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Song of the Day # 893

From: bb on:  Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:17 pm 

Song of the Day: A Hundred Songs of Bhanumathi - Part XIII

- Saravanan writes:

ippadiyum oru peN

~ A Hundred Songs of Bhanumati ~

Part XIII: maNimEkalai- rajabhakthi- raja dEsingu

‘Sir,... One need not pay much attention to Dada Saheb Phalke and other awards as the highly multi-talented actress is far beyond such awards. If an award has to be given, she needs to be given the highest award in each faculty of cine field- be it action, singing, music direction, film direction or production. Awards, be it Padmasri, Kalaimamani, NTR National Award and innumerable literary awards, chased her and not the other way around. What greater award can an actor expect other than the love, admiration and affection of the audience for more than fifty years? …. Some people are born great. Bhanumathi Ramakrishna belongs to that genre...’

-Pisipati Sriram Prasad from Bangalore, an ardent fan of Bhanumati, paying a heart-felt tribute to the doyenne (Letters to the Editor, The Times of India, December 26, 2005)



On Bhanumati’s birth anniversary today, let us indulge anew in our continuing celebration of the glorious legacy that she has left behind and look up her movies released in 1959 and 1960 in this chapter.

26. maNimEkalai (1959/ Shekhar Art Film Enterprises)

Manimekalai is one of the 5 great epics that Tamil is renowned for, the others being Silappadhigaram, Kundalakesi, Jeevakachintamani and Valaiyaapathi. Perceived a sequel to Ilango Adigal’s Silappadhigaram, Manimekalai was written by Seethalai Saathanar. It narrates the moving chronicle of chastity, charity and compassion that marked the life of Manimekalai, the daughter of Kovalan and Madhavi. Written around the 2nd century A.D. and set against a Buddhist backdrop, the story is an enlightening mirror of the society and culture of the time in Southern India and Srilanka, The story, in short, is this. Manimekalai, the daughter of Madhavai and Kovalan, grows up to a beautiful woman. Her grandmother Chitrapati and mother Madhavi being renowned courtesans, Manimekalai is accomplished in music and dance. (Another account has it that Madhavi is deeply disturbed by Kovalan’s cruel death and glowing reports of Kannagi’s chastity bring about changes in her moral outlook. Withdrawing from the life of a courtesan, she brings up her daughter in an atmosphere of renunciation and spirituality) Prince Udayakumaran is smitten by Manimekalai’s bewitching beauty and professes his love for her. However, destiny had other plans for Manimekalai. A fairy goddess, (called Manimekalai Deivam), carries her away from Poompuhar to the southern island of Manipallavam. Manimekalai wakes up from her trance and is mystified at the alien surroundings. She comes to a place sanctified by Buddha, and in flash, revelations of her earlier birth dawn on her. She learns that Udayakumaran was her husband in her previous birth. Goddess Manimekalai teaches her the art of astral travel and the secret of metamorphosing herself into another being. Goddess Tivatilakai appears now before Manimekalai and inculcates in her the doctrines of Buddhism. Following the instructions of the Goddess, Manimekalai goes around a pond from the middle of which a bowl emerges and places itself on Manaimekalai’s outstretched hands. This is the Amudhasurabhi, the cornucopia that would never deplete.

Flying back to Kaveripoompattinam, Manimekalai reunites with her mother and narrates to her all that had transpired. They meet Sage Aravana Adigal who informs them the history of the mystic Amudhasurabhi. Manimekalai now takes to feeding the poor and needy with her magic bowl. The king who had earlier viewed her with suspicion now perceives her innate divinity and agrees to her proposal to turn the prison to a hall of charity where Buddhist monks could meditate and establish a hospice for the poor. Prince Udayakumaran continues to pursue Manimekalai, despite her avowed spiritual inclinations. In an effort to ward of his unwelcome advances, Manimekalai takes up the form of Kayachandika, an accursed Yaksha. Kayachanika’s husband Kanjanan believes that Manimekalai is his wife who has been cured of her illness, and when he finds Udayakumarn stalking her, kills him in fury. Surmounting several hurdles that come in her way, Manimekalai learns the sacred tenets of various religions and finally takes up the sacred orders of a Buddhist Bikhuni, spending the rest of her life in Kanchipuram.

