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Kalidas is a indian film of genre Drama directed by H M Reddy with L. V. Prasad
Kalidas (1931)
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Add to a movie listDirected by H M Reddy
OriginInde
Themes Films about writers, Films about music and musicians, Films based on mythology, Films about religion, Musical films
Rating56%
Kalidas (English: The Servant of Kali), also known as Kalidasa, is a 1931 Indian Tamil biographical film directed by H. M. Reddy and produced by Ardeshir Irani. It is noted for being the first Tamil-language sound film, and the first sound film to be made in South India. The film was based on the life of the Sanskrit poet Kālidāsa; it featured P. G. Venkatesan in the title role and T. P. Rajalakshmi as the female lead, with L. V. Prasad, Thevaram Rajambal, T. Susheela Devi, J. Sushila and M. S. Santhanalakshmi in supporting roles.
Kalidas, principally in Tamil, contained additional dialogue in Telugu and Hindi. While Rajalakshmi spoke in Tamil, Venkatesan spoke only in Telugu due to his lack of fluency in Tamil, and Prasad spoke only in Hindi. Despite its mythological theme, the film featured songs from much later time periods, such as the compositions of carnatic musician Tyagaraja, publicity songs of the Indian National Congress, and songs about Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian independence movement. The sound was recorded using the Vitaphone system. Kalidas was shot in Bombay on the sets of India's first sound film Alam Ara (1931) and was completed in eight days.
Kalidas was released amidst high expectations on 31 October 1931, coinciding with Diwali day. It was the only Tamil film to be produced and released that year. Despite numerous technical flaws, it received critical acclaim, with praise aimed at Rajalakshmi's singing performance. The film became a commercial success, grossing over ₹75,000 (about US$25,252 in 1931) against a budget of ₹8,000 (about US$2,693 in 1931). The success of Kalidas spawned numerous other films based upon Kālidāsa, including Mahakavi Kalidasa (1955), Mahakavi Kalidasu (1960) and Mahakavi Kalidas (1966).
The film became a major breakthrough in Rajalakshmi's career, and a trendsetter for future Tamil sound films. Because no print, gramophone record or songbook of the film is known to survive, this makes it a lost film.
Synopsis
Vidhyadhari is the daughter of Vijayavarman, the king of Thejavathi. His minister wants the princess to marry his son but she refuses. Annoyed, the minister sets out to find another potential husband for Vidhyadhari. In the forest, the minister finds an illiterate cowman sitting in a tree and cutting into the branch on which he is sitting. The minister persuades the cowman to come to the palace and has Vidhyadhari marry him. When Vidhyadhari realises she has been cheated and is married to a farmhand, she prays to the goddess Kali for a remedy. Kali appears before her, names her husband "Kalidas" and endows him with phenomenal literary talents.Actors
L. V. Prasad
(the temple priest)
M. R. Santhanalakshmi
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