Orange Cap - Purple Cap

The Orange and Purple Cap Calculations

I have been wondering about the way these caps are being awarded. Needless to say that they are given to some really great Batsmen and Bowlers , not some , all of them.....but did they get it for the "right" reason ?? That is what I ask....the mere accumulation of Runs and Wickets cannot be the sole reason to be honored with a cap that bestows on you the title of the "best".
I for one believe that an innings of 35 scored at a strike rate of 200 is more valuable than a 60 scored at a run a ball - unless the Team required someone to stand and stem the rot.....even stemming the rot cannot Win you the match in this format - you can pace your innings the way Chris Gayle did in one match slow and steady and then the floodgates opened taking his strike rate above 150.
The collecting of wickets with total disregard to the economy rate and the bowling of dot balls during the "death" overs as the sole factor for the Purple cap cannot be fair in the overall scheme of things. Just as the Powers that be got a "team" of technical experts to arrive at a formula called "Duckworth-Lewis" , they should get some mechanism worked out. In the ICC rankings , What you get after winning against Bangladesh is totally different than what you get when you beat England or Australia. This is something that also needs to be worked out.
As a start I would prefer if the Runs scored is multiplied by the Strike Rate ( not as 165 or 189 but as 1.65 or 1.89) and points awarded. The Highest Points gets the Cap. I am sure a methodology that takes into account economy rate/dot balls bowled and wickets taken will also be possible.
Can we get to see the Most Valuable and Successful Batsman and Bowler wearing the Cap.....

Kumudam 25th April 2012 - A.V.Raman/V.P.Raman

Today's Kumudam (25/4/2012) carried a piece on a rare snap taken during a function held in 1968. I had Blogged about it earlier in September 2009. The link is given below. Please do read.

http://mohanramanmuses.blogspot.in/2009/09/so-many-chief-ministers-on-same-dias.html

A.P.Nagarajan - The Myth Master

As the heroine playing sthreepart

Shooting Agathiyar with seerkazhi and lakshmi
with NTR during Sampoorna Ra,mayanam 1958
APN the Director....

I wrote an article in the Hindu on Shri A.P.Nagarajan , noted film Director/Producer. It was published on Sunday 15th April in the Cinema Plus section , here it is , un edited with a lot more Photographs.

The Master of Mythlogy

The recent release and success of “Karnan” has prompted a lot of interest in the revival of some of the old mythological classics. The early years of both Silent and talkie Cinema was surfeit with Myths and Legends as the subject , slowly by the late 50s the “social” subject had almost fully taken over , the fact that the Dravidian parties and its Leaders contributed a lot to this cannot be denied. The one person who brought the “Mythological” back to celluloid was A.P.Nagarajan.

His son C.N.Paramasivan , an NRI businessman , says that the film Karnan and the warm response given to it has prompted to him to restore and present his father’s films like Thiruvilayadal , Saraswathi Sabatham , Thiruvarutchelvar and Thillana Mohanambal. As they are all films that have been seen many times by people on Television the restoration has to make both a visible and an audible difference to the Theater audience. We need to offer them something more than just viewing a good quality print. Some of the others like Kandhan Karunai , Karaikal Ammaiyaar , Thirumalai Deivam and Sri Krishna Leela too will be considered if the restoration costs reduce says Paramasivan.

Akkammapettai Paramasivan Nagarajan was born on the 24^th of February 1928 and christened as Kuppuswamy . His family were very wealthy landowners , almost Zamindars with thousands of acres . His father Paramasiva Gounder died when Nagarajan was a young boy , his mother Lakshmi Ammal followed her husband within a few months . His maternal grandmother Manicka Ammal took charge of the young boy and brought him up. She was afraid that he may not be cared well for by the Family. After a while she took him to a Drama Company and she did not inform them of the boy’s antecedents , later he shifted to Avvai T.K.Shanmugam’s Drama Cpmpany . As there were many Kuppuswamis his name was changed to Nagarajan. Nagarajan learnt his basics of the Dramatic Arts and even went on to play the “lead” in the Play “Gumasthavin Penn”. He was a remarkable actor , who brought to life all the roles he donned. His early “sthreepart” roles being very popular with the audience. He worked with the “Madurai Jayarama Sangeetha Boys Company “ as well as Sakthi Nadaga Sabha along with Sivaji ganesan and Kaka Radhakrishnan.

