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The shooting of ''Chandralekha'' began in 1943,<ref name="Cecil" /> and Raghavachari directed nearly half the film. However, due to differences of opinion between him and Vasan over the shooting of some of the scenes at the [[Raj Bhavan (Tamil Nadu)|Governor’s Estate]], Raghavachari left the project and Vasan took over, making his directorial debut. ''Chandralekha'' went through several changes in storyline requiring repeated shoot.<ref name="madras musings" /> Despite Raghavachari's departure from the project, one scene that was directed by him remained in the film&nbsp;— the climatic drum dance sequence.<ref name="Rohini">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/rohini-1953/article4322990.ece | title=Blast from the Past&nbsp;— Rohini 1953 | work=The Hindu | date=19 January 2013 | accessdate=24 September 2013 | author=Randor Guy | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20130924151809/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/rohini-1953/article4322990.ece | archivedate=24 September 2013}}</ref>
The shooting of ''Chandralekha'' began in 1943,<ref name="Cecil" /> and Raghavachari directed nearly half the film. However, due to differences of opinion between him and Vasan over the shooting of some of the scenes at the [[Raj Bhavan (Tamil Nadu)|Governor’s Estate]], Raghavachari left the project and Vasan took over, making his directorial debut. ''Chandralekha'' went through several changes in storyline requiring repeated shoot.<ref name="madras musings" /> Despite Raghavachari's departure from the project, one scene that was directed by him remained in the film&nbsp;— the climatic drum dance sequence.<ref name="Rohini">{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/rohini-1953/article4322990.ece | title=Blast from the Past&nbsp;— Rohini 1953 | work=The Hindu | date=19 January 2013 | accessdate=24 September 2013 | author=Randor Guy | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20130924151809/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/rohini-1953/article4322990.ece | archivedate=24 September 2013}}</ref>


Initially, the film had no [[circus]] scenes. Vasan decided to include them when the film was halfway through production, and therefore the screenplay was altered.<ref name="the hindu" /> Kittoo travelled all over South India and [[Ceylon]] to watch over 50 circus companies perform,<ref name="madras musings" /> before choosing Kamala Circus Company.<ref name="dhananjayan page 2"/> The circus scenes were shot by K. Ramnoth. The film's staff members and their families, and even by-passers were asked to sit as spectators in the circus scenes.<ref name="the hindu" /> The circus scenes lasted for 20 minutes, which according to [[G. Dhananjayan]] is "the longest footage of scenes outside the main plot that one can see".<ref name="dhananjayan page 2" /> A scene where Ranjan whips Rajakumari when she refuses to dance, was scripted after the phrase from ''Robert McCaire'' that Kittoo narrated to Vasan.<ref name="the hindu" />
As a part of change of the screenplay, Vasan decided to include circus scenes in the film. Kittoo traveled all over South India and [[Ceylon]] to watch over 50 circus companies perform,<ref name="madras musings" /> before chosing Kamala Circus Company.<ref name="dhananjayan page 2"/> The circus scenes were shot by K. Ramnoth. The film's staff members and their families, and even by-passers were asked to sit as spectators in the circus scenes.<ref name="the hindu" /> The circus scenes lasted for 20 minutes, which according to [[G. Dhananjayan]] is "the longest footage of scenes outside the main plot that one can see".<ref name="dhananjayan page 2" /> A scene where Ranjan whips Rajakumari when she refuses to dance, was scripted after the phrase from ''Robert McCaire'' that Kittoo narrated to Vasan.<ref name="the hindu" />


The film's climatic drum dance&nbsp;— the first of its kind in Indian cinema,<ref name="the hindu" /> involved 400 dancers rehearsing for six months; the drum dance was designed by the Chief Art Director A. K. Sekhar,<ref name="madras musings" /> and choreographed by Jayashankar,<ref name="the hindu" /> and was shot using four cameras handled by Ellapa, C. V. Ramakrishnan, S. Maruthi Rao,<ref name="dhananjayan page 2"/> and mainly Kamal Ghosh.<ref name=Rohini/> The drum dance sequence alone cost {{INR}}5,00,000 (valued at about US$105 000.11 in 1948{{efn
The film's climatic drum dance&nbsp;— the first of its kind in Indian cinema,<ref name="the hindu" /> involved 400 dancers rehearsing for six months; the drum dance was designed by the Chief Art Director A. K. Sekhar,<ref name="madras musings" /> and choreographed by Jayashankar,<ref name="the hindu" /> and was shot using four cameras handled by Ellapa, C. V. Ramakrishnan, S. Maruthi Rao,<ref name="dhananjayan page 2"/> and mainly Kamal Ghosh.<ref name=Rohini/> The drum dance sequence alone cost {{INR}}5,00,000 (valued at about US$105 000.11 in 1948{{efn

Revision as of 07:57, 26 September 2013

This article is about the 1948 film. For other uses, see Chandralekha (disambiguation).

