S. V. Venkatraman

Sozhavanthan Varadharajan Venkatraman (Tamil: சோழவந்தான் வரதராஜன் வெங்கட்ராமன்) (25 April 1911 – 7 April 1998), also known as SVV, was an Indian actor, singer, and music director, who was active in the Indian film industry from 1938 to the 1970s.

S. V. Venkatraman
Birth nameSozhavanthan Varadharajan Venkatraman
Born(1911-04-25)25 April 1911
OriginAyyampalayam, Madras Presidency, British India
Died7 April 1998(1998-04-07) (aged 86)
Palavakkam, Tamil Nadu, India

Venkatraman composed the music for Meera, starring M. S. Subbulakshmi. He also composed music for more than 200 Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films.

Early life

Sozhavanthan Varadharajan Venkatraman was born on 25 April 1911, to Varadharajan Iyer and Lakshmi Ammal. When he was three years old, his father died, and his uncle took responsibility for his upbringing. He displayed an aptitude for music from an early age, & his school education ended after the fourth standard.

To pursue his passion for music he went to Chintadripet, Madras. There the head of a drama troupe heard him singing, and offered Venkatraman a job as a stage artist/singer/musician. Venkatraman learnt to play the harmonium, but had no formal training in Carnatic music.

During his time in Madras, Venkatraman acted in five films. During a fight scene in one of the films he broke his left hand. While recuperating at Cubbon Park, Bangalore, A. V. Meiyappa Chettiar found Venkatraman and invited him back to Madras to work as the music director for Chettiar's next film, Nanda Kumar.

Career

Venkatraman composed music for many films, including Nanda Kumar, Tahsildar, Valmiki, Manonmani, Kannagi, Nandanar, Meera (Tamil and Hindi), Naga Panchami, Sri Murugan, Manohara (Tamil, Telugu and Hindi), and Irumbu Thirai.

Venkatraman worked with actors such as C. N. Annadurai, M. G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi, Jayalalitha, and N. T. Rama Rao. Many popular composers, including M. S. Viswanathan, T. K. Ramamoorthy, and G. K. Venkatesh worked with him.

All leading playback singers of the time from P. U. Chinnappa Bhagavathar and G. N. Balasubramaniam to M. M. Dandapani Desikar and T. M. Soundararajan lent their voices to Venkatraman's tunes. Carnatic music legends D. K. Pattammal and M. L. Vasanthakumari also came under his baton. Venkatraman himself also proved his prowess as a singer in a few films. Venkatraman's last assignment was Sri Krishna Leela.

Venkatraman scored the music for the famous "Bhaja Govindam", sung by M. S. Subbulakshmi and worked on songs that she made famous, such as "Vadavaraiyai Mathakki", "Mudiondrum Moolangalum", and a few Mahakavi Bharathiyar songs. He set to tune the Narayaneeyam and the Guruvayur Suprabhatam, rendered by Trichur Ramachandran and Papanasam Sivan's Sree Rama Charitha Geetham and sung by Sirkazhi Govindarajan. He tuned Mahakavi Bharathiyar songs and tuned Karpagambal Andhadi for M. M. Dandapani Desikar. He was the composer for All India Radio's Serndhisai, Vadhya Vrindha, and many other music ventures. Music for the Voice of India by Mahatma Gandhi's son had been scored by him.

Venkatraman worked with singers like T. M. Soundararajan, A. M. Rajah, Seerkazhi Govindarajan, Thiruchi Loganathan, V. N. Sundaram, T. A. Mothi, M. L. Vasanthakumari, P. Leela, Jikki, T. V. Rathnam, A. P. Komala, Radha Jayalakshmi, K. Jamuna Rani, P. Susheela, K. Rani, S. Janaki, and L. R. Eswari.

The singing actors M. M. Dandapani Desikar, G. N. Balasubramaniam, M. S. Subbulakshmi, D. K. Pattammal, P. U. Chinnappa, C. Honnappa Bhagavathar, U. R. Jeevarathinam, N. C. Vasanthakokilam, T. R. Mahalingam, T. R. Rajakumari, V. Nagayya, N. S. Krishnan, T. A. Madhuram, T. S. Durairaj, and J. P. Chandrababu all sang songs under his compositions.

Personal life

Venkatraman married Saraswathi at the age of 28 in 1939. The couple had four sons and four daughters. Venkatraman died in his sleep on 7 April 1998, at his residence in Palavakkam.