Nagarajan went on to grow in the world of Tamil Drama and started his own drama company the “Pazhani Kadiravan Nadaga Sabha” and in 1949 married Rani Ammal. He wrote and acted in several plays , when one of his plays “Nalvar” was made into a Movie . Nagarajan wrote the screenplay for his own Story and acted as the Hero in this Film. His film career had begun in 1953 both as a hero and as a writer. In an interview to a magazine he mentioned his father’s name as well as his ancestral village Akkammapettai. Some of his family members read this article and came down to meet him and he was re united with his family after almost 20 Years. Actor Sivakumar reminisced that the entire cast and crew of Thirumalai Thenkumari were hosted by the proud family of Nagarajan at the ancestral home.

He also acted in many movies for Producer M.A.Venu formerly of Modern Theatres like Mangalyam , Nalla Thangal , Pennarasi , wrote for Town Bus and by 1956 decided to focus on his writing. He wrote “ Naan Petra Selvam” , Makkalai Petra Maharasi , in the latter he introduced the “Kongu “ Tamil accent for the hero. The first of his many Mythologicals - Sampoorna Ramayanam ( 1958) was a big success and Rajaji , who had little regard for cinema watched this film and praised Sivaji Ganesan’s performance as Bharatha. He then started to Produce in Partnership with the actor V.K.Ramaswamy Nalla Idaththu Sammandham (1958) , Thayai Pol Pillai, Noolai pol selai (1959) , Paavai Vilakku and made his Directorial Debut with Vadivukku Valaigaappu (1962) . He launched his own Production Company with Navarathri and then went on to make his mark in the field of Mythologicals as well.

In 1965 , a year after Karnan , Thiruvilayadal hit the screens and set Box office records everywhere. This was followed by Saraswathi Sabatham , Kandhan Karunai , Thiruvarutchelvar , Thirumal Perumai , Agasthiyar , Thirumalai Deivam , Karaikaal Ammayaar and Sri Krishna Leela. He made Thillana Mohanambal and Raja Raja Chozhan , both of which too deserve to be restored. His son plans to re release some of the classics next year when Indian Cinema celebrates its century and his father’s 60 th year of entering Cinema.

A.P.Nagarajan passed away in 1977. A self taught man whose life was as much of an epic as were his Movies.

Nagesh On Thiruvilayadal

In his autobiography Nagesh wrote – “ Everyone kept telling me that I had done a superb Job and at times even stole the scene from the hero , so I was extremely scared that it may not see the light of day as the Director was as it is struggling to trim the film’s length. One day as I was in the recording Theatre Sivaji walked in and wanted to see the “Dharumi” piece. He did not notice me in the dark sound engineers room. He watched it once and then wanted to see it again – by this time I was sure that my scene , especially the solo lamenting, will be axed. To my astonishment , Sivaji turned and said – Do not remove a single foot from this episode as well as the episode with T.S.Balaiah , we can cut anything else. These will be the highlight of the film. This is my opinion but as the Director you have the final say. Whatever Dubbing additions have to be done , get that fellow (Nagesh) and lock him up in the Studio and don’t let him run away till he completes it to your satisfaction. He has done outstanding work. That was his generosity to his fellow actors “ .

How prophetic , for these two turned out to be all time classic performances and the backbone for the film’s success.

The Achievement of KARNAN

· When first released it was the first of the mythology series that made a comeback in the 1960s. It was an answer to the “rationalistic” dialogues that started catching up in the early 50s and totally drowned the Mythology genre. A trendsetter even then.

· In its re release Karnan became the First Tamil Old classic to be fully digitally restored.

· The first to be re released in 72 Centers all across tamil nadu

· The first to be re released in 10 Screens in Chennai City

· The first re release to celebrate 25 days in 30 centers , 5 in Chennai and 4 in Madurai.

Despite the Examination season and the IPL it is still showing a healthy collection with many shows sporting the House Full sign. On the day of the first Chennai Super Kings Match while many a Theater went a begging, Sathyam saw an almost full house.

Is this India ? If we want, we can

This is an image of a standard Seva Kendra.

My wife Padma and I had to go to the Passport Office to get her Passport renewed. I was so totally taken aback at the experience.

For a start there was no need to get a form and sit and patiently fill it up, go for Passport photographs etc. All this was done On line , from the comfort of our home. A receipt acknowleding the same was also Printable and Printed.

