Ashok Kumar (1941 film)
Encyclopedia
Ashok Kumar was a 1941 Tamil-language film directed by Raja Chandrasekhar. It starred M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
, Chittor V. Nagaiah
, P. Kannamba
, N. S. Krishnan
, T. A. Madhuram
, M. G. Ramachandran
and Ranjan
.
's son Kunal. The Mauryan prince Kunal was courted by Ashoka's younger queen Tishyarakshita and when he rejected her advances, was falsely accused by the queen of trying to seduce her and was thrown into prison and blinded. The story, however, comes to a happy end with his eyesight being restored by Lord Buddha
and the king acquits of all the charges.
Ashok Kumar was one of the first films for film actor and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. G. Ramachandran
. He played the role of Mahendran in the movie. Ashok Kumar also marked the debut of Ranjan
who later starred in hit movies as Mangamma Sabatham and Chandralekha
. The background music was provided by G. Ramanathan-Elangovan combine which later produced hits as Sivakavi and Haridas
.
One of the highlights of the film was a song and dance sequence, Unnai kandu mayangaatha in which Kannamba dances to M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar's singing. The song was shot in a single night at Newtone Studio. Some elements of the song Bhoomiyil Maanida were later used in the song Theepidika scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja
for the 2005
film Arinthum Ariyamalum
.
M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar , also called M.K.T., was a Tamil film actor, producer and Carnatic music singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful Tamil film actors ever....
, Chittor V. Nagaiah
Chittor V. Nagaiah
Chitturu Nagayya or Chittor V. Nagaiah birth name - Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya was an Indian actor, composer, director, producer, writer and playback singer of Telugu film industry, Andhra Pradesh, India. Indian film journalist and the editor of Film India, Baburao Patel, described Nagiah as ‘The...
, P. Kannamba
P. Kannamba
Pasupuleti Kannamba was a versatile actress, playback singer and film producer of Telugu cinema, Andhra Pradesh, India. She acted in more than 170 films and produced about 25 films in Telugu and Tamil languages during 1930s to 1960s.-Career:Kannamba was born in Eluru. She started acting in dramas...
, N. S. Krishnan
N. S. Krishnan
Nagerkoyil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan , popularly known as Kalaivanar and also as 'NSK' was a leading Tamil film comedian, drama artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry - in the 1940s and 1950s....
, T. A. Madhuram
T. A. Madhuram
T. A. Madhuram was a Tamil stage and film actress and Tamil film producer. She was the wife of Tamil actor and comedian N. S. Krishnan.- Biography :...
, M. G. Ramachandran
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran , popularly known by his initials , was an Indian film actor, director, producer and politician....
and Ranjan
Ranjan (actor)
Ranjan was an Indian film actor, singer, journalist and writer. He debuted in the 1941 movie Ashok Kumar but gained fame in S. S. Vasan's 1948 magnum opus Chandralekha....
.
Plot
The film is based on an age-old Buddhist folktale connected with Mauryan Emperor AshokaAshoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
's son Kunal. The Mauryan prince Kunal was courted by Ashoka's younger queen Tishyarakshita and when he rejected her advances, was falsely accused by the queen of trying to seduce her and was thrown into prison and blinded. The story, however, comes to a happy end with his eyesight being restored by Lord Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
and the king acquits of all the charges.
Cast
- M. K. Thyagaraja BhagavatharM. K. Thyagaraja BhagavatharMayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar , also called M.K.T., was a Tamil film actor, producer and Carnatic music singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful Tamil film actors ever....
... Prince Kunal - Chittor V. NagaiahChittor V. NagaiahChitturu Nagayya or Chittor V. Nagaiah birth name - Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya was an Indian actor, composer, director, producer, writer and playback singer of Telugu film industry, Andhra Pradesh, India. Indian film journalist and the editor of Film India, Baburao Patel, described Nagiah as ‘The...
... Emperor Ashoka - P. KannambaP. KannambaPasupuleti Kannamba was a versatile actress, playback singer and film producer of Telugu cinema, Andhra Pradesh, India. She acted in more than 170 films and produced about 25 films in Telugu and Tamil languages during 1930s to 1960s.-Career:Kannamba was born in Eluru. She started acting in dramas...
... Queen Tishyarakshita - T. V. Kumudhini ... Wife of Prince Kunal
- M. G. RamachandranM. G. RamachandranMaruthur Gopalan Ramachandran , popularly known by his initials , was an Indian film actor, director, producer and politician....
... Mahendran - Nagercoil Mahadevan ... Buddha bhikshu
- RanjanRanjan (actor)Ranjan was an Indian film actor, singer, journalist and writer. He debuted in the 1941 movie Ashok Kumar but gained fame in S. S. Vasan's 1948 magnum opus Chandralekha....
- Gautama BuddhaGautama BuddhaSiddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
(credited as "R. Ramani")
Production
Ashok Kumar premiered in 1941 and was a roaring success. A Tollywood actress Pasupuleti Kannamba played the role of Queen Tishyarakshita. Ashok Kumar was her second Tamil film and she did not know the language. She was provided with a script in which Tamil words have been transliterated into Telugu. However, despite these issues, Kannamba did a commendable job with her dialogue delivery.Ashok Kumar was one of the first films for film actor and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. G. Ramachandran
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran , popularly known by his initials , was an Indian film actor, director, producer and politician....
. He played the role of Mahendran in the movie. Ashok Kumar also marked the debut of Ranjan
Ranjan (actor)
Ranjan was an Indian film actor, singer, journalist and writer. He debuted in the 1941 movie Ashok Kumar but gained fame in S. S. Vasan's 1948 magnum opus Chandralekha....
who later starred in hit movies as Mangamma Sabatham and Chandralekha
Chandralekha (1948 film)
Chandralekha is a 1948 Tamil epic film directed and produced by S. S. Vasan. It features an ensemble cast consisting of M.K.Radha, Ranjan, T. R. Rajakumari, N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Madhuram...
. The background music was provided by G. Ramanathan-Elangovan combine which later produced hits as Sivakavi and Haridas
Haridas (1944 film)
Haridas 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.-Production:...
.
One of the highlights of the film was a song and dance sequence, Unnai kandu mayangaatha in which Kannamba dances to M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar's singing. The song was shot in a single night at Newtone Studio. Some elements of the song Bhoomiyil Maanida were later used in the song Theepidika scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
for the 2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
film Arinthum Ariyamalum
Arinthum Ariyamalum
Arinthum Ariyamalum is a 2005 Indian Tamil film written and directed by Vishnuvardhan that stars Prakash Raj along with newcomers Arya, Navdeep and Samiksha in lead and Adithya and Krishna in supporting roles. The film's music is composed by top director, Yuvan Shankar Raja...
.