Latest news with #Annai
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
A fond farewell to C. Venkatachalam who built Chennai's Ega theatre
It was in the April 30 edition of this column that I wrote about the song O Bak Bak Bak Bakum Bakum Mada Pura from the 1962 film Annai, speculating on the Madras bungalow where it was shot. I had in that column veered towards A. Nagappa Chettiar's bungalow Uma Bhavanam on Spur Tank Road. But even then, I had my doubts, because the building in the song is clearly colonial, while Nagappa Chettiar's house is Art Deco. I had wondered if the house had been remodelled since the song, but I now stand corrected. However, C. Venkatachalam, the one person who could have reassured me beyond any doubt, died last week and so this column is a tribute to him as well. Mudaliandan's house But firstly, about the song. I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from Chandrika Badrinath from London, stating that the house where this song was shot was the residence of C. Mudaliandan Chetty on Poonamallee High Road. The RBI quarters in the song cannot be seen from Spur Tank Road, she says. She would know, considering that all her childhood was spent at Ajmer, the residence of her father T.K. Singaram and grandfather T.S. Kachapikesan's on Poonamallee High Road. And, she added most helpfully, she recalls the shooting of the song very well because it created quite a stir, especially among the house help. I realise it is Ajmer that is the neighbouring bungalow seen in the song. The house that Chandrika refers to, known as Manohar, stands behind the Ega/AnuEga theatres on Poonamallee High Road, with Vasu (Naidu) Street separating it from where Ajmer stood. C. Mudaliandan Chetty's is one of the historic Arya Vysya families of Madras, their fortunes made in condiments. The business was begun in 1884 by E(ga) Venkatakistnamah Chetty and by 1917, when Somerset Playne wrote his landmark Southern India, was run by the founder's grandson, Candalagadda Manavala Chetty. Mudaliandan Chetty was the latter's son. The family subsequently branched out into other activities. New Year party Manohar is a residence I knew very well at one time because Mudaliandan Chetty's son, C. Venkatachalam, was a family friend. For years, he hosted a New Year party on his front lawn, before that space was swallowed by a high rise. It was also Venkatachalam who built Ega/Anu Ega in the 1980s on a corner of the family plot. It was where many Hindi films, in particular, celebrated silver jubilees. No matter what the rush of bookings be, 'Uncle Venkat' was just a phone call away to usher you into a box. The same went for darshan at Srirangam. The Ega family ran a guest house there and a bonus was that the caretaker sold some wonderful pickles and masala papads. Among the many Arya Vysya charities Venkatachalam served on was the Sri Kanyaka Parameswari Devasthanam. He was among the visionaries that retrieved the property from the Kotwal Chavadi market and converted it into a women's college. Uncle Venkat watched my writing career with interest, though he always told N. Krishnan, my father-in-law and his bosom pal, that I spent too much money buying books. He had a sharp eye for finding errors in any Arya Vysya history that S. Muthiah or I wrote about and would immediately call to correct us. As he aged, we corresponded less and last week I spoke to his son Parankusan, asking if I could meet the old man on the Annai song. He would be delighted was the response, but then, Uncle Venkat passed on, on Friday. I hope he was smiling till the end. (V. Sriram is a writer and historian.)
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
A song, a theatre, and a fond farewell to a family friend
It was in the April 30 edition of this column that I wrote about the song O Bak Bak Bak Bakum Bakum Mada Pura from the 1962 film Annai, speculating on the Madras bungalow where it was shot. I had in that column veered towards A. Nagappa Chettiar's bungalow Uma Bhavanam on Spur Tank Road. But even then, I had my doubts, because the building in the song is clearly colonial, while Nagappa Chettiar's house is Art Deco. I had wondered if the house had been remodelled since the song, but I now stand corrected. However, C. Venkatachalam, the one person who could have reassured me beyond any doubt, died last week and so this column is a tribute to him as well. Mudaliandan's house But firstly, about the song. I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from Chandrika Badrinath from London, stating that the house where this song was shot was the residence of C. Mudaliandan Chetty on Poonamallee High Road. The RBI quarters in the song cannot be seen from Spur Tank Road, she says. She would know, considering that all her childhood was spent at Ajmer, the residence of her father T.K. Singaram and grandfather T.S. Kachapikesan's on Poonamallee High Road. And, she added most helpfully, she recalls the shooting of the song very well because it created quite a stir, especially among the house help. I realise it is Ajmer that is the neighbouring bungalow seen in the song. The house that Chandrika refers to, known as Manohar, stands behind the Ega/AnuEga theatres on Poonamallee High Road, with Vasu (Naidu) Street separating it from where Ajmer stood. C. Mudaliandan Chetty's is one of the