Manimekalai, the epic, has been translated into several languages and has been told and retold across centuries. Paranormal shenanigans, oracles and reincarnations interwoven onto a trellis of Buddhist philosophy, the narrative is a literary masterpiece. The work is historical treasure that depicts the growth of Buddhism in the Indian peninsula in the 2nd century. It dates even much earlier than the Srilankan narratives in Pali- Dipawanso and Mahawanso and the invaluable works of Fa Hian and Hwen Thsang in Chinese. The translation by Alain Danieloun and other commendable efforts by Lakshmi Holmstorm and Rajaram Ramachandran have popularized this epic all over the English speaking world. Researchers have even drawn parallels with Greek mythology. Judith Weir’s opera based on the story adapted by Vayu Naidu has won world-wide appreciation in recent times.

Nearer home, Tamil cinema, which has drawn material from the great epics – silappadhikaaram was filmed as ‘kannagi’, and later as ‘poompuhaar’, vaLaiyaapathi was filmed under the same name, kundalakEsi was adapted as ‘manthirikumaari’, was bound to take up Manimekalai sooner or later. Manimekalai, with its canvas of renunciation and compassion cloaked in spiritual hues was an ideal subject for a movie. K.B. Sundarambal played the first celluloid Manimekalai. ‘maNimEkalai alladhu balasanyaasi’ (1940/ T.K. Productions) starred KBS in the title role along with Kothamangalam Seenu, NSK, T.A.Mathuram and others. Directed by Bomman Irani, the movie is remembered for songs composed by Papanasam Sivan and Papanasam Rajagoplan like ‘maasindRi kulamaadhar’, ‘siRaichaalai enna seiyum’ and ‘paavi yEn piRandhEn’ sung soulfully by KBS.

Nearly 20 years later came another adaptation of the epic. Directed by V.S. Raghavan, ‘maNimEkalai’ (1959) had dialogues by Ilangovan. G. Ramanathan composed music for the songs written by Maruthakasi, Kannadasan, Kambadasan and Thanjai Ramiahdoss. Bhanumati appeared in the title role, with T. R. Mahalingam playing Prince Udayakumaran. After years of hibernation following his bankruptcy, TRM had made a successful comeback with Kannadasan’s ‘maalaiyitta mangai’ in 1958, and this saw him enjoy another innings in tinsel town. ‘maNimEkalai’ was among the early movies that marked the TRM resurgence, and his ‘aaNdavan thamizhanada’ enjoyed immense popularity in its time.

Coming to Bhanumati’s songs in the movie, listen first to the delightful ‘ínbam inbam inbam’. In the throes of love, Manimekalai sings of this inexplicable ecstasy, confiding her rapture to her companion Sutamati.



Listen to the haunting humming which Bhanumati commences the song with, and the aalaap that she bestows on it towards the end… inbam..inbam..inbam!

Listen to ‘inbam inbam inbam’

We have next the famous T.R. Mahalingam- Bhanumati duet ‘kaNgaLin veNNilavE’. GR crafts the song in such a way that TRM soars in the higher octaves that he was famed for, while Bhanumati revels in the lower orbits for most part and in the end the talented singing stars traverse the lower regions together…

Listen to ‘kaNgaLin veNNilavE’

The love is now a dream of a distant past, as Manimekalai is now in the distant isle of Manipallavam and is soaked in spirituality. Under the counsel of Goddess Tivatilakai, Manimekalai goes around a pond, and stands praying to Buddha. Her piety filled lines reflect a fervent plea to Buddha, her savior, to deliver the mystic bowl to her, so that she may feed the destitute masses with it. And her emotive entreaty is not in vain; the amudhasurabhi materializes amidst the lotus flowers in the pond, and reaches Manimekalai’s hands.



Bhanumati’s song is filled with emotive undercurrents, and the chant in the end brings the song to an apposite close. The movie has an amazing choral humming after the song ends as the bowl materializes.

