''Poompavai'' () is a 1944 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 film directed by T. Balaji Singh and the duo

Krishnan–Panju R. Krishnan (1909–1997) and S. Panju (1915–1984), collectively referred to as Krishnan–Panju, were Indian film directors. The duo directed more than 50 films in South Indian languages and in Hindi. Early life R. Krishnan was born on 18 ...

in the latter's directorial debut. Produced under the banner of Leo Films, it features K. R. Ramaswamy,

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. ...

K. Sarangapani Kumbakonam Sarangapani (1904-1984) was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based ou ...

K. R. Chellam Kambayanatham Rangaswami Kanakavalli (born 1918), known professionally as K. R. Chellam, was an Indian actress who appeared in Tamil language films. Early life Kambayanatham Rangaswami Kanakavalli was born in 1918 to a middle-class Iyengar fam ...

and

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 ...

. The film was released in August 1944 and became a success.

Plot

Poompavai is the daughter of Sivanesan Chettiar, a jeweller based in Mylai. Her cruel stepmother Ponnammal despises her and plots against her. Poompavai devotes herself to worshipping the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

god

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. One day, Shiva appears before her father in the guise of a ''

sadhu ''Sadhu'' ( sa, साधु, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female)), also spelled ''saddhu'', is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. ...

'', and gives him a

ruby A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called ...

, which he decides to embed in a crown that the chieftain of Mylai has ordered him to make. But to his dismay, Sivanesan realises that his daughter has already given the ruby to a ''sadhu'' seeking alms. The chieftain refuses to believe this, and banishes Sivanesan and his family. The banished family meet Thirugnanar Sambandar, a saint to whom Poompavai is attracted. However, he orders her not to indulge in such desires and instead seek divine knowledge. After learning of Sambandar's powers, the chieftain of Mylai forgives Sivanesan's family and reinstates them. Not too long after, Poompavai dies after being bitten by a snake. A shocked Sivanesan rushes to Sambandar, who successfully resurrects her. Poompavai again asks him to marry her, but Sambandar says that having given her life, he is now like her father. Instead, he gives her divine knowledge, so she becomes his devotee.

Cast

;Male cast * K. R. Ramaswamy as Thirugnanar Sambandar *

as Sivanesan Chettiar * T. R. Ramachandran as Elelasingan * Sahasranamam as Lord

* M. R. Durairaj as Sivapadahrithayar * K. P. Jayaraman as Fat Chetty *

D. Balasubramaniam D. Balasubramaniam was an Indian actor whose career spanned from the late 1930s through the late 1950s. He was well known for his roles in mythological films and later switched to character roles. Filmography References Male actors in Tam ...

as Mylai Chieftain *

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 Papavinasam Chetty ;Female cast *

as Poompavai *

as Ponnammal * T. K. Pushpavalli as Mylai Chieftess * A. R. Sakunthala as Majari * T. A. Mathuram as Kamakshi ;Dance * V. S. Susheela Devi * T. M. Papa * A. R. Sakunthala * M. J. Andal

Production

''Poompavai'' was based on the folk story of the girl of the same name. Produced by the Leo Films, it marked the directorial debut of the duo

(R. Krishnan and S. Panju) who were also in charge of the general supervision. But the director's credit was given to T. Balaji Singh instead. Besides co-directing, Panju also edited the film. The audiography was done by E. I. Jeeva. Purushotham was the cinematographer and the film was shot at Newtone Studios,

Kilpauk Kilpauk is a semi residential area located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The distance from Chennai's city to Kilpauk is about 6 km. The region is situated off the Poonamallee High Road in the west. Adjacent areas of Kilpauk include Chetpe ...

Kambadasan Kambadasan (1916–1973) was an Indian writer, poet and film lyricist who worked mainly in Tamil-language films. Early life Kambadasan was born as Appaavu a.k.a. Rajappa at Ulagapuram, a village near Tindivanam in the then South Arcot District ...

wrote the story while A. A. Somayajulu wrote the dialogue. V. B. Ramaiah Pillai and Nataraj were the dance choreographers.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Addepalli Rama Rao and the lyrics were written by Madurai Mariappa Swamigal and Kambadasan. Songs like "Kalam Veen Pogudhe" (sung by Jeevarathnam) and "Om Namasivayam" (sung by Ramaswamy) became popular.

Release and reception

''Poompavai'' was released on 11 August 1944 in select theatres, and had a wider release a week later. The film was distributed by Kandhan & Co in Coimbatore, Sri Chaya & Co in Madras, and Mysore Film Corporation in Bangalore, and emerged a box office success. Kay Yess Enn of ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

'' positively reviewed the film, but criticised its length.

References

External links

* {{Krishnan–Panju 1940s Tamil-language films 1944 directorial debut films 1944 films Films directed by Krishnan–Panju Hindu devotional films Hindu mythological films Indian black-and-white films Films scored by Addepalli Rama Rao