Then came two films with which the first superstar of south Indian cinema, a legend in his lifetime,  -the legend that still lives even after forty years of his demise in 1959- M. K.  Thyagaraja Bhagavathar,  “ Sivakavi” and “ Haridas”. In “ Sivakavi” Rajakumari has a minor role as court dancer, Vanji and she dances to a famous song by Bhagavathar in raga, Naatakurinji, “ Kavalayai theerpathu naattiya kalayey…

 

“ Haridas” elevated her by many more rungs up the ladder. She was cast as Rambha, a traditional dancer-entertainer, a Devadasi, who seduces the married hero (Bhagavathar) only to ruin him on a challenge.  Her romantic scenes with Bhagavathar were very intimate, and erotic and considered daring for the day! Some thought that the scenes were vulgar! The movie was a musical feast (composer, Papanasam Sivan) and many songs became hits and are remembered and sung and hummed to this day after sixty -plus years and more.

 

The most celebrated sequence is a song and dance, with Rajakumari and Bhagavathar, in raga, Charukesi,  “Manmathan leelayai vendrar vundo.”  In that song Rajakumari says, “Swami!”  in response to Bhagavathar’s “ Rambha!” and the words became famous as much as the song !

 

(In a New Year Eve Night program in early 1990’s telecast by Doordarshan Kendra, Madras the famed and much feared music critic, Subbudu told this writer that raga, Charukesi became popular only after this film. According to him it is a difficult raga to sing. He said that classical Carnatic musicians began to sing Charukesi only after the impact of “Manmmadhan…”)

 

This sequence was hand tinted, frame by frame and screened in many places.

 

“ Haridas” created a stunning box-office record by running for 114 weeks with no break at single movie house, Broadway, Madras, and it witnessed three Deepawali Festivals, 1944-1945-1946! 

 

Then came the blockbuster, “ Chandralekha”…

 

Thanjavur Ranganayaki Rajayee was born in 1922 in a well-known Devadasi family of talented musicians and dancers for many generations.  Her grandmother Thanjavur Kushalambal was a well-known Carnatic musician of her day in her home district. As Rajayee had a melodious voice the grandmother and mother were eager that the girl should take up music as her career. She received rigorous training in music and attained a good standard. But Dame Destiny had other plans for young Rajayee!

 

Rajayee grew into a stunningly attractive teenager with bountiful, bouncing buxom curves, expressive face and eyes and the family began to think of a career in movies for their dusky, delightful darling!  Her aunt, SP. L. Dhanalakshmi was already in Madras playing lead roles in movies like  “ Vasanthasena” (1936, directed by the forgotten Indian film pioneer, Raja Sandow and shot in Poona, now Pune.)

 

( The heroine first cast in “ Vasanthasena” was the noted Carnatic musician, Rajam Pushpavanam, the daughter of the famed Carnatic music maestro, Madurai Pushpavanam, and cousin of the legendary immortal of music, Madurai Mani  Iyer.  In a romantic scene Rajam had to embrace her hero and Raja Sandow, noted for his warm and hot love scenes, showed Rajam how to hug! Her uncle- chaperone objected to such hot steamy hugs and Raja Sandow sacked Rajam on the spot and brought on board Dhanalakshmi by the next available train from Madras! Raja Sandow was a tough and no-nonsense guy who would not hesitate to shout at and slap his crew and cast including women! Regretfully there are no such directors these days! )

 

One destiny -rich night Rajayee seventeen going on eighteen took the night train to Madras from Tanjore (as it then was known) to seek her fortune in movies.  One wonders what young Rajayee’s thoughts, dreams and more were as she sat in the train while it chug-chugged its way to the bayside provincial capital some two hundred miles away. In the city she stayed with her aunt in Purasawalkam.

 

At that time Dhanalakshmi was working as heroine in the amazing American Tamil filmmaker, Ellis R. Dungan’s folk myth movie, “Kalamegham” and she took her niece to meet the filmmaker at the film company office on Luz Church Road, Mylapore.  Dungan was bowled neck and crop by the dusky dark stunner especially her upper body architecture and her curves and contours like a Hindu temple sculpture!  As the casting had already been done he could offer Rajayee only a fluffy comedy role The aunt and niece politely rejected the offer.

 

She got a break in a good role in “Kumara Kulothungan” opposite a well-known actor of the day, C. D. Kannabhiran. Produced by Deccan Cinetone it faced money crunches and progress was painfully slow. Then she got another film, “Mantharavathy” but that film too suffered from the same problems!

                                                                (To be continued)