Listen to aadharam unnai allaal indha abalaikku’’

The last song is the deeply philosophical ‘ulagamE oru siRaichaalai’. Manimekalai muses over the various prisons that one interns oneself in… Is it only 3 walls and a few bars that make a jail?

Listen to ‘ulagamE oru siRaichaalai’


Despite Bhanumati’s brilliant performance which was commended by C.N. Annadurai, the movie did not fare well. Her wonderful songs, however, live on in memory.

* * * *

27. rajabhakthi (1960/ P. Rajamanickam)

A historical novel, ‘rajabhakthi’, by Marathi writer Joshi was successfully adapted for the Marathi stage in the early 30s. V.C. Gopalratnam, a leading lawyer of the time and a great patron of arts, translated the play to Tamil and Sundararao Natkarni took up the story for celluloid adaptation. ‘rajabhakthi’ (1937 Chellam Talkies) starred B.R. Panthulu, Ratnabai, Saraswatibai, Pattabiraman and R.B. Lakshmidevi. The same story was filmed afresh under the same title by director K. Vembu in the late 50s and was saw a belated release in 1960. However, despite boasting of a galaxy of the leading stars of the time such as Sivaji Ganesan, T.S. Baliah, M.N. Nambiar, Bhanumati, Vyjayantimala, and Padmini in its cast, this ‘rajabhakthi’ of 1960 was a colossal failure.

Nevertheless, the songs composed by Govindarajulu Naidu were noteworthy and veterans M.L.V. (‘kaRka kasadaRa’), T.S.Bagavathi (‘annaiyE dEvadEvi’) and Ravu Balasaraswathi (‘paar muzhuthum iruL parappum’) ensure that the album is not forgotten. Quite surprisingly, Bhanumati did not get to sing any songs in the movie. In an interview years later, Bhanumati remarked that her movies in which she did not sing were invariably commercial disasters, and cited ‘rajabhakthi’ and ‘poovum pottum’ as cases in point.

* * * *

28. raja dEsingu (1960/ Krishna Pictures)

Around 160 Km from Chennai and 35 Km from Thiruvannamalai stands an imposing remnant of a glorious past. Spread over three hillocks and looking down impassively upon a mundane and mechanical world, the citadel of Gingee (or Senji as it is more popularly known as) dates back to more than 700 years. Going by the rock inscriptions on the hillocks, however, historians opine that Jains had dwelt in Senji even earlier, i.e. from 200 B.C. to 500 A.D. Senji came under the Pallava, Chola and Hoysalas rule successively. It was during the Chola regime (900 A.D. – 1003 A.D.) that a small fort was first built atop the hill. However, it was later under the Konar regime (1190 A.D. - 1330 A.D.) that the fort was further strengthened. When Senji came under control the Vijayanagar empire in the 14th century, Krishnadeva Raya entrusted Senji to Krishnappa Nayak. During the Nayaks’ governance, the fort was expanded to massive proportions. In the subsequent centuries, Senji was under the control of the Bijapur Sultans, Marathas, Mughals, Nawab of Arcot and later was annexed by the French and finally by the British who warded off valiant efforts by Haider Ali to seize the fort.

However, the one name that invariably crops up at any mention of Senji is that of Raja Desingu, who ruled the kingdom, albeit for a short period, with sagacity and valour in the 18th century. Over the years, the saga of Raja Desingu has been become an enduring and endearing part of Tamil folklore. Countless ballads, stories, puppet shows, dance, stage and street shows have been inspired by the tragic tale of this brave hero of Senji.

The Mughal general Zulfikar Khan assigned the rule of Senji to Swaroop Singh, the fearless Rajput general of Buldelkhand in 1700 AD, with the rider that Swaroop Singh would have to pay cess to the Nawab of Arcot who was the agent for the Delhi Sultanate. Swaroop Singh soon won the respect and loyalty of the people of Senji. During his rule, Hindus and Muslims lived amicably in Senji and there was peace and prosperity all around the small state. A son was born to Swaroop Singh and his wife Rambai, whom they named Tej Singh. It was Tej Singh whose name was Tamilised as Desingu.