Then the appointment - a fixed time appointment is given and we go across to any of the three Passport seva kendras - we opted for the one at Nelson Manickam Road , just behind Ampa Plaza. There are two more, one each at Tambaram and Saligramam.

What a sight welcomed us !!!! A superbly appointed , neat Office with Smiling Staff who went out of the way to find out what our problem/need was. I found out that they were all employees of TCS and that TCS has been given the Front Office Management. We were there on Wednesday 15th of February. We entered the process at 12.01 PM and went through 3 Stages. A , B and C. The latter two being manned by Government employees who were again helpful and courteous.

In the first section they checked the documents , took a passport sized snap , Finger prints and off we went to the next section. A notice board kept blinking our token number and the counter to which we had to go next.

Then to C and we were through with a small exit counter where they gave a form and asked for our feedback. It took a grand total of 35 Minutes.

Just about an Hour ago the passport came by speed post. we had applied for the Tatkal scheme, I am told re issue of Passports takes a week only in the normal course and Tatkal is 3 days.

A classic case of Privatizing the front end without loss of Control and Security. The most important factor being the Cost is still the same Rs 1000 for re issue and an additional for a Tatkal that we needlessly asked for.

I am proud of my India.

A clear case that if we want , WE CAN.

STAR COUPLES....My article in Metroplus on 25th January

I wrote an article for the Hindu Metroplus dated 25th January.....It was edited from a slightly bigger article , more general and with a fuller world view....here is the total version , for those interested in reading what came in the Hindu - here is that link too -

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/article2835622.ece

A COUPLE ON STAMPS.

Marriages are made in Heaven is an oft repeated phrase. With Valentine’s Day round the corner “love is in the air”. Many marriages have stood the test of time and tribulations but more often than not The marriage of a couple from Tinsel Town has always been viewed at with doubts about its longevity. Indian Cinema too has had its fair share of break ups. This problem becomes more acute when both are from The Film Industry. The formula for leading men in those days was to Marry a quiet, simple Homemaker and for the leading lady it was to marry a successful businessman preferably from overseas. What was almost an essential was for the Lady to quit her Profession. I must add that many a film marriage has been quite successful and both have scaled heights of professional excellence.

One of the greatest honours a person can get is when he or she is featured on a Postage Stamp. It is quite a rare occurrence for a Husband and wife to be featured together on a Stamp – Pierre and Madame Curie were on several Stamps , one of the earliest being the French Issue in 1938.

Recently Monaco honoured Baba Amte’s son Dr.Prakash Amte and his wife Dr.Mandakini Amte with a Postage stamp. The Comedienne Lucille Ball and her actor, singer husband Desi Arnaz too feature in a Stamp.

During Royal Weddings , the couple is often featured in Stamps issued to commemorate the occasion. Even the latest wedding of Prince Harry was featured in Stamps issued by UK, New Zealand, Gibraltar. Actress Grace Kelly when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco was also one such.

It has always been a practice till recently by all recognised Philatelic Countries , not to issue Stamps for people who are still alive – Royalty and Heads of State apart. Dictators like Idi Amin had their way , either it was their head on a Stamp or the official’s on the Block.

Since Independence, India has issued around 2700 Stamps and The Father of the Nation and Kasturba Gandhi have been honoured on Stamps both Individually and together. In fact Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most featured people on Stamps by the largest number of Countries. The Couple adorn both a Stamp and a Postcard.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru too have been issued with Individual Stamps. His daughter Indira and grandsons Sanjay and Rajiv too have been featured on Stamps.

Durgabhai Deshmukh, Freedom Fighter and Social Reformer and her husband C.D.Deshmukh , the first Indian Governor of Reserve Bank of India , have also been featured in Stamps. She was a member of the Constituent assembly while he went on to become the Finance Minister of the Country from 1950 to 1956.

The three other couples so honoured are related to the Film Industry and the world of Arts.

Devika Rani , the famous actress and her Husband Svetoslav Roerich were both honoured with Stamps. He was a famous Painter. His father Nicholas Roerich too has been honoured with a Postage Stamp making it a unique family – Philatelically speaking as well.

Gemini Ganesh and Savithri have received this great honour. In a career spanning 50 Years Gemini had acted in more than 200 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and even Hindi. He was affectionately called the King of Romance ( Kadhal Mannan). In her 30 plus years of acting Savithri acted in more than 300 Films. She has also Directed a few Films and was known for her portrayal of tragic roles.

