a brief introduction to tamil cinema
by Donna Iannapollo
Films have been shown in India since 1896 when the Lumiere brothers introduced their cinematograph, six months after its first appearance in Paris. The first Indian feature film was made by D. G. Phalke in 1912. Films came to south India a year after they were introduced in Bombay.
R. Nataraja Mudaliar is credited with the first silent Tamil film in 1917, Keechakra Vadham. Previous to this, Tamil films were limited to filmed stage plays and "short" subjects.
When sound films began being produced in Bombay and Calcutta, there was no sound production or sound studio in Madras, the center of the Tamil film industry. In 1932 and 1933, Tamil films were produced in Bombay, Calcutta and Poona.
The first Tamil sound film, Pavalakkodi, was made in 1934 and contained 50 songs. The success of early Tamil sound films led to the construction of up-to-date studios in the South during 1935-1936. Producers in the Madras area began to take charge of Tamil production, gradually taking over production for the nearby Telegu area as well as the Kannada and Malayalam language groups. In the 1950s, Madras would pass Bombay in volume of production.
The first Tamil film to be successful in both Tamil and Hindi versions was Chandralekha. Made on a budget of Rs. 3,000,000 it was released in 1948. The director, S. S. Vasan, and producer, A. K. Sekar, designed a huge production campaign so successful that Chandralekha grossed Rs. 10,000,000.
One of the most unique features of Tamil cinema is the way the medium has been used and intelligently exploited to make political commentary and win political elections. Screenwriter C. N. Annadurai and actors M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan utilized their films to move into political office in the 1940s and 1950s. Films with political themes continue to be made into the present day with some recent examples such as S. Shankar's Kadhalan and Muthalvan and Mani Ratnam's "trilogy" Roja, Bombay and Dil Se.
In the 1960s, director K. Balachander created movies with bold themes in cinematic styles and gave birth to such "all-India" stars as Kamal Hasan, Rajnikanth and Sridevi
by Donna Iannapollo
Films have been shown in India since 1896 when the Lumiere brothers introduced their cinematograph, six months after its first appearance in Paris. The first Indian feature film was made by D. G. Phalke in 1912. Films came to south India a year after they were introduced in Bombay.
R. Nataraja Mudaliar is credited with the first silent Tamil film in 1917, Keechakra Vadham. Previous to this, Tamil films were limited to filmed stage plays and "short" subjects.
When sound films began being produced in Bombay and Calcutta, there was no sound production or sound studio in Madras, the center of the Tamil film industry. In 1932 and 1933, Tamil films were produced in Bombay, Calcutta and Poona.
The first Tamil sound film, Pavalakkodi, was made in 1934 and contained 50 songs. The success of early Tamil sound films led to the construction of up-to-date studios in the South during 1935-1936. Producers in the Madras area began to take charge of Tamil production, gradually taking over production for the nearby Telegu area as well as the Kannada and Malayalam language groups. In the 1950s, Madras would pass Bombay in volume of production.
The first Tamil film to be successful in both Tamil and Hindi versions was Chandralekha. Made on a budget of Rs. 3,000,000 it was released in 1948. The director, S. S. Vasan, and producer, A. K. Sekar, designed a huge production campaign so successful that Chandralekha grossed Rs. 10,000,000.
One of the most unique features of Tamil cinema is the way the medium has been used and intelligently exploited to make political commentary and win political elections. Screenwriter C. N. Annadurai and actors M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan utilized their films to move into political office in the 1940s and 1950s. Films with political themes continue to be made into the present day with some recent examples such as S. Shankar's Kadhalan and Muthalvan and Mani Ratnam's "trilogy" Roja, Bombay and Dil Se.
In the 1960s, director K. Balachander created movies with bold themes in cinematic styles and gave birth to such "all-India" stars as Kamal Hasan, Rajnikanth and Sridevi
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