தமிழ் சினிமா வரலாறு

Raja Harishchandra (1913), by Dadasaheb Phalke, was the first silent feature film made in India. By the 1930s, the industry was producing over 200 films per annum. The first Indian sound film, Ardeshir Irani's Alam Ara (1931), was a major commercial success. There was clearly a huge market for talkies and musicals; Bollywood and all the regional film industries quickly switched to sound filming.

A visiting European exhibitor screened a bunch of silent short films at the Victoria Public Hall, Madras. The films all non-fiction and told no story. They were mostly photographed records of ordinary events.

In Madras (Chennai) City, the “Electric Theatre” established where silent films were shown. It was the favourite haunt of the British community in Madras. The theatre was closed after few years. This building is now part of the Post Office Complex on Anna Salai.

Mr. Cohen built “Lyric Theatre” in Mount Road area (now Anna Salai). Here, plays in English, Western music concert and ball dances took place regularly and silent films were also shown as additional attraction.

Samikannu Vincent an employee of South Indian Railway, Trichy purchased a film projector and silent films from Frenchman Du Pont and set up business as film exhibitor. He erected tents for screening films. The tent cinema became popular and he went all over with his mobile unit. In later years he produced talkie films and also built a cinema house in Coimbatore.

To commemorate the event of George V’s visit in 1909 a grand exhibition was organised in Madras. Its major attraction was the screening of short films with sound. A British company brought “Crone-megaphone”, made up of a film projector to which a gramophone with a disk containing pre-recorded sound was linked and both ran in unison producing picture and sound simultaneously. However, there was no lip-synch dialogue. Raghupathy Venkiah, a successful still photographer took over the equipment after the exhibition and set up a tent cinema near the Madras High Court.

R. Venkiah flushed with funds built in 1912 a permanent cinema house in Mount Road area named “Gaiety”. It was the first in Madras, to screen films on full time basis. This theatre happily functions though under different ownership.

In tent cinemas there were usually three classes of tickets, the floor, bench and chair. The floor ticket purchaser sat on sand to watch the movie but he enjoyed certain advantages, which other patrons did not. He could sit as he pleased or even he could turnover and take a short sleep when it is boring him and again roll back when the screen shot upto his liking! Luxuries, the upper class could never indulge in. Surely those were the days!

Silent Cinema In Tamil Nadu.

1916 R. Nataraja Mudaliar, an automobile spare parts merchant promoted India Film Company Limited and built a silent film studio on Miller’s Road, Purasawalkkam, Madras. Interested in the new medium of cinema he had received training in Cinematography from Stewart Smith, a British cinematographer. Mudaliar’s first silent feature film was “Keechaka Vadam” (1917), first to be made in Tamil Nadu.

1917

The year marked the birth of the Silent Film in Tamil Nadu, the precursor to the modern day Tamil Cinema, as we know it. R.Nataraja Mudaliar was the first producer, director and cinematographer in Tamil Cinema. Trained in London, he came back and made Keechaka Vadham in 1917, the first Silent feature film in Tamil.

1917-1930

Other Silent movies followed. Encouraged by the success of the medium, Prakash Raghupathy made Bishma Pratigna. Other mythologicals and historicals followed - Sarangadhara, Bhoja Raja, Gajendra Moksham etc. Censor Boards were established in Madras in 1918.

It was inevitable! In 1931, the talkies came to Tamil Nadu. The first Talkie with Tamil in it was Kalidas . It was directed by H.M.Reddy and produced by Ardeshar Irani's Imperial Movie Tone and released on 31st October. Kalidas was produced in a hurry, and was technically flawed. It was not a pure Tamil talkie, in the sense that the artistes spoke both in Tamil and Telugu. It starred T.P.Rajalaxmi as its heroine. She was a stage artiste who gained immense popularity as a movie actress and went on to make movies herself. Though it was a puranic story - both Thyagaraja Kirtanas and the Indian National Congress publicity songs had a place in the picture. Its curiosity factor, if anything guaranteed its success at the box-office.

