manu/mldr-zoomed-100char-total-queries-documents

chunk_id stringlengths 3 9	chunk stringlengths 1 100
62_15	of films in the 1930s and 1940s, the notable ones being Alli Arjuna, Bhookailas, Sabapathy, Sri
62_16	Valli and Nam Iruvar.
62_17	Early life
62_18	AVM was born in Karaikudi on 28 July 1907 to father Avichi Chettiar and mother Lakshmi Achi. Avichi
62_19	Chettiar owned a department store called AV & Sons which sold gramophone records. AVM was born in
62_20	the Nagarathar community whose members had gained a fine reputation in the mercantile and
62_21	money-lending business in the later half of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century.
62_22	At an early age, AVM envisioned better prospects in the trade of manufacturing records than simply
62_23	selling them. Hence, he moved to Madras with his friends K.S. Narayan Iyengar and Subbaiah Chettiar
62_24	and established a new firm called Saraswathi Stores on 9 September 1932. This new firm also
62_25	manufactured gramophone records apart from selling them. In this new venture, he got excellent
62_26	support from the manager K.P. Varadachari and his lawyer friend Thoothukudi Govindachari
62_27	Raghavachari. Some of AVM's early productions were dramas on mythological subjects like Ramayanam.
62_28	Early film career
62_29	With the dawn of the talkies, AVM established the Saraswathi Sound Productions. In 1935, AVM made
62_30	his debut as a producer with the Tamil film Alli Arjuna which performed miserably at the
62_31	box-office. His next venture Ratnavali was another failure. He then teamed up with Jayanthilal, a
62_32	cinema house owner and promoted a new company, Pragati Pictures Ltd.
62_33	In 1938, AVM bought the rights for the Tamil remake of a Marathi film on the boyhood of Lord
62_34	Krishna. This film Nandakumar was an average grosser. AVM introduced a 14-year-old boy, T. R.
62_35	Mahalingam, for the part of the young Lord Krishna. This young boy would later become an efficient
62_36	singer turning in a number of melodious hits. Lalitha Venkataraman sang for the character Devaki
62_37	making Nandakumar the first film to introduce the concept of playback singing in the Tamil film
62_38	industry. Nandakumar was also one of the first Tamil movies to be shot on location as AVM leased
62_39	the Club House off Mount Road in Chennai to shoot scenes without erecting sets.
62_40	AVM started his own studios in 1940 and named it Pragathi Studios. In the same year, AVM produced
62_41	Bhookailas which became one of the most popular film versions of the Ramayana. The film was made in
62_42	Telugu, its lead actors were from Kannada cinema and it was directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni, a
62_43	Mangalorean who had received his training in Bombay. AVM's comedy flick Sabapathy(1941) starring
62_44	T.R. Ramachandran, K. Sarangapani and Kali N. Ratnam was a runaway hit as also Poli Panchali,
62_45	another comedy. Sabapathy eventually emerged as one of the greatest comedy films of the era. He
62_46	followed this with another hit En Manaivi.
62_47	In 1943, he produced the film Harischandra in Kannada based on the legend of a king who attempted
62_48	to kill his own son to defend justice. The next year, the film was dubbed into Tamil making it the
62_49	first Indian film to be dubbed from one language to another. During the making of Sri Valli in
62_50	1945, he employed singer Periyanayaki to sing for actress Rukmini. This was AVM's second film to
62_51	make use of playback. Pragati technicians worked round the clock to synchronise voice and lip.
62_52	Reels were shipped back and forth in cars and trains between Madras and Karaikkudi to ensure good
62_53	quality.
62_54	AVM Productions
62_55	On 14 November 1945, riding on the phenomenal success of his first few films, AVM established his
62_56	new production company, AVM Productions at Santhome, Chennai. He wanted to start his studio in
62_57	Kodambakkam but was unable to, due to the acute power shortage during the Second World War. Left
62_58	with no other choice, AVM established his studio at his hometown of Karaikudi. AVM's first film
62_59	under the banner of AVM Productions was Vedhala Ulagam.
62_60	In 1947, AVM produced the film Nam Iruvar based on S. V. Sahasranamam's play of the same name.
62_61	Reflecting the intense patriotic fervour and hope which engulfed the newborn nation, the film
62_62	released in January 1947 after six months of shooting and was "a thundering success". The story
62_63	begins with a Subramania Bharati anniversary and ends with Gandhi's 77th birthday celebrations. The
