''Krishna Bhakthi'' () is a 1949 Tamil-language historical musical film, directed by R. S. Mani, and produced by S. N. Laxmana Chettiar. The film stars P. U. Chinnappa and T. R. Rajakumari as a hypocrite saint and chaste court dancer respectively. Inspired by Matthew Lewis' French novel ''

The Monk ''The Monk: A Romance'' is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796. A quickly written book from early in Lewis's career (in one letter he claimed to have written it in ten weeks, but other correspondence suggests that he ha ...

'', it was released on 14 January 1949.

Plot

Harikanandha Bhagavathar is a hypocrite saint who lusts after a chaste court dancer Devakumari.

Cast

''Male cast according to the opening credits of the film and female cast according to the song book'' ;Male cast * P. U. Chinnappa as Harikanandha Bhagavathar *

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 Vevukarar * K. R. Ramasami as Shri Krishnan * Chithambaram Jayaraman as Naradar * Pullimoottai Ramasami as Neebhushanam, Rajaguru * D. Balasubramaniam as Narasimhan * Azhwar Kuppusami as Alwar * Kulathu Mani * C. S. Pandian * T. V. Namasivayam * K. R. Chellamuthu * E. Krishnamoorthi * S. V. S. Narayanan * T. V. Sivanandam * Chandrasekharan * S. Ramanathan * T. V. Radhakrishnan * V. Srinivasa Rao * C. P. Venkateswaran * Thirupathi * S. S. Mani * A. K. Kaleeswaran ;Female cast * T. R. Rajakumari as Devakumari, Palace Dasi * T. A. Mathuram as Vevukarar's Wife * S. P. L. Dhanalaskhmi as Vasumathi, Rajaguru's Wife *

P. A. Periyanayaki P. A. Periyanayaki (14 April 1927 – 1990) was an Indian playback singer and actress who worked mainly in Tamil-language films. She also performed stage concerts as a Carnatic singer. Early life She hails from Thiruvadhigai near Panruti. ...

as Bhama * A. R. Sakunthala as Rukmani * C. T. Rajakantham as Ragamanjari, Old Mother * M. L. Vasanthakumari as Singer * Kumari N. Rajam as Mridangam Player * C. V. Dhanalakshmi as Yazh Player * T. D. Kusalakumari as Women Dancer * P. Padma as Women Dancer * K. S. Lakshmi as Geetham Singer * M. K. Saroja as Thillana Dancer * C. R. Rajakumari as Thillana Dancer * K. S. Rajam as Women Dancer * K. S. Chandra as Women Dancer * Kumari Vanaja as Women Dancer * R. Saraswathi as Women Dancer * S. Rajeswari as Women Dancer * S. Padma as Women Dancer * Kumari Seetha as Beggar Girl

Production

S. Ramanathan, an assistant of director R. S. Mani, bought a copy of the English translation of Matthew Lewis' French novel ''

'' at

Moore Market The Chennai Suburban Terminal, or Moore Market Complex (station code: MASS), is a railway terminus cum commercial building complex for the Chennai Suburban Railway system, situated in Park Town, Chennai, Park Town in Chennai, India. The name ...

for one rupee. Subsequently, Mani began writing his next film ''Krishna Bhakthi'' taking inspirarion from this novel. While Mani was credited for the story, the dialogues were written by S. D. S. Yogi,

Shuddhananda Bharati Kavi Yogi Maharishi Dr. Shuddhananda Bharati (11 May 1897 – 7 March 1990) was an Indian philosopher and poet. His teachings are focused mainly on the search for God in Self, through the Sama Yoga practice he created. Biography Bha ...

, Ku. Pa. Sedhu Ammal and

Sandilyan Bhashyam Iyengar (6 November 1910 - 11 September 1987), better known by the pen name of Sandilyan, was an Indian writer known for his historical fiction novels in Tamil. He is known for his historical romance and adventure novels, often set in ...

. Work on the script lasted more than six months, and the protagonist played by P. U. Chinnappa was based on the Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin. The film was produced by S. N. Laxmana Chettiar under Krishna Pictures. M. L. Vasanthakumari appeared onscreen as a singer, and ''Krishna Bhakthi'' was the only film she ever acted in.

Soundtrack

Music was composed by S. V. Venkatraman and Kunnakudi Venkatarama Iyer and lyrics were written 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 w ...

. The song "Saarasam Vaseegara" was composed by G. Ramanathan. Kunnakudi Venkatarama Iyer composed music for the song "Kannan Varuvarodi", to which dance was choreographed by Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai, Vazhuvoor B. Ramaiah Pillai. He also composed music for "Thamarai Senkann" and "Entha Vedu". The song "Entha Vedu Kontha O Raagavaa" is set in the raga Saraswathi Manohari.

Release and reception

''Krishna Bhakthi'' was released on 14 January 1949. ''

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 be ...

'' wrote, "P. U. Chinnappa as the wily Rajaguru does credit to his reputation as top male star of the day. T. R. Rajakumari as the charming and ingenuous Rajanartaki gives a convincing performance". ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'' wrote, "''Krishna Bhakthi'' should have a very popular run for several weeks for more reasons than one. The theme has been handled in a very dignified and telling manner." ''

The Mail Mail is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. Mail or The Mail may also refer to: Newspapers * ''Daily Mail'', a British newspaper **The Mail on Sunday **MailOnline * ''Sunday Mail'' (Adelaide), formerly The Mai ...

'' wrote, "The drab found in most Tamil mythological pictures is completely eliminated in ''Krishna Bakthi''".

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 11987352 1940s historical musical films 1940s Tamil-language films 1949 films Films about Hinduism Films about rape in India Films based on French novels Films scored by S. V. Venkatraman Films scored by Kunnakudi Venkatarama Iyer Hindu devotional films Indian black-and-white films Indian historical musical films Krishna in popular culture