Central Studios
Encyclopedia
Central Studios was a motion picture movie studio
in Coimbatore
, Tamil Nadu
, India
, started by B.Rangaswamy Naidu (a.k.a B. R. Naidu) and other prominent industrialists like Swamikannu Vincent of Coimbatore in 1935 to make Tamil and other South Indian language movies.The Studio was a major hub of Tamil Movie production and notable for many early day Tamil Movie Superstars starting and spending their early part of career in this Studio.
when in 1905 a South Indian Railways employee Samikannu Vincent purchased a film projector along with some silent films from a Frenchman named Du Pont who had fallen ill on his touring exhibition. Samikannu Vincent then built a business as film exhibitor first by traveling around the country and finally erecting tents theaters for screening films. His tent cinema became popular as he traveled all over the state with his mobile unit.In 1917, Samikannu Vincent built South India's first permanent cinema theater, Variety Hall Cinema, at the Town Hall; it is now called the Delite Theater. As Samikannu Vincent also generated his own electric power for his theaters, he built a series of theaters in and around the city to screen silent films. He also became a distributor for the French Pathé Frères movie projectors. In the early 1930s he launched the Variety Hall Talkies banner to make sound film
(a.k.a talkies) and released a few movies which were mainly shot in Calcutta. Feeling a need to have a movie studio, he was instrumental, along with other industrialists and movie makers, in establishing a fully equipped studio in Coimbatore.
Also during the late 1920s, another firm under Sabapathy was involved in the distributorship of an Italian movie projector
company, eventually leading to the manufacture of their own brand of movie projectors in Coimbatore. By the early thirties Coimbatore already had a studio named Premier Cinetone Studio (later renamed Pakshiraja Studios
). In 1935 a London-educated graduate, T. R. Sundaram
, built a fully equipped movie studio, Modern Theatres
, in Salem, and the region became the central hub for movie activity.
), Samikannu Vincent, and another new movie director Sriramulu Naidu (who joined as a working partner). Studio commenced its operation in 1936 with their first release being Thukkaram in 1937 directed by Sriramulu Naidu. By the early 1940s the Studio became the central hub of Tamil Movie industry.
city. The Studio had almost all modern facilities required for a Movie studio along with Sound and film editing labs and technical workshops. The sound engineers and cameramen were all Germans during the 30s. The studio also had a music department headed by S. M. Subbiah Naidu. The studio also boasted the BNC Mitchell Camera
which cost a whopping Rs 500,000 in the 1930s. Most of the artists and technicians were on monthly payroll.
.Other production houses that operated inside the studio were Narayanan and Company, Manorama Pictures and Venu Pictures. The then popular comedian trio N. S. Krishnan
and T. Mathuram had their independent production unit, Ashoka Films inside the premises. They often made their comedy track independently and sold to other Movie producers who later released as ‘side reel’.
and M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar.The popular comedian N. S. Krishnan
and T. A. Mathuram had their own office in the studio premises. The Silver Jubilee hit movie of 1936 Sivakavi
starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
, was an in-house production, as well as several socially significant movies. Other latter day popular Tamil movie stars who started or spent their early days were the two Tamil Nadu
state Chief Minister
s M. G. Ramachandran
and M. Karunanidhi
. The Studio housed famous musicians S. M. Subbaiah Naidu and G. Ramanathan
along with Papanasam Sivan
who had composed for some of the Studio Movies. The popular music composer M. S. Viswanathan
and lyricist Kannadasan
too spent their initial days at this studio for moving to Chennai.
Famous directors who operated out of the Studio were S. M. Sriramulu Naidu
, Ellis R. Dungan, A. S. A. Swamy, A. P. Nagarajan and popular duo Krishnan - Panju who directed their first movie in Central Studios. Sando Chinnappa Thevar
, a local lad who would later become one of the successful Tamil cinema producers started his career as an actor in this studio.
. During the early 50s Jupiter Pictures leased the Studio. Later B. R. Naidu family bought out majority of its shares. After B. R. Naidu’s demise the Studio management passed on to Lakshmi Mills
family who closed it in 1955 as Chennai by then emerged as the major Movie hub and also as a result of other lobbying groups who wanted to keep movie industry out of Coimbatore, as it was then emerging into a Industrial and Educational hub.
used the studio premises to build and test his race cars.
Till 2009 the text impression ‘ Central Studios’ can found at their main entrance gate. Recently in 2010 some structures were pulled down to make way for new developments.
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
in Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, started by B.Rangaswamy Naidu (a.k.a B. R. Naidu) and other prominent industrialists like Swamikannu Vincent of Coimbatore in 1935 to make Tamil and other South Indian language movies.The Studio was a major hub of Tamil Movie production and notable for many early day Tamil Movie Superstars starting and spending their early part of career in this Studio.