62_64	success of Naam Iruvar was followed by the success of Vedhala Ulagam in 1948 and Vazhkai in 1949.
62_65	Vazhkai saw the introduction of Vyjayanthimala who would later emerge as one of the top film stars
62_66	of India. The film ran for 25 weeks and was released as Jeevitham (1949) in Telugu and Bahar in
62_67	Hindi. With the success of Vazhkai, AVM Productions began to produce films in Tamil, Telugu,
62_68	Kannada, Bengali and even Sinhalese. Following India's independence, the power shortages had been
62_69	met and AVM studios shifted to the sprawling location in Kodambakkam chosen by AVM, in the year
62_70	1948.
62_71	The 1950s
62_72	The decade of the 1950s was a honeymoon period for AVM Productions which turned out a series of
62_73	hits. The early years were marked by AVM's attempts to conquer the Hindi film industry.
62_74	In 1952, AVM's Tamil film Parasakthi released in theatres all over Madras and was an instant
62_75	success. With a powerful storyline and fiery dialogues by a future Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.
62_76	Karunanidhi, the film preached social revolution and questioned the authority of Hindu temple
62_77	priests. Sivaji Ganesan, then a newcomer, was cast in the lead role. By the mid-1950s, he had
62_78	emerged as one of the top-stars in Kollywood.
62_79	Sivaji also starred in AVM's next Tamil film Andha Naal (1954) directed by Sundaram Balachander.
62_80	The film, the first film without any songs to be released in any Indian language, was about a radio
62_81	engineer who intrigues with the invading Japanese during the Second World War and is eventually
62_82	killed by his wife. The style of narration had been heavily borrowed from Akira Kurosawa's
62_83	Rashomon.
62_84	In 1953, AVM produced the Kannada film Jatakaphala which was dubbed into Jatakam in Tamil and
62_85	Jatakaphalam in Telugu. In 1958, AVM made Bhookailas in Telugu, which triggered the "golden age of
62_86	Telugu cinema". It was subsequently remade as Bhakta Ravana in Tamil and Bhakti Mahima in Hindi.
62_87	The 1960s
62_88	In 1961, AVM produced the Telugu film Papa Pariharam which was a remake of the Tamil film
62_89	Pavamanippu which released in the same year. Both were directed by eminent director A. Bhimsingh
62_90	and starred Shivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Savitri and Devika. Like most of AVM's early films,
62_91	Pavamanippu too had a storyline based on the Second World War.
62_92	Kalathur Kannamma in 1960 saw the introduction of another star in Tamil cinema, the thespian Kamal
62_93	Haasan who played an unforgettable supporting role as a young orphan. He was barely six years old
62_94	at the time.
62_95	His next Tamil venture Server Sundaram (1964) featuring Nagesh, who was a budding comedian then and
62_96	debutant Major Sundarrajan was a roaring success. Server Sundaram was one of Nagesh's early hits
62_97	which set the pace for an illustrious career. It also launched Major Sundarrajan as a character
62_98	actor in the Tamil film industry. Sundarrajan's second hit, Major Chandrakanth where his famous
62_99	portrayal of title role earned him the screen name "Major" Sundarrajan was also produced by AVM.
62_100	Pavithra Prema, Penchina Prema, Naadi Aada Janme, Chitti Chellelu, Letha Manasulu and Mooga Nomu
62_101	were some good Telugu films which were produced by AVM during the period. However, AVM's greatest
62_102	success of the 1960s was Bhakta Prahalada which was produced in Telugu and subsequently dubbed into
62_103	Tamil and Hindi. The film was based on the story of Narasimha Avatar from Hindu mythology. It was
62_104	directed by Chitrapu Narayana Murthy and starred S. V. Ranga Rao as Hiranyakasyapu and Baby
62_105	Rojaramani as Prahlada. Narayanmurthy had earlier directed a black-and-white version of Bhakta
62_106	Prahlada in 1942 which had failed at the box-office. However, the colour version which was produced
62_107	a quarter of a century later under the banner of AVM Productions was a resounding success. Of the
62_108	10 different filmised versions of the Prahlada story, the 1967 colour version remains the most
62_109	famous and remembered.
62_110	Another successful film by AVM in the 1960s was the 1966 film Anbe Vaa featuring the legendary M.
62_111	G. Ramachandran, Saroja Devi and Nagesh. The film was a major success and the song Rajavin Paarvai
62_112	topped the charts for a long time. In 1970, AVM produced Enga Mama featuring Sivaji Ganesan. '"Enga
62_113	Mama was a Tamil remake of the Hindi film Brahmachari produced by G. P. Sippy and performed
62_114	moderately at the box-office.