historic Arya Vysya families of Madras, their fortunes made in condiments. The business was begun in 1884 by E(ga) Venkatakistnamah Chetty and by 1917, when Somerset Playne wrote his landmark Southern India, was run by the founder's grandson, Candalagadda Manavala Chetty. Mudaliandan Chetty was the latter's son. The family subsequently branched out into other activities. New Year party Manohar is a residence I knew very well at one time because Mudaliandan Chetty's son, C. Venkatachalam, was a family friend. For years, he hosted a New Year party on his front lawn, before that space was swallowed by a high rise. It was also Venkatachalam who built Ega/Anu Ega in the 1980s on a corner of the family plot. It was where many Hindi films, in particular, celebrated silver jubilees. No matter what the rush of bookings be, 'Uncle Venkat' was just a phone call away to usher you into a box. The same went for darshan at Srirangam. The Ega family ran a guest house there and a bonus was that the caretaker sold some wonderful pickles and masala papads. Among the many Arya Vysya charities Venkatachalam served on was the Sri Kanyaka Parameswari Devasthanam. He was among the visionaries that retrieved the property from the Kotwal Chavadi market and converted it into a women's college. Uncle Venkat watched my writing career with interest, though he always told N. Krishnan, my father-in-law and his bosom pal, that I spent too much money buying books. He had a sharp eye for finding errors in any Arya Vysya history that S. Muthiah or I wrote about and would immediately call to correct us. As he aged, we corresponded less and last week I spoke to his son Parankusan, asking if I could meet the old man on the Annai song. He would be delighted was the response, but then, Uncle Venkat passed on, on Friday. I hope he was smiling till the end. (V. Sriram is a writer and historian.)
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Going back in time to fix the location of a film song in Madras
Long long ago, so long ago, nobody knows how long ago, as Nagesh said in (I think) Ethir Neechal, my dear friend Mohan V. Raman, the actor, made a presentation during Madras Week on the city as seen in old Tamil films. The programme was a hit and since then, Mohan has been a fixture at the Madras Musings Lecture Series each year. 'Let us start with his name,' fellow-organiser Sushila Ravindranath will say. 'He will come up with something new.' And he has, each year. The reason I bring that up is that ever since that presentation, it has been a hobby of mine to view old Tamil films and try and identify where in the city certain portions were shot. And in that, one of my favourites is the song Azhagiya Mithilai Nagarinile from the film Annai (AVM, 1962). While much of the film is dominated by P. Bhanumathi and Sowcar Janaki, the song (lyrics Kannadasan, music R. Sudarsanam, voices P. Susheela and P.B. Srinivas) is picturised on Sacchu and Harinath driving about the beach, Poonamallee High Road, NSC Bose Road, and Rajaji Salai. In the background is a complete pageant of the colonial buildings of the city. I have counted up to 18 monuments, including statues, in all. I don't think this record is bettered by any other film song. Which brings to mind another song from the same film, O Bak Bak Bak Bakum Bakum Mada Pura (voice P. Susheela), picturised on Sacchu, Harinath, and J.P. Chandrababu on the rooftop of what is clearly a garden bungalow of the city. The song itself incidentally is a straight lift, tune, situation and all, from a Bengali favourite of mine, O Bakum Bakum Payra, sung by Sandhya Mukherjee for the 1960 film Maya Mriga. For that matter, Annai itself is based on the same film. I always wondered as to which house it was in which the Tamil song was shot. Even as Sacchu and Chandrababu dance as only they could with a dovecote in the foreground, the camera takes in quite a bit of the neighbourhood. The house itself seems to be of colonial vintage, with a two-level terrace, a wooden stairway, and across the garden is a neighbouring bungalow, which has clearly seen better days. And rising ominously at the rear, as a sign of things to come, is a block of flats, still under construction. Last week, I casually asked Mohan as to where this song was shot. He immediately swung into action, messaging Sacchu herself and then M. Kumaran, A.V. Meyyappa Chettiar's son. The answer was swift — it was the residence of A. Nagappa Chettiar, on Spurtank Road. And so, the block of flats to the rear was the RBI Quarters on Poonamallee High Road. The mention of Nagappa Chettiar had me looking up J. Prasad Davids' biography on this businessman who was known as the leather king in his time. In it is featured a photo of the residence, Uma Bhavanam. But what surprised me was that this was very much an art deco bungalow, the kind that was popular in the 1960s while the house in the song is clearly a colonial structure. Did Nagappa Chettiar make structural alterations to the building after 1962 and give it an art deco façade? The house, incidentally, still survives, lovingly tended to by the family. Annai was made in Hindi as Ladla, which unlike the original, was a failure. It is, however very interesting, to see a film shot with a lot of Madras where everyone speaks Hindi! (V. Sriram is a writer and historian.)
