 Carnatic
Musicians and Tamil Films
Carnatic Musicians and
Tamil Films
S.V.Subbaiah
Bhagavathar was the first person from the world
of classical music to enter Tamil Cinema.He was a
well-known stage performer, a good singer and a
professionally -trained musician. He made his debut in
Tamil Cinema in Nandanar (1933).
However the first Carnatic musician of
repute to enter the field was the glamorous
G.N.Balasubramaniam, He made his debut in M.L.Tandon's
successful Bhama Vijayam.His
most remembered film is Ellis Dungan's Sakunthalai
(1940) in which he starred with
M.S.Subbulakshmi,his duets with MS,"Premayil
yaavum...", is still
remembered.He also acted in T.R.Ragunath's "Udayana
Vasavadatta " opposite another trained
singer , Vasundhara.The film released in 1946, failed
miserably and it marked the end of GNB's career as a film
actor.Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, one of the all-time
greats of Carnatic music, made his solitary appearance in
Cinema in M.L.Tandon's Nandanar (1935).
Papanasam Sivan , a classical music
composer par excellence made his entry in films in,
K.Subramaniam's Bhaktha kuchela (1936).He
ruled the musical side of Tamil Cinema for years.
Another Carnatic musician of repute to come into
Cinema was Musiri Subramania Iyer, his
maiden film was Tukaram.T.N.Rajaratnam
Pillai, the nadaswaram genius acted in
Ellis Dungan's Kalamegam(1940),
the movie failed and that ended his career as an
actor.One musician who made his mark in films as an
actor and a film maker was S.Balachandar.A
technician of high order, with masterly command of
every aspect of film-making,he created memorable films
like Kaidhi (1951), Andha Naal (1954)
and Bommai (1964).Another
musical genius who was in Tamil films as actor, playback
singer and composer was Balamuralikrishna,
though he didn't achieve much with his on-screen
performance, his singing was of the highest order and
some of the film songs rendered by him, like"Oru
naal podhuma..." and "Chinna
Kannan azhaikkiran..." are among the
immortal melodies of South India film music.Sirkazhi
Govindarajan, another famous and brilliant
classical singer sang in a number of films and also acted
in some.
Among the Women Carnatic musicians who have
starred in Tamil Cinema there's one above all: M.S.Subbulakshmi,
the Nightingale of India, She acted in four
Tamil Movies, of the four movies she acted
Sakunthali and Meera are
rightly hailed as classics of South Indian Cinema.D.K.Pattammal,
one of the legends of Classical music has sung in Tamil
Movies like Thyaga Bhoomi (1939).M.L.Vasanthakumari
a disciple of the great GNB, is also popular for
her playback singing in a number of films of the 1940's
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