62_15

of films in the 1930s and 1940s, the notable ones being Alli Arjuna, Bhookailas, Sabapathy, Sri

62_16

Valli and Nam Iruvar.

62_17

Early life

62_18

AVM was born in Karaikudi on 28 July 1907 to father Avichi Chettiar and mother Lakshmi Achi. Avichi

62_19

Chettiar owned a department store called AV & Sons which sold gramophone records. AVM was born in

62_20

the Nagarathar community whose members had gained a fine reputation in the mercantile and

62_21

money-lending business in the later half of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century.

62_22

At an early age, AVM envisioned better prospects in the trade of manufacturing records than simply

62_23

selling them. Hence, he moved to Madras with his friends K.S. Narayan Iyengar and Subbaiah Chettiar

62_24

and established a new firm called Saraswathi Stores on 9 September 1932. This new firm also

62_25

manufactured gramophone records apart from selling them. In this new venture, he got excellent

62_26

support from the manager K.P. Varadachari and his lawyer friend Thoothukudi Govindachari

62_27

Raghavachari. Some of AVM's early productions were dramas on mythological subjects like Ramayanam.

62_28

Early film career

62_29

With the dawn of the talkies, AVM established the Saraswathi Sound Productions. In 1935, AVM made

62_30

his debut as a producer with the Tamil film Alli Arjuna which performed miserably at the

62_31

box-office. His next venture Ratnavali was another failure. He then teamed up with Jayanthilal, a

62_32

cinema house owner and promoted a new company, Pragati Pictures Ltd.

62_33

In 1938, AVM bought the rights for the Tamil remake of a Marathi film on the boyhood of Lord

62_34

Krishna. This film Nandakumar was an average grosser. AVM introduced a 14-year-old boy, T. R.

62_35

Mahalingam, for the part of the young Lord Krishna. This young boy would later become an efficient

62_36

singer turning in a number of melodious hits. Lalitha Venkataraman sang for the character Devaki

62_37

making Nandakumar the first film to introduce the concept of playback singing in the Tamil film

62_38

industry. Nandakumar was also one of the first Tamil movies to be shot on location as AVM leased

62_39

the Club House off Mount Road in Chennai to shoot scenes without erecting sets.

62_40

AVM started his own studios in 1940 and named it Pragathi Studios. In the same year, AVM produced

62_41

Bhookailas which became one of the most popular film versions of the Ramayana. The film was made in

62_42

Telugu, its lead actors were from Kannada cinema and it was directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni, a

62_43

Mangalorean who had received his training in Bombay. AVM's comedy flick Sabapathy(1941) starring

62_44

T.R. Ramachandran, K. Sarangapani and Kali N. Ratnam was a runaway hit as also Poli Panchali,

62_45

another comedy. Sabapathy eventually emerged as one of the greatest comedy films of the era. He

62_46

followed this with another hit En Manaivi.

62_47

In 1943, he produced the film Harischandra in Kannada based on the legend of a king who attempted

62_48

to kill his own son to defend justice. The next year, the film was dubbed into Tamil making it the

62_49

first Indian film to be dubbed from one language to another. During the making of Sri Valli in

62_50

1945, he employed singer Periyanayaki to sing for actress Rukmini. This was AVM's second film to

62_51

make use of playback. Pragati technicians worked round the clock to synchronise voice and lip.

62_52

Reels were shipped back and forth in cars and trains between Madras and Karaikkudi to ensure good

62_53

quality.

62_54

AVM Productions

62_55

On 14 November 1945, riding on the phenomenal success of his first few films, AVM established his

62_56

new production company, AVM Productions at Santhome, Chennai. He wanted to start his studio in

62_57

Kodambakkam but was unable to, due to the acute power shortage during the Second World War. Left

62_58

with no other choice, AVM established his studio at his hometown of Karaikudi. AVM's first film

62_59

under the banner of AVM Productions was Vedhala Ulagam.

62_60

In 1947, AVM produced the film Nam Iruvar based on S. V. Sahasranamam's play of the same name.

62_61

Reflecting the intense patriotic fervour and hope which engulfed the newborn nation, the film

62_62

released in January 1947 after six months of shooting and was "a thundering success". The story

62_63

begins with a Subramania Bharati anniversary and ends with Gandhi's 77th birthday celebrations. The

62_64

success of Naam Iruvar was followed by the success of Vedhala Ulagam in 1948 and Vazhkai in 1949.

