Chandralekha | |
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Directed by | S. S. Vasan |
Produced by | S. S. Vasan |
Written by | Pandit Indra Agha Jani Kashmiri |
Starring | M. K. Radha Ranjan T. R. Rajakumari N. S. Krishnan T. A. Madhuram |
Music by | S. Rajeswara Rao |
Distributed by | Gemini Studios |
Release date(s) | 9 April 1948 |
Running time | 207 mins |
Language | Tamil |
Budget | 30 lakh |
Chandralekha is a 1948 Tamil epic film directed and produced by S. S. Vasan. It features an ensemble cast consisting of M.K.Radha, Ranjan, T. R. Rajakumari, N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Madhuram. Made on a lavish budget of 30 lakh it held the record of the most expensive Indian film of its time. Chandralekha crossed all language borders and released in 609 screens worldwide with subtitles.
Beginning in 1943, the filming was completed over five years, mainly in the famous erstwhile Gemini Studios while at the same time, Uday Shankar's famous movie - Kalpana was also shot here.
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Plot
Chandralekha was based on the story of a young prince Veer Singh (M. K. Radha) who falls in love with a dancer called Chandralekha (T. R. Rajakumari). At the same time, Veer Singh's brother Shashank (Ranjan) too desires to marry her. Shashank kidnaps Chandralekha and forces her to wed him. But Chandralekha insists on a drum dance prior to their marriage. The drum dance is held; but at the end of the drum dance, Veer Singh's soldiers rush forth from the drums and attack the palace. In the melee, Shashank's men are defeated and in the sword fighting sequence, regarded as the longest in any Indian film, Shashank is defeated by Veer Singh and killed.
The comedy track for the film is by N. S. Krishnan and his wife Madhuram. The film even features circus scenes in which M. K. Radha and T. R. Rajakumari perform as a part of a circus troupe and dances by hill tribes.
Cast
- T. R. Rajakumari as Chandralekha
- M. K. Radha as Veer Singh
- Ranjan as Shashank
- Sundarabai as Sundaribai
The dance director for this movie was Jayshankar H Nayak.
Production and distribution
Produced and directed by S. S. Vasan, Chandralekha released in 1948 after being in production for over five years.[1] The film was Vasan's first directorial venture and was made at a massive financial budget of Rs 3.6 million ($30 million in 2013 prices) making it easily the costliest film ever made in Tamil before Enthiran.[2] He even termed the film "a pageant for our peasants."[3] It featured a drum-dance sequence[4] and also had the longest sword fight sequence in film history.[2][4][5] Chandralekha is also recognized as the first Indian film to get nationwide distribution.[5] Vasan is believed to have been inspired by Uday Shankar's Kalpana (1948) which is the first Indian film to have a drum-dance sequence.[citation needed] Actress K. L. V. Vasantha was the first choice to play the titular character, but as the film was five years in the making, she opted out before being replaced by T. R. Rajakumari.[6][7][8]
Gemini became the first Indian studio to attempt a nationwide distribution in addition to international distribution. The dialogues of this movie were written by Aghajani Kashmeri. In Japan, the film was titled as Shakunetsu-no ketto.[9]
The film was screened at Prague Film Festival in 1949.[citation needed]
Notes
- ^ "A legend in her time: T. R. Rajakumari". Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ^ a b "Tamil Cinema History - The Early Days". indolink.com. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ^ "The Indian Film Industry - The 1930s and 1940s". thinkquest.org. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
- ^ a b "Tamil Films". Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ^ a b Kisselgoff, Anna. "Chandralekha". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ^ http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/02/29/stories/2008022950190100.htm
- ^ http://www.hindu.com/cp/2010/10/03/stories/2010100350341600.htm
- ^ http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/sri-kandha-leela-1938/article4564379.ece
- ^ Shankunetsu-no ketto
References
- Banerjee, Shampa; Anil Srivastava (1988). One Hundred Indian Feature Films: An Annotated Filmography. Taylor & Francis. p. 58. ISBN 0-8240-9483-2.
- Bhaskaran, Theodore, Sundararaj (1996). Eye of The Serpent: An Introduction to Tamil Cinema. East West Books.
- Gokulsing, K.; Moti Gokulsing, Wimal (2004). Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change. Trentham Books. p. 132. ISBN 1-85856-329-1.
- Shohini Chaudhuri (2005). Contemporary World Cinema: Europe, the Middle East, East Asia and South Asia. Edinburgh University Press. p. 149. ISBN 0-7486-1799-X.
- Kisselgoff, Anna. "New York Times Review". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
- Randor Guy (October 2, 2010). "Blast from the Past: Chandralekha (1948)". The Hindu.