Chandralekha
File:Chandralekha 1948.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed byS. S. Vasan
Written byVeppathur Kittoo
Kothamangalam Subbu
K. J. Mahadevan
Sangu
Naina
Produced byS. S. Vasan
StarringM. K. Radha
Ranjan
T. R. Rajakumari
Edited byChandru
Music byS. Rajeswara Rao
Background music:
M. D. Parthasarathy
Distributed byGemini Studios
Release date
9 April 1948
Running time
210 minutes[1]
LanguagesTamil
Hindi
Budget₹3 million[2]
Box office₹10 million (Domestic)[3]

Chandralekha (also spelled as Chandraleka[a]) is a 1948 Indian historical fiction film directed and produced by S. S. Vasan under the banner of Gemini Studios. The film features T. R. Rajakumari in the title role and M. K. Radha as the male lead, with Ranjan playing the main antagonist. The music was composed by S. Rajeswara Rao and M. D. Parthasarathy, and the script was written by Gemini's story department consisting of Veppathur Kittoo, Kothamangalam Subbu,[b] K. J. Mahadevan, Sangu and Naina.[1] A "ruritanian period extravaganza",[6] the film tells the story of two royal brothers, Veersimhan and Sasankan, who clash for the throne, as well as the country maiden and dancer, Chandralekha.

Development for Chandralekha began in 1943 when Vasan, following two successive hit films, announced that his next film would be "Chandralekha". Yet, when he launched an advertising campaign for the film, he had nothing other than the name of the heroine — which he had found used in the storyline of a tough woman that he had rejected. One of his storyboard men, Veppathur Kittoo, then developed a story that impressed Vasan, from Robert McCaire the Male Bandit, a novel by G. W. M. Reynolds. The original director of Chandralekha was T. G. Raghavachari, who after directing nearly half the film, left the project due to differences between him and Vasan, who took over the film, making his directorial debut.

Originally made in Tamil and later in Hindi, Chandralekha, which was under production for five years from 1943 to 1948, went through numerous changes to the script, cast and production, and the film ultimately ended up costing over ₹3 million. It was the most expensive film made in India till then; to the extent that filming a single sequence cost as much as the entire budget of any typical Indian film of that time. Chandralekha, after massive publicity, was released on 9 April 1948, created a sensation and broke box-office records all over the country, thus becoming India's first nationwide hit. Its Hindi version was also successful, and opened the doors for South Indian producers to sell their Hindi films in North India.

Plot

Veerasimhan (M. K. Radha) and Sasankan (Ranjan) are the sons of a king of an unspecified region. While returning to his palace, Veerasimhan meets a village belle Chandralekha (T. R. Rajakumari), and both fall in love. Sasankan, the younger of the two brothers, demands that his father should make him the next king as he considers himself more powerful than Veerasimhan, but the king refuses. Seeking revenge on his father, Sasankan leaves the palace, forms a gang of thieves, and creates confusion in the country by robbing and killing people. In one such incident, Chandralekha's father becomes a casualty. She is orphaned and leaves her village to live with her aunt in another village, but is captured on the way by Sasankan's men.

Sasankan falls in love with Chandralekha, but she escapes from him and runs away. Veerasimhan learns that Sasankan is the man behind the mayhem in the country and comes with his army to capture him. However, Sasankan captures Veerasimhan, traps him in a cave and encloses it with a boulder. Chandralekha notices this act and with the help of a circus elephant and men passing through the village, she rescues Veerasimhan. Meanwhile, Sasankan reaches the kingdom, captures and arrests his father and declares himself king. He remembers Chandralekha and asks his men to find her. Both Veerasimhan and Chandralekha join the circus troupe and live incognito. Veerasimhan and his friends plan to rescue the kingdom.

Chandralekha performs daredevil acts in the circus. One of Sasankan's men notices her during one such act, and later tries to nab her, but she escapes from him and joins a gypsy group. Veerasimhan reaches his palace and tries to get a vehicle to rescue Chandralekha. Sasankan's men however capture her in another encounter, and take her to the palace. Sasankan demands that she marry him, but she refuses. She pretends to be unconscious whenever he tries to approach her. Veerasimhan sends a message to Chandralekha to organise a huge drum dance in order to rescue her.

Chandralekha agrees to marry Sasankan if he agrees for a drum dance to celebrate their engagement. Sasankan agrees, and a mammoth drum dance is organised at the palace, with Chandralekha also taking part in the dance. As the drum dance comes to an end, Veerasimhan's men, who were hiding inside the huge drums, come out to attack Sasankan's forces and defeat them. Veerasimhan arrives and engages in a long sword fight with Sasankan, who is finally defeated and captured. Veerasimhan releases his parents, and marries Chandralekha.

