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Haridas
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Sundar Rao Nadkarni
Written by	Ilangovan
Produced by	Rayal Talkie Distributors
Starring	M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar T. R. Rajakumari N. C. Vasanthakokilam
Cinematography	Adi Irani T. Muthuswamy
Edited by	Sundar Rao Nadkarni
Music by	Papanasam Sivan G. Ramanathan
Release date	16 October 1944 (1944-10-16)
Running time	117 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Haridas is a 1944 Tamil language film directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni and starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, T. R. Rajakumari and N. C. Vasanthakokilam.

It holds the record of being the longest-running Tamil film at a single theatre for 784 days. IBN Live included Haridas in its list of 100 greatest Indian films of all time. The film was initially released in black and white with just one scene in colour, which was manually colored by studio technicians. The film was re-released with full colour in 1946. It was the last film of M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar before his two year imprisonment due to the Lakshmikanthan murder case.

Plot

Haridas (Thyagaraja Bhagavathar) is a vain individual who spends his life in luxury and lust, ignoring his parents for his wife (Vasanthakokilam), and ignoring his wife for a courtesan (T. R. Rajakumari). But when his wealth is appropriated by the courtesan, he realizes life's realities, reforms and spends the rest of his days serving his parents and God.

Cast

Cast according to the song book:

Production

Haridas was directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni, a Marathi film director, and produced by Rayal Talkie Distributors, a Madurai based Textile Yarn and Dye merchants at Central Studios in Coimbatore. The film was adapted from the book Sri Krishna Vijayam by Elangovan. It was based on the story of the life of a poet-saint called Haridas. The role of Haridas was played by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, who was the highest-paid actor in the Tamil film industry at the time. It was very short (10,994 Feet) compared to other films from the same period. Featuring a number of melodious songs sung by Bhagavathar, the film was released on Diwali (16 October) 1944. Classical musician N. C. Vasanthakokilam, who was often compared to M. S. Subbulakshmi as a singer, played the role of Haridas' wife. The film also marked the debut of renowned Tamil actress Pandari Bai. The comedic duo of N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Mathuram were cast in this film. The film was shot at Central Studios, Coimbatore.

Soundtrack

All songs in this film became hits. The song "Manmadha Leelayai Vendrar Undo", based on Charukesi raga, celebrates erotic love and has become an enduring hit, with the phrase entering every day Tamil usage. Papanasam Sivan was the composer and G. Ramanathan was in charge of the orchestration. A partial list of songs from Haridas:

Two songs, sung by N. C. Vasanthakokilam ('Enadhu Manam Thulli Vilaiyaaduthe' and 'Kannaa Vaa') were recorded by HMV distinct from the film version of these songs and were released with black label. (See External links for link)

All lyrics are written by Papanasam Sivan

Reception

Haridas hit the theatres on Diwali (16 October) 1944. It was a huge success and ran for three consecutive Diwalis at the Sun Theatres in Broadway, Madras. Across theatres it had an uninterrupted theatrical run of 133 weeks. With the profits earned from the film, the producers established a knitting company in Madurai. Bhagavathar became the Tamil cinema industry's highest paid star. However, he was not able to enjoy his success as he was arrested in November 1944 as a suspect in the Lakshmikanthan murder case. IBN Live included the film in its list of 100 greatest Indian films of all time.

References

1. ^ "100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 greatest Indian films of all time". IBN Live. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
2. ^ "Haridas Created in Coimbatore Turned a Magnum Opus for MKT Bhagavathar". 8 December 2018.
3. ^ Dhananjayan 2014, pp. 56.
4. ^ "Filmography of M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar Page 1". Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
5. Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1994). Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema. British Film Institute. p. 57. ISBN 0-85170-455-7.
6. Anandan 2004, pp. 28.35.
7. ^ Dhananjayan 2014, pp. 57.
8. ^ Randor Guy. "From Silents to Sivaji Ganesan – A Lookback". Archived from the original on 23 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
9. Guy, Randor (14 February 2003). "Actress who glowed with inner beauty". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
10. ^ Guy, Randor (11 July 2008). "Haridas 1944". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
11. Raghavan, Nikhil (24 May 2014). "Coimbatore's celluloid connection". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
12. Jeshi, K. (20 March 2014). "Celluloid stories". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
13. Mani, Charulatha (3 February 2012). "A Raga's Journey — The charm of Charukesi". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 September 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
14. Pillai 2015, pp. 92.
15. Thoraval 2000, pp. 38.

External links

• Haridas at IMDb
• "Video of the 'Manmathan Leelayil Vendrar Undo' song from Haridas". YouTube. (In public domain in India)
• "Video of 'Krishna Mukunda Murare' song from Haridas". YouTube. (In public domain in India)
• "Video of 'Annaiyum Thanthaiyum Thaane' song from Haridas". YouTube. (In public domain in India)
• "Video of 'Ennudal Thanil' song from Haridas". YouTube. (In public domain in India)
• Kannaa Vaa on YouTube - Sung by N. C. Vasanthakokilam
• Enadhu Manam Thulli Vilaiyaduthe on YouTube - Sung by N. C. Vasanthakokilum

Bibliography

• Anandan, Film News (2004). Sadhanaigal padaitha Tamil Thiraipada Varalaaru (in Tamil). Chennai: Sivagami Publications. pp. 28.35, 33:2.
• Baskaran, S. Theodore (1996). The eye of the serpent: an introduction to Tamil cinema. Chennai: East West Books. p. 46.
• Dhananjayan, G. (2014). Pride of Tamil Cinema: 1931 to 2013. Blue Ocean Publishers.
• Limca book of records. Bisleri Beverages Ltd. 1996.
• Pillai, Swarnavel Eswaran (2015). Madras Studios: Narrative, Genre, and Ideology in Tamil Cinema. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-93-5150-212-8.
• Thoraval, Yves (2000). The cinemas of India. India: Macmillan. p. 38. ISBN 0-333-93410-5.

• 1944 films
• Indian biographical films
• 1940s Tamil-language films
• 1940s Indian films
• Films scored by G. Ramanathan
• 1940s biographical films
• Indian black-and-white films
• Films scored by Papanasam Sivan
• Films directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni
• Tamil-language Indian films