K. Subramanyam

Krishnaswami Subrahmanyam
Born April 20, 1904
Papanasam,
Madras Presidency,
British India
Died April 7, 1971 (aged 66)
Madras
Occupation Film Director,
Film Producer,
Screenwriter
Years active 1931-1957

Krishnaswami Subrahmanyam (1904–1971) was a renowned Indian film director of the 30s and 40s. He is the father of popular Indian danseuse Padma Subrahmanyam.[1]

Biography

K. Subrahmanyam was a key figure behind the establishment of a Madras based Tamil film industry. He started his film career as scenarist and producer, working on P. K. Raja Sandow's silent films like Peyum Pennum. He started Meenakshi Cineton with R. M. Alagappa Chettiar, directing his first film Pavalakkodi, in which the Tamil film star M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar debuted. He made a remarkable shift with the politically emphatic Balayogini, criticizing the caste system prevalent then.

In 1938, he made Sevasadanam, advocating a better deal for woman, the saint film Bhakta Cheta, critiquing untouchability and the war effort film Mana Samrakshnam. His best-known work is the strident nationalistic reformist film Thyagaboomi. Thyagabhoomi was a novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy, which was banned by the British government.[2] He also directed the Malayalam film Prahlada (1941) which was scripted by noted playwright N. P. Chellappan Nair.

Family Life

K. Subramaniam married Meenakshi and had children Balakrishnan, S. V. Ramanan, Krishnaswami, Chandrasekar, Lalitha, Bhama, Leela and Dr. Padma Subramanyam . He married S. D. Subbulakshmi with consent of his first wife Meenakshi and blessed with Abaswaram Ramji. He kept both the families together and managed them without any discrimination between them until his last breath. Among his children only S. V. Ramanan, Krishnaswami and Dr. Padma Subramanyam are associated with cinema and dance.

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ "A progressive film-maker". Frontline (India). 3 July 2004.
  2. ↑ http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Memories/98/fna/fnadirs1.htm

External links