Cast

Further information: [[:Chandralekha (1948 film)#Differences|Chandralekha (1948 film) § Differences]]
File:Radha rajakumari.jpg
Radha and Rajakumari
File:Sasankan chandralekha.jpg
Ranjan
Main cast
  • T. R. Rajakumari as Chandralekha, a village belle and later a successful circus artiste
  • M. K. Radha as Veerasimhan, the elder of two princes, and Chandralekha's love interest
  • Ranjan as Sasankan, the antagonistic younger brother of Veerasimhan
Supporting cast

Other minor supporting roles were played by V. N. Janaki, Velayudham, V. S. Susheela, 'Javert' N. Seetharaman,[7] T. E. Krishnamachariar, L. Narayan Rao, P. Subbaiah Pillai, Surabhi Kamalabai, Pottai Krishnamurthy,[8] and Veppatthur Kittoo.[7]

Production

Development

In 1943,[2] S. S. Vasan was contemplating a story for his third film after Mangamma Sabatham (1943) and the Telugu film Balanagamma (1942), which netted profits of ₹4 million. Vasan wanted the film to be on a grand scale and hence budget was not a constraint. Vasan asked Gemini Studio’s story department to come up with a screenplay and writers like Kothamangalam Subbu, Veppathur Kittoo and many others opined that Mangamma Sabatham and Balanagamma were heroine-oriented plots and proposed a similar story to Vasan. They narrated the story of Chandralekha, a tough woman who fights a bandit and ultimately slashes off his nose. Vasan rejected it for being gruesome and vulgar, but the name "Chandralekha" stuck to his mind.

Vasan without even waiting for the full story, immediately announced that his next project would be Chandralekha, publicising it with front-page advertisements in all the leading publications. Despite intensive work by Gemini’s writers, the story was not ready even after 3 months. Vasan became impatient and once even thought about shelving Chandralekha and wanted to concentrate on making Avvaiyyar, his other dream project. Kittoo however pleaded, and was given a week’s extension. In the meantime, Kittoo accidentally came across the English novel by G. W. M Reynolds titled Robert McCaire The Male Bandit, in which he read:

"...it's night in rural England and a mail coach convoy trots its way, when, suddenly, Robert McCaire, the bandit, and his henchmen on horses emerge from the surrounding darkness, hold up the convoy and rob it. Hiding under a seat is a young woman fleeing from a harsh home. She is a dancer and when she refuses to dance, the bandit whips her into submission..."

Vasan was impressed when he heard Kittoo narrate a story based on this episode and he decided to continue with the film, and named the heroine "Chandralekha".[9]

Casting

The script required two major roles, the princes of a kingdom — the elder being the protagonist and his younger brother a villainous, amoral person. Originally M. K. Radha was chosen to play the role of the younger prince Sasankan, but he politely declined the perceived negative role, and instead took the elder prince Veerasimhan’s role.[10] K. J. Mahadevan was chosen by Vasan to play the younger prince, while T. G. Raghavachari alias Acharya was chosen to direct the film.[9] However after the first few shots were shot, his performance was deemed poor, and he was eventually removed from the role.[2] Mahadevan was, however, one of the film's script writers,[1] and even served as an assistant director.[11]

Consequently, Raghavachari wanted Ranjan to play the role. Vasan was against this idea, because he felt Ranjan was too effeminate to play a "steel-hard villain", but reluctantly agreed. Ranjan was surprised on learning that Vasan had agreed to consider him for a villainous role. Despite already being committed to B. N. Rao's Saalivaahanan (1945), he agreed to take a screen test for Chandralekha on Kittoo's persuasion, and Rao permitted Ranjan to take a few days off for the test. After the test proved successful, Vasan agreed to keep Ranjan in the film.[12] T. R. Rajakumari was preferred over K. L. V. Vasantha and cast as the titular character Chandralekha, as Vasantha was in the process of moving to Modern Theatres.[9]

In April 1947, comedian N. S. Krishnan was released from prison,[c] and Vasan signed him and T. A. Mathuram to act in Chandralekha. Thus, the story was altered and new scenes were added to fit in the famed comedy pair.[7] Actress S. N. Lakshmi made her debut in this film as a dancer, appearing in the film's climactic drum dance sequence.[14][15] Actress M. S. Sundari Bai was signed to appear as the dancer in the number Naatiya Kudhirai.[16] T. A. Jayalakshmi appeared in a single sequence lasting only a few minutes.[17]

A minor role of hero’s bodyguard was yet to be cast. The then struggling stage actor Villupuram Chinniah Pillai Ganesha­murthy, who later became Sivaji Ganesan, was interested in playing the role, and even grew his hair long for the same. Vasan vehemently rejected Ganesan and bluntly advised him to leave acting and choose another profession. It is widely believed that this incident was the cause of the rift between Vasan and Ganesan, which never ended.[9]

Filming

"During the film’s making our studio looked like a small kingdom...horses, elephants, lions, tigers in one corner, palaces here and there, over there a German lady training nearly a hundred dancers on one studio floor, a shapely Sinhalese lady teaching another group of dancers on real marble steps adjoining a palace, a studio worker making weapons, another making period furniture using expensive rosewood, others set props, headgear, and costumes, Ranjan undergoing fencing practice with our fight composer ‘Stunt’ Somu, our music directors composing and rehearsing songs in a building...there were so many activities going on simultaneously round-the-clock in the same place."

