A concocted story about Sanskrit poet and dramatist Kalidas, the film (story, screenplay and dialogue Elangovan) was directed by T. R. Raghunath. Produced by RM. Ramanathan Chettiar, at Newtone Studios in which he was an investor, the film had an impressive cast. M .G. Ramachandran, credited in those days in most films as Ramachandar, played the lead, while the heroine who played a double role was the well-known actress M. R. Santhanalakshmi. The film had personalities from Tamil Literature such as Nakkirar and Avvaiyar as characters to give the fictional tale a degree of credibility!
Well-known stage and screen actor V. A. Chellappa played Nakkirar. A good singer with an impressive personality, he sang quite a few songs in the film.
The illiterate woodcutter (he is so stupid that he axes the branch of a tree on which he is seated! A familiar tale about Kalidasa in his previous birth) who falls in love with the educated heroine was played by noted comedian T. S. Durairaj.
Characters being reborn under different names but not forgetting their previous lives and such barely credible elements were introduced into the film.
Devasena played the devadasi who gives birth to Santhanalakshmi in her second life, and named the girl Thamizh Ariyum Perumal . Later, the actor married the iconic star of the Thamizh Isai Movement and Carnatic musician, M. M. Dhandapani Desikar. He enjoyed stardom for a while by playing lead roles in films such as (Gemini) Nandanar and Pattinathar . The film had as many as 22 songs (the lyrics were by Udumalai Narayana Kavi, and there was no credit for the music composer. However, the credit for the background music score was given to ‘Saraswathi Stores,' which was one of the early companies of AV Meiyappan).
The film had impressive cinematography thanks to Marcus Bartley and Mohammed Masthan. A. Kasilingam who later became a well-known filmmaker and directed many movies such as Maruthanaattu Ilavarasi edited the film crisply. Interestingly, this film was bankrolled and distributed by Trichy Thyagaraja Films Limited, which was owned by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, the main investor in Newtone Studios.
In spite of the tuneful music, picturesque photography, impressive sets and prominent stars, the film did not do well much to the disappointment of those involved in its making.
Remembered for the impressive sets, cinematography and pleasing music and being an early film of the later day icon and cult figure M.G. Ramachandran.
Published - May 07, 2011 06:01 pm IST
