. Orange Mittai (Orange Candy) and Oh Kadhal Kanmani will be featured in the ‘A Window on Asian Cinema ‘ section of this prestigious film festival. Radio Potti (Radio Set) will be featured in the ‘New Current’ section.

Orange Candy directed by Biju Viswanathan is about Satya, a young paramedic full of remorse about not having made peace with his deceased father, meets Kailasam, an ailing, obstinate man who reminds him of his dad. Their long ride to the hospital reveals that sometimes it’s the journey that imparts the greatest wisdom.

Oh Kadal Kanmani directed by Mani Ratnam is an unconventional tale of romance that weaves its lyrical tale through the fabric of the city’s extreme contrasts. Contemporary, vibrant and colorful, O KadhalKanmani concerns itself with youth attitudes towards tradition, marriage, and the relationships between men and women.

Radio Set directed by Hari Viswanath is about the elderly Arunachalam who finds comfort in his past, a past he connects to through his vintage radio. A personal crisis erupts when Arunachalam is forced to choose between a loving family in the present and the specter of history when the radio disappears.

 

Watch the trailers of Orange Mittai and Oh Kadhal Kanmani here:

TCRC presents an exclusive screening of ‘ Amma and Appa’

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TCRC is bringing the popular documentary ‘Amma and Appa’ to Chennai on the 23rd of August 2015, Sunday at Ashvita Bistro, Alwarpet. This will be the first time that the film will be screened in Tamil Nadu. The film is in Tamil and German with subtitles in English. The film makers will be present for an interaction with the audience after the screening.

About the film:

Amma & Appa (Tamil for Mother & Father) tells the story of film makers Franziska’s  and Jay’s parents. It is about their first meeting and of them getting acquainted. Both couples are about the same age and both have been married for more than thirty years. But they come from very different cultural backgrounds. Franziska’s live in the south of Germany, Jay’s parents in the south of India. They now come together because their children have fallen in love with each other and have decided to get married. For Franziska’s  parents it will be the first time they visit India and for Jay’s parents it will be the first time they receive foreigners as guests. While Franziska’s parents married out of love, the marriage of Jay’s parents was traditionally arranged. It was thus a great shock for them to learn that their son wanted to marry by his own choice. And what is more: A girl from Germany. His decision challenges their traditions and beliefs.

Against this backdrop the film unfolds its story. It tells the story of two cultures coming together and raises the universal questions what makes it all work- love, affection and living together. The film makers, as a young couple, want to know the recipe for a successful relationship from their parents and aim to find out with their  observation of the interaction of their parents toward and with each other.

Here is the trailer of the film:

The Tamil connect at The Venice International Film Festival

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The 72nd Venice International Film Festival, organized by La Biennale di Venezia has some interesting line up of films. But two films have caught our special attention.

The first is Visaranai (Interrogation) directed by Vetrimaran and produced by actor Danush’s company Wunderbar Films has been selected in the Orizzonti section which is an international competition dedicated to films that represent the latest aesthetic and expressive trends in international cinema. In the history of the festival Visaranai will be the first Tamil feature film to participate in the competitive category. The director of the film, Vetrimaran has earlier made critically acclaimed films like Polladhavan and Aadukalam and was the co producer of the internationally acclaimed Tamil film  Kaaka Muttai (Crow’s egg).

The second film that caught our attention is Rinku Kalsy’s documentary  “For the love of a man” which has been selected in the Venice classics section where a selection of restored classics and documentaries on cinema will be showcased. Rinku’s film explores the phenomenal fan for Superstar Rajnikanth.

Besides the Tamil connect between Visaranai and ” For the love of a man” there is another interesting connection. Danush, the producer for Visaranai is the son in law of Rajnikanth on whom ” For the love of man” is centered around.

Watch the trailer of the two films here:

 

Mellisai Mannar M. S. Viswanathan

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Mellisai Mannar M. S. Viswanathan is known for having incorporated various genres of world music into Indian cinema music. To say he was just a composer is an understatement. His achievements also include appearances in numerous films and television series. M. S. Viswanathan went on to act in a couple of Tamil feature films. While we all know him as a great music director, let us celebrate him in his unforgettable rare appearance as an actor in the comedy film ‘Kadala Kadala’ .

And a wonderful song that he had sung for A R Rahman for the film Sangamam along with Hariharan

Thank you MSV sir, for your great contribution to the Indian film industry! We will miss you!

