Bilhanan

Bilhanan
Poster
Directed by K. V. Srinivasan
Screenplay by A. S. A. Sami
Starring T. K. Shanmugam
T. K. Bhagavathi
M. S. Draupathi
Music by T. A. Kalyanam
Production
company
TKS Brothers
Release date
  • 23 April 1948 (1948-04-23)
Country India
Language Tamil

Bilhanan is a 1948 Indian Tamil-language historical drama film directed by K. V. Srinivasan, written by A. S. A. Sami and produced by T. K. Shanmugam of TKS Brothers. An adaptation of the play of the same name by Sami, itself based on the story of the Kashmiri poet Bilhana, Shanmugam also stars as the title character, along with T. K. Bhagavathi, M. S. Draupathi, T. K.Sivathanu and "Friend" Ramasami.[1]

Plot

A king searches for a suitable teacher to educate his daughter Yamini. Finally, he engages the poet Bilhana. To prevent any romance from developing between the two, the king tells Yamini that Bilhana is blind, and tells Bilhana that Yamini is deformed. He hangs a curtain between the two while the lessons are in progress. One day, amused by the sight of the full moon, Bilhana sings a poem in its praise. Yamini, wondering how a blind man can compose a poem about the moon, pulls down the curtain and finds that Bilhana is attractive and youthful, and he finds the princess attractive in turn. The two fall in love and decide to marry. The king opposes the marriage and when the lovers do not listen to him, he sentences them both to death. The king's friends and people protest and, understanding the power of true love, he forgives the lovers and gets them married.[1]

Production

A. S. A. Sami wrote and produced the Tamil play Bilhanan, based on the life of the Kashmiri poet Bilhana, for his college's annual day celebrations. The play became a success, and soon he submitted it to the Tiruchirappalli station of All India Radio, who broadcast it as a radio drama, with M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar playing the title character. The radio drama was also a success, and T. K. Shanmugam of TKS Brothers bought the rights to the play. He later adapted it into a film with the same name, and starred as the title character, with M.S. Draupathi playing princess Yamini and T. K. Bhagavathi playing her father, the king. Sami rewrote the script for the film adaptation, which K. V. Srinivasan directed. Shooting took place at Central Studios in Coimbatore.[1]

Soundtrack

The music of the film was composed by T. A. Kalyanam. One of the songs, "Thoondir Puzhuvinaipol" that was sung by the TKS brothers, used lyrics by the late Tamil poet Subramania Bharati. Film producer A. V. Meiyappan, who held the copyright to all of Bharati's work, sued the TKS Brothers for copyright infringement.[2]

Release and reception

Bilhanan was released on 23 April 1948.[3] According to film historian Randor Guy, the film was an average success because audiences "felt it was stagy in presentation". He did, however, note that the film would be "Remembered for the interesting storyline, impressive performances by Shanmugam, Bhagavathi and Draupathi".[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Guy, Randor (16 February 2013). "BLAST FROM THE PAST: Bilhanan 1948". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Guy, Randor (2016). Memories of Madras: Its Movies, Musicians & Men of Letters. Creative Workshop. p. 316. ISBN 978-81-928961-7-5.
  3. ↑ Film News Anandan (2004). Saadhanaigal Padaitha thamizh thiraipada varalaru [Tamil film history and it's achievements] (in Tamil). Sivagami Publications. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.