|
Metro Plus
When the postman knocked
Tamil film history chronicler Randor Guy states that AV. Meyyappan did indeed shoot a film in the Madras Club premises (Miscellany, December 3) in 1940 when it was still a `Male Whites Only' club. The three-in-one comedy — Vaayadi, Poli Panchali and Yes Yes! — was, according to Randor Guy, written and directed by A. T. Krishnaswamy (ATK).
And it was ATK who narrated the story to him when Randor Guy was recording him for an `Aural Film History Project' for the National Film Archives of India, Pune.
ATK, Randor Guy writes, told him that permission was obtained through the good offices of M. K. Srinivasan, well known in Madras business circles of the day.
But the O.K. was for entry through the backdoor, the entrance for the local staff and suppliers — a gate in White's Road, now filled in, though vestiges of it are still noticeable in the wall. ATK apparently added that AVM's silent protest at this treatment was not to visit the location during the shooting.
As a footnote to this, I must state that I've recently been going through the minutes of the Madras Club and, in a most meticulously kept record, I found no mention of such shooting which would have required Committee approval. An intriguing mystery this, that a print of the film, if available, might solve.
My recollection of the legendary film-maker also brought me a brochure that AVM Productions had issued to mark its Golden Jubilee.
And in it are stills and records of the 156 films made by the company and its predecessors between 1935 and 1994.
They reveal that before AVM directed Sri Valli, he jointly directed Vaayadi etc., Sabapathy and Harischandra with ATK and En Manaivi with Sundar Rao Nadkarni. Sri Valli was his first solo effort at direction.
The brochure, however, also states that Sabapathy was the first film he directed. And so here's another curious mystery.
S. MUTHIAH
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
|
