''Thukkaram'' is a 1938 Indian Tamil-language

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

directed by B. N. Rao and produced by

Central Studios Central Studios was an Indian film studio in the neighbourhood of Singanallur, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, started by B.Rangaswamy Naidu (a.k.a. B. R. Naidu) and other prominent industrialists like Swamikannu Vincent of Coimbatore in 1935 to ma ...

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...

. The film featured Carnatic vocalist Musiri Subramania Iyer as the eponymous saint.

Plot

The film depicts the life story of the saint Tukaram.

Cast

* Musiri Subramania Iyer as Tukaram * K. Sarangapani *

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

*M. S. Murugesan * K. A. Chokkalinga Bhagavathar *K. Seetha *Meenambal *

R. Balasaraswathi Raavu Balasaraswathi Devi (born 28 August 1928) is an Indian singer and actress who performed from 1930 to the 1960s in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She was the first light music singer on All India Radio and the first playback singer in the Telu ...

as Tukaram's daughter

Production

This is the only film that Musiri Subramania Iyer had any stint in the celluloid world. According to writer and critic Kalki Krishnamurthy, during the shooting of the film, Tukaram wore a moustache whereas Subramania Iyer had a clean shaved face. When he was acting the part, an artificial moustache was fixed on his face. Subramania Iyer could not bear the itching caused by the gum that held the moustache under his nose. He told the producers to wait for sometime until he grew his own moustache. It was a scene of merriment to see him sporting a moustache because basically he was a Carnatic singer and in those days it was considered a taboo for them to wear a moustache. However, the very next moment shooting was over, Subramania Iyer got a clean shave done.

who became a popular playback singer in later years, appeared as a child artiste, playing the role of Tukkaram's daughter. The film was produced also in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

with C. S. R. Anjaneyulu playing the title role.

Soundtrack

Although no print of the film has survived, making it a lost film, some song discs of the film were still available as of January 2008.

Reception

''Thukkaram'' was a commercial success, prompting B. N. Rao to make more films with Central Studios.

References

{{reflist 1938 films Tamil films remade in other languages Hindu devotional films Indian biographical films Films about classical music and musicians Lost Indian films 1930s biographical films Indian black-and-white films 1938 lost films Films scored by B. N. Rao