M. S. Subbulakshmi
Acting
Biography
Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004) was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award, often considered Asia's Nobel Prize, in 1974 with the citation reading "Exacting purists acknowledge Srimati M. S. Subbulakshmi as the leading exponent of classical and semi-classical songs in the carnatic tradition of South India. She was the First Indian who performed in United Nations General Assembly in 1966."
Known For
Sakuntalai is the story of the mythological queen Shakuntala, whose tale is told in the Mahabharata and dramatised by Kalidasa in the play Abhijñānaśākuntalam.
Sakuntalai
An abused wife Sumathi is driven out of her house by husband and later forced into prostitution. Later she reforms her ways and devotes her life to running an institution for the children of prostitutes.
Sevasadanam
In order to obtain supreme power, an evil saint must sacrifice 1000 men. Soon, he hatches a devious plan and persuades a princess to pose three extremely difficult questions to her suitors.
1000 Thalaivangi Apoorva Chinthamani
Meera, a zealous devotee of Lord Krishna, considers him to be her husband. She gets married to Rana Bhojraj, but follows her own way of living which is not acceptable to her husband and the society.
Meera
'Nauka Caritramu' pays tribute to three women artists of the Carnatic music tradition of South India: M. S. Subbulakshmi, D. K. Pattammal and Tanjore Brinda. Each in their own individual style has carried forward the rich heritage of Carnatic music in the spirit of the Bhakti devotion. Their purity, expression and dedication is shared by the maestros as they relive their memories and bring alive the image of the Bhakta, poet composer Tyagaraja, who, through his musical wisdom seeks liberation from all sansara or worldly life, and surrenders to this Divine medium. The film explores their music, their life experiences and their devotion towards their music.
Boat Song
Director Karan Bali's insight into a largely unknown slice of Tamil film history. American citizen Ellis R Dungan travelled to India in the 1930s. He intended to stay for six months, but he ended up living in Madras for 15 years, where he directed many key films of the era. This documentary explores Dungan's life and the profound impact he had upon the fledgling Tamil film industry.
An American in Madras
This biographical film on M. S. Subbulakshmi portrays how this ancient and glorious tradition of carnatic music, got enriched by fervent devotion and Bhakti Bhavana of M. S. Subbulakshmi and how she rose as 'A Legend Forever' and is treated with equal reverence and affection by millions of music lovers all over the world.