 – Kothamangalam Subbu, on the making of Chandralekha[2]

The shooting of Chandralekha began in 1943,[2] and Raghavachari directed nearly half the film. However, due to differences of opinion between him and Vasan over the shooting of some of the scenes at the Governor’s Estate, Raghavachari left the project and Vasan took over, making his directorial debut. Chandralekha went through several changes in storyline requiring repeated shoot.[9] Despite Raghavachari's departure from the project, one scene that was directed by him remained in the film — the climatic drum dance sequence.[18]

As a part of change of the screenplay, Vasan decided to include circus scenes in the film. Kittoo traveled all over South India and Ceylon to watch over 50 circus companies perform,[9] before chosing Kamala Circus Company.[19] The circus scenes were shot by K. Ramnoth. The film's staff members and their families, and even by-passers were asked to sit as spectators in the circus scenes.[7] The circus scenes lasted for 20 minutes, which according to G. Dhananjayan is "the longest footage of scenes outside the main plot that one can see".[19] A scene where Ranjan whips Rajakumari when she refuses to dance, was scripted after the phrase from Robert McCaire that Kittoo narrated to Vasan.[7]

The film's climatic drum dance — the first of its kind in Indian cinema,[7] involved 400 dancers rehearsing for six months; the drum dance was designed by the Chief Art Director A. K. Sekhar,[9] and choreographed by Jayashankar,[7] and was shot using four cameras handled by Ellapa, C. V. Ramakrishnan, S. Maruthi Rao,[19] and mainly Kamal Ghosh.[18] The drum dance sequence alone cost ₹5,00,000 (valued at about US$105 000.11 in 1948[d]) — an amount equal to the entire budget of any typical Indian film at the time. Elements and footage from the 1937 Hollywood film The Prisoner of Zenda were also freely used in the film.[19]

During post-production, Ramnoth was persuaded by Vasan to see and give his opinion on the scene where hundreds of warriors of the hero, Radha, rush towards the palace to rescue Rajakumari from Ranjan. Though everyone praised the scene's photography, shots and action, Ramnoth remained quiet. After much persuasion, Ramnoth expressed his view that suspense could be ruined if this scene was shown in its full. This provoked an intense discussion at the end of which Vasan advised the editor Chandru to edit as per Ramnoth's wishes, and was impressed with the result.[21]

The repeated changes to story, casting and shooting caused substantial time and cost overrun, and the film, which had been under production for five years from 1943 to 1948, ended up costing ₹3 million (valued at about US$600,000 in 1948[d]) and was the most expensive Indian film made till then.[9] When adjusted for inflation, it is equal to US$28 million, as of 2010.[22]

Music

The film's music was composed by S. Rajeswara Rao and M. D. Partha­sarathy,[9] while the lyrics were written by Papanasam Sivan and Kothamangalam Subbu.[23] R. Vaidyanathan and B. Das Gupta assisted Parthasarathy in composing the background music.[24] Film critics V. A. K. Ranga Rao[8] and Shoma A Chatterji have noted that the film’s music shows influence of Carnatic, Hindustani, Bharatnatyam, Latin American and Portuguese folk music.[25] The film also features The Blue Danube, a Strauss waltz.[26] The number Naattiya Kuthirai was not originally in the script, and was added only during the final stages of the film. It is believed to have been inspired by the 1943 musical film Coney Island.[16] The songs Indrae Enathu Kuthukalam and Manamohana Saaranae were sung by Rajakumari herself. Not included in the soundtrack is the chorus by the film's circus members, which was adapted from The Donkey Serenade from R. Z. Leonard's The Firefly (1937).[8] After Chandralekha, more music directors in Tamil cinema were influenced by Western music.[5]

Tamil tracklisting[27]
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Indrae Enathu Kuthukalam"T. R. Rajakumari1:09
2."Aathoram Kodikkalam"M. D. Parthasarathy[28]2:23
3."Padathey Padathey Nee"N/A3:29
4."Naattiya Kuthirai"M. D. Parthasarathy[28]4:09
5."Namasthey Sutho"N/A4:10
6."Aayilo Pakiriyamo"N/A3:10
7."Manamohana Saaranae"T. R. Rajakumari2:30
Hindi tracklisting[29]
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Sajana Re Aaja Re"Uma Devi3:04
2."Man Bhavan Sawan Aaya"Uma Devi3:09
3."O Chand Mere"Uma Devi3:21
4."Maai Re Main To Madhuban Mein"Uma Devi2:33
5."Sanjh Ki Bela"Uma Devi, Moti Bai3:07
6."Mera Husn Lootne Aaya Albela"Zohra Ambala, Moti Bai2:41