Movie industry in Coimbatore
Movies became a major industry in CoimbatoreCoimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
when in 1905 a South Indian Railways employee Samikannu Vincent purchased a film projector along with some silent films from a Frenchman named Du Pont who had fallen ill on his touring exhibition. Samikannu Vincent then built a business as film exhibitor first by traveling around the country and finally erecting tents theaters for screening films. His tent cinema became popular as he traveled all over the state with his mobile unit.In 1917, Samikannu Vincent built South India's first permanent cinema theater, Variety Hall Cinema, at the Town Hall; it is now called the Delite Theater. As Samikannu Vincent also generated his own electric power for his theaters, he built a series of theaters in and around the city to screen silent films. He also became a distributor for the French Pathé Frères movie projectors. In the early 1930s he launched the Variety Hall Talkies banner to make sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
(a.k.a talkies) and released a few movies which were mainly shot in Calcutta. Feeling a need to have a movie studio, he was instrumental, along with other industrialists and movie makers, in establishing a fully equipped studio in Coimbatore.
Also during the late 1920s, another firm under Sabapathy was involved in the distributorship of an Italian movie projector
Movie projector
A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying moving pictures by projecting them on a projection screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras.-Physiology:...
company, eventually leading to the manufacture of their own brand of movie projectors in Coimbatore. By the early thirties Coimbatore already had a studio named Premier Cinetone Studio (later renamed Pakshiraja Studios
Pakshiraja Studios
Pakshiraja Studios was a motion picture movie studio in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, established by S. M. Sriramulu Naidu in 1945.The studio has released movies in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam and Sinhala under the banner Pakshiraja Films...
). In 1935 a London-educated graduate, T. R. Sundaram
T. R. Sundaram
Tiruchengodu Ramalingam Sundaram was a Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Sinhalese film actor, director and iconic film producer...
, built a fully equipped movie studio, Modern Theatres
Modern Theatres
Modern Theaters Ltd was a motion picture movie studio in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India, started by Thiruchengodu Ramalingam Sundaram in 1935. The studio produced over more than 150 movies until 1982 in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Sinhalese and even English of which Tamil movies were the...
, in Salem, and the region became the central hub for movie activity.
Studio beginnings
Central Studio was founded by a group of prominent industrialists B. Rangaswamy Naidu, R. K. Ramakrishnan Chettiar (brother of India's first Finance Minister R. K. Shanmukham ChettyR. K. Shanmukham Chetty
Sir Ramasamy Chetty Kandasamy Shanmukham Chetty KCIE was an Indian lawyer, economist and politician who served as independent India's first finance minister from 1947 to 1949...
), Samikannu Vincent, and another new movie director Sriramulu Naidu (who joined as a working partner). Studio commenced its operation in 1936 with their first release being Thukkaram in 1937 directed by Sriramulu Naidu. By the early 1940s the Studio became the central hub of Tamil Movie industry.
Facilities
The Studio is located in Uppilipalayam village of Singanallur township, Trichy Road which is today a part of CoimbatoreCoimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
city. The Studio had almost all modern facilities required for a Movie studio along with Sound and film editing labs and technical workshops. The sound engineers and cameramen were all Germans during the 30s. The studio also had a music department headed by S. M. Subbiah Naidu. The studio also boasted the BNC Mitchell Camera
Mitchell Camera
Mitchell Camera Corporation was founded in 1919 by Henry Boger and George Alfred Mitchell. Their first camera was designed and patented by John E. Leonard in 1917, from 1920 on known as the Mitchell Standard...
which cost a whopping Rs 500,000 in the 1930s. Most of the artists and technicians were on monthly payroll.
Studio system
Central Studio released few movies, but the Studio housed lot of other production banners. The most popular being Jupiter Pictures and Pakshiraja FilmsPakshiraja Films
Pakshiraja Films was a Indian Movie production company based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.It was owned and operated by Film Director S. M. Sriramulu Naidu.From 1937 to 1945 the company released movies from Central Studios, but later from 1945 the company had its own Movie studio under the name...
.Other production houses that operated inside the studio were Narayanan and Company, Manorama Pictures and Venu Pictures. The then popular comedian trio N. S. Krishnan
N. S. Krishnan
Nagerkoyil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan , popularly known as Kalaivanar and also as 'NSK' was a leading Tamil film comedian, drama artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry - in the 1940s and 1950s....
and T. Mathuram had their independent production unit, Ashoka Films inside the premises. They often made their comedy track independently and sold to other Movie producers who later released as ‘side reel’.
