Miss Malini
Encyclopedia
Miss Malini is a social satire
film from South India
based on the Mr. Sampath story by R.K. Narayan. It included aspects of life in Madras (now known as Chennai
) during the World War II
period (1939-1945) when there was a shortage of commodities and high prices, and includes depictions of social mores, a love story, and the moral dilemmas its characters face pursuing business and personal interests.
A write up in The Hindu
described it as "one of the finest social satires to have been made in South Indian cinema" and notes that it "did not receive the appreciation it so richly deserved" because it was ahead of its time. It was a Gemini Studios
production.
The movie featured Pushpavalli
in the title role and Sundari Bai as Malini's friend. Kothamangalam Subbu
wrote and directed the film and appeared as Sampath, a cheat, in a portrayal that is considered exceptional in South Indian cinema and captured the character's "suave villainy".
The cast also includes N. Sitaraman, who later became known Javar Sitaraman
, as the director of Kala Mandhiram, and a debut by Ramaswamy Ganesan who was working in the Gemini Studios casting department before going on to "blossom as one of the top stars of Tamil
and Telugu cinema
— Gemini Ganesan
!
Saluri Rajeswara Rao and Carnatic music
ian Parur S. Anantharaman composed the film's score. Songs from the film include Kaalaiyiley ezhunthiruntha kattayodey azhuganam..., sung by Sundari Bai and penned by Surabhi.
The film was not successful at the box-office, but was well received by intellectuals.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
film from South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
based on the Mr. Sampath story by R.K. Narayan. It included aspects of life in Madras (now known as Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
) during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
period (1939-1945) when there was a shortage of commodities and high prices, and includes depictions of social mores, a love story, and the moral dilemmas its characters face pursuing business and personal interests.
A write up in The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
described it as "one of the finest social satires to have been made in South Indian cinema" and notes that it "did not receive the appreciation it so richly deserved" because it was ahead of its time. It was a Gemini Studios
Gemini Studios
Gemini Studios was launched when Thiruthuraipoondi Subramanian Srinivasan bought a film distribution concern at an auction and renamed it as Gemini Pictures also known as Gemini Studios. Gemini Studios served as a breeding ground for innumerable artists and technicians for the south Indian Film...
production.
The movie featured Pushpavalli
Pushpavalli
Pentapadu Pushpavalli better known as Pushpavalli is a Tamil and Telugu film actress. She was married to Gemini Ganesan and is Rekha's mother. She starred in many films with Ganesan, mostly as his heroine. Her film work includes title roles in Miss Malini , an adaptation of R.K. Narayan's novel Mr...
in the title role and Sundari Bai as Malini's friend. Kothamangalam Subbu
Kothamangalam Subbu
Kothamangalam Subbu , a noted Padmashri-award winning poet, lyricist, writer, actor and director from Tamil Nadu who authored the cult classic of Tamil novelThillana Mohanambal, later made into an enchanted movie...
wrote and directed the film and appeared as Sampath, a cheat, in a portrayal that is considered exceptional in South Indian cinema and captured the character's "suave villainy".
The cast also includes N. Sitaraman, who later became known Javar Sitaraman
Javar Sitaraman
Javar Seetharaman alternatively spelled as Javert Seetharaman or Javar Sitaraman or Jawar Seetharaman is a Tamil author, script writer and actor.-Biography:...
, as the director of Kala Mandhiram, and a debut by Ramaswamy Ganesan who was working in the Gemini Studios casting department before going on to "blossom as one of the top stars of Tamil
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
and Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema
The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...
— Gemini Ganesan
Gemini Ganesan
Ramaswami Ganesan , popularly known as Gemini Ganesan , was an Indian actor. He was nicknamed "Kadhal Mannan" of Tamil cinema for the romantic roles he played in movies....
!
Saluri Rajeswara Rao and Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
ian Parur S. Anantharaman composed the film's score. Songs from the film include Kaalaiyiley ezhunthiruntha kattayodey azhuganam..., sung by Sundari Bai and penned by Surabhi.
The film was not successful at the box-office, but was well received by intellectuals.