Marketing

File:Chandralekha japan.png
Japanese release poster

The first announcement about Chandralekha came as an advertisement on the back-cover of the song-book of the film Dasi Aparanji (1944). The advertisement featured Vasantha as the heroine, before she was replaced by Rajakumari.[7][e] Through Chandralekha, Gemini became the first Tamil studio to attempt distribution of a film across India.[23] Vasan spent nearly ₹5,00,000 on publicity alone, which was one of the most expensive of the period. Audience were excited to see the full page colour advertisements, large colour wall posters, giant hoardings and glossy handbooks. Also, Chandralekha was released simultaneously in 40 theatres in South India and in another ten within a week of its release.[19] An English version of Chandralekha, although a shorter version of the film titled Chandra, was screened in the United States and Europe during the 1950s.[2][30]

Chandralekha was released in Japan in April 1954, where it was distributed by Nippon Cinema Corporation (NCC). It became the first Tamil film to be released in Japan and the second Indian film after Hindi film Aan. Since NCC collapsed later, no information has since then been made available on how this film was brought to Japan. In the 1950s, it was quite common to send commodities made in India to overseas business partners in the form of barter, after receiving imported goods from abroad. Because this exchange method was prevalent when India was short of foreign currency, Japanese scholar Tamaki Matsuoka believes it to have been the case with Chandralekha. The pamphlet prepared by NCC for Chandralekha, whose Japanese title was Shakunetsu-no ketto (Template:Lang-en), introduces S. S. Vasan as the “Cecil B. DeMille of the Indian film industry”.[31] A Danish version of the film titled Indiens hersker (Template:Lang-en) was released on 26 April 1954.[32]

Release

Reception

Chandralekha was released on 9 April 1948.[4] The film was a trend setter for the making, production cost incurred, publicity and the hype it created before and during the making and after its release. Most producers delayed the release of their films fearing competition and released their films long after Chandralekha. The film had the sole motto to entertain the audience, which it achieved immensely and thus became a commercial success.[10]

Despite its success in Tamil, the returns were not commensurate with the expenditure. Hence, Vasan decided to remake the film in Hindi. He re-shot many scenes, added some songs and replaced the comedy scenes with Hindi artistes. The Hindi version, released with over 600 prints,[f] took the country by storm, created box office records and opened the market for South Indian producers.[19] Vasan termed the film "a pageant for our peasants",[36] as it was meant for "the war-weary public that had been forced to watch insipid war propaganda pictures for years".[37] The film was also selected by the Government of India for exhibition at the Fourth International Film Festival at Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1949.[38]

Sharmishtha Gooptu, author of the book Bengali Cinema: 'An Other Nation' states that Chandralekha grossed ₹10 million (valued at about US$2,100,002.1 in 1948[d]) in India alone,[3] thus becoming the first Madras Production to become a hit all over India.[1] According to Box Office India, the Hindi version alone earned a nett gross of ₹7 million (valued at about US$1,470,001.47 in 1948[d]) and became the second highest grossing Bollywood film of the year 1948, surpassed only by Shaheed's ₹7.5 million nett gross.[39]

Critical response

India

File:Chandralekha drum dance.jpg
The film's drum dance sequence is widely considered by critics as the highlight of the film

Chandralekha received generally positive reviews from critics in India. Among contemporary reviewers, The Hindu (9.4.1948) said, "India has not witnessed a film of this magnitude in terms of making and settings so far".[10] The Indian Express (10.4.1948) said, "Chandralekha is an entertaining film for everyone with elements like animals, rope dance, circus and comedy".[10] Tamil newspaper Dinamani (10.4.1948) said, "Chandralekha is not only a first rate Tamil film but also an international film."[10] Film critic V. A. K. Ranga Rao described the film as "the most complete entertainer ever made."[2]

Film historian Randor Guy, in a 2010 review of Chandralekha, praised Rajakumari's performance, calling it "her career-best" and mentioned that she "carried the movie on her shoulders", while praising Radha as his "usual impressive self" and concluded that the film would be "Remembered for: the excellent onscreen narration, the magnificent sets and the immortal drum dance sequence."[7] In 2003, journalist S. Muthiah called it "an epic extravaganza worthy of Cecil B. de. Mille" that was "larger-than-life".[40] Behindwoods.com praised the film for its "mind boggling art work and production values".[41] In his book The Best of Tamil Cinema: 1931 to 1976, G. Dhananjayan, although critical of the script,[10] called the film "a delight to watch even after 50 years".[19]

In a 2013 interview with K. Jeshi of The Hindu, director Dhanapal Padmanabhan said, "Chandralekha had grandeur that was at par with Hollywood standards."[42] Entertainment portal IndiaGlitz praised the film for its "opulent songs and sinister plots."[43] Writers Sangita Gopal and Sujata Moorti, in their book Global Bollywood: Travels of Hindi Song and Dance, said: "Chandralekha is a film that translates the aesthetic of Hollywood Orientalism for an indigenous mass audience" and called its drum dance sequence as "perhaps one of the most spectacular sequences in Indian cinema".[44] In a 2007 interview with S. R. Ashok Kumar of The Hindu, director J. Mahendran said "I choose 'Chandralekha,' a remarkable film, because of its grandeur in all departments of filmmaking. There are no graphics or special effects."[45]

