Seetha Kalyanam (transl. Seetha's Wedding) is a 1934 Tamil-language film produced by Prabhat Film Company. It was the first film for musicians Papanasam Sivan, S. Rajam and S. Balachander.[1] The film was remade in Telugu in the same year under the same name. The film is known to be the first ever Tamil film to be released in colour.[2]
| Seetha Kalyanam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Baburao Pendharkar K. Ramnoth |
| Produced by | Prabhat Film Company |
| Starring | S. Rajam S. Jayalakshmi V. Sundaram Iyer S. Balachander |
| Cinematography | K. Ramnoth |
| Music by | Papanasam Sivan A.N. Kalayanasundaram |
Release date |
|
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editSita Kalyanam is the story of Sita's (S. Jayalakshmi) swayamvara. Sita's father King Janaka (V. Sundaram Iyer) arranges a swayamvara for his daughter. He announces a contest and declares that whoever can wield Shiva Dhanush (Shiva's bow) will be given Seetha's hand in marriage. After several kings and princes fail to do so, Rama (S. Rajam), the prince of Ayodhya, wields the bow and marries Sita.
Cast
edit- S. Rajam – Rama
- S. Jayalakshmi – Sita
- V. Sundaram Iyer – Janaka
- T. V. Seetharama Iyer – Dasaratha
- P. Venkata Rao – Viswamitra
- G. K. Seshagiri
- Kamala – Kaikeyi
- Rajam – Kausalya
- S. Saraswathi – Urmila
- S. Balachander – Musician at Ravana's Court
Production
editThe film was made under the banner of Prabhat Film Company. V. Shantaram wanted to make a Tamil film using his sets from his 1933 Marathi film Sairandhri. Sairandhri was a financial failure and Shantaram was looking to underwrite its cost by making a Tamil film reusing its sets at Kolhapur. He wrote to Sound and Shadow, a Chennai-based movie magazine asking for help. The people who ran the magazine — film directors Murugadasa (Muthuswamy Iyer), A. K. Sekhar, K. Ramnoth, and G. K. Seshagiri, their financial backer — agreed to help Shantaram. The four of them with V. Sundaram Iyer and his children — S. Jayalakshmi, S. Rajam and Veenai S. Balachander — went to Kolhapur to participate in the new film. The children's music tutor, Papanasam Sivan was hired to write the lyrics for the songs. Shantaram's cousin, Baburao Pendharkar directed the film with K. Ramnoth as his assistant.[3][1] The film was later remade in Telugu with a different set of actors, with K. Ramnoth as cinematographer and A. K. Sekhar as art director. The songs were not pre-recorded. They were recorded live on the set with the actors singing them in their own voices, while the orchestra players played their instruments beyond the camera range. Instruments which could be carried easily — like the harmonium, violin, flute, tabla and clarinet — were mostly used.[4]
Reception
editThe film was very popular and became a hit. S. Rajam and S. Balachander became famous and came to be known as "Prabhat prodigy stars". The film created a controversy among conservatives for having a brother and sister duo star as husband and wife.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Artist's brush with celluloid". The Hindu. 20 March 2009. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Seetha Kalyanam". Malaya Tribune. 5 January 1935. p. 11. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ "Remembering Ramnoth". The Hindu. 3 November 2006. Archived from the original on 1 January 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Seetha Kalyanam (1933)". The Hindu. 5 October 2007. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2021.