Notable film personalities
The studio was a central hub during the early days for Tamil movies first 'Superstars' P. U. ChinnappaP. U. Chinnappa
Pudukkottai Ulaganathan Pillai Chinnappa , also popularly known as P.U.Chinnappa, was a popular singer and Tamil movie actor during 1930's and 1940s from Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu, India. He is also credited to be one of the first major influential actors of South Cinema...
and M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar.The popular comedian N. S. Krishnan
N. S. Krishnan
Nagerkoyil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan , popularly known as Kalaivanar and also as 'NSK' was a leading Tamil film comedian, drama artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry - in the 1940s and 1950s....
and T. A. Mathuram had their own office in the studio premises. The Silver Jubilee hit movie of 1936 Sivakavi
Sivakavi
Sivakavi was a 1943 Tamil-language film directed, initially, by Raja Sandow and later, S. M. Sreeramulu Naidu. It starred M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, S. Jayalakshmi, Serukalathur Sama, Thripuramba, T. R. Rajakumari, N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Madhuram...
starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar , also called M.K.T., was a Tamil film actor, producer and Carnatic music singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful Tamil film actors ever....
, was an in-house production, as well as several socially significant movies. Other latter day popular Tamil movie stars who started or spent their early days were the two Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
state Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
s M. G. Ramachandran
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran , popularly known by his initials , was an Indian film actor, director, producer and politician....
and M. Karunanidhi
M. Karunanidhi
Muthuvel Karunanidhi is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N...
. The Studio housed famous musicians S. M. Subbaiah Naidu and G. Ramanathan
G. Ramanathan
G. Ramanatha Iyer was a famous Music Composer for Tamil Movies. He is also known as 'Isai Methai' or 'Sangeetha Chakravarthy' and considered to be one of the influential Tamil Music composers to take Carnatic Music to the masses. Notable for his association with M.K.Thyagaraja Bhagavathar...
along with Papanasam Sivan
Papanasam Sivan
Papanasam Sivan was a prominent composer of Carnatic music and a singer.A famous composer, Sivan was also known as Tamil Thyagayya. Using Classical South Indian as a base, Sivan created numerous hits popularised by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and M. S...
who had composed for some of the Studio Movies. The popular music composer M. S. Viswanathan
M. S. Viswanathan
Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan , is a Tamil music director. He is popularly known as "Mellisai Mannar" . His major works over the past five decades have been in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films...
and lyricist Kannadasan
Kannadasan
Kannadasan was a Tamil poet and lyricist, heralded as one of the greatest and most important writer in the Tamil language...
too spent their initial days at this studio for moving to Chennai.
Famous directors who operated out of the Studio were S. M. Sriramulu Naidu
S. M. Sriramulu Naidu
Subbarayalu Naidu Munuswami Naidu Sriramulu Naidu , also pronounced as Sreeramulu Naidu, was an Indian businessman and movie producer from Coimbatore who founded the Pakshiraja Studios in 1945. He was responsible for the early development of the Tamil film industry in Coimbatore and was called the...
, Ellis R. Dungan, A. S. A. Swamy, A. P. Nagarajan and popular duo Krishnan - Panju who directed their first movie in Central Studios. Sando Chinnappa Thevar
Sando Chinnappa Thevar
Sando Chinnappa Thevar was a producer of Tamil films in the 1960s and 1970s. He is best known for his films featuring animals, and has produced numerous movies with M. G. Ramachandran as lead actor...
, a local lad who would later become one of the successful Tamil cinema producers started his career as an actor in this studio.
Final years
In 1945 Sriramulu Naidu left Central Studios to start his own Studio called Pakshiraja StudiosPakshiraja Studios
Pakshiraja Studios was a motion picture movie studio in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, established by S. M. Sriramulu Naidu in 1945.The studio has released movies in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam and Sinhala under the banner Pakshiraja Films...
. During the early 50s Jupiter Pictures leased the Studio. Later B. R. Naidu family bought out majority of its shares. After B. R. Naidu’s demise the Studio management passed on to Lakshmi Mills
Lakshmi Mills
Lakshmi Mills Company is a major textile yarn and cloth manufacturer in Coimbatore, India. The company was established by G.Kuppuswamy Naidu in 1910....
family who closed it in 1955 as Chennai by then emerged as the major Movie hub and also as a result of other lobbying groups who wanted to keep movie industry out of Coimbatore, as it was then emerging into a Industrial and Educational hub.
Present day
Most of the Studio structure is still intact as the B. R. Naidu family uses the premises for various industrial activities. Some of the buildings houses Textile production units and small workshops. During the 70s and 80s race car constructor and driver S. KarivardhanS. Karivardhan
Sundaram Karivardhan or short Kari was a legendary figure of Indian motorsports. Apart from being a successful formula car racer, was also a designer and constructor of several formula cars, his most famous design being the Formula Maruti open wheeled race car...
used the studio premises to build and test his race cars.
Till 2009 the text impression ‘ Central Studios’ can found at their main entrance gate. Recently in 2010 some structures were pulled down to make way for new developments.