| Haridas | |
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Promotional poster of the film with a picture of M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar displayed prominently, highlighting the film's successful three-year run at Broadway theater (1944, 1945 and 1946). |
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| Directed by | Sundar Rao Nadkarni |
| Produced by | Royal Talkies |
| Written by | Ilangovan |
| Starring | M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar T. R. Rajakumari N. C. Vasanthakokilam N. S. Krishnan T. A. Madhuram Pandari Bai |
| Music by | Papanasam Sivan G. Ramanathan |
| Cinematography | Adi Irani T. Muthuswamy |
| Editing by | Sundar Rao Nadkarni |
| Release date(s) | 16 October 1944 |
| Language | Tamil |
| Box office | $219,000 |
Haridas (Tamil: ஹரிதாஸ்) is a 1944 Tamil language film directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni and starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. It holds the record of being the first film to run continuously for 110 weeks at a single theatre.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
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Haridas was directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni, a Marathi film director and produced by Royal Talkies. It was based on the story of the life of a poet-saint called Haridas.[6] The role of Haridas was played by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, who was highest paid actor in Tamil film industry then.[7] The film was very short (10,994 Feet[8]) compared to other films from the same period. Featuring a number of melodious songs sung by Bhagavathar, the film was released on Deepavali Day (16 October) 1944.[9] Classical musician N. C. Vasanthakokilam, who was often compared to M. S. Subbulakshmi as a singer, played the role of Haridas' wife.[9] The film also marked the debut of renowned Tamil actress Pandari Bai.[10] The comedic duo of N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Mathuram were also cast in this film.[1] Post production work was done in central labs.[8]
Haridas (Thyagaraja Bhagavathar) is a vain individual who spends his life in luxury and lust ignoring his wife(Vasanthakokilam). But when his wealth is appropriated by a courtesan (T. R. Rajakumari), he realizes life's realities, reforms and spends the rest of his days serving his parents and God.
All songs in this film became hits. The song "Manmadha leelayai vendrar undo" celebrating erotic love has become an enduring hit and the phrase has entered every day Tamil usage. Papanasam Sivan was the composer for this film and G. Ramanathan was in charge of the orchestration. A partial list of songs from this film:
Haridas hit the theatres on Deepavali day (16 October) 1944. It was a huge success and ran for 110 consecutive weeks till Deepavali day (22 November) 1946 at the Sun Theatres in Broadway, Madras.[5][6] Including different theatres it had an uninterrupted theatrical run of 133 weeks.[2][3] With the profits earned from the film, the producers established a knitting company in Madurai.[6] Bhagavathar became Tamil cinema industry's highest paid star and was offered One lakh (1,00,000) Rupees per film.[6] Following the success of Haridas, Bhagavathar was immediately booked for as many as twelve films.[6] However, he was not able to enjoy his success as he was arrested in November 1944 as a suspect in the Lakshmikanthan Murder Case.[1]
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