Lakshmi 1953

Pasupuleti Kannamba, R.S. Manohar, Vanaja, C.V.V. Panthulu, L. Narayana Rao, J. P. Chandra Babu, M. Saroja, ‘Friend’ Ramasami, T.K. Ramachandaran, K. Duraiswami, T.V. Sethuraman, C.K. Saraswathi, Venubai, Rajalakshmi, Jayashree Goplachari and dance: Kamala

September 20, 2014 07:12 pm | Updated 07:12 pm IST

Lakshmi

Lakshmi

Pasupuleti Kannamba is considered one of the most brilliant actresses of Indian cinema. She began acting in Telugu theatre and became a favourite playing Chandramathi in the play Harishchandra . Later, it was made into a film in Telugu with Kannamba repeating the role which established her as a star. Not surprisingly, she entered Tamil cinema with Krishnan Thoothu (1940) and attained star status with the classic Kannagi (1942) in which she played the title role. At that time, she did not know Tamil and her dialogues in high-flown, literary Tamil (by Elangovan) were written in Telugu, and for every shot, the script written on a blackboard was kept away from the camera for her guidance. Kannamba had her own drama troupe, managed by Kadaru Nagabhushanam, who soon became her husband. Expectedly, she had her own production company, Sri Rajarajeswari Films, named after their family deity, and produced films in Telugu and Tamil. Lakshmi , the film under review, was one such.

Written by well-known Tamil scholar and poet S.D.S. Yogi, popularly known as Bala Bharathi, the film was directed by Nagabhushanam, while Telugu journalist, poet and writer Inturi Venkateswara Rao was the associate director.

Like all her productions, Lakshmi was produced at Gemini Studios and the in-house music director, M.D. Parthasarathy, composed the music. Most of Gemini’s technical crew worked on the film, like noted lensman P. Ellappa, (assisted by T.V. Singh Thakore who later became a noted cinematographer in Kannada films), well-known audiographer P. Ranga Rao, art director M.S. Janakiram, and make-up man Sahadeva Rao Thapkere, a cousin of the legendary Dadasaheb Phalke. Anil Kumar Chopra was the choreographer and there was a dance number by Kumari Kamala.

Kannamba played Chandramathi, the ideal Hindu woman who sacrifices her all for her husband, children and family. In this film too, she plays a similar role, of a mother whose son (Manohar) is more interested in painting than going to college.

She also takes care of her husband, a lawyer (C.V.V. Panthulu), when he falls ill. Criticised by his father for wasting his time painting, the son leaves home promising to return only after he makes a name. Lakshmi has a brother Kandaswami (L. Narayana Rao) whose daughter Prabha (Vanaja) is in love with the aspiring painter. Kandaswami’s evil wife (C.K. Saraswathi) creates trouble for Lakshmi at every opportunity. She uses Lakshmi’s money to win a lottery and makes a fortune, becoming more arrogant. The painter son is falsely accused of a murder committed by the crooked manager Sankaraiah (Ramasami). However, justice wins and happiness is restored…Kannamba was in top form and virtually carried the film on her shoulders. However, thanks to the predictable nature of the story, Lakshmi was only an average success.

Remembered for: Kannamba’s brilliant performance, the pleasing music by M.D. Parthasarathy, and the technical gloss of a Gemini Studios film.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.