The Cinema Resource Centre wishes the Master and the Maestro a very Happy Birthday !

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The Cinema resource center wishes Isaignani Ilayaraja and Padmashri Mani Ratnam, a very Happy Birthday !!

On this special day, We are happy to share some pictures from our collection !!  Following the pictures, are some of our favorite songs of the duo, Watch and Enjoy !!

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Thanga Padhakkam : From stage to celluloid

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By Karthik Bhatt

Like all top artistes of his era, Sivaji Ganesan, inarguably the finest actor Tamil cinema has seen, came from a stage background. Bitten by the acting bug at an early age, Sivaji Ganesan joined Yadartham Ponnuswamy Pillai’s Madurai Sri Bala Gana Sabha, a well known Boys Company of the times. It marked the beginning of a long and cherished association with Tamil theatre, which he successfully managed to sustain even after he became a top star. That he continued to remain passionate about stage is illustrated by the fact that even at the height of his career, he continued to act in stage plays, with film shootings many a time scheduled to accommodate his stage commitments.

Starting off with the Streepart (Female role) at the Sri Bala Gana Sabha, Sivaji Ganesan’s repertoire expanded to a wide range of roles, all of which stood him in good stead when he made his foray into films. In his autobiography “Enathu Suyasarithai”, he poignantly recalls the struggles associated with life in a Boys Company, where they would often be confronted by poverty and other tough circumstances.

Parasakthi (1952) propelled him to stardom, after which there was no looking back for him as a film star. His passion for stage was however undiminished and he performed for troupes such as S.V.Sahasranamam’s Seva Stage. He started Sivaji Nataka Mandram in the mid-1950s to continue his passion for stage and also to provide opportunities to many actors who were trying to make it big in films and were languishing for roles. Managing the troupe was S.A.Kannan, a stage actor who was part of the Sakthi Nadaga Sabha that had just then wound up. Sivaji Nataka Manram over the course of the next couple of decades went on to produce several hits on stage which would also replicate the success on celluloid when they were remade. Famous plays included Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Vietnam Veedu, Needhiyin Nizhal, Pagal Nila, Kaalam Kanda Kavignan and Thanga Padhakkam, the subject of this piece. In his autobiography, Sivaji Ganesan says that the play, written by J.Mahendran (later of Mullum Malarum fame) was originally being staged by Senthamarai. He watched the play at the Raja Annamalai Mandram and highly impressed by it, asked Senthamarai for the rights to stage it under the Sivaji Nataka Mandram banner and also make it into a movie. Senthamarai agreed and Sivaji Nataka Mandram inaugurated the play in 1972.

The play, which revolved around an upright police officer, Superintendent of Police (S.P) Chowdhry was directed by S.A.Kannan and had Sivaji Ganesan playing the main role. Others in the cast were Sivakami (who played his wife, the role played by K.R.Vijaya in the film) and Rajapandian, who donned the role of his son Jagannathan (Srikanth playing the role in the film). The Kalki magazine review of the play makes special mention of a sequence where Sivaji Ganesan sings and dances merrily in the birthday party of his son, hailing it as a novel attempt. Reviewing Sivaji Ganesan’s performance, it says that calling his acting a majestic portrayal would be akin to saying sugar is sweet!

The play was made into a movie in 1974. P.Madhavan, who directed many hits (including some with Sivaji Ganesan) directed this movie, which was produced by Sivaji Ganesan’s daughter Shanti Narayanswamy for Sivaji Productions. The movie was a great success. The characterisation of the Superintendent of Police became a sort of a benchmark, with many a later movie referring to Chowdhry when mentioning a honest and upright officer! Below are the images of the LP from this film pulled out from our archive.

Thangapadakkam-1 WATERMARK Thangapadakkam-1A WATERMARK

Policekaran Magal: From stage to celluloid

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By Karthik Bhatt

On 5th April 2013 TCRC shared its first post. It was the lobby card for the film Policekaran Magal. You can revisit the post here

Today as part of our ‘From Stage to Celluloid’ series we discuss more on this landmark film.

S.V.Sahasranamam was one of Tamil cinema’s most well-known character actors. Along with the likes of S.V.Ranga Rao and S.V.Subbiah, he was part of a select group of actors who were a constant presence in films between the 1950s and 1970s in the roles of a father, grandfather or elder brother.