Overseas

Chandralekha was also well received by international critics. Reviewing the English version, The New York Times described Rajakumari as a "buxom beauty".[46] In August 1981, American film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum said, "The prospect of a three-hour Indian film in Temil [sic] with no subtitles is a little off-putting, I would say -– wouldn’t you?" but had "surprisingly little trouble following the plot and action" of the film, and concluded, "this made-in-Madras costume drama makes for a pretty action-packed 186 minutes."[47] In June 2009, K S Sivakumaran of Daily News Sri Lanka called it "The first colossal Thamil [sic] film I saw".[48] Jonathan Crow of The New York Times praised the film's "dance scenes that would make Busby Berkeley weep and some extremely catchy musical numbers" and concluded that Chandralekha "set the standard for the Bollywood Spectacular".[49]

When Chandralekha was screened in New York in 1976, American film historian William K. Everson said:[50]

“Chandralekha was pure home-grown De Mille, based on both legend and fact, but letting neither stand in the way of showmanship. It’s a colorful, naive and zestful film in which the overall ingenuousness quite disarms criticism of plot absurdity or such production shortcomings as the too-obvious studio ‘exteriors.’ The only local criticism, however, was of its ‘excessive sensuality,’ but don’t be alarmed — or excited — since this complaint was based on the then VERY rigid moral standards, now quite forgotten.... “The action has gusto and size, the songs are a joy, and the music guilelessly pillages from cultures all over the world, ranging from unexpurgated Wagner and Spanish flamenco to traditional Indian, with a snatch of the Laurel & Hardy theme thrown in as the comedians appear. Possibly the film’s greatest moment occurs at the very beginning when after arriving at the huge palace (a most elaborate set) with his troops, the Prince strides through the palace, upstairs, along corridors, ever followed by a smoothly tracking camera which records the sumptuous splendor of it all, until he reaches his inner sanctum — where he sits down on a very moth-eaten second-hand chair and tugs off his boots! It’s almost an unwitting Lubitsch touch.... With its fights, chases, music, elephants and a circus, Chandralekha was a huge popular success, the first Indian movie to be equally successful in both Tamil and then in Hindi versions. Last but far from least, Busby Berkeley would surely have been delighted to see his influence extending to the climactic drum dance.”

Differences

Despite being nearly the same as its Tamil version, the Hindi version of Chandralekha differs in several aspects. For example, Pandit Indra and Agha Jani Kashmiri wrote the dialogues for the Hindi version, but were absent in the Tamil version.[51] Indra was also one of the lyricists for the Hindi version, the other being Bharat Vyas, whereas Subbu and Papanasam Sivan were the lyricists for the Tamil version.[52] Although Rajeswara Rao composed the music for both versions, he was assisted by Bal Krishna Kalla in the Hindi version only. Parthasarathy composed the background music for the Hindi version as well with assistance from Vaidyanatha, where Das Gupta was absent.[53]

There were also some differences in the cast of both the films. Although Rajakumari, Radha and Ranjan reprise their roles in the Hindi versions, their characters are renamed with the exception of Rajakumari's character Chandralekha. Radha's character Veerasimhan is named Veer Singh for the Hindi version, while Ranjan's character Sasankan is renamed as Shashank.[54] N. S. Krishnan, T. A. Mathuram, Krishnamachariar, Pottai Krishnamurthy and Seetharaman remained exclusive to the Tamil version, while artists exclusive to the Hindi version include Yashodhara Katju and H. K. Chopra.[8] Although the entire cast is credited in the Tamil version,[55] only six people — Rajakumari, Radha, Ranjan, Sundari Bai, Katju and L. Narayana Rao are credited in the Hindi version, followed by a line reading "100 Gemini Boys & 500 Gemini Girls".[56]

Legacy

With the national success of Chandralekha, Vasan became a national figure and went on to be counted as one of the best directors in Indian cinema. Honours came seeking Vasan, but he took them in his stride. He sat on many committees, panels and bodies connected with the Indian film industry. He was even a member of the Rajya Sabha for one term.[9] Randor Guy later dubbed Vasan as the "Cecil B. DeMille of Tamil Cinema".[2] Vasan is also believed to have been the inspiration for producer A. V. Meiyappan, who later became a "master at publicity".[57]

Gemini Studios later published a book named Campaign, in which background details of the making of Chandralekha, such as how the story discussions happened, how the shooting happened and other news related to the film were given.[10] Chandralekha was the costliest Tamil film made at that time, yet it achieved huge box office success and opened the market for Tamil films across South India. It established the concept that cost is not a constraint if a film was made and marketed well. It also demonstrated that the film's core objective should be to entertain and achieve commercial success.[10]

