''Kannagi'' is a 1942 Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

-language

epic film Epic films are a style of filmmaking with large-scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The usage of the term has shifted over time, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply synonymous with big-budget filmmaking. Like epics in ...

directed by R.S Mani based on one of

The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature The Five Great Epics ( ta, ஐம்பெரும்காப்பியங்கள் ''Aimperumkāppiyaṅkaḷ'') are five Tamil epics according to later Tamil literary tradition. They are '' Silappatikāram'', ''Manimekalai'', ''Cīvak ...

, ''

Cilappatikaram ''Cilappatikāram'' ( ta, சிலப்பதிகாரம் ml, ചിലപ്പതികാരം,IPA: ʧiləppət̪ikɑːrəm, ''lit.'' "the Tale of an Anklet"), also referred to as ''Silappathikaram'' or ''Silappatikaram'', is the e ...

''. This is the first

film based on the epic. The second film, ''

Poompuhar Puhar (also known as Poompuhar) is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was once a flourishing ancient port city known as Kaveri Poompattinam, which is described in Sangam literature like Silappa ...

'', was released later in 1964.

Plot

R.S. Mani directs this mythological fantasy based on the first century A.D. Tamil Jain saga

Silapadhigaaram ''Cilappatikāram'' ( ta, சிலப்பதிகாரம் ml, ചിലപ്പതികാരം,IPA: ʧiləppət̪ikɑːrəm, ''lit.'' "the Tale of an Anklet"), also referred to as ''Silappathikaram'' or ''Silappatikaram'', is the e ...

. The film centers on

Kovalan Kovalan ( ta, கோவலன்) is a central character in Ilango Adigal's ''Silappatikaram,'' one of the ancient Tamil epics. Family Father : Machattuvan Wife : Kannagi Lover : Madhavi Daughter : Manimekalai (Mother: Madhavi) Narrativ ...

(P.U. Chinnappa), who is married to the faithful

Kannagi Kannagi ( ta, கண்ணகி) sometimes spelled Kannaki, is a legendary Tamil woman who forms the central character of the Tamil epic ''Cilappatikaram''. Kannagi is described as the chaste woman who stays with her husband despite his unfai ...

(P. Kannamba). Later, Kovalan falls for the beautiful, dissolute dancer Madhavi (N.S. Saroja), who leads him to ruin.

comes in at the last moment and saves him from almost certain debauchery. She also offers to sell her golden

anklet An anklet, also called ''ankle chain'', ''ankle bracelet'' or ''ankle string'', is an ornament worn around the ankle. Barefoot anklets and toe rings historically have been worn for at least over 8,000 years by girls and women in Indus Valley, in ...

to restore the household's depleted funds. Unfortunately, the artistry and value of the object leads the king of a neighbouring land to accuse

of theft and sentence him to the chopping block. Once again, Kannagi comes in at the last moment and proves to the king and the queen that they are innocent, causing them both to die instantly. After razing Madhavi's native village to the ground,

ascends to heaven.

Cast

Cast according to the opening credits of the film and the songbook: ;Male cast * P. U. Chinnappa as

N. S. Krishnan Nagercoil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan, popularly known as Kalaivanar () and also as NSK, was an Indian actor-comedian, theatre artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry – in the 1940s and 1950s. He is conside ...

as Injippathan * M. R. Swaminathan as Vanjippathan *

T. R. Ramachandran Thirukampuliyur Ranga Ramachandran (9 January 1917 – 30 November 1990) was an Indian actor and comedian who acted mainly in Tamil films. He was cast mostly in lead or supportive roles, especially in comical parts, from the 1940s to the 1960s. Kn ...

as Shastri * D. Balasubramanyam as Pandian *

S. V. Sahasranamam Singanallur Venkataramana Iyer Sahasranamam (29 November 1913 – 19 February 1988), also known as S. V. S., was an Indian actor and director. Primarily a theatre actor, he also worked in over 200 films, mainly in Tamil cinema. Early lif ...

as Paramasivan * K. N. Kolathu Nani as Machottan * K. P. Jayaraman as Manackam * T. V. Namasivayam as Young Kovalan * K. N. Ramalingam as Good Man * S. P. Soundappan * K. R. Chellamuthu * M. S. Viswanathan * K. S. Mani * V. S. Kittappa * V. Ramani as Bad Minster * T. A. Anandan * T. A. Narayanan * M. Ramanathan * P. G. Kuppuswami * T. R. Ramaswami * E. Krishnamurthi as Thanikachalam * Thiruvenkatam as Meenakshi ;Female cast *

P. Kannamba Pasupuleti Kannamba (''Pasupulēţi Kannāṃba'') (5 October 1911 – 7 May 1968) was an Indian actress, playback singer and film producer of Telugu language, Telugu cinema, of Andhra Pradesh, India. She acted in more than 170 films and produce ...