There are numerous versions of the Desingu legend. One of the versions goes thus. Swaroop Singh has a secret paramour called Jaan Bibi, and they have a son called Dawood Khan who was a little older than Desingu. Fearing that Dawood might pose a threat to the succession of the throne in years to come, on the advice of his commander and close confidant Yusuf Khan, Swaroop Singh persuades Jaan Bibi to leave Senji, taking little Dawood with her. Desingu grows up to be a handsome youth of integrity and courage. His bosom friend is another brave young man called Mohammed Khan, and two are always inseparable. At this juncture, the Sultan of Delhi offers to free any state coming under his dominion whose ruler manages to tame a wild horse in his stable. The dauntless Desingu manages to tame the stallion and ride it, to the loud cheers of the huge audience. Filled with admiration, the Sultan frees Swaroop Singh who had earlier failed in this endeavour and gives them a written proclamation of Senji’s independence.

Meanwhile, growing up under the slur of illegitimacy, Dawood vows to rule Senji some day. But in her deathbed, Jaanbibi extracts a promise from Dawood that he would not cause any harm to Desingu. Dawood goes to Arcot and wins the confidence of the Nawab when he rescues the Nawab’s infant son from being crushed under an elephant’s feet. The grateful Nawab appoints him as his general. When Dawood expresses his determination to subjugate Senji, the Nawab expresses his helplessness, stating that nothing could be done as long as Desingu has the written proclamation of Senji’s independence in his custody. It is around the same time that Desingu dismisses his general Yusuf Khan from service when he is caught trying to commit adultery. Abetted by the humiliated Yusuf Khan who has now turned traitor, Dawood makes use of his striking resemblance to Desingu and extracts the written parchment from the unsuspecting wife of Desingu.

Now that Senji had no proof of its independence, Arcot declares war on Senji for non-payment of taxes. Under the resolute leadership of Mohammed Khan, Senji emerges triumphant in warding off the Arcot forces. But even as Mohammed Khan fetches water to quench the thirst of a dying soldier of Arcot, Yusuf Khan shoots him from the back. And not satisfied with dastardly act, Yusuf Khan kills Mohammed Khan’s fiancée Aysha who had come to the battlefield in search of her beloved. Wanting the brothers to fight against each other now, Yusuf Khan carries false reports to Desingu that it was Dawood who killed Mohammed Khan. Athirst with revenge for the death of his friend, Desingu rushes to the warfront and soon challenges Dawood to a duel. Dawood is hesitant to fight with his brother, and even advises Desingu that they could leave the fighting to their troops. But Desingu is no mood to listen and soon the brothers are engaged in a bitter duel. Handicapped by his oath not to harm Desingu, Dawood is soon vanquished and lies mortally wounded. Desingu’s delight is short-lived, for Yusuf Khan now informs him that Dawood is none other than his brother. Adding to his grief at the death of his friend, Desingu is horrified at having killed his brother, and in a moment of abject remorse, kills himself. The Nawab’s troops now enter the fort in victory, and Desingu’s brave wife Ranibai commits Sati.

Today, parts of the mammoth citadel, which was one ranked by Chatrapati Shivaji as the most impregnable fortress in India, are in ruins. I remember being taken on a day long excursion to the fort with my classmates while at primary school, but did not know much of the glorious history of the place then. The massive fortifications, embrasure walls, strategic gateways, magnificent royal chambers, imposing halls, huge granaries, temples with intricate carvings, mosques, tanks and an impressive marriage hall remain to this day, and if they could speak, they would narrate a stirring saga of friendship, love, courage, sacrifice, treachery and penitence….

