அம்பிகாபதி 1937

அம்பிகாபதி
இயக்குனர்	எலிஸ் ஆர். தங்கன்
தயாரிப்பாளர்	எம். எஸ். தொட்டண்ணா செட்டியார் சேலம் சங்கர் பிலிம்ஸ்
நடிப்பு	எம். கே. தியாகராஜ பாகவதர் பி. வி. ரெங்காச்சாரி செருகளத்தூர் சாமா என். எஸ். கிருஷ்ணன் டி. எஸ். பாலைய்யா எம். ஆர். சந்தானலக்ஸ்மி டி. ஏ. மதுரம் எஸ். எஸ். ராஜமணி பி. ஆர். மங்களம்
இசையமைப்பு	பாபநாசம் சிவன்
வெளியீடு	டிசம்பர் 11, 1937
நீளம்	19000 அடி
நாடு	இந்தியா
மொழி	தமிழ்

அம்பிகாபதி 1937 ஆம் ஆண்டு வெளிவந்த தமிழ்த் திரைப்படமாகும். எலிஸ் ஆர். தங்கன் இயக்கத்தில் வெளிவந்த இத்திரைப்படத்தில் எம். கே. தியாகராஜ பாகவதர், பி. வி. ரெங்காச்சாரி மற்றும் பலரும் நடித்துள்ளனர்.

Ambikapathi 1937

M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, Serukalathur Sama, P. B. Rangachari, M. R. Santhanalakshmi, T. S. Balaiah, N. S. Krishnan, T. A. Mathuram

 
a super hit From Ambikapathi

Thyagaraja Bhagavathar’s fame began to soar with his second filmAmbikapathi. With the success of Sathi Leelavathi, Ellis R. Dungan arrived in Tamil films. Bhagavathar, already a star, was cast as Ambikapathi and M. R. Santhanalakshmi as Amaravathi. She was already a popular stage actor when she migrated to movies, and this, her first meaty role, elevated her to stardom.

Dungan who did not know Tamil was, however, resourceful and innovative. He saw in the story parallels with Shakespeare’s immortal play “Romeo and Juliet” and decided to incorporate some of the play into the film script. The writer for the film was a Tamil scholar working under his pen name ‘Elangovan.’ Dungan marked out scenes from Shakespeare, which Elangovan translated into Tamil. One such was the famous balcony scene. The lines as Romeo takes leave of Juliet, “Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast”, were translated by Elangovan as “Thookkam Un Kangalai Thazhuvattum! Amaithi Un Nenjil Nilavattum!” which MKT spoke. This kind of poetic treatment of film dialogue was new to Tamil cinema and created a sensation. Elangovan set new trends in film dialogue that would have far reaching changes not only in Tamil cinema but also in the political history of Tamil Nadu.

A Bhagavathar film meant melodious music and Ambikapathi was no exception. The songs were penned and composed by Papanasam Sivan.

T. S. Balaiah, a stage actor who came to the screen in Sathi Leelavathi, was cast as the villain in this film. A versatile artiste with remarkable range, he made a splash in Ambikapathi and rose to heights of popularity doing an amazing variety of roles in a successful career stretching over 30 years. He had a peculiar way of delivering dialogue, which endeared him to millions.

Serukalathur Sama, the noted actor was Kamban, and his hairstyle and beard were inspired by Rabindranath Tagore and suggested by Dungan.

Ambikapathi was produced at East India Studio in Calcutta and the main cameraman was Krishna Gopal. A fine technician, KG, as he was familiarly known, later made films on his own, and designed colour film laboratories, including the internationally acclaimed Gemini Colour Lab in Madras.

Background music was scored by K. C. Dey, known as the ‘Blind Singer of Bengal’ who blazed a trail in Indian film music. He also acted in many films as a blind street singer!

Dungan invested Ambikapathi with many features besides its dialogue. He opened a brave new world in picturising the love scenes of Bhagavathar and Santhanalakshmi, erotically suggestive and boldly intimate. He had Bhagavathar carry his beloved to bed, making the audience gasp with visions of what would follow after the fade out! He had Bhagavathar wink at his heroine, something unthinkable in those days. Bhagavathar’s wink not only became famous but was also regarded as his ‘trade mark’. Ambikapathiturned out to be a super hit. Bhagavathar was now a rage and soon would be a cult figure, and phenomenon, the first in South Indian cinema, a legend in his lifetime.