Kalava (Kalav Rishi )

Parijatha Pushpaharanam

Ramayanam

Sampoorna Harischandra

Kovalan

Sathiyavaan Savithri

Nandhanar

Prahalada (new theatre)

Prahalada (East India Film Company)

Valli (National Movie Ton)

Valli Thirumanam (Pioneer Film Company)

Shri Krishna Leela

(Shri) Krishna Murari

Kovalan

Sagubhai

Shakuntala

Sathi Sulochana

Seetha Vanavasam

Seetha Kalyanam

Dasavatharam

Draupathi Vastraharanam (Angel Films )

Draupathi Vastraharanam (Srinivas Cineton)

PavalaKodi

Bahama Vijayam

Lava Kusa

Srinivasa Kalayanam

Alli Arjuna

Adi Rooba Amaravathi

Kulebakavali

Kousalya

Yaan Saundari

Chandrasena (Ravanan)

Sarangathara

Siruthonda Nayanar

Subadraharan (subadra parinayam)

Tumpachari

Dhruva Saritharam (Pioneer Film Company )

Baktha Dhruvan (Angel Film Company)

Thuka Thuki

Nala Damayanthi

Baktha Nadhnar

Nala Thangal (Pioneer Film Company )

Nala Thangal (Angel Film Company )

Naveena Sadharum

Baktha Ramdas & Milagai Podi

Patinathar

Poorna Chandra

Maya Baazar

Baktha Markandeya

Menaka

Mohini Rukmangatha

Raja Pojan

Rajambhal

Radha Kalyanam

Lalithangi

Lanka Thahanam

Harischandra

Ali Badhusha

Indira Sabha

Iru Shahothargal

Usha Kalyanam & Kizharttu Mappillai

Gaurda Garva Bangam

Krishna Arjuna

Krishna Narathi (அ) Narada Garava Bangam

Chandra Hassan

Souvkadi Chandra Kantha

Chandra Mohana (அ) Samuga Thondu

Sathileelavathi

Sathya Silan

Seemanthini

Dharma pathini

Dhara sasangam

Nalayini (Sundram Talkies )

Nalayini (Oriental Sound Pictures)

Naveena Sarangthara

Baktha Kuchela

PathiBakthi + Kangani

Patinathar

Bama Parinayam

Pathuga Pattabhisehkam

Parvathi Kalyanam & Moondru Muttalgal

Beeshma prathikgna

Mahatama Kabirdas & Madayargal Sandhippu

Manohara

(Srimad) MahaBharatam

Miss Kamala

Meera Bai

Rathnavali

Madras Mail

Raja Desingu

Rukmani Kalyanam

Leelavathi Sulochana

Vasantha Sena

VIswamithra

Veera Abhimanyu

Srimathi Parinayam & Mannarsami

Ambhikabathy

Thirupugar Arunagirinadar

Andal ThiruKalyanam (kothaiyin kadhal)

Kavirathan Kalidas

Krishna Thulabaram

Kousalya Parinayam & Mr Ammanji

Sathi Ahalya

Sathi Anusaya

Chamundeshwari

Chintamani

Sundara Murthi Nayanar

Sethu Bandham & Asai

Danger Signal

Sri Bhaktha Thyagaraja

Devadas

Navayavan (அ) Geethasaram

Nirupamadevi (அ) Naveena Nirupama

Patham Jothi

Pakka Rowdy (Thanjavur Rowdy)

Baktha Arunagiri

Baktha Purandharadas

Baktha Jaidev

Basmasura Mohini

Mr Tight & Loose

Balamani (அ) Pakka Thirudan

Balayogini

Minnal Kodi

Miss Sundari

Mynar Rajamani

Rajabakthi

Rajamohan

Rajasekaran & Yematha Sonagiri

Vallala Maharaja

Vikram Stree Sahasam

Virada Paruvam

Lakshmi (அ) Harijan Penn

Anandhai Penn

En Kadhali & Moottal Mappillai

Yesunadhar

Kambar (அ) Kalviyin Vetri

Sree Kantha Leela

Kannan Nayanar

Kutravali

Swarnalatha

Seva Sadhanam

Dakshya Yagnam

Dasavatharam

Thayumanavar

Thulasi Brindha

Thukaram

Tenaliraman

Desamunetram

Nandhakumar

Bhakta Namdevar

Baktha Meera & Shok Sundram

GramaVijayam

Punjab Kesari

Baghya Leela

BhooKailas (அ) Mandothari Parinayam

Por Veeran Manaivi & Asattu Veeran Manaivi

Mada Sambrani

Mayurathavajan

Maya Mayavan

Yayathi

Raj Drohi (அ) Dharamapuri Ragasiyam

Sri Ramanujar

Vanaraj Karsan

Valibar Sangam

VipraNarayana

Vishnu Leela

Veera Jagdish (1936-Kuti )

Jalaja (அ) Natiya Mahimai

Harijan Singam (Madras CID )

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