Bharthruhari

Bharthruhari is a 1944 Tamil language film produced by Krishnaswami Subrahmanyam. Subrahmanyam co-directed the film with C. S. V. Iyer. The film featured Serukulathur Sama and B. Jayamma in the lead roles with G. Pattu Iyer, N. S. Krishnan, V. N. Janaki, T. A. Madhuram and Kali N. Rathnam playing supporting roles.[1]

For the 1944 Hindi film, see Bhartrahari.

Bharthruhari
Directed byKrishnaswami Subrahmanyam
C. S. V. Iyer
Produced byKrishnaswami Subrahmanyam
Written byKrishnaswami Subrahmanyam
Screenplay byKrishnaswami Subrahmanyam
StarringSerukulathur Sama
B. Jayamma
G. Pattu Iyer
N. S. Krishnan
V. N. Janaki
T. A. Madhuram
Kali N. Rathnam
Music byV. S. Parthasarathy Iyengar
CinematographyC.V. Ramakrishnan
Production
company
Kalaivani Films
Madras United Artistes Corporation[1]
Distributed byKalaivani Films
Madras United Artistes Corporation[1]
Release date
1944[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

King Bharthruhari (Serkulathur Sama) is married to 300 wives. He spends most of his time with the youngest of them and his most favourite, Pingala (B. Jayamma). The chief groom of the king's horses, Aswapaalan (N. S. Krishnan) resorts to thievery to satisfy the needs of his mistress, Sundari (T. A. Madhuram). The people who were robbed complain to the king, who decides to find the culprit and punish him. Through sheer happenstance, Aswapaalan meets Pingala and both start having an affair without the king's knowledge. Vikramadityan (G. Pattu Iyer), the king's brother, catches Aswapaalan one night and puts him in custody in Pingala's palace. To escape from the situation lest her affair with Aswapaalan is discovered, complains to Bharthruhari that Vikramadityan tried to seduce her, which Vikramadityan denies. The king immediately banishes Vikramadityan without looking into the matter properly. Later, the king realises that his younger brother was telling the truth when he sees Aswapaalan and Pingala together. Shocked and aggrieved, he gives up his throne, brings Vikramadityan back and crowns him as the new king. Bharthruhari then becomes a hermit and retires to the forest to do penance.[1]

Cast

Adapted from The Hindu[1]

Production

Krishnaswami Subrahmanyam co-produced the film under his own banner Madras United Artistes Corporation with Kalaivani Films.[1][2] C. V. Ramakrishnan worked as the film's cinematographer. Both Nagoor and S. R. Sarma were in charge of the production design. Principal photography for the film was done at Newtone Studio.[1]

Bharthruhari featured intimate romance sequences between Jayamma and Krishnan which, according to film critic and historian Randor Guy, "people thought was in bad taste" and that it was "certainly far ahead of the times". The scenes generated negative controversy for the film, Jayamma and Krishnan and created an adverse impact on its box office performance.[1]

Soundtrack

V. S. Parthasarathy Iyengar composed the film's music and score while Papanasam Sivan, Rajagopal Iyer and Udumalai Narayana Kavi wrote the lyrics for the songs.[1] Jayamma and Krishnan sang a duet in the film.[lower-alpha 1]

Some songs
  • Neere Neere Maaran - B. Jayamma
  • Umaiyodu - Serukalathur Sama, B. Jayamma

Reception

Guy noted that the film was remembered for "the controversial scenes of Jayamma and Krishnan."[1] Bharthruhari neither received positive critical response nor did it do well at the box office.[1]

Notes
  1. Guy does not mention the song's name.[1]

References
  1. Guy, Randor (21 April 2012). "Bharthruhari 1944". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  2. Film News Anandan (23 October 2004). Sadhanaigal Padaitha Thamizh Thiraipada Varalaru [History of Landmark Tamil Films] (in Tamil). Chennai: Sivakami Publishers. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017.
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