The film elevated the careers of Rajakumari and Ranjan, both who became popular all over India following the film's release.[7] The film's climatic sword fight scene was well received, and is considered the longest sword fight in the history of films. It was widely believed that this fight sequence was influenced by Scaramouche, which had the longest sword fight in the history of Hollywood — seven minutes, although Chandralekha was made three years before Scaramouche.[58] The climatic drum dance sequence became equally popular, and is considered the biggest highlight of the film.[7][9] Later film producers tried to emulate the dance sequence, but the legacy of the sequence in Chandralekha remains.[59] The film is also notable for being K. Ramnoth's last film with Gemini Studios. He is often incorrectly credited with having shot the drum dance sequence; he left Gemini Studios in August 1947, before the sequence was even planned.[18]

In his interview with The Hindu, director J. Mahendran stated, "If anybody tries to remake this black and white film, they will make a mockery of it."[45] Speaking to film critic Baradwaj Rangan, director Singeetham Srinivasa Rao revealed that he disliked Chandralekha when he first saw it, and realised that it was a classic only after 25 years, "a fact that the audiences realised in just two minutes."[60] Speaking to The Times of India, G. Dhananjayan said, "When you talk of black and white films, you cannot resist mentioning the 1948 epic Chandralekha, directed and produced by movie moghul S S Vasan."[61] In December 2008, S. Muthiah said, "Given how spectacular it was — and the appreciation lavished on it from 1948 till well into the 1950s, which is when I caught up with it — I’m sure that if re-released, it would do better at the box office then most Tamil films today."[2] Chandralekha was also screened at the 10th Chennai International Film Festival in December 2012 to commemorate 100 years of Indian cinema.[62][63]

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ The title card of the Tamil version spells Chandraleka, i.e. without the "H", so have a few other publications.[4][5] Other publications have however spelled it with the "H", such as the posters, and the title card of the Hindi version.
  2. ^ In the opening titles, Kothamangalam Subbu is credited simply as "Subbu" under the "Story, Scenario and Dialogues" section, (1:30) and with his full name under the "Songs by" section (1:38).
  3. ^ N. S. Krishnan was arrested on 28 December 1944 as a suspect in the Lakshmikanthan murder case.[13]
  4. ^ a b c d The exchange rate in 1948 was 4.79 Indian rupees (₹) per 1 US dollar (US$).[20]
  5. ^ Although S. Muthiah claims that the film's first announcement came in 1943,[2] Randor Guy claims that an early advertisement for Chan­dra­­lekha on the inside cover of the Nandanar song-book was published in September 1942.[9]
  6. ^ G. Dhananjayan and The Times of India claim that the film was released with 609 prints worldwide,[19][33] while others claim that it was released with 603 prints.[34][35]

Further reading

  • Banerjee, Shampa (1988). One Hundred Indian Feature Films: An Annotated Filmography. Taylor & Francis. p. 58. ISBN 0-8240-9483-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