The multi talented Singer, actor Kishore Kumar and his wife Madhubala have both been featured on Stamps.

The one on screen couple that shook India in the 50s was Raj Kapoor and Nargis Dutt. They too have been honoured. In Nargis’s case the stamp shows the logo of the Spastics Society of India, an Institution for which she was the first Patron. Sunil Dutt sending a letter using the Stamp honouring his wife Nargis is truly poignant . Sunil Dutt specifically forbade any such move to honour him and so collectors like me lost a golden opportunity.

From International Cinema we have The Star Couple of Lord Lawrence Olivier and Vivian Leigh joining the ranks while the entire Barrymore family feature in a stamp of the United States. Lionel, Ethel and John , the grandfather of Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore. Alfred and Lynn Fontane , the famous actor couple too have been featured in a Stamp.

With almost half the Indian couples honoured for Professional and Social excellence by a Postage Stamp hailing from the Film Industry , It must lay to rest the adage that “Filmi” marriages do not result in a fair deal for both. All of them truly had the Stamp of a great Couple.

Earning Potential Sivaji Ganesan or Sivaji Rao (Rajinikanth) ??

Someone asked me the other day , when I remarked that during their heydays actors of the 60s were quite reasonably paid , those who had invested wisely are till today comfortable and those who frittered away their hard earned money are facing tough times.

My friend remarked that at his peak in the mid 1960s Sivaji is reputed to have charged a 1,00,000 or maybe a 1.5 lakhs , whereas today's Heros are all charging several crores - this set me thinking on who will have the greater earning Potential ?

Though the Title suggests the names of two leading actors, these observations are general. When I went through a historical record of the average Gold price for 10 gms of Gold in India , Yearwise I was quite surprised - Just for information , the data is as below.

In 1932 , the Year my father was born it was - Rs 23 per 10 gms ( average price)

In 1956 , when I was born it was - Rs 91

Whereas the price in the 60s ranged from Rs112 In 1960 and it rose to Rs 175 and in 1969.

Let us average it as Rs 150 for the 1960s and the quantum of Gold a Top hero could have bought from a Picture's earnings would have been 1000 , 10 gm coins - assuming 1.5 lakhs as his income.

The 2011 average Gold price is given at Rs 26, 400. ( 2006 . -Rs . 8,400 , 2007 - Rs.10,800 , 2009 - Rs.14,500 and 2010 - Rs.18,500 ).......To Buy 1000 coins of 10 gms , we will have to spend Rs 2.64 Crores now, or 1.45 crores in 2009. This is surely much more than what a top hero gets paid..... Does it mean that Today's stars are getting more ?

The answer is far different if we do some Historical analysis - I have heard that The Bungalow in Boag Road , as it was then called was Purchased for a Cost of One Picture's earnings. At a modest estimate of Rs 4 Crores per Ground (2,400 sq feet) , todays hero will have to shell out More than 60 Crores to acquire such a Property , if available.....Here I am not sure of the price as a single plot can probably fetch more too. I cannot think of any Hero making that kind of Money in Indian Cinema Today in one Film. (Unless he is Producing it as well.)

In the 1960s my father was offered a ground at about Rs 2,500 in Poes garden , When Anna Nagar was formed the price of a ground was even less in the late 1960s and early 1970s , so I think when we compare the Real estate Value of Money , The yester year Heros do fare far better.

Now for the Sting in the Tail - Please remember that In the 1960s , 70s and even 80s for all those declaring a net Income of over 6 figures , the Income Tax Rate was 90 plus percent.....Compare it with the Highest tax slab today....what does it reveal ???

That those who invested wisely , and let the real Estate Holdings just appreciate are far better off ?

I am just as confused at the end of this piece as I was at the beginning.....

Whatever be the amount they earned - Those legends left a telling mark because of their Competence and professionalism , as well as their concern for Society. It is my Prayer that we follow all the Good things they stood for and eschew that which we find bad.

