MAMBALAM TIMES The Neighbourhood Newspaper for T. Nagar ...

May 4 - 10, 2013 MAMBALAM TIMESPage 5TAMIL CINEMA 75 -Computer glitch in SETC counter causes Sai Seva Chakraconducts freeresidents hardshipVeda classesA LOOK BACKsil buses at the State Express By Our Staff ReporterTransport Corporation counterat T. Nagar bus terminus Bharathi Street, West Mam-Sri Sai Seva Chakra (15,By RANDOR GUYTAMIL CINEMA AND MUSIC - 53for the past several days. balam) conducts free Veda,The counter staff said that bhajans and sloka classes onthey are helpless as the server Sundays in its premises fromkeeps failing.3.30 p.m to 4.30 p.m.The passengers told MambalamTimes that there are noIt also conducts these classesin the following venues.alternate SETC bookingOn Saturdays and Sundayscounters near T. Nagar andfrom 6.30 a.m to 7.30 a.m in SriMambalam and thereforeKrishna Gana Sabha, MaharajapuramSanthanam Salai, T.they are forced to go toKoyambedu bus terminusNagar.where there seems to be noOn Mondays, Wednesdaysserver issues.The counter functions fromand Tuesdays from 5 p.m to 6By Our Staff Reporter muters are facing problems 8 a.m to 1 p.m and from 2 p.mp.m in Sarva Priya GanapathiDue to technical hitch, com-in booking tickets for mofus-to 8 p.m on all days.Temple (Moorthy Street Extension,7th Avenue, AshokThanneer pandal warns Nagar).On Mondays and Thursdaysagainst misusefrom 8 p.m to 9 p.m in No 15,Bharathi Street, West Mambalam.All are welcome.More details can be had inphone 98843 05676.‘Pavalakodi’ had as many as fifty songs. The composer wasPapanasam Sivan, who played a major role in the rise of M. K.T. Bhagavathar as a singing star. Old-timers still argue whetherBhagavathar became famous by singing Sivan’s compositions,or vice versa. Papanasam Sivan, incidentally, wrote thelyrics and set the tunes as well, a rather uncommon practicein the cinema world!After the success of ‘Pavalakodi’, Thyagaraja Bhagavatharstarred again with S. D. Subbulakshmi in ‘NaveenaSarangadhara’ (1936), again directed by K. Subramaniam whohad by now become a popular filmmaker. The movie fared welland a song, composed by Sivan and sung by Bhagavathar,‘Sivaperuman krupai vendum…’, became a super hit. This songin praise of Lord Siva is popular even today, seventy- plus yearslater.The next year would lift M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar’sfame skyhigh and make him a living legend!In that year, 1937, South Indian film history was made withtwo of Bhagavathar’s films ‘Chinthamani’ and ‘Ambikapathi’being released. ‘Chinthamani’ (1937) was the first mega-boxoffice hit of South Indian Cinema and the earliest film to enjoyyear-long runs in many towns in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere too.A mixture of fact, fiction and myth, ‘Chinthamani’ was thestory of Bilwa Mangal, a Sanskrit poet of Varanasi who wrotethe famed musical epic in praise of Lord Krishna called ‘KrishnaKarnamritham’. The story of Bilwa Mangal had earlier beenstaged as a play and made into a silent film by DhirendranathGanguly (DG), one of the founding fathers of Bengali Cinema.Madan Theatres of Calcutta who made it in Telugu in 1933.Surprisingly - and somewhat ironically - ThyagarajaBhagavathar was not the first choice to play Bilwa Mangal!The producers and the director, Y. V. Rao, originally had thepopular singer-actor Serukalathur Sama in mind. On secondthoughts, Sama was shifted to the roles of Lord Krishna and awandering ascetic - in fact Krishna himself in disguise. To playthe role of Bilwa Mangal, Thyagaraja Bhagavathar was thenengaged. To play Chintamani, a devadasi with whom the herofalls in love, K. Aswathamma was chosen because of hermelodious voice and facile style of singing.Aswathamma, tall and pencil-thin, hailed from the old Mysorestate and was a popular singing stage star. Endowed with a finehaunting voice, she had cut many gramophone discs and oneof them, a sad melancholy sentimental song, ‘ Haa priyaaaprashantha hridhayaa’ was a best seller. In those days, evenmany non-Kannada-speaking homes had this 78-rpm-disc intheir collection. She was known as ‘Kannadatha Kogiley’ (‘TheKannada Cuckoo’). Sadly, tuberculosis cut short her life andshe died young after playing the lead role in only three films, allof which were hits ‘Sadarame’ (Kannada, 1935),‘Chintamani’(1937) and ‘Sakkubai’(1939), both in Tamil.There were 25 songs in ‘Chintamani’ and many of thembecame super hits. One of them, ‘Radhey unakku kopam…’found a place in the list of all-time hits of Tamil Cinema.‘Natakame ulagam…’, the opening words of a song sung bySerukalathur Sama highlighting the fickle nature of life, enteredthe Tamil idiom and is used even today by the commonman. ‘Chintamani’ was indeed a milestone movie, one thatmade people in South India movie-mad.Later in the year came the other Bhagavathar hit‘Ambikapathi’. It portrayed romantic love with a sheen oferoticism never before seen in a Tamil movie. It also gave astatus to its dialogue-writer, a new trend in Tamil Cinema,which would lead to significant consequences in later years andwould create an impact on the political fortunes of the stars ofTamil Nadu. The screenwriter was Elangovan, the first starwriter of Tamil cinema!(To be continued)REQUEST TO READERS!Please help us to serve you better!Mambalam Times is being deliveredfree at every doorstep in thisneighbourhood week after week. If ourdelivery boy skips your house or flat inany week, please call 2434 9236between 10.30 a.m and 5 p.m on weekdays to enable us to take effective andimmediate remedial action.Tutorial instituteoffers concession topoor studentsBy Our Staff ReporterARU Academy (7/3 MadleyRoad, T. Nagar) is offering feeconcession for bright studentsfrom economically weaker sections.Students wishing to avail theconcession need to producetheir family income certificate.It also provides coaching forCA-CPT, CA-IPCC, CS Foundationand ICWA Foundationcourses.The institute also offers tuitionsfor Stds. 11 and 12.Students are also advised onthe merits of various careeroptions available to them.The Institute’s contactnumbers are 97909 31868 and87544 04449.Manilal elected as Governorof Lions ClubBy Our Staff ReporterDr. G. Manilal (resident of61/4, VGP Complex, 1st Avenue,Ashok Nagar) was recentlyelected as Lions Governorfor District 324A8.He met Pranab Mukherjee(President of India) on April 30in New Delhi along with a fewother members of the club andgave a presentation of theclub’s ongoing and proposedprojects for 2013.The projects include donationof free dialysis units topoor patients, tree planting,education and medical assistancesfor underprivilegedpersons and aid to destituteand physically challenged persons.Manilal has been a memberof Lions Club since 1994and has held various positionsin it. He expanded the Club’sactivities by forming more than30 Lions Clubs in various partsof Chennai.By Our Staff ReporterA thanneer pandal on theservice lane of Usman Roadflyover with a message writtenon paper and affixed to thewater container requests thepublic not to take away waterin cans.GAMBLERSANONYMOUSmeets at Holy Angels Conventevery Sundayfrom 11.30 a.m to 1 p.m.All compulsive gamblers whowish to get rid of the habitare welcomeCMYK