A story such as this, filled with all the dramatic ingredients spelt a ready recipe for box office success. The first movie adaptation of the tale was in 1936. raja dEsingu’ (Rajeswari Talkies) was directed by the famed Raja Chandrasekhar. T.K. Sundarappa, V.S.Mani, M.Lakshmi and K.R.Saradambal were the lead actors. The lyrics of Madurai Baskaradoss were set to music by M. Baluswami. Two decades later, flush from the colossal success of his ‘madurai veeran’, which was also based on popular folklore, producer SM. Lakshmana Chettiar, popularly called Lena Chettiar, of Krishna Pictures set his eyes on the Desingu story. He set about producing it on an opulent scale, with the best of the crew and cast of the time. Veteran T.R. Raghunath was appointed director, and M.A. Rahman the cinematographer. Kannadasan and Makkalanban worked on the screenplay and dialogues. Art director P. Angamuthu designed sets of unprecedented grandeur at the Vijaya-Vauhini studious. R.N.Nambiar worked on the daring stunt sequences and Vazhvoor Ramiah Pillai, P.S. Gopalakrishnan, Thangaraj and Chinni-Sampath choreographed the dances. Lena Chettiar got VMP. Veeramuthu Chettiar to inaugurate the shooting.

MGR, of course, was Lena Chettiar’s instinctive choice to play Desingu and Dawood. SSR (Mohammed Khan), Bhanumati (Ranibai), Padmini (Aysha), OAK. Devar (Swaroop Singh), M.G. Chakrapani (Nawab of Arcot) and T.K.Ramachandran (Yusuf Khan) brought sheen to their roles. N.S. Krishnan, T.S. Baliah, K.A. Thangavelu, M.N. Rajam and T.A. Mathuram marked their presence in well-etched cameos. It was a fantastic performance from MGR. Apart from the thrilling stunt sequences where he proved his unparalleled prowess, particularly the spine-tingling sequence when he tames the wild horse, MGR showed glimpses of rare histrionics as well. If the moment where as Dawood, he allows a half-suppressed smile of admiration for Desingu’s brave antics is something that remains forever in memory, the climax sequences at the battlefield where in the dual roles of Desingu and Dawood, he reflects conflicting emotions of revenge, triumph, horror and compunction in fleeting moments of swift succession will go down in the annals of Tamil cinema as one of MGR’s finest performances ever. SSR and OAK. Devar, known for their fiery oratorical skills, spew rousing lines that glitter with the might of Kannadasan’s pen. Kamala Lakshman, Ragini and Kusalakumari execute some scintillating dance movements. Padmini is in her elements in the feet-tapping gypsy dance, the intense plea to the Nawab of Arcot to end hostilities, brave farewell to SSR on the eve of the battle and the poignant moments at the warfront. Oddly enough, though Bhanumati played MGR’s pair and was the heroine of the movie, her part seems relatively insignificant. However, despite the limited scope of the role, Bhanumati shows her mettle in all her scenes, particularly in the sequence where the royal astrologer wants Desingu and Ranibai to separate for 3 years. The war scenes showcase Bhanumati’s aptitude for challenging stunts as well, for there show her deftly handling the sword and defending the ramparts of the fort against the invaders.



G. Ramanathan composed music for the lyrics written by Udumalai Narayana Kavi, Thanjai Ramiah Doss and Kannadasan. The songs were sung by C.S. Jayaraman, Seergazhi Govindarajan, P. Leela, Jikki and P. Suseela. It remains one of the great imponderables of tfm as why GR chose to eschew his protégé TMS in this album (as he would do so again in kappalOttiya thamizhan). TMS was the majestic singing voice of ‘madurai veeran’, and it seemed natural for GR to repeat the magic in ‘raja dEsingu’. However, it is the talented Seergazhi Govindarajan who hits the jackpot instead, and Seergazhi rules the album with his inimitable resonance. And as a result of GR’s largesse Seergazhi Govindarajan sings for MGR (‘áadhi kadavuL ondREthaan’ and ‘kaaNaankuruvi kaattuppuRa’ with P. Leela), SSR (‘vanamEvum rajakumara vaLarkaathal inbamE thaarai’ with Jikki), Thangavelu (‘vandhaan paaru salangai saththam thanthaana thaaLam pOttu’ with P. Leela) and the closing omnition song (‘mannavanE senji maNiviLakkE’) as well! C.S. Jayaraman gets to sing the short addendum to ‘vanamEvum rajakumara’ and the duet ‘sarasaraaNi kalyaaNi’, both with Bhanumati. ‘vaazhga engaL ponnaadu’ (P.Leela & Jikki), ‘pazhanimalai idumbankuLam’ (P. Leela), ‘kaadhalin bimbam endhan kaNNil aadudhE’ (P. Suseela) and ‘pOdappORaaru aNNE pOdappORaaru’ (P. Leela) are the other songs in the album.

