Thyagabhoomi

Thyagabhoomi
Theatrical poster
Directed by	K. Subramanyam
Produced by	K. Subramanyam
Written by	Kalki Krishnamurthy
Starring	S. D. Subbulakshmi Papanasam Sivan Baby Saroja A. K. Kamalam K. J. Mahadevan
Music by	Papanasam Sivan Mothi Babu Rajