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Sathi Leelavathi
Landscape black-and-white poster with the film's title in English
Theatrical poster
Directed byEllis R. Dungan
Screenplay byMadras Kandaswamy Mudaliar
Based onSathi Leelavathi
by S. S. Vasan
Produced byA. N. Marudachalam Chettiar
Starring
Cinematography
  • D. T. Telang
  • V. J. Shave
Edited by
  • Sircar
  • Ellis R. Dungan
Production
company
Manorama Films
Release date
  • 28 March 1936 (1936-03-28)
Running time
200 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Sathi Leelavathi (pronounced [sat̪i l̪iːl̪aːʋat̪i], transl. Leelavathi, the Chaste Wife) is a 1936 Tamil-language Indian drama film directed by Ellis R. Dungan. It is based on S. S. Vasan's novel of the same name, which had been serialised in 1934. The film has an ensemble cast that includes M. K. Radha, T. S. Balaiah, M. G. Ramachandran, M. V. Mani, M. K. Mani, P. Nammalvar, T. N. Lakshmana Rao, M. R. Gnanambal, Santhakumari, M. S. Murugesan and N. S. Krishnan. In the film, the wealthy Krishnamurthy, a man from Madras, is lured into drinking alcohol by his acquaintance. Believing he murdered his friend in a drunken stupor, Krishnamurthy flees to Ceylon while his daughter and wife, Leelavathi, are reduced to poverty.

A. N. Marudachalam Chettiar initially wanted to produce a film version of the theatrical play Pathi Bhakthi but an adaptation was already being made. Madras Kandaswamy Mudaliar, who wrote the play, later told Chettiar about Vasan's novel, which had the same storyline. Chettiar obtained the rights to make a film version of the novel and Mudaliar began writing a screenplay. Sathi Leelavathi was Dungan's directorial debut and the film-acting debuts of Radha, Balaiah, and Ramachandran—all of whom were stage actors—and K. A. Thangavelu. It was Krishnan's first film appearance and his second release. The film was mostly photographed at Vel Pictures Studio in Madras. D. T. Telang and V. J. Shave were the cinematographers and the film was co-edited by Dungan and Sircar.

Sathi Leelavathi explores themes of temperance, social reform, selfless service and the plight of labourers. It was one of the earliest Tamil films to become the subject of a court case involving copyright violation; the plaintiffs accused the filmmakers of plagiarising the play. The case was resolved after Vasan testified that both the play and the novel were based on Danesbury House, an 1860 novel written by Ellen Wood, so neither party could claim originality. The film premiered on 1 February 1936 in Madras and was released theatrically on 28 March. It was a commercial success and made Dungan a sought-after director. Several features of his direction, including shooting by schedule, camera mobility, cabaret dances and less-theatrical acting, became staples of Tamil cinema. No complete print of the film is known to survive, making it a partially lost film.

Plot

Krishnamurthy is a wealthy man who lives in Madras with his wife Leelavathi and their daughter Lakshmi. At a mock tea party, Krishnamurthy's acquaintance Ramanathan persuades him to drink alcohol. Ramanathan's collaborator is Rangiah Naidu, a corrupt police inspector. Krishnamurthy becomes infatuated by Mohanangi, a promiscuous woman, and promises to pay her 50,000 (about US$18,700 in 1936).[a]

Parasuraman, Krishnamurthy's friend, tries but fails to reform him. A Marvadi man who lent money to Krishnamurthy obtains a repayment warrant, sinking Krishnamurthy deeper in debt. Krishnamurthy drunkenly accuses Leelavathi of having an affair with Parasuraman. When Parasuraman arrives at Krishnamurthy's house while he is absent, Leelavathi warns him to leave. Parasuram leaves but forgets his umbrella. Krishnamurthy comes home drunk, sees Parasuraman's umbrella, assaults Leelavathi and goes out to shoot Parasuraman. Meanwhile, Ramanathan sends his servant disguised as Parasuraman to steal the treasuries of the Ekambareswarar Temple.

Krishnamurthy chases Ramanathan's servant, whom he thinks is Parasuraman; a shot is heard and a man lies dead. After coming to his senses, Krishnamurthy thinks he has murdered Parasuraman and decides to escape, leaving Leelavathi and Lakshmi in the custody of his servant Govindan. Krishnamurthy flees to Ceylon, where he leads a wretched life as a labourer on a tea estate. Ramanathan makes advances to Leelavathi, who spurns him. Penniless, she goes with Govindan and Lakshmi, and works as a charkha spinner. Krishnamurthy finds treasure and gives it to his master, who is pleased and adopts him as his son.

Krishnamurthy returns to his family in Madras but is arrested for Parasuraman's murder. Detective Sreenivasan's investigation reveals the malicious intent of Ramanathan and Rangiah, and he produces the real Parasuraman in court. Parasuraman reveals himself, proving Krishnamurthy's innocence. Ramanathan had been secretly following the drunken Krishnamurthy, who passed out and dropped his gun. When the servant came out, Ramanathan picked up the gun, shot the servant and placed it in Krishnamurthy's hand. Krishnamurthy is acquitted, Ramanathan is sentenced to death, and Rangiah receives seven years' imprisonment. Lakshmi and Parasuraman's son Chandrakanthan marry.[1]

Cast

Additionally, J. Susheela Devi plays an uncredited cabaret dancer, and K. A. Thangavelu plays a minor role, also uncredited.

Production

Development

Pathi Bhakthi, a Tamil play that deals with alcohol abuse and its effects on family life, was written by Te. Po. Krishnaswamy Pavalar during the 1930s[2] and was successful throughout the Madras Presidency. Pavalar's play was rewritten for the Madurai Original Boy's Company (MOBC) theatre troupe by playwright Madras Kandaswamy Mudaliar, and was staged over 150 times.[3][4] A. N. Marudachalam Chettiar of Manorama Films wanted to produce Pathi Bhakthi as a film but to his dismay, a film version was already being made.[b] To please Chettiar, Mudaliar told him a novel titled Sathi Leelavathi, which had been serialised in 1934 in the weekly magazine Ananda Vikatan, had the same storyline as Pathi Bhakthi.[5][8] Both approached the novel's author S. S. Vasan, who sold the film rights for 200 (about $75 in 1936).[9][a] Mudaliar soon began developing the screenplay.[5] Vasan was credited in Sathi Leelavathi's opening titles for the original story[10] in his film debut.[11]

Chettiar wanted Manik Lal Tandon to direct the film but he declined.[c] Tandon introduced Chettiar to his American friend Ellis R. Dungan and suggested Dungan direct it instead.[12] Chettiar was hesitant because Dungan was new to India and did not know Tamil or much about Indian culture but Chettiar was persuaded to hire Dungan because he had worked in Hollywood.[14] The film was Dungan's directorial debut.[15][d] Sathi Leelavathi was listed in the Limca Book of Records as the first Indian film to be "directed by a foreigner".[17] Because Dungan did not know Tamil, Chettiar hired C. K. Sathasivan as associate director.[18][19] S. Panju, who became half of the Krishnan–Panju directorial duo, was an assistant director.[20]

Sathi Leelavathi is one of the earliest Tamil films that was the subject of a court case involving copyright violation.[7] When it was still in the pre-production stage, MOBC sued Chettiar and Mudaliar for plagiarising Pathi Bhakthi.[14] Many similarities between the two stories, including the female leads having the name Leelavathi, were noted.[21] The case was resolved when Vasan testified both Pathi Bhakthi and the novel Sathi Leelavathi were based on Ellen Wood's 1860 novel Danesbury House,[2][22] therefore neither party could claim originality.[14]

Casting

Mudaliar wanted to launch a film career for his son M. K. Radha, a theatre actor, with Pathi Bhakthi but could not because another thespian, K. P. Kesavan, had been selected for the lead role.[5][7] Radha was instead cast in Sathi Leelavathi as the male lead Krishnamurthy in his cinematic acting debut.[1][23] Other MOBC actors who also made their film debuts in Sathi Leelavathi were N. S. Krishnan, T. S. Balaiah, and M. G. Ramachandran.[24][25] Balaiah, who is credited as Baliah, played the antagonist Ramanathan while Krishnan played the comic character Balu.[1] Although Sathi Leelavathi was Krishnan's first film project,[26] because of production delays caused by the lawsuit, Menaka (1935)—for which he signed later—was his first release and Sathi Leelavathi was his second.[27] [28][29]

Ramachandran appeared in Pathi Bhakthi as the antagonist's henchman Veeramuthu[30][31] but MOBC owner Sachidanandam Pillai did not offer him a role in the film adaptation.[32] He later approached Mudaliar for a better role in Sathi Leelavathi because he felt his role in Pathi Bhakthi offered him "no room to shine".[33] According to Ramachandran, he was told he would play the detective and later Krishnamurthy's friend Parasuraman,[34] but he was cast as Inspector Rangiah Naidu—a role he disliked.[33][35] Ramachandran was paid an advance of 100 (about $37.50 in 1936) for acting in the film and his total fee was 300 (about $112.40).[36][a] It was the first time Ramachandran had seen a 100-rupee note.[37] Chettiar gave the role of the detective Sreenivasan, to M. V. Mani without Mudaliar's knowledge.[1][38] Despite Ramachandran's reluctance to play Rangiah, his mother was happy he got a "respectable" role and advised him to perform it responsibly.[39]

The casting of Krishnamurthy's wife Leelavathi was difficult; no actress was willing to play the character because the script required her to be physically abused and mistreated by her inebriated husband. In desperation, the producer asked Mudaliar and Radha to cast M. R. Gnanambal, Radha's wife, in the role.[40] Gnanambal, who had retired from acting after her marriage to Radha, was initially reluctant to accept the role and came out of retirement to play it because no other actress would do so.[23][29] Leelavathi's daughter Lakshmi was played by M. K. Mani, a boy. P. Nammalvar was cast as Parasuraman, T. N. Lakshmana Rao as the family servant Govindan, and P. N. Ramakrishnan as a devotee of the Hindu god Shiva. Dhanalakshmi played Bama; Santhakumari played Mohanangi, a promiscuous woman; and M. Chanthraboi played Shanbagavalli.[1]

Krishnan appeared in the comic subplot and wrote the screenplay for his scenes.[41][42] He put on weight in preparation for the role.[43] Other comic actors were M. S. Murugesan as a Marvadi moneylender and S. Sundaram as Sesha Iyengar.[1] K. A. Thangavelu, a theatre artist associated with the Rajambal Company troupe, also made his film-acting debut[44][45] in a minor, uncredited role.[46] J. Susheela Devi played an uncredited cabaret dancer.[47] Ramachandran's brother, M. G. Chakrapani (also an MOBC actor), approached Mudaliar for a role[43] but was not cast;[36] however, he watched the filming and absorbed "the new art form that was cinema".[48] Parasuraman's son Chandrakanthan, Ramanathan's servant and Krishnamurthy's master in Ceylon were played by actors who are not credited in the film's opening titles or its official pressbook.[1][49]

Filming

Principal photography for Sathi Leelavathi began in 1935.[13][50] Although Manorama Films was based in Coimbatore,[35] the film was shot primarily at Vel Pictures Studio, Madras.[18] In a 1994 interview with Ananda Vikatan, Dungan said during the first few days of filming, Ramachandran did not understand the nuances of film acting; he was overacting and delivering the dialogue aggressively as though he was on stage. Dungan corrected this and advised Ramachandran to deliver his lines naturally.[51] Dungan wrote in A Guide to Adventure, his 2001 autobiography, most of the cast were theatre actors and he was tasked with "subduing [their] voices and facial expressions".[52][53] According to him, when the actors faced the camera, they often froze and did not speak because it frightened them.[13]

One scene required Ramachandran to ride a bicycle but he did not know how to ride one so he sat on the bicycle with two people balancing it and was given a push as the camera rolled.[54] According to film historian Film News Anandan in the book Saadhanaigal Padaitha Thamizh Thiraipada Varalaru, filming was also done in Ceylon[55] but Randor Guy wrote in the fortnightly Madras Musings that a large plot of land behind Vel Pictures Studio was used for the Ceylon tea plantation.[56] With this film, Dungan introduced many features to Tamil cinema such as a lack of on-screen stage influences,[26][57] the "cabaret dance" or the "club dance",[22] strict discipline, filming by schedule and camera mobility.[58]

There was no facility to pre-record songs in Madras at the time so performers had to sing on set. The accompanying musicians sat on a trolley and played the background musical score; this often restricted camera movement. In one scene, the orchestra sat under a nearby tree playing the harmonium, tabla and other instruments while Radha's character sang at a tea plantation [59] The film's cinematographers were D. T. Telang and V. J. Shave,[49] and Sircar and Dungan were the editors. Ramamurthi, the manager of Vel Pictures Studio, cleaned the exposed negatives by hand.[13] The completed film was 18,000 ft (5,500 m) in length and ran for 200 minutes.[52][55]

Themes

Sathi Leelavathi explores temperance,[52] social reform, the Gandhian concept of selfless service,[60] and labour—in particular the plight of Tamil Nadu labourers in Ceylon's tea estates [61][62] The film also highlights the problems caused by alcoholism;[17] according to Ramachandran, the film has a theme "after [his] own heart".[37] It also depicts chastity as the noblest ideal of Indian women.[1]

Music

The music composer of Sathi Leelavathi is not credited in the film's song book. G. Sundhara Bhagavathar (also known as Sundhara Vadhiyar) was the lyricist[63] in his cinematic debut.[64]

The melody of "Theyila Thottathle" (also spelt "Theyilai Thottatile") is based on Subramania Bharati's poem "Karumbu Thottathile"[65] with new lyrics. The original poem is about the plight of bonded Indian labourers in Fiji and the song explores the problems of tea-plantation workers in Ceylon.[66] The song, which is set in the Carnatic raga known as Chenchurutti, became popular and was frequently performed in concerts by Carnatic musicians. It was re-used in the Malayalam film Balan (1938), as "Jaathaka Doshathale".[67]

The other songs featured in the film were "Thaayadhu Vayatrile Maayamai", "Thodudaiya Seviyan Vidai", "Hello Yennudaiya Dear", "Adhigha Sinamaen", "Paadhai Theriyamale", "Ini Yenna Seighuvaen Dhaeviyae", "Sadhikaaramaaranovubaanam", "Kaami Satthiyamaa Kannatthaik", "Pudhu Nilaa Mughap Poomaan Punniya", "Kallae Kadavuladaa Thambi", "Vaazhvinilae Maghaa Thaazvadaindhaenaiyo", "Undheepara Adhi Unnadha Thakkaliyae" and "Raattinamae Kadhar Poottinamae Kai".[1]

Release and reception

Sathi Leelavathi had a "trade show" debut in Madras on 1 February 1936,[68] and was theatrically released on 28 March that year. It was a major commercial success; according to film historian Aranthai Narayanan, this was due to Radha, Balaiah's and Krishnan's performances, Vasan's publicity, and support by independence-era politicians of the anti-alcohol movement.[13] The film ran for over 100 days in theatres.[69]

On 1 February 1936, The Indian Express appreciated the film's photography and recording, and said the acting was "generally satisfactory".[68] In its January 1937 issue, the art magazine Aadal Paadal praised the film's social setting and acting.[70] Politician C. Rajagopalachari, a critic of cinema in general, watched Sathi Leelavathi and appreciated its Gandhian ideals and pro-prohibition stance[71] but said "the main artiste in a [charkha]-spinning sequence did not know how to handle it".[72] A day's box-office revenue was donated to Rajagopalachari for public causes.[22] Playwright and retired sub-judge Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar praised Radha for performing a "difficult part very creditably" and said the music was appropriate.[1]

In a 14 February 1936 review, The Hindu praised Radha's performance for its "naturalness and ease", Balaiah's villainy and Gnanambal's performance in the "difficult role" of Leelavathi. The reviewer also praised Sathi Leelavathi's sound quality, photography and direction.[1] The Illustrated Weekly of India called the film more "interesting, natural and convincing" than the source novel, and praised the plot's continuity and climax.[1] A Cine Art Review writer appreciated the film's settings and sound, the cross-gender acting of M. K. Mani as Lakshmi, and the opening scene in which Lakshmi hums a tune while going downstairs.[1] A reviewer from The Indian Review wrote the film "appeals to all classes and masses of the Tamil province".[73]

Several new filmmaking techniques introduced by Dungan were unappreciated at the time. In Silver Screen magazine on 1 August 1936, Pe. Ko. Sundararajan (journalist and writer for Manikodi) said the new methods of depicting emotions were not understood by the audience; in one scene, Dungan showed the dancing girl as seen by the inebriated protagonist and in another he indicated his fear by depicting his twitching fingers and feet. According to Sundararajan, the techniques helped the actors to emote and showcased Dungan's talent; however, an unsophisticated audience thought the lighting in the first scene was poor and that the film was stuck in the second.[74]

Legacy

Sathi Leelavathi attained cult status in Tamil cinema[75] and made Dungan an in-demand director.[22][76] It was the first Tamil film the be successful in overseas markets.[77] The techniques introduced by Dungan in the film became staples of Tamil cinema.[58][71] According to film historian Swarnavel Eswaran Pillai, despite Vasan's initial aversion to films,[78] Sathi Leelavathi's success encouraged him to enter the industry as a distributor.[79]

Ramachandran avoided playing roles similar to Rangiah Naidu in his later films, preferring to play a "good Samaritan" in Marmayogi (1951), Malaikkallan (1954), Nadodi Mannan (1958) and Enga Veettu Pillai (1965).[80] According to Randor Guy, the film "rightly earned its place in the history of Tamil cinema".[71] No complete print of Sathi Leelavathi is known to survive, making it a partially lost film.[81] What remains of the film is preserved in the West Virginia State Archives.[49] Footage about the making of Sathi Leelavathi was included in An American in Madras, a documentary about Dungan's career in India that was directed by Karan Bali.[82][83]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c The exchange rate in 1936 was 2.67 Indian rupees () per 1 US dollar (US$).[84]
  2. ^ While historian Randor Guy's 1997 book Starlight, Starbright says MOBC themselves decided to produce a film version of their play,[5] his 2016 book Memories of Madras and historian Vamanan say that Chidambaram Chettiar of National Movietone had acquired the film rights for the play.[6][7]
  3. ^ Although Randor Guy has said that Tandon was reluctant to accept Sathi Leelavathi because he was directing Bhakta Nandanar (1935),[12] Ellis R. Dungan said after Bhakta Nandanar's release, Tandon asked him if he would direct Sathi Leelavathi since he (Tandon) had an offer to direct the Hindi film Shame of the Nation.[13]
  4. ^ Dungan previously filmed scenes in Bhakta Nandanar in Tandon's absence.[16]

References

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Bibliography

External links