Sri Valli (1945 film)
| Sri Valli | |
|---|---|
Film Poster
|
|
| Directed by |
A. V. Meiyappan, A. T. Krishnasamy |
| Produced by | A. V. Meiyappan |
| Written by | A. T. Krishnasamy |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | T. M. Rajagopal Sharma, R. Sudarsanam |
| Cinematography | P. V. Krishna Iyer |
| Edited by | M. V. Raman |
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Production
company |
Saraswati Cine Film Factory
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Release date
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13 April 1945 |
|
Running time
|
114 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Sri Valli is a 1945 Tamil mythological Tamil film directed by A. V. Meiyappan and produced by him under the banner Saraswati Cine Film Factory. It was co-directed by A. T. Krishnasamy who also wrote the script for the film. The film features T. R. Mahalingam and Kumari Rukmini in lead roles. Sri Valli is based on folk tale and adaptation of various films including silent film titled Valli Thirumanam in 1921.
The film describes the romance between Lord Muruga and Valli, a tribal girl. Rest of the film shows how Valli wins the heart of Murugan. Sri Valli was the first Tamil film to introduce playback singing for the first time through lip synchronisation and also became the first film in which the dialogues were released in Gramaphone records. T. M. Rajagopal Sharma and R. Sudarsanam respectively composed the film's music and P. V. Krishna Iyer served as the cinematographer. The film was edited by the duo M. V. Raman, while V. M. Vatturkar and S. Ammaiyappan were the film's art directors. The film was released on 13 April 1945 with a final reel length of 3,325 metres (10,909 ft). Upon release, Sri Valli received critical acclaim and went on to become a commercially successful venture at box office. It is considered to be a breakthrough film for both T. R. Mahalingam and Kumari Rukmini.
After releasing the Tamil dubbed version of Kannada film Satya Harischandra (1943), Meiyappan decided to direct a film based on the folk tale of Valli. A. T. Krishnasamy who co-directed the film wrote the script. Prior to the commencement of shooting, Meiyappan and his wife visited key Lord Murugan temples to seek forgiveness if by oversight makes any mistakes in any of the scenes from the film.
Initially Meiyappan had Thyagaraja Bagavathar in mind for the lead role. T. R. Mahalingam who earlier acted as child artist in Meiyappan's Nandakumar (1938) was signed on for the lead role and also as a part of contract that he should not act in any film or play until the completion of the film. For the titular character, Vasundhara Devi was initially considered and she insisted on selecting the lead actor for herself. After many names were suggested, she rejected them all and opted out. Kumari Rukmini who earlier appeared as child artist in films like Balayogini (1937) was signed as Meiyappan felt that her eyes will be a big attraction. T. R. Ramachandran, N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Mathuram were selected to appear in supporting roles.
The film was shot at the Pragathi Studio and the outdoor scenes were picturised in and around Adyar, including the famous Theosophical Society premises. The four year old elephant was brought from Trichur for one of the characters. Sami Iyer who owned the elephant refused to take any money and allowed the elephant to act in the film. After completing the film, Meiyappan saw the first copy of the film was satisfied with the songs sung by TR Mahalingam but was not satisfied with the singing of Rukmini in songs. Meiyappan decided to record the voice of Periyanayaki in place of Rukmini. It was recorded by sound engineer V. S. Raghavan through post synchronisation method. Kumari Rukmini did not accept the voice of Periyanayaki for her as she felt that the film came out well, she insisted on cancelling the three film agreement which she had signed as part of compensation. AVM who was keen on receiving success cancelled the agreement.
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