Murugan Talkies , Mint -Article by me in the Hindu Metroplus.

from Hindu April 1932 ,

Another one bites the Dust. ( Kinema Central – Sri Murugan Talkies is no more)

It is a common site for a Chennaiite to see an old building being torn down to make way for a modern structure. Residents of Xavier Street , in Mint woke up last week to find one of their iconic structures being brought down –The Sri Murugan Talkies . With this demolition one more Single Cinema Hall is reduced to rubble. “It is not because the Theater is doing badly, as we were screening B Grade dubbed films that draws a fair crowd but to more effectively utilize the land and create better facilities” said Balasubramanian the Grandson of the founder. The proposed Construction plans to include a mini Theater , so that the 100 plus year old tradition started by his grandfather continues.

In 1895 , Murugesa Mudaliar, a rich Landlord from Ponneri came down to Madras to start some Business. He acquired a square plot of 10 Grounds , surrounded by streets on all four sides and built a “Market”. Sadly the business did not take off as he had hoped. During his frequent travels to Bombay he had noticed many Halls built for staging Plays. He came back and in 1910 converted the Market to a Theater and called it “Majestic Theater”. Many popular Drama Troupes like T.K.S Brothers , Kali N Rathinam, S.G.Kittappa and M.R.Radha staged many Plays here. “Avvai” T.K.Shanmugam recalls in his autobiography that it was in Majestic Theater that he first played under Electric Lights and it was also the first time he ate “Poori – Potato”. He also called it “Grand” and not Majestic.According to the family In 1915 Murugesa Mudaliar went to Bombay and purchased equipment to screen Movies. A huge crowd gathered to welcome him and the Projection equipment at the Central Station and he was taken in a procession led by a band and folk dancers to the Theater. He started screening silent films . Huge crowds gathered to watch this wonder , called the Motion Picture and Business was booming.hey built a second Theater in 1923 on the same plot and called it Prince , to mark the visit of the Prince of Wales to India. The Theater ran into a problem with the licensing authorities and shows were suspended after a few months, so the first multi Theater venture did not take off.

In 1931, Majestic’s name was changed to “Kinema Central” , it soon screened “Alam Ara” the first Indian Talkie. People from all over Tamil Nadu were fascinated with this new audio visual experience and flocked to the Theater. People came by Road and Rail to watch this film. There were 2 shows every day and the highest class Ticket was priced at One Rupee only. People used to bring food, snacks and even drinking water to the shows.

On October 31^st , 1931, the first “Tamil-Telugu” Talkie Kalidasa was also screened here. It is ironic that exactly 80 years later the Cinema Hall is coming down. Soon the films of M.K.Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, P.U.Chinnappa , T.P.Rajalakshmi , K.B.Sundarambal , T.R.Mahalingam were all screened here. The Theater was made to look like a Sivan Temple for Avvaiyar and that attracted huge crowds who broke Coconuts and lit Camphor outside the Theater. The Lobby has a huge collection of Photographs , a film historian’s delight.

After Murugesa Mudaliar passed away in 1942 , his son Paramasiva Mudaliar took charge and for 60 plus years his practice of opening the counter and selling the first 11 tickets daily till he passed away in 2006. He changed the name to Sri Murugan Talkies in 1948 in memory of his father. It had a capacity of 908 seats. It was his Passion for Cinema that kept the Theater functioning despite all odds.

Classics like Meera, Shakunthala , Avvaiyaar , Chinnappa’s Uththama Puthiran, MGR’s first film Sathi Leelavathi , K.Subrahmanyam’s Thyagabhoomi were all released here. MKT’s Ambikapathy , Thiruneelakantar, Ashokkumar enjoyed great runs and Chinthamani ran for nearly 3 years in Kinema Central. Once MKT wanted to watch the film along with the audience and a special Box was built to accommodate him.

MGR was a close friend of Paramasiva Mudalier. He re- released “Maruthanaattu Ilavarasi” and gave it a lot of Publicity to coincide with MGR ‘s taking over as Chief Minister. MGR wanted to watch this film and when they offered to send the Print over , MGR refused and said , though the Theater did not have Air Conditioning he still wanted to watch the Movie in Murugan Theater. Normal shows were suspended and the Chief Minister and his brother , and many friends watched a private show , re living memories of their youth when MGR used to stay near Wall Tax Road and watch movies here.

My Article in the HINDU on P.Kannamba , Actress.

Nobody is sure of Pasupuleti Kannamba's date of birth. Various forums mention the year as 1910, 1912 and 1913. However, in an interview toPesum Padam in October 1949, Kannamba said her date of birth was October 5, 1911, which makes this her centenary year. It is probably the earliest recorded interview of hers, giving personal details. Here her daughter-in-law Kalavathy gives insights into the legendary actor-producer's life.