Born in 1913, Sahasranamam joined T.K.Shanmugam’s Balashanmukhananda Sabha at an early age, giving up schooling to become an actor. His association with the troupe was a long one, lasting for more than two decades. It was an association that got him his first film opportunity, when a play of theirs, Menaka was made as a film in 1935. It was also in this troupe that he forged a lasting friendship with the legendary N.S.Krishnan.

Sahasranamam quit the Balashanmukhananda Sabha in 1936 on account of a misunderstanding with the managers. After stints as a manager with a couple of film houses, he joined N.S.Krishnan, by then a star, as a manager in his production house Ashoka Films. Film opportunities kept coming his way and he acted in a number of films through the 1940s. His passion for stage however remained undiminished. His dream of establishing his own troupe bore fruit in 1953, when he started Seva Stage.

Starting with Kangal, an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s short story Vision, Seva Stage made a name for itself with its social themes and brilliant execution of the technical aspects. It was also to Sahasranamam’s credit that he managed to get noted writers such as T.Janakiraman, Ku.Alagiriswami and B.S.Ramiah to script successful and critically acclaimed plays such as Naalu Veli Nilam, President Panchatcharam, Vadivelu Vaathyaar and Policekaran Magal, which were later made into movies.

B.S.Ramiah, born in 1905 was an acclaimed journalist and writer best known in the literary circles for his association with Manikkodi, the magazine started by “Stalin” Srinivasan in 1933. He had made a name for himself as a short story writer. Sahasranamam approached Ramiah with a request to write a play for Seva Stage, thus marking the beginning of an association that would go on to produce great hits on stage.

Policekaran Magal was Ramiah’s fifth script for Seva Stage, after President Panchatcharam, Malliam Mangalam, Therotti Magan and the critically acclaimed Paanchali Sabatham . Revolving around a policeman and his family (most prominently the daughter), the play was a great success. Like other Seva Stage plays, this too did not lack in star value, with noted actors Muthuraman and V.Gopalakrishnan and actress S.N.Lakshmi playing important roles in the play. Muthuraman went on to play a role in the movie too, which was directed by C.V.Sridhar and came out in 1962. Vijayakumari played the role of the daughter in the movie, which was played on stage by Shanthini, a Seva Stage regular. J.P.Chandrababu and Manorama played the role of flower vendors, a crucial part of the plot. Sahasranamam reprised his stage role of the policeman on screen and even today, this movie is often spoken about as one of those movies which is impossible to remake thanks to the powerful portrayal by Sahasranamam.

The movie is also remembered today for its immortal melodies, most particularly Pon enben siru poo enben and Nilavukku en mel ennadi kovam.

Here are pictures of the film’s LP from our collection. The LP also carried the songs of another popular film of the time’ Sumai Thangi’.

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2nd April ’15 ~ IndiEarth OnScreen w/ TCRC At Ashvita Bistro

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Date: 2nd April 2015 (Thursday)
Time: 7:30 pm
Venue: Ashvita Bistro, Bawa Road, Alwarpet, Chennai.

ENTRY FREE and seats are on first come, first served basis.

An edition showcasing short films and film makers from the city of Chennai. IndiEarth OnScreen in association with The Cinema Resource Centre, Chennai present a collection of short films depicting the flavour and essence of Chennai and it’s people. Features a mix of documentary and fiction, the shorts portray definitive and hidden nuances of the populace as a whole that put together the fabric of the city.

The evening will also feature a conversation with the filmmakers as well a Q&A with the audience hosted by IndiEarth.

Film 1:
Chennai Gaana
Vydianathan Ramaswami
18 min/ Color/ 2012/ Tamil (English Subs)
Music,
Trailer: http://www.indiearth.com/ViewTrailer.aspx?TrailerID=11832bad-5f4f-4964-8e51-a25d881adeb2

Gaana songs are a sub-culture of Chennai urban culture.

Gaana in simple words is another name for Tamil Rap song (s), which is getting transformed into a viable commodity by entering the market and undergoing a process of sanitization. It comes across at issues like Politics, urban poverty, caste, violence and sex.

Gaana songs came into existence as part of the urban culture and it has its roots in the slums of Chennai. The Gaana as a popular cultural form is distinct in structure, rhyming verses while talking about the loves and lives of the slum people.