References

  1. ^ a b c d G. Dhananjayan (2011). "Chandralekha [Page 1]". The Best of Tamil Cinema: 1931 to 1976. Galatta Media: pg. 92. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l S. Muthiah (8 December 2008). "A 'Cecil B. DeMillean' Chandralekha". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 11 December 2008 suggested (help)
  3. ^ a b Sharmistha Gooptu (2011). Bengali Cinema: 'An Other Nation'. p. 85. ISBN 0203843347.
  4. ^ a b G. A. Natesan (1948). "Chandraleka". The Indian Review. 49: pg. 333. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  5. ^ a b Religion and Society, Volume 12. Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society. 1965. p. 103.
  6. ^ Gulzar, Govind Nihalani, Saibal Chatterjee (2003). Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. Popular Prakashan. p. 432. ISBN 8179910660.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Randor Guy (2 October 2010). "Blast from the Past: Chandralekha (1948)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 10 June 2013 suggested (help)
  8. ^ a b c d Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Paul Willemen (1999). Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema. British Film Institute. p. 310.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Randor Guy (2008). "... And thus he made Chandralekha sixty years ago". Madras Musings. XVIII. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013. {{cite journal}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 24 May 2013 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h G. Dhananjayan (2011). "Chandralekha [Page 3]". The Best of Tamil Cinema: 1931 to 1976. Galatta Media: pg. 94. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  11. ^ Tamil version's opening titles, at 1:23
  12. ^ Randor Guy (26 June 2011). "Blast from the Past — Saalivaahanan 1945". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 4 July 2011 suggested (help)
  13. ^ V Gangadharan (24 August 2009). "Alleged celebrity crime in 1944". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  14. ^ Kanchana Devi (20 February 2012). "Tamil actress S N Lakshmi passes away". TruthDive. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 21 February 2012 suggested (help)
  15. ^ Randor Guy (28 May 2010). "Courage goaded her on ..." The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 8 August 2010 suggested (help)
  16. ^ a b Randor Guy (24 March 2006). "Charming, villainous". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 28 June 2012 suggested (help)
  17. ^ Randor Guy (18 June 2011). "Blast from the past — Pizhaikkum Vazhi (1948)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  18. ^ a b c Randor Guy (19 January 2013). "Blast from the Past — Rohini 1953". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h G. Dhananjayan (2011). "Chandralekha [Page 2]". The Best of Tamil Cinema: 1931 to 1976. Galatta Media: pg. 93. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  20. ^ "Rupee's journey since Independence: Down by 65 times against dollar". The Economic Times. 24 August 2013. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  21. ^ N. Krishnaswamy (5 November 2004). "What made Vasan different". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2 March 2006 suggested (help)
  22. ^ Lucien Rajakarunanayake (2 June 2010). "The star trek from Chintamani to Vijay". The Sri Lanka Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 28 August 2010 suggested (help)
  23. ^ Tamil version's opening titles, at 1:43
  24. ^ Shoma A Chatterji (11 November 2006). "Sound of (background) Music". GlamSham. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 20 June 2007 suggested (help)
  25. ^ Rasa: Music and dance. Anamika Kala Sangam. 1995. p. 305.
  26. ^ Chandralekha (DVD). Raj Video Vision. 2012.
  27. ^ a b Randor Guy (23 September 2010). "Unsung veteran of Tamil cinema". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 5 August 2013 suggested (help)
  28. ^ "Chandralekha Songs". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 8 February 2013 suggested (help)
  29. ^ M R Venkatesh (28 July 2011). "Decoding Rajinikanth". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 18 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 28 July 2011 suggested (help)
  30. ^ Tamaki Matsuoka (2008). Asia to Watch, Asia to Present: The Promotion of Asian/Indian Cinema in Japan (PDF). p. 246. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 August 2013. {{cite book}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 22 July 2011 suggested (help)
  31. ^ "Indiens hersker". Danish Film Institute. Archived from the original on 17 July 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  32. ^ "Costliest film in Kollywood!". The Times of India. 10 September 2012. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 16 January 2013 suggested (help)
  33. ^ "SS Vasan". Upperstall.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 5 August 2013 suggested (help)
  34. ^ S. Theodore Baskaran (1996). The eye of the serpent: an introduction to Tamil cinema. East West Books. p. 203.
  35. ^ Prakash Chander (2003). India: Past and Present. p. 135. ISBN 8176484555.
  36. ^ Ashok Da. Ranade (2006). Hindi Film Song: Music Beyond Boundaries. p. 127. ISBN 8185002649.
  37. ^ Panna Shah (1950). The Indian film. Greenwood Press. pp. 83, 278.
  38. ^ "Box Office 1948". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 12 October 2012 suggested (help)
  39. ^ S. Muthiah (26 November 2003). "Sign of the Twins". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2 June 2004 suggested (help)
  40. ^ "A Brief History Of Tamil Cinema". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  41. ^ K. Jeshi (6 May 2013). "The uninvited". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  42. ^ "End of the world movies". IndiaGlitz. 20 December 2012. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  43. ^ Sangita Gopal, Sujata Moorti (2008). Global Bollywood: Travels of Hindi Song and Dance. University of Minnesota Press. p. 26. ISBN 9780816645787.
  44. ^ a b S. R. Ashok Kumar (13 July 2007). "Filmmakers' favourites". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 8 January 2008 suggested (help)
  45. ^ Randor Guy (2007). "From Silents to Sivaji! A look into the past — Part II". Galatta Cinema: pg. 68. {{cite journal}}: |page= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  46. ^ Jonathan Rosenbaum (20 August 1981). "August Humor". Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 23 January 2013 suggested (help)
  47. ^ K S Sivakumaran (8 June 2009). "Indian film music: An amalgam of different tunes". Daily News (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  48. ^ Jonathan Crow. "Chandralekha (1948)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 28 September 2012 suggested (help)
  49. ^ "Spectacle, Music & Action!". Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. 20 November 1981. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 19 September 2013 suggested (help)
  50. ^ Hindi version's opening titles at 1:11
  51. ^ Hindi version's opening titles at 1:16
  52. ^ Hindi version's opening titles at 1:21
  53. ^ "NCPA Flashback | Chandralekha". National Centre for the Performing Arts (India). Mumbai. 28 June 2013. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 8 September 2013 suggested (help)
  54. ^ Tamil version's opening titles from 0:45 seconds to 1:20 seconds
  55. ^ Hindi version's opening titles at 0:45 seconds
  56. ^ Bhama Devi Ravi (8 August 2008). "Kollywood turns to coffee-table books". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 18 July 2013 suggested (help)
  57. ^ J. Vasanthan (16 July 2005). "Heroines of the past". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  58. ^ Gokulsing, K. (2004). Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change. Trentham Books. p. 49. ISBN 1-85856-329-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  59. ^ Baradwaj Rangan (4 November 2011). "Lights, Camera, Conversation... "Crouched around a campfire storyteller"". Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 7 November 2011 suggested (help)
  60. ^ M. Suganth (2 March 2012). "Black and white films in Kollywood". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  61. ^ Sudhish Kamath (3 December 2012). "Showcase of the best". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 August 2013. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
  62. ^ "Big B comes to Chennai". Behindwoods. 20 December 2012. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 17 January 2013 suggested (help)
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