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Kannamma En Kadhali

Kannamma En Kadhali
Kannamma En Kadhali 1945.jpg
Tamil கண்ணம்மா என் காதலி
Directed by Kothamangalam Subbu
Produced by K. Ramnoth
Screenplay by Kothamangalam Subbu
Story by Kothamangalam Subbu
Starring M. K. Radha
M. S. Sundari Bai
L. Narayana Rao
Subbaiah Pillai
Mani Iyer
K. S. Angamuthu
Music by M. D. Parthasarathy
Cinematography Thambo
Edited by N. K. Gopal
Production
company
Release date
  • 20 July 1945 (1945-07-20) (India)
Running time
10,914 ft.

Kannamma En Kadhali (English: Kannamma is my lover) is a Tamil language film released in 1945 with M. K. Radha and M. S. Sundari Bai in the lead roles. The film was directed by Kothamangalam Subbu, marking his directorial debut. No print of the film is known to survive, making it a lost film.

Though the film was released after the end of World War II, it was produced during the austere time while the war was still on.

During the Second World War (1939-1945), the British India government imposed severe restrictions on the film industry due to shortage of raw film stock and other materials. A producer was allotted only 44,000 feet of picture negative, and there was a restriction that no feature film could exceed 11,000 feet in length.

To support the War propaganda efforts, the government asked four noted Tamil producers to make films highlighting the War effort. Gemini Studios was one of them. They produced this film Kannamma En Kaadhali as such a propaganda movie.

However, Gemini Studios supremo S. S. Vasan, being a staunch nationalist, did not wish to associate himself with the movie openly. The film was produced by K. Ramnoth who was then Controller of Productions at Gemini Studios.

This film was inspired by the well-known French play, "School for Wives" by the celebrated 17th Century French playwright Moliere.

The movie narrated the tale of a rich, lecherous old man, (Narayana Rao at his best), who finds a young girl lost in a temple festival crowd and brings her up with the intention of marrying her later. Without his knowledge, the young woman (Sundhari Bai) falls in love with a young man (Radha) and the two play smart games fooling the stuffy old man!

Kannamma En Kaathali was a melodrama with familiar twists but writer-director Kothamangalam Subbu invested the film with a light touch almost ‘Wodehouseian’. Times were harsh and people needed entertainment. This film was fulfilled their need.


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