Filmography

Music Direction

Year Film Language Director Banner Co-Music Director
1938NandakumarTamilKeshav Rao DhaibarPragati Pictures
1940BhookailasTeluguSundar Rao NadkarniPragati PicturesR. Sudarsanam
1940SakunthalaiTamilEllis R. DunganRoyal TalkiesThuraiyur Rajagopala Sharma
1941Mani Maalai or Mainarin KaadhalTamilFram Sethna & A. T. KrishnaswamyAL.RM & Company
1942KannagiTamilM. Somasundaram & R. S. ManiJupiter Pictures
1943Kubera KuchelaTamilR. S. ManiJupiter PicturesKunnakudi Venkatarama Iyer, N. S. Balakrishnan & T. R. Ramanathan
1944HarichandraTamilK. B. NagabhushanamSri Rajarajeswari FilmsS. Rajeswara Rao
1944MahamayaTamilT. R. Raghunath & ElagovanJupiter PicturesKunnakudi Venkatarama Iyer
1945MeeraTamilEllis R. DunganChandraprabha Cinetone
1945ParanjothiTamilB. S. RamaiyaShyamala Pictures
1946Sri MuruganTamilM. Somasundaram & V. S. NarayananJupiter PicturesS. M. Subbaiah Naidu
1946ValmikiTamilSundar Rao NadkarniCentral StudiosPapanasam Sivan
1947MeeraHindiEllis R. DunganChandraprabha Cinetone
1947ThiyagiTamilRamjibhai Arya & S. R. Krishna AyyangarMoorthi ProductionsT. R. Ramanathan
1947Mahathma UdhangarTamilG. Pattu IyerSri Kamal Productions
1948Gnana SoundariTamilF. Nagoor & Joseph Thaliath JrCitadel Film Corporation
1948GokuladasiTamilK. SubrahmanyamNeptune Studios
1948Thirumazhisai AazhwarTamilD. S. Kotnis & P. S. ChettiarSri Kanna FilmsT. R. Ramanathan
1949Krishna BakthiTamilR. S. ManiKrishna Pictures
1949NavajeevanamTamilK. B. NagabhushanamRajarajeshwari Films
1950Laila MajnuTamilF. NagoorBalaji Pictures
1950Ithaya GeethamTamilJoseph Thaliath Jr.Citadel Film Corporation
1950PaarijathamTamilK. S. GopalakrishnanLavanya PicturesC. R. Subburaman
1951VanasundariTamilT. R. RaghunathKrishna PicturesC. R. Subburaman
1951SoudaminiTeluguK. B. NagabhushanamSri Rajarajeswari Films
1951SaudaminiTamilK. B. NagabhushanamSri Rajarajeswari Films
1951LavanyaTamilG. R. LakshmananEastern Art Productions
1951SingariTamilT. R. RaghunathNational ProductionsT. A. Kalyanam & T. R. Ramanathan
1953PanakkaariTamilK. S. GopalakrishnanUma Pictures
1953ManithanTamilK. RamnothJupiter Pictures & Lavanya Movies
1953KangalTamilKrishnan–PanjuMotion Pictures TeamG. Ramanathan
1954KarkottaiTamilKemparaj ProductionsKemparaj UrsG. Ramanathan
1954ManoharaTamilL. V. PrasadManohar PicturesT. R. Ramanathan
1954ManoharHindiL. V. PrasadManohar PicturesT. R. Ramanathan
1954ManoharaTeluguL. V. PrasadManohar PicturesT. R. Ramanathan
1955Maaman MagalTamilR. S. ManiMani Productions
1955KoteeswaranTamilSundar Rao NadkarniSri Ganesh Movietone
1956Kannin ManigalTamilT. JanakiramanMaheswari Pictures
1956Naga PanjamiTamilK. B. NagabhushanamSri Rajarajeswari Films
1956Naga PanchamiTeluguK. B. NagabhushanamSri Rajarajeswari Films
1956NannambikkaiTamilK. Vembu & CharlieFilm Center
1956Ondre KulamTamilN. KrishnaswamyTriveni Pictures
1958Paanai Pidithaval BhaagyasaaliTamilT. S. DurairajMaragatha PicturesS. Rajeswara Rao
1960Irumbu ThiraiTamilS. S. VasanGemini Studios
1961AkbarTamilK. AsifSterling Investment Corporation
1961Marutha Nattu VeeranTamilT. R. RaghunathSri Ganesh Prasad Movies
1963ArivaaliTamilA. T. KrishnaswamyA.T.K. Productions
1971Kannan KarunaiTamilN. T. Rama RaoNAT & Ramakrishna Cine Studios
1977Sri Krishna LeelaiTamilA. P. NagarajanC. N. V. Movies

Playback Singer

YearFilmLanguageSongCo-SingerMusic
1950ParijathamTamilUlagathukae UnavalikkumJikkiS. V. Venkatraman & C. R. Subburaman
1951SaudaminiTamilKaarum KarunaanidhiyeS. V. Venkatraman
Vidhiyai Meira Vasama
1953ManithanTamilUlagamellaam Nee OdiS. V. Venkatraman
1953KangalTamilSinna Penne VaadiS. V. Venkatraman & G. Ramanathan
Sathiyame Thavaraamale
1954ManoharaTamilSandhegam Illai Sandhegam IllaiC. S. PandiyanS. V. Venkatraman & T. R. Ramanathan
Pombalathaanaa Nee PombalathaanaaC. S. Pandiyan
Radhi ManmadhaC. S. Pandiyan
1955KoteeswaranTamilKattikko Thaali KattikkoP. LeelaS. V. Venkatraman
1956Kannin ManigalTamilYaen Marandhaai EesaaS. V. Venkatraman
1956NannambikkaiTamilVaaraamal IrundhiduvaanoK. RaniS. V. Venkatraman
Sooriyanum Oru Thozhilaali

References

  • Randor Guy. "Idhaya Geetham 1950". The Hindu.
  • Randor Guy. "Meera 1945". The Hindu.
  • Randor Guy. "Sakunthalai 1941". The Hindu.
  • Randor Guy. "Panakkari 1953". The Hindu.
  • Special Correspondent. "Kalaimamani Awards Announced". The Hindu.
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