Haridas (1944 film)

Haridas is a 1944 Tamil language film directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni and starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, T. R. Rajakumari and N. C. Vasanthakokilam.

Haridas
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySundar Rao Nadkarni
Written byIlangovan
Produced byRayal Talkie Distributors
StarringM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
T. R. Rajakumari
N. C. Vasanthakokilam
CinematographyAdi Irani
T. Muthuswamy
Edited bySundar Rao Nadkarni
Music byPapanasam Sivan
G. Ramanathan
Release date
16 October 1944
Running time
117 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

It holds the record of being the longest-running Tamil film at a single theatre for 784 days. IBN Live included Haridas in its list of 100 greatest Indian films of all time.[1] The film was initially released in black and white with just one scene in colour, which was manually colored by studio technicians. The film was re-released with full colour in 1946. It was the last film of M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar before his two year imprisonment due to the Lakshmikanthan murder case.

Plot

Haridas (Thyagaraja Bhagavathar) is a vain individual who spends his life in luxury and lust, ignored his parents for wife (Vasanthakokilam), ignoring his wife for a courtesan (T. R. Rajakumari). But when his wealth is appropriated by the courtesan, he realizes life's realities, reforms and spends the rest of his days serving his parents and God.

Cast

Cast according to the song book:

Production

Haridas was directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni, a Marathi film director, and produced by Rayal Talkie Distributors, a Madurai based Textile Yarn and Dye merchants at Central Studios in Coimbatore.[2] The film was adapted from the book Sri Krishna Vijayam by Elangovan.[3] It was based on the story of the life of a poet-saint called Haridas.[3][4] The role of Haridas was played by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, who was the highest-paid actor in the Tamil film industry at the time.[5] It was very short (10,994 Feet[6]) compared to other films from the same period.[7] Featuring a number of melodious songs sung by Bhagavathar, the film was released on Diwali (16 October) 1944.[8] Classical musician N. C. Vasanthakokilam, who was often compared to M. S. Subbulakshmi as a singer, played the role of Haridas' wife.[8][7] The film also marked the debut of renowned Tamil actress Pandari Bai.[7][9] The comedic duo of N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Mathuram were cast in this film.[10] The film was shot at Central Studios, Coimbatore.[11][12][2]

Upper: T. R. Rajakumari and M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
Lower: N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Mathuram

Soundtrack

All songs in this film became hits. The song "Manmadha Leelayai Vendrar Undo" celebrating erotic love has become an enduring hit and the phrase has entered every day Tamil usage. Papanasam Sivan was the composer and G. Ramanathan was in charge of the orchestration. A partial list of songs from Haridas:

Two songs, sung by N. C. Vasanthakokilam ('Enadhu Manam Thulli Vilaiyaaduthe' and 'Kannaa Vaa') were recorded by HMV distinct from the film version of these songs and were released with black label. (See External links for link)

All lyrics are written by Papanasam Sivan

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Manmadha Leelayai Vendrar Undo"Papanasam SivanM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar4:37
2."Vaazhvil Oru Thirunaal"Papanasam SivanM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar2:46
3."Krishnaa Mukunda Muraree"Papanasam SivanM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar3:21
4."Annaiyum Thanthaiyum"Papanasam SivanM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar3:17
5."Nijamma Idhu Nijamma"Papanasam SivanM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar2:15
6."Kadhiravan Udhayam"Papanasam SivanM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar2:45
7."Ullam Kavarum En Paavai"Papanasam SivanM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar2:30
8."Natanam Innum Aadanam"Papanasam SivanM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar--
9."Ennalum Indha"Papanasam SivanM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar--
10."Thottadharkellam"Papanasam SivanM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar--
11."Enadhuyir Nadhar"Papanasam SivanN. C. Vasanthakokilam3:20
12."Ennudal Thanil"Papanasam SivanM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar2:43
13."Kanna Vaa Manivanna Vaa"Papanasam SivanN. C. Vasanthakokilam2:59
14."Enathu Manam Thulli"Papanasam SivanN. C. Vasanthakokilam2:40
15."Kaavalai Tharum"Papanasam SivanN. S. Krishnan. T. A. Mathuram2:55
16."Kathathaikku"Papanasam SivanUnknown1:50

Reception

Haridas hit the theatres on Diwali (16 October) 1944. It was a huge success and ran for three consecutive Diwalis at the Sun Theatres in Broadway, Madras.[7][13] Across theatres it had an uninterrupted theatrical run of 133 weeks.[14] With the profits earned from the film, the producers established a knitting company in Madurai.[4] Bhagavathar became the Tamil cinema industry's highest paid star.[7][4] However, he was not able to enjoy his success as he was arrested in November 1944 as a suspect in the Lakshmikanthan murder case.[7][10] IBN Live included the film in its list of 100 greatest Indian films of all time.[1]

References
  1. "100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 greatest Indian films of all time". IBN Live. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  2. "Haridas Created in Coimbatore Turned a Magnum Opus for MKT Bhagavathar". 8 December 2018.
  3. Dhananjayan 2014, pp. 56.
  4. "Filmography of M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar Page 1". Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  5. Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1994). Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema. British Film Institute. p. 57. ISBN 0-85170-455-7.
  6. Anandan 2004, pp. 28.35.
  7. Dhananjayan 2014, pp. 57.
  8. Randor Guy. "From Silents to Sivaji Ganesan – A Lookback". Archived from the original on 23 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  9. Guy, Randor (14 February 2003). "Actress who glowed with inner beauty". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  10. Guy, Randor (11 July 2008). "Haridas 1944". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  11. Raghavan, Nikhil (24 May 2014). "Coimbatore's celluloid connection". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  12. Jeshi, K. (20 March 2014). "Celluloid stories". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  13. Pillai 2015, pp. 92.
  14. Thoraval 2000, pp. 38.
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