Sabapathy (1941 film)
Encyclopedia
Sabapathy is a 1941 Tamil film directed and produced by A. V. Meiyappan and A. T. Krishnaswamy. It was a comedy film starring T. R. Ramachandran
T. R. Ramachandran
T. R. Ramachandran was a Tamil actor and comedian who played memorable roles in movies from the 1940s to the 1960s.- Filmography :...

, Kali N. Ratnam and K. Sarangapani.

Production

Sabapathy was one of the early hits of Tamil film pioneer A. V. Meiyappan. He entered the Tamil film industry as a director with his 1935 film Alli Arjuna which bombed at the box-office. His other early ventures too were average grossers. A. T. Krishnaswamy made a suggestion that Meyyappan should make a film about one of Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar
Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar
Pammal Vijayaranga Sambandha Mudaliar, popularly known as the father of modern Tamil theatre was a great playwight of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He made enormous contributions to the Tamil drama.-Birth and education:...

 comedy farce dramas. Meyyappan accepted it and hired actor T. R. Ramachandran (then working at Pragathi Pictures for a 35 Rs monthly salary) as the hero and comedian Kali N. Ratnam as a simpleton (based on the Handy Andy
Handy Andy
Handy Andy may refer to:* Handy Andy, a book by Samuel Lover* Handy Andy , a brand of children's carpentry tools* Andy Kane, a carpenter in the BBC DIY TV show Changing Rooms...

 character created by Samuel Lover
Samuel Lover
Samuel Lover was an Anglo-Irish songwriter, novelist, as well as a painter of portraits, chiefly miniatures. He was the grandfather of Victor Herbert....

). R. Padma then famous as a model for Lux Soap
Lux (soap)
Lux is a global brand developed by Unilever. The range of products includes beauty soaps, shower gels, bath additives, hair shampoos and conditioners. Lux started as “Sunlight Flakes” laundry soap in 1899....

 was chosen as heroine. Pammal sambandha Mudaliar wrote the story and screenplay, while P. K. Krishna Iyer was the cinematographer. Produced at the cost of Rs. 40,000, the completed film was 15,400 feet in length.

Plot

The film tells the story of a happy-go-lucky young man Sabapathy and his man servant (also named as Sabapathy). Sabapathy, son of a rich socialite and politician, Rao Sahib Manikka Mudaliar, neglects his studies and repeatedly fails his high school examinations. To make matters worse, his marriage is arranged
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...

 with Sivakami, daughter of a friend of his mother, Thribura Ammal. While Sabapathy's father initially rebukes Sivakami for distracting Sabapathy from his studies and Thribura Ammal for her decision to marry off Sabapathy before comnpleting his high school studies, he relents when he finds that Sivakami was actually assisting Sabapathy in his preparation for the examinations. The film ends with Sabapathy eventually clearing his high school examinations with the help of his wife.

The film begins with the introduction :

Cast and crew

  • T. R. Ramachandran
    T. R. Ramachandran
    T. R. Ramachandran was a Tamil actor and comedian who played memorable roles in movies from the 1940s to the 1960s.- Filmography :...

     - Sabapathy M.
  • Kali N. Rathnam - Sabapathy the manservant
  • R. Padma - Sivakami Sabapathy
  • C. T. Rajakantham - Gundumuthu
  • K. Sarangapani - Tamil teacher Chinnasami Mudaliar
  • P. R. Mangalam
  • Hiraniah
  • A. V. Meiyappan - Director and Producer
  • A. T. Krishnaswamy - Director and Producer
  • Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar
    Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar
    Pammal Vijayaranga Sambandha Mudaliar, popularly known as the father of modern Tamil theatre was a great playwight of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He made enormous contributions to the Tamil drama.-Birth and education:...

     - Story and Screenplay
  • T. K. Sundara Vadhyaar - Lyrics
  • P. V. Krishna Iyer - Cinematographer
  • Vardurgar Kochappu - Art Director
  • M. V. Raman - Editor
  • V. M. Meenakshi Sundaram - Choreographer
  • Saraswathi Cine Lab - Film Processing
  • Saraswathi Musical Troupe - Music

Reception

The film was a box office success - the first for Meyyappan, who went on to become a movie moghul. The jokes about Tamil teachers and the name confusion between the hero and the simpleton were well received by the audience. The film bought acclaim to the director A. T. Krishnaswamy and the hero T. R. Ramachandran. The comedic duo of Kali N. Rathnam and C. T. Rajakantham also became famous rivaling the fame of NS Krishnan- T.A. Maduram
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....

. As of 2009, it is still popular and is regularly shown in Tamil T.V. Channels.

External links

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