Gaana comes from a mixture of different Tamil dialects and other languages the Dalits, fisher folk of Chennai encounter.

Gaana undoubtedly gives a cultural identity to Subaltern masses in the fringes of the urban spaces. Gaana singers do subtly make music whose effect is to challenge and undermine the consequences of poverty and marginalization.

A Chennai Gaana song sung by Late Power House Pandi about “Human Life and Living” juxtaposed through a montage of Chennai centric visuals illustrating “Slice of Chennai”

Film:2
Raja Magal
Filmmaker: Manikandan
13 min/ Color/ 2014/ Tamil (English Subs)
Short, Drama

Trailer: http://www.indiearth.com/ViewTrailer.aspx?TrailerID=c105cb76-d8ca-4f03-bcc1-17234a684448

Often, we find that certain moments from our past are etched deeply within our memory. They are brought to life sometimes by certain harmless innocuous happenings such – a name, a picture or a song. This short film is about such an event, where a name triggers a memory that resides deep within the protagonist. This memory of his spurned love, Janani, enriched by her blissful dance to a classic film song, taunts him. There is a sudden stir in the protagonist to relive the moments, by playing the classic song that was of paramount importance to him and the memory. What happens next is an unexpected coincidence.

Film 3:
Children of the Republic
Filmmaker: Ramakrishna Dhanasekaran
18 min/ Color/ 2013/ Tamil (English subs)
Social Message

Trailer: http://www.indiearth.com/ViewTrailer.aspx?TrailerID=c69625c7-0b3f-41cd-84ef-312b05c70bf8

Santhosh Kumar, a 5th class student of a government school in Chennai, spends time collecting empty bottles for money and huffing correction fluid for recreation. His naïve encounters in the real world only reveal him to be ignorant and in need of help.

Children of the Republic is a series that provides a glimpse of the dark and dangerous path some of our youngsters have stumbled onto.

Film 4:
Meelparvai
Filmmaker: Vijay Jayapal
22min/ Color/ 2014/ Tamil (English subs)
Short, Drama

Trailer: http://www.indiearth.com/ViewTrailer.aspx?TrailerID=73bf9da4-c9e9-4f4b-8cca-ed72385e0de5

Meelpaarvai is a romantic drama about love, relationships and retrospection. “Meelpaarvai” is a Tamil word meaning “Retrospect”.

Karthik and Divya are ex-lovers, who haven’t met in the last three years. One fine day, Karthik receives a surprise call from Divya, who is now married, to meet her at the same coffee shop where they last met three years back.

Film:5
Helmet Thirudargal
Parthy KL
20 min/ Color/ 2014/ Tamil (English Subs)
Comedy, Social Message

Trailer: http://www.indiearth.com/ViewTrailer.aspx?TrailerID=80de8029-2922-452b-8012-44a2414e0c02

Helmet thirudargal is a short film on Helmet awareness. The awareness delivered through comedy genre.

Film 6:
Madras is Beautiful
Balaji Maheshwar
4 min/ Color/ 2014
Music video

Trailer: http://www.indiearth.com/ViewTrailer.aspx?TrailerID=3437622e-d668-4ab3-9234-8e6d1140cba6

This film is to appreciate the beauty in day to day life that goes unnoticed due to the fast paced lifestyle of our generation.Life in Madras is beautiful.Embrace It.

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About TCRC

The Cinema Resource Centre (TCRC) is a not-for-profit public archive of Indian cinema designed to enable research on the audio-visual cultural artifacts produced by Indian films, especially those made in the regional languages of South India.

We seek to promote film culture, from a historical, educational, and artistic perspective.

At present, The Cinema Resource Centre (TCRC) makes available for public viewing over:
– 8,000 movie posters
– 5,000 ‘lobby cards’ (used for promotion of films in movie halls)
– 3,000 song books (booklets containing lyrics of the movie’s songs and also, some information about the production)
– 300 long-playing (LP) records
– 700 pieces of literature on cinema (old newspaper & magazine clippings, books)
– 25,000 photographs (shot during production of films)

The artifacts pertain to various Indian films that have been released over the last 80 years. They have been sourced painstakingly from collectors, films producers, technicians, artistes and fans.

We’re a small team and our passion for cinema is the only thing that sustains us..

IEOS 2nd April Ashivta Poster WEB


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Sabapathy: From stage to celluloid

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By Karthik Bhatt

The next in our series from ‘stage to celluloid’ we discuss one of Tamil cinema’s earliest full length comedies, Sabapathy.