62_65

Vazhkai saw the introduction of Vyjayanthimala who would later emerge as one of the top film stars

62_66

of India. The film ran for 25 weeks and was released as Jeevitham (1949) in Telugu and Bahar in

62_67

Hindi. With the success of Vazhkai, AVM Productions began to produce films in Tamil, Telugu,

62_68

Kannada, Bengali and even Sinhalese. Following India's independence, the power shortages had been

62_69

met and AVM studios shifted to the sprawling location in Kodambakkam chosen by AVM, in the year

62_70

1948.

62_71

The 1950s

62_72

The decade of the 1950s was a honeymoon period for AVM Productions which turned out a series of

62_73

hits. The early years were marked by AVM's attempts to conquer the Hindi film industry.

62_74

In 1952, AVM's Tamil film Parasakthi released in theatres all over Madras and was an instant

62_75

success. With a powerful storyline and fiery dialogues by a future Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.

62_76

Karunanidhi, the film preached social revolution and questioned the authority of Hindu temple

62_77

priests. Sivaji Ganesan, then a newcomer, was cast in the lead role. By the mid-1950s, he had

62_78

emerged as one of the top-stars in Kollywood.

62_79

Sivaji also starred in AVM's next Tamil film Andha Naal (1954) directed by Sundaram Balachander.

62_80

The film, the first film without any songs to be released in any Indian language, was about a radio

62_81

engineer who intrigues with the invading Japanese during the Second World War and is eventually

62_82

killed by his wife. The style of narration had been heavily borrowed from Akira Kurosawa's

62_83

Rashomon.

62_84

In 1953, AVM produced the Kannada film Jatakaphala which was dubbed into Jatakam in Tamil and

62_85

Jatakaphalam in Telugu. In 1958, AVM made Bhookailas in Telugu, which triggered the "golden age of

62_86

Telugu cinema". It was subsequently remade as Bhakta Ravana in Tamil and Bhakti Mahima in Hindi.

62_87

The 1960s

62_88

In 1961, AVM produced the Telugu film Papa Pariharam which was a remake of the Tamil film

62_89

Pavamanippu which released in the same year. Both were directed by eminent director A. Bhimsingh

62_90

and starred Shivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Savitri and Devika. Like most of AVM's early films,

62_91

Pavamanippu too had a storyline based on the Second World War.

62_92

Kalathur Kannamma in 1960 saw the introduction of another star in Tamil cinema, the thespian Kamal

62_93

Haasan who played an unforgettable supporting role as a young orphan. He was barely six years old

62_94

at the time.

62_95

His next Tamil venture Server Sundaram (1964) featuring Nagesh, who was a budding comedian then and

62_96

debutant Major Sundarrajan was a roaring success. Server Sundaram was one of Nagesh's early hits

62_97

which set the pace for an illustrious career. It also launched Major Sundarrajan as a character

62_98

actor in the Tamil film industry. Sundarrajan's second hit, Major Chandrakanth where his famous

62_99

portrayal of title role earned him the screen name "Major" Sundarrajan was also produced by AVM.

62_100

Pavithra Prema, Penchina Prema, Naadi Aada Janme, Chitti Chellelu, Letha Manasulu and Mooga Nomu

62_101

were some good Telugu films which were produced by AVM during the period. However, AVM's greatest

62_102

success of the 1960s was Bhakta Prahalada which was produced in Telugu and subsequently dubbed into

62_103

Tamil and Hindi. The film was based on the story of Narasimha Avatar from Hindu mythology. It was

62_104

directed by Chitrapu Narayana Murthy and starred S. V. Ranga Rao as Hiranyakasyapu and Baby

62_105

Rojaramani as Prahlada. Narayanmurthy had earlier directed a black-and-white version of Bhakta

62_106

Prahlada in 1942 which had failed at the box-office. However, the colour version which was produced

62_107

a quarter of a century later under the banner of AVM Productions was a resounding success. Of the

62_108

10 different filmised versions of the Prahlada story, the 1967 colour version remains the most

62_109

famous and remembered.

62_110

Another successful film by AVM in the 1960s was the 1966 film Anbe Vaa featuring the legendary M.

62_111

G. Ramachandran, Saroja Devi and Nagesh. The film was a major success and the song Rajavin Paarvai

62_112

topped the charts for a long time. In 1970, AVM produced Enga Mama featuring Sivaji Ganesan. '"Enga

62_113

Mama was a Tamil remake of the Hindi film Brahmachari produced by G. P. Sippy and performed

62_114

moderately at the box-office.