A significant film made at the AVM Studio as a partnership venture with S. K. Pictures was Kula Deivam. It had a socially relevant message about the efficacy of the joint family system and remarriage of young Hindu widows. The lot of the Hindu widow has been one of untold misery, anguish and denial of comforts and she was ostracised even by her family. She could not wear jewels or flowers and had to be attired in white. Besides, she was considered an ill-omen. In some orthodox communities, she had to tonsure her head regularly. In some families, she was taken to task if she laughed loudly! Indeed, the Indian Government passed “The Hindu Widow Remarriage Act” as early as 1856, but it didn't help matters. The tradition-bound society felt it was an intrusion by the British rulers into the time-honoured customs. The practice continued for centuries and during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, some social reformers took up the cudgels and fought for widow remarriage. The most famous of them were Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar and Kandukuri Veeresalingam Panthulu who faced opposition and danger to life and limb. A strong religious group took Panthulu to court on this issue! He created history by performing a widow remarriage in Purasaiwalkam, Madras. Yet it took a long time for such marriages to be accepted by Hindu society. Not surprisingly, the issue was the fulcrum of plays and movies in many languages during the early 20th Century.
Many memorable movies revolved around this social problem — Y. V. Rao's Malli Pelli (1939, Telugu), B. N. Reddi's Sumangali (1940, Telugu), Kishore Sahu's Sindoor (1947, Hindi) and M. R. Vittal's Hannaley Chiguridhaaga (1968, Kannada).
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A socially significant film, Kula Deivam met with great success. Directed by Krishnan-Panju, the film had music by R. Sudarsanam and lyrics by Subramania Bharati, Bharathidasan, Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram, K. P. Kamatchi and Athmanathan.
V. R. Rajagopal, a stage comedian with large, expressive eyes and excellent sense of timing, made a splash and came to be known as
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The film was awarded a Certificate of Merit awarded by the Government of India. In 1957, Meiyappan remade it in Hindi as Bhabhi which was a phenomenal success.
Remembered for the socially relevant storyline, excellent performances by Sahasranamam and Pandari Bai, pleasing music and touching on-screen narration.