During the early 1930s, Coimbatore became a hub for some of the south Indian language movies, especially Tamil and Telugu, when the director Naidu and other industrialists started Central Studios. Naidu became the creative head and started making his own movies under the banner of Pakshiraja Films. By the early 1930s, another movie studio, Premier Cinetone Studio[1] was under operation in Red Fields, Coimbatore. In 1945, Naidu left Central Studios and took over the Premier Cinetone Studio located in Puliyakulam Road, Red Fields, Coimbatore. He constructed new floors and infrastructure and made it a fully-fledged movie studio with in-house processing lasoratories.
The most popular films from that studio was Malaikkallan (1955), starring M. G. R and P. Bhanumathi, and Azaad (1955) starring Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari, which was the highest grossing film in Bollywood for that year, as well as Kumar and Kumari's first in lighter roles as against their tragic roles in most other movies. Malaikkallan was M. G. Ramachandran's first major box office hit.
Movie production in the studio slowly declined since mid 1960s. With Central Studios going out of movie industry some time earlier and declining production at Salem Modern Theaters, Chennai has become the de facto capital for the south Indian movie industry. In 1970, Sriramulu relocated his studio facilities to establish Chamundeshwari Studios in Bangalore.
The studio premises and structures still remain more or less intact with several other establishments housed inside.
Story based on the novel by Namakkal Kavignar Va. Ramalingam Pillai. The movie was the first blockbuster hit for Ramachandran, establishing him as a major star.
Story based on the novel by Namakkal Kavignar Va. Ramalingam Pillai, Hindi lyrics by Rajendra Krishen. The film was the top grossing Hindi film in the year of its release, and one of the biggest Hindi films in the 1950s.
