40/40, #Lockdownenrichmentforthesoul, Tamil Movie Recommendation

Chandralekha, 1948, S.S Vasan and Avviayar, 1953, Directed by Kothamangalam Subbbu and Produced by S.S. Vasan

This is my last edition in the lockdown series. Here is hoping that the lockdown will be removed on the 18th May 2020. Stay Safe.

The best and the greatest achievements are always reserved and to savoured last.

Subramaniam Srinivasan (4 January 1904 – 26 August 1969), popularly known by his screen name S. S. Vasan, was an Indian journalist, writer, advertiser, film producer, director and business tycoon. He is the founder of the Tamil-language magazine Ananda Vikatan and the film production company Gemini Studios, Gemini Film Laboratories and Gemini Picture Circuit. He was a member of parliament (Rajya Sabha) from 1964 and served his term till his death.

The greatest risk takers are the ones that have perpetually propelled the fortunes of this planet. Risk takers may look foolish many a times, but their actions have always benefited plenty of people.

Vasan is supposed to have produced Chandralekha, the first film outside United States in 1948 with a budget exceeding a million dollars.

Chandralekha took five years to finish. And nothing was the same from start to finish. The script, cast, budget, directors everything changed. And in a trade where mountains of cash vanish into thin air, even Mrs.Vasan’s jewellery took a heavy beating. The fantastic sets of palaces, moat and draw-bridge were not cardboard structures but could withstand the weight of riding horses. (Courtesy Venkatesh Ramakrishnan, 2018, DT Next)

Chandralekha was released on 9 April 1948. Although the film received generally-positive reviews, it did not recoup its production costs. Vasan directed a Hindi version with some changes, including re-shot scenes, a slightly altered cast. The Hindi version was released on 24 December of that year, becoming a box-office success. Southern cinema became prominent throughout India with the film's release, and it inspired Indian producers from the south to market their Hindi films in the northern part of the country

Avvaiyar, 1953

As good as it gets

Courtesy Wikipedia:

Vasan wanted to make a film on saint poet Avvaiyar from 1941 and had given instructions to his story department to conduct research on the life and times of the famed poet and work on a draft script. More than two years were invested in the research.

Vasan screened the rough cut of Avvaiyar. His friends, staff members and their families were invited and asked to give their opinion in writing. Vasan would study all the material carefully. Well-known journalist of Ananda Vikatan who wrote under the pen name, 'Kadhir' explained that the film was slow, crawling on leaden feet with practically nothing much happening at all! It had Sundarambal walking slowly most of the time. It looked more like a documentary and not at all like a feature film. Vasan stared at him for a while and then smiled. He told his team that Kadhir was absolutely correct! He too had the same opinion and wanted to have a second opinion. He told Subbu and others that the film lacked entertainment. Immediately, he ordered the screenplay to be rewritten incorporating sequences of entertainment to elevate the box-office potential and audience appeal of the movie. That's when the sequence of the grand reception by the ancient Tamil king Paari to Avvaiyar was written to be woven into the script.

Subbu wrote it, making it an entertainment extravaganza on its own and the sequence was shot at considerable expense. An entire street set was built at a cost of Rs. 1.5 lakh, which was big money in the 1950s. Over 10,000 junior artistes took part in the spectacular sequence into which traditional folk dances were incorporated, creating a majestic visual impact on moviegoers. The sequence proved to be one of the highlights of the film.