The demise of N. Krishnaswamy, a pioneer in the Tamil film industry, has left a host of artistes of different age groups, sad. Producer, writer, director, magazine editor and dramatist, Krishnaswamy was the first to start an open-air theatre and he was closely associated with the small screen too, producing informative tele-films and serials. A giant in his own way, he is also remembered for his kindness, knowledge, perfection and humility.
Says ‘ Villu Paatu’ Subbu Arumugam : “A friend of 60 years, he was more like a brother. Our first meeting was during the making of Paditha Manaivi . Poet Bharatidasan was invited to write the songs. Krishnaswamy described the situation in impeccable English. I explained to the legendary poet that he was explaining the meaning for the line ‘Thooya Ullam.’ The poet was elated and wrote the lyrics. I like perfection, a quality he appreciated. He took me along when he visited VIPs such as Papanasam Sivan, M.K. Radha, N.S. Krishnan, ‘Kothamangalam’ Subbu and ‘Kaviarasu’ Kannadasan. He was an ardent admirer of my Villupattu. He never made a change in my writing. Once, for Pongal, he came to my house with gifts of clothes. I was so moved. That was also the first time I wore a silk dhothi and shirt in my life time.”
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Actor Sachu : I was the heroine in his “Mel Maadi Gaali,” a comedy serial shot for Madras Door Darshan Kendra. It was a huge hit, Vivek doing the main role. An able administrator, Krishnaswamy was the master of all arts. A good director and writer, he knew how much dialogue a scene required. I acted in another serial, “Melmaravathur Bangaru Adigalar, Amma,” who was Krishanswamy’s spiritual guru.
Actor ‘
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Carnatic singer Charumathi Ramachandran : Enkay, as we called him affectionately, was a pioneer filmmaker, next only to K. Subrahmanyam and his brother Viswanathan. Our family was closely associated with him. He was the first student of the Chennai film institute (then Madras) and a founder-member of the Film Institute, Pune. Enkay became famous for memorable documentaries. His ‘Golden Greats’ series for Podhigai on Veena Dhanam, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, GNB, T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai, M.L. Vasanthakumari and others were well-researched. My husband Trichur Ramachandran and I were interviewed extensively for our gurus’ documentaries (GNB and MLV). The ‘Raga Lakshana’ and ‘Composers’ series for Podhigai, featured the lecture-demonstration of my daughter Subhasree and myself. Enkay again invited me for singing for the freedom songs in Tamil. Incidentally, he was well-versed in Carnatic music.” .
Actor Ramesh Kanna : I would remember Krishnaswamy as a fine human being. He was a father figure to me. When I acted in his serial, I was not that popular, but he treated me on par with the main artiste. We both were deeply religious and he took me to his mentor Sri Bangaru Adigal. A perfectionist, he was strict on the sets but off it, he was relaxed and mingled with everyone. He co-produced the English film Sandokan with Kabir Bedi as the hero. Multi-faceted, he also produced and directed Manshulu Marali in Telugu with Sarada as its heroine. All those who enjoyed his warmth will definitely miss him.”