Haridas (1944 film)

Infobox_Film
name = Haridas


caption = Promotional poster of the film with a picture of M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar displayed prominently, highlighting the film's successful three-year run at Broadway theater (1944, 1945 and 1946).
director = Sundar Rao Nadkarni
writer =
starring = M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
T. R. Rajakumari
N. C. Vasanthakokilam
N. S. Krishnan
K. Madhuram
Pandari Bai
producer =
distributor =
music = Papanasam Sivan
cinematography =
editing =
released = 1944
runtime =
language = Tamil
imdb_id = 0245145

"Haridas" was a 1944 Tamil language film directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni and starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. It holds the record of being the first film to run continuously for three years at a single theatre.Cite web|url=http://raja1630.tripod.com/mktb/id2.html |title=Filmography of M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar Page 1|accessdate=2008-05-17] . Nearly 61 years later its record was broken by the Rajinikanth starrer Chandramukhi.

Production

"Haridas" was directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni, a Marathi film director, and was based the story of the life of a poet-saint called Haridas. The role of Haridas was played by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, who was argably the greatest star in the Tamil film industry at that time. The film was very short compared to other films from the same period. Featuring a number of melodious songs sung by Bhagavathar, the film was released on Deepavali Day 1944.Cite web|url=http://southasiacontactgroupachieve.blogspot.com/2008/01/southasiacontact-randor-guy-tamil.html|title=From Silents to Sivaji Ganesan - A Lookback|accessdate=2008-05-17|author=Randor Guy]

N. C. Vasanthakokilam, who was often compared to M. S. Subbulakshmi as a singer, played the role of Haridas' wife. The film also marked the debut of renowned Tamil actress Pandari Bai.cite news | last=Guy | first=Randor | title= Actress who glowed with inner beauty | date=February 14 2003 | url =http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/07/28/stories/2006072802680100.htm | work =The Hindu | accessdate = 2008-05-17]

Plot synopsis

Haridas (M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar) was a vain individual who spent his life in luxury and lust.

Post-production

"Haridas" hit the theatres on Deepavali Day 1944 and eventually turned out to be Bhagavathar's greatest hit, running for 114 consecutive weeks by Deepavali Day 1946. With the profits earned from the film, the producers established a knitting company in Madurai. Bhagavathar became Kollywood's highest paid star and was offered a princely sum of rupees one lakh per film. Following the success of "Haridas", Bhagavathar was immediately booked for as many as twelve films.

Haridas' record stood for sixty years and was only broken by the 2005 Rajnikanth-starrer "Chandramukhi".Cite web|url=http://www.chennai365.com/news/chandramukhi-celebrate-the-completion-of-804-day-gallery/|title=Chandramukhi - Celebrate the completion of 804 day Gallery|accessdate=2008-05-17]

Bhagavathar's arrest

In December 1944, at the peak of his career, Bhagavathar was arrested along with N. S. Krishnan as a suspect in the murder of one Lakshmikantan, who was a columnist with a popular Tamil journal called "Hindu Nesan".Cite web|url=http://raja1630.tripod.com/mktb/id16.html|title=Biography of Thyagaraja Bhagavathar Part 3 - LAKSHMIKANTHAN MURDER CASE |accessdate=2008-05-17] As Bhagavathar languished in jail, his last completed film "Haridas" ran to packed houses in theatres all over Madras Province. Prominent advocates such as Govind Swaminathan and K. M. Munshi argued the case for the duo, unsuccessfully. Both Bhagavathar and N. S. Krishnan were found guilty, along with four others. Bhagavathar and N. S. Krishnan appealed to the Madras High Court, but their pleas were dismissed. Eventually, the duo appealed to the London Privy Council, who referred the case for a fresh retrial. A second hearing was held in which a famous barrister V. L. Ethiraj appeared for them. After a prolonged trial, the court acquitted both Bhagavathar and N. S. Krishnan on the basis of faulty and inconclusive evidence.

References