More than 40 years after it wound up business, the Modern Theatres in Salem, one of South Indian cinema’s pioneering production houses is back in the news. This time, the buzz is not on the silver screen but a volatile political screen.
What is the history of this production house?
The Modern Theatres was established in the mid-1930s by T.R. Sundaram. This production house is credited with churning out numerous hit movies for forty years. It had launched the careers of many actors, writers and lyricists.
What is the current controversy?
The production house was originally located on a 8.9 acre property on the Yercaud - Salem highway. In 2004, the property was bought by Ravi Varma, a realtor. It was then converted into a housing layout. Today, all that stands in memory of the Modern Theatres is the arch at the entrance of this property, with the words ‘The Modern Theatres’ engraved on it.
Abutting this arch, there is a property that measures 1,347 sq.ft., according to Ravi Varma.
Last week, Ravi Varma claimed that he and his family members were being pressured to sell this property to the government. He claimed that the Salem Collector S. Karmegam asked him to handover this property to the government to install a statue of former Chief Minister Karunanidhi and feared for his and his family’s lives.
The Highway Department has claimed the plot falls under the classification “Salai Poramboke” and hence the property belongs to it. Highways Minister has said there are no plans to install any statue there.
How is Modern Theatres intertwined with the Dravidian politics?
It is here that the late DMK patriarch M. Karunanidhi was employed on a monthly salary. He first wrote the dialogues for the Tamil movie ‘Manthiri Kumari’ which was also one of the earliest hit flicks of his friend and AIADMK founder M.G. Ramachandran.
In 2018, after taking over DMK leadership, M.K. Stalin said his father’s ties with Salem lasted seven decades and that Salem was Karunanidhi’s “adopted home”.
Script and presentation: D. Suresh Kumar
Production: Shibu Narayan
Videography: Thamodharan Bharath