* M. S. Saroja as Madhavi * T. A. Mathuram as Vanjippathan's Daughter *

U. R. Jeevarathnam Unjalur Ramayamma Jeevaratnam was an Indian actress, singer, producer and playback singer. Most of her works are in Telugu and Tamil languages. Early life Born in Unjalur, Erode, Madras Presidency in British India to Subramaniam and Kunjammaal. ...

as Gownthiyadigal * M. M. Radha Bai as Pandia's Wife * T. V. A. Boorani as Vasanthamalai * Golden Saradambal * Kumari Rathnam as Young Kannagi * S. R. Rajalakshmi * S. Yogambal as Madhari * S. Mangalam * S. K. Lakshmi * T. A. Jayalakshmi as Dancer * K. A. Jayalakshmi as Dancer * T. R. Kalyani * Sarojani * M. R. Alli * Chellam * Ranganayaki * A. T. Sakku Bai as Injippathan's Wife

Production

The film was mounted on a lavish budget of 2.5 lakh (worth 25 crore in 2021 prices). Producers have chosen Elangovan to write the script after makers were impressed with his work in ''Ashok-Kumar'' (1941). The script was finalised after reading 16 scripts relating to same concept and picking some points from them. P. Kannamba was cast as the titular character and she was 31 years old during the film's shoot. Thyagaraja bagavathar was considered for the role of Kovalan but makers felt that pair may look odd since Kannamba acted as his stepmother in ''Ashokkumar'', finally Chinnappa who shot to fame with ''Aryamala'' was selected to play Kovalan. Chinnappa had apprehensions to act with Kannamba since she is talented and also taller than him however producers convinced him to do the role. G. Subbalakshmi who was chosen for the role of Madhavi was removed due to misunderstanding and she was replaced by M. Saroja. The film was supposed to be shot at Coimbatore but later it was shot at Newton Studios. The dance sequences were choreographed by TR Raghunath who during the film's production fell in love with M. Saroja and married her. The film was originally directed by Boman Irani however he was replaced by then 22-year-old RS Mani after producers were not impressed with the work of Irani. The song "Maanamellam" was shot at Mahabalipuram. Choreography was done by V. B. Ramaiah Pillai and Pandit Bholonath Sharma.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by S. V. Venkatraman while the orchestration was by N. S. Balakrishnan and group. Lyrics were penned by

Udumalai Narayana Kavi [https://idhatri.com/udumalai-narayana-kavi/ Udumalai Narayana KavUdumalai Narayana Kavi Udumalai Narayana Kavi (25 September 1899 – 23 May 1981) was an Indian poet and lyricist known for his work in Tamil films. Early life Udumalai Narayana wa ...

Release

The film ran over in 110 cities and more than 1 crore people had watched the film. CN Annadurai criticised the film in the magazine "Dravida Naadu". Randor Guy wrote that film is "remembered for: Kannamba's brilliant performance, a classic example of how dialogue should be delivered in cinema. Also for Chinnappa's equally impressive performance, Saroja's dance sequences and tuneful music".

Legacy

The film's success enabled the producers M. Somasundaram and S. K. Mohideen to take Central Studios, Coimbatore on lease and launch several productions simultaneously. The film also gained popularity for its dialogues. Elangovan achieved stardom, thus laying the foundation for dialogue writers. Kannamba achieved star status with this film, being her third venture in Tamil.

Mohan Raman Mohan Raman, also known as Mohan V. Ram (born 3 April 1956), is an Indian actor and writer. In 2017 and 2019, he was a Jury member for the National Film Award for Best Writing on Cinema. Raman is a film historian and writes for ''The Hindu''. He ...

wrote she handled the literary and poetic Tamil without compromising on emotion, diction or cadence. Her performance in that film remains iconic. The success of the film led Jupiter Somu to do a similar project ''

Thanga Padhumai ''Thanga Padhumai'' () is a 1959 Indian Tamil language film starring Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini. The film was co-written and directed by A. S. A. Samy, produced by M. Somasundaram under Jupiter Pictures, and musical score by Viswanathan–Ramam ...

'' (1959) on the theme of "woman, who is chastity personified fighting a relentless battle to win her husband back".

References

Bibliography

* {{Cite book , last=Dhananjayan , first=G. , title=Pride of Tamil Cinema: 1931–2013 , title-link=Pride of Tamil Cinema , publisher=Blue Ocean Publishers , year=2014 , oclc=898765509 , author-link=G. Dhananjayan

External links

Kannagi
at Raaga.com 1940s Tamil-language films 1942 films Films based on poems Films scored by S. V. Venkatraman Indian black-and-white films Jupiter Pictures films Silappatikaram