S. Soundararaja Ayyangar of Tamil Nadu Talkies (TNT) who signed his films as ‘S. Soundararajan' was one of the pioneers of South Indian Cinema. A successful metal vessels businessman, he entered movies because of his interest in the arts, as a financier even during the Silent Film period and soon became a producer, director and financier-distributor promoting his company, which he named ‘Tamil Nadu Talkies.' A serious student of Hollywood Cinema, he also visited Hollywood as part of an Indian film delegation and met many Hollywood celebrities such as Cecil B. DeMille.
He made movies in Tamil and Telugu and introduced many new faces to cinema, both on and offscreen. He was responsible for introducing stars such as Vasundhara Devi, Ranjan, Krishnakumari, Rama Sarma, a Telugu actor, filmmakers B.S. Ranga (who began his career as a cinematographer) and Joseph Thaliath Jr.
One of his early films was a popular folk myth, ‘Mohini Rukmangadha' (the story of ‘Ekadhasi Vratha Mahatmyam'). Soundararajan made it into a musical and the song book carries the line that the film has ‘50 lilting songs' (music, lyrics-script K. V. Santhanakrishna Naidu).
The major attraction was a song-dance sequence involving 21 dancers, which had many stunning top angle shots, showing the dancers in incredible and dazzling kaleidoscopic patterns of circles, crawling snakes and blossoming flowers. This was far ahead of its time in Tamil Cinema, coming as it did during the 1930s. Soundararajan drew inspiration from the Hollywood icon of choreography, Busby Berkeley, for the amazing song and dance sequence.
Busby Berkeley (1895 – 1976) was a highly influential Hollywood choreographer-director who was famous for his elaborate dance production numbers in complex geometric patterns in which he used many showgirls in a kaleidoscope of movements, dazzling the viewer. Berkeley used props such as pianos as fantasy elements in his ballet-like dances. His masterpieces include Footlight Parade, 42nd Street,Gold Diggers of 1933 and the classic Neptune's Daughter (with aquatic star Esther Williams in the lead role).
In Mohini Rukmangadha , P. B. Rangachari, noted singing stage and screen star of the early decades of Tamil Cinema, played Rukmangadha who faces the wrath of the gods, especially, Parvathi, who sends Mohini (M.S. Vijayal) to tempt him away from his orthodoxy. Vijayal was a noted actor in the early decades of Tamil Cinema and was active, even in the later years, playing mother and grandmother roles. Saradambal played the queen who swoons as her husband prepares to sacrifice his young son to please his mistress Mohini.
The scene of Rukmangadha sword unsheathed getting ready to kill his son, while his wife swoons and mistress watches, was painted by the icon of Indian painting, Raja Ravi Varma and is one of his most famous works.
Mohini Rukmangadha fared well both with the critics and at the box office, and moviegoers raved over the famous dance sequence.
Remembered for the historic and brilliantly photographed 21-dancer song and dance sequence and melodious music.