GR got MLV to render the intricate ragaamaalika depicting the dasaavatharam ‘paaRkadal alai mElE’ written by Udumalai Narayana Kavi, but the song did not feature in the movie.

Bhanumati gets to sing 2 songs in the album.

When Mohammed Khan falls in love with the pretty Aysha, he anticipates no opposition from his parents for the match. However, he finds that his mother and father have each identified a girl of their own choice to be his wife. When he informs them that he has already chosen his life partner, his father proposes that they go the queen for an appropriate decision. Ranibai asks each of them to write down the name of the girl they have in mind, and then discovers that all 3 of them have written Aysha’s name! the scene that follows is that of Aysha ans Mohammed Khan singing happily in the garden.



Lost that they are in an enticing world of their own, they do not notice Desingu and Ranibai watching their romantic escapade… and much to their discomposure, the king and the queen sing a few lines and taunt them playfully…



GR serves up an invigorating kaapi here, with Seergazhi Govindarajan and Jikki singing for Mohammed Khan (SSR) and Aysha (Padmini). C.S. Jayaraman and Bhanumati join them towards the end:

Listen to ‘vanamEvum rajakumara’ followed by ‘íyalOdu isaippOlE’


The second song is the lilting ‘sarasaraaNi kalyaaNi’. When the royal astrologer suggests that Desingu and Ranibai be separated for 3 years as an antidote for the inauspicious placement of their stars, Desingu pours scorn upon such beliefs. However, considering the welfare of Senji and heeding to his mother’s plea, Desingu is forced to consent to such separation. He carries on stolidly with his responsibilities as the ruler of Senji during the day. But when he returns to his chamber at nightfall, he is besieged by loneliness. He glance falls on a portrait of his beloved Ranibai playing the veeNai, and memories of their moments of blissful intimacy come cascading…. for a brief moment, the portrait seems to come alive…. and the King seeks succour in the enchantment of the dream…

Listen to C.S. Jayaraman and Bhanumati sing this lilting duet ‘sarasaraaNi kalyaaNi’. The astute GR lets sorrowful veeNai notes fill the background in the moments leading to the song as Desingu is seen looking mournfully at Ranibai’s portrait. The same veeNai brings forth notes of ethereal rapture as the dream song commences… The song sequence was innovatively filmed with some astounding trick shots with the veeNai motif handled imaginatively.



It is a short song, with a single charaNam…. Hark at the playful exchanges of ‘raja’ and ‘raNi’…

Listen to ‘sarasaraaNi kalyaaNi’


Due to various reasons, the movie was years in the making, and this is evident from the very fact that N.S. Krishnan was part of the cast. NSK had passed away in 1957 when he was acting in ‘ambikapathi’, and hence it is apparent that he must have completed all his scenes in ‘raja dEsingu’ earlier. I have vague memories of reading somewhere that Lena Chettiar fell out with MGR during this time, and this must have compounded matters further. Released belatedly in 1960, the movie did not fare well. And this, despite it being based on a well-known folk tale bolstered by the magic of MGR, and boasting of powerful dialogues, bewitching songs and thrilling stunt sequences. One of the probable causes for its failure could be traced to its tragic ending in which one MGR slays the other and then kills himself.

All the 3 movies that we looked at in this chapter were commercial catastrophes. Nonetheless, the lilting ‘kangaLIn vennilavE’ and the serene ‘sararaaNi kalyaaNi’ remain among Bhanumati’s most popular songs, and probably her only duets with T.R. Mahalingam and C.S. Jayaraman.

~ To be continued ~


Tags: Banumathi , G.Ramanathan

Categories: ippadiyum oru peN - A Hundred Songs of Bhanumathi

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