Tag Archives: Archivist

New Article Alert: V. V. Prasad Explores Early Tamil Cinema Visual Traditions in Thirai Mozhi

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We are excited to share the latest article by V. V. Prasad, published in Thirai Mozhi. This edition highlights the forgotten roots of Tamil cinema through the work of artists and performers who shaped its early visual identity.

🎬 What This Article Covers

1. R. Pathmanaban – Early Mythological Artist

The article begins by exploring the contributions of R. Pathmanaban, towards Tamil cinema. His films were based on the events or stories derived from 2 epics Ramayana and Mahabaratha

His film Sethu bandhanam is discussed which showcased the building of Sethu bridge by Lord Rama’s devotees and friends from Kishkintha

2. PB Rangachari and M.D. Parthasarathy  – Iconic Mythological Actors

Prasad then highlights the then famous P. B. Rangachari and actor turned  carnatic musician M.D. Parthasarathy, 2 of them portraying the roles of Ravanan and Hanuman respectively in the film Sethu Banthanaam.

3. The article discusses about Padmanabhan’s:

  • Early life and background
  • His transition from film exhibitor into film maker
  • His role in influencing the kick start of careers to Legends like K.Subramanium and Raja sandow

A rare archival photograph accompanies this section.

📖 Read the Full Article

👉https://thiraimozhi.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/6_June-1-2-3-6-7-8-Pages.pdf

👤 About the Author: V. V. Prasad

V. V. Prasad is an Electronics and Communication Engineer from Chennai and currently serves as a Researcher and Archivist at The Cinema Resource Centre (TCRC).
He oversees the preservation and digitisation of non-film materials such as photographs, magazines, lobby cards, and songbooks, with a deep passion for researching South Indian cinema history.

The incredible story of PK Nair, India’s most respected film archivist, has now been documented!

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On the 3rd of May later this year, an anniversary of epic proportions will occur. For it was on that day in 1913, one hundred years ago, that “Raja Harishchandra”, the silent film produced and directed by Dadasaheb Phalke which is widely accepted as the first Indian full-length feature film, was released. In effect, the day marks the existence of one hundred years of Indian cinema. And what a glorious century it has been!

Of the many ways in which this anniversary is likely to be commemorated, we at TCRC are particularly excited about the release of Shivendra Singh Dungarpur’s National Award-winning documentary “Celluloid Man” on 3rd May 2013. The film showcases the life and work of legendary Indian archivist and founder of National Film Archive of India (NFAI), PK Nair.  Given below is an excerpt from the film:

The film is said to feature interviews with many leading film personalities including including Krzysztof Zanussi, Lester James Peries, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Saeed Akhtar Mirza, Gulzar, Basu Chatterjee, Naseeruddin Shah, Kamal Haasan, Girish Kasaravalli, Jahnu Barua, Jaya Bachchan, Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, Sitara Devi, Santosh Sivan, Rajkumar Hirani, Shyam Benegal, Mahesh Bhatt, Yash Chopra, Ramesh Sippy and Mrinal Sen, all of whom share their reflections on the influence of PK Nair on the films that they watched and loved. In the 2012 National Film Awards, “Celluloid Man” won accolades for Best Editing and Best Biographical/Historical Reconstruction.

PK Nair, now 80 years old, has meanwhile spoken about how the prints of films such as “Raja Harishchandra,” “Alam Ara,” etc are not available at all and has lamented the loss of many important films made before the 1950s (click here to read that whole story).

We at TCRC salute PK Nair, or Nair Saab as he is known, for his commitment to archiving the early days of Indian cinema. May his tribe only grow.