Kannamba was born in Cuddapah to Lokamba and M. Venkanarasaiah, a Government contractor. She was their only child and grew up with her maternal grandparents in Eluru. Her grandfather, Nathamuni Naidu, was the village doctor. Her grandmother doubled as the village nurse. Even as a child she could sing well and was taught Carnatic music. Her grandfather who was a lover of literature and poetry supervised her education.

ENTRY INTO THEATRE

In 1927, when she was 16, she attended a play, titled “Harichandra”, staged by the Narala Nataka Samajam in Eluru. In the play, the actor who played Chandramathi sang and cried herself hoarse, but the audience laughed. Kannamba shouted that she should perform better. Upset, the actor said acting was not easy and dared the girl to try it. Kannamba jumped onto the stage, sang, acted and moved the very same audience to tears — a precursor of things to come. From the very next day, she became the leading actor of the drama company and went on to play Anusuya, Savithri and Yasodha to great appreciation.

One of the organisers of this drama group was K. P. Nagabhushanam. He fell in love with Kannamba and they married in April 1934 — this was his second marriage. The same year the couple launched their own drama company called Sri Rajarajeswari Natya Mandali and performed all over the Madras Presidency and the Nizam's Territories. The next step was obvious. A. Ramaiah of Star Combines approached her for the role of Chandramathi in their production “Harichandra”, to be shot at Shalini Cinetone, Kolhapur. She accepted the offer and thus her film career was launched.

The Saraswathi Talkie Company from Bezwada (Vijayawada) approached her for the title role in “Draupadi Vastrapaharanam” (1936) again to be shot in Kolhapur. In “Kanakadhara” shot at Vel Pictures, her portrayal of pathos got her rave reviews and she inched her way to stardom. She partnered with H. M. Reddi and B. N. Reddi in their production “Gruhalakshmi” (1938). She also acted in “Kalidas” made by Jaya Films, which became Shobanachala Studios and Venus Studios much later. In partnership with Saraswathi Talkies, she made “Chandika” and played the title character, displaying a gamut of emotions — anger, hatred and passion all of which were new to her tragedy queen image.

When Rajagopal Pictures wanted to make “Krishna Thoothu” at the Motion Picture Producers Council (later Gemini Studio), director Raghupathy Prakash approached her for her first Tamil film. Her dialogue delivery left much to be desired and her pronounced Telugu accent was one of the reasons why the film failed. Thankfully, the producers of the M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar classic “Ashok Kumar” approached her, despite the earlier debacle, and she delivered screenwriter Elangovan's lines in Tamil so perfectly that she became the automatic choice for the title role in the 1941 film, “Kannagi”.

By this time, she and her husband had started their own banner, Sri Rajarajeswari Film Company. She learnt Bharatanatyam to dance to MKT's singing, and this “ivar paada – avar aada” type of scene was so well received by the audience that it became a trendsetter.

ICONIC PERFORMANCE

In the Jupiter Films production of “Kannagi”, directed by R. S. Mani and written by Elangovan, she handled the literary and poetic Tamil without compromising on emotion, diction or cadence. Her performance in that film remains iconic. Kannamba became synonymous with Kannagi.

The question and answer in song between her and U. R. Jeevaratnam in this film became a pattern that many movies later followed. The music director of this film S. V. Venkatraman (who too celebrates his centenary this year) got this break because he was already composing for Kannamba's home production “Thalli Prema”. He went on to give classics such as “Meera”.

A pious person, Kannamba performed pooja every day before leaving for her film shoots. She was not blessed with children and adopted a son and a daughter. The daughter Rajarajeswari married director C. Pulliah's son, C. S. Rao, also a director. Kannamba's son was a tabla player. Her performance as the Queen Mother in “Manohara” was another highpoint in her career of over 150 films as an actor and over 25 films as a producer.

Veteran actress Anjalidevi recalls how helpful Kannamba was to aspiring actresses. “She taught us how to deliver dialogues in Tamil and even simple things like how to greet people with a Namaskaram. She was the inspiration for many Telugu-speaking actors to enter the Tamil film world.”

Kannamba passed away on May 7, 1964. Kannamba proved that you can excel as an actor in any language, provided you decide to learn it — a lesson many today need to learn.

(This was published in the Hindu Metro Plus of 1st October 2011.)