Sando Chinnappa Thevar
| Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Marudur Marudachalamurthy Ayyavoo Chinnappa Thevar 28 June 1915 Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Died | 8 September 1978 (aged 63) Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actor, Film producer |
| Years active | 1940-1978 |
| Spouse(s) | Maarimuthammal |
| Children | Dhandayuthapani (Son) Subbulakshmi (Daughter) Jagadeeshwari (Daughter) |
| Parent(s) | Ayyavoo thevar (Father) Ramakkal (Mother) |
| Relatives | Subbiah thevar (Elder Brother) Nataraja thevar (Brother) Arumugam a.k.a. M.A.Thirumugam (Brother) Mariappan (Brother) |
"Sandow" Marudur Marudachalamurthy Ayyavoo Chinnappa Devar (28 June 1915 – 8 September 1978) was an eminent producer of Tamil films in the mid-1950s through the 1960s and 1970s. He is best known for his films featuring animals, and has produced numerous movies with M. G. Ramachandran as lead actor (16 movies with under his famous banner: Devar Films).
He launched all his movies under the Devar Films, which also produced the Rajesh Khanna's Bollywood hit Haathi Mere Saathi (1971) in which he achieved national fame and Dhandayupathi Films banner.
The title of "Sandow" was given to Chinnappa Thevar in tribute (to the father of the modern bodybuilding, Eugen Sandow) and because of his impressive muscles.
M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar was born in Ramanathapuram locality in Coimbatore to Ayyavoo thevar and Ramakkal. He has one elder brother named Subbiah thevar and three younger brothers named Nataraja thevar, Arumugam (M.A.Thirumugam) and Mariappan. His father was an agriculturist.
Chinnappa thevar studied only till 5th grade due to financial reasons. During his youth in the 1930s, he joined in Pankaja mill for a salary of Rs.9 and started his earnings. He later worked in Stanes motor company for few years. He also earned through milk production, rice shop and soda production.
From a very young age he was interested in gymnasium. He started "Veera Maruthi Deha Payirchi saalai" with his friends in Ramanathapuram area. To join the film industry, he mastered various martial arts and improved his physique.
He and his brother first acted in the 1940 film Thilottama. It was a fight sequence where only their shadows were filmed. Devar earned the title ‘Sandow’ because of his physique and fighting skills.
He had started playing small roles in films that were shot in Coimbatore, until he was roped in by Jupiter Pictures for villain role in the 1947 movie Rajakumari with then-a-relatively unknown lead actor M. G. Ramachandran with whom he formed a deep friendship.In the film Mohini (1948) there was a scene taken in forest, where the character played by M.G.Ramachandran rushes to rescue a family travelling in a bullock-cart from being robbed by a gang and the main robbers role was played by M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar as the main robber.
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