The film, which was released in 1941 was produced by A.V.Meiyappa Chettiar and directed by A.T.Krishnaswamy. The plot was based on Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar’s play by the same name.

In his autobiography Naadaga Medai Ninaivugal, Sambandha Mudaliar says that Sabapathy was the first farce that he wrote. The story, which revolved around a young, rich (and not so intelligent) zamindar and his foolish servant (both named Sabapathy) was first written in 1906. Sambandha Mudaliar writes that the inspiration for the servant was derived from observing the man Fridays of a few friends. In particular, he credits Narasimhan, the personal assistant of his close friend V.V.Srinivasa Iyengar, the noted lawyer for having served as the base to building the character! He also acknowledges the influence of Handy Andy, the famous book written by Samuel Lover where the character could do nothing right.

The story was written in eight parts, each of which was capable of being staged as a separate stage play. Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar himself played the role of the zamindar, while many of his troupe members donned the role of the servant. So popular was the play that it continued to be staged even after the movie had released and had become a huge success. Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar writes of an interesting incident in 1944, where he, aged 71 years at that time had to appear in the role of zamindar for a scene during a staging to raise funds for the Thondaimandala Thuluva Vellalar School on Mint Street.

The movie had T.R.Ramachandran and Kali N.Ratnam (both of them from stage backgrounds) playing the roles of the zamindar and the servant respectively. Having zeroed in on the choice of T.R.Ramachandran to play the role of zamindar, A.V.Meiyappa Chettiar brought him to Sambandha Mudaliar for his approval, which was given after a brief test of his capability to do justice to the role. Kali N.Ratnam was a well-known actor and vaadhyar who served with the Madurai Original Boys Company, earning the prefix of Kali thanks to his portrayal of the Goddess in a play about Kannagi. Amongst those who trained under him were P.U.Chinnappa and M.G.Ramachandran. The female lead was played by R.Padma (a Lux soap model!) while C.T.Rajakantham was paired opposite Kali N.Ratnam. The Kali N.Ratnam-Rajakantham partnership was a successful one and featured in several movies. C.T.Rajakantham was alive until the 1990s and even acted in the popular Marmadesam (Vidaadha Karuppu) serial.

The movie is a delight to watch even a good seven decades after its release thanks to the simple comedy and great characterisation of the actors.

Randor Guy’s article on the movie can be accessed here

Here is a popular 9 minute segment from the film.

‘Satyajit Ray’ by Shyam Benegal – 19th Mar. ~ IndiEarth OnScreen & TCRC

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Date: 19th March 2015 (Thurs)

Time: 7:30 pm
Venue: Ashvita Bistro, Bawa Road (off TTK Rd.), Alwarpet, Chennai.
Entry Free

Satyajit Ray
Filmmaker: Shyam Benegal
136 min/ Color/ 1985 / English

A biographical on Satyajit Ray, one of India’s most significant film makers, who also attained international acclaim through his cinematographic creations, narrated through Shyam Benegal’s lens.

In Conversation with Venkatesh Chakravarthy (Director, LV Prasad Academy)

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ARE YOU AN INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER? GET SCREENING OPPORTUNITIES>>>
Be a Part of IndiEarth OnScreen:
Submit your film for further screening opportunities on www.IndiEarth.com& get in touch with us at support@indiearth.com.

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About TCRC

The Cinema Resource Centre (TCRC) is a not-for-profit public archive of Indian cinema designed to enable research on the audio-visual cultural artifacts produced by Indian films, especially those made in the regional languages of South India.

We seek to promote film culture, from a historical, educational, and artistic perspective.

At present, The Cinema Resource Centre (TCRC) makes available for public viewing over:
– 8,000 movie posters
– 5,000 ‘lobby cards’ (used for promotion of films in movie halls)
– 3,000 song books (booklets containing lyrics of the movie’s songs and also, some information about the production)
– 300 long-playing (LP) records
– 700 pieces of literature on cinema (old newspaper & magazine clippings, books)
– 25,000 photographs (shot during production of films)

The artifacts pertain to various Indian films that have been released over the last 80 years. They have been sourced painstakingly from collectors, films producers, technicians, artistes and fans.

We’re a small team and our passion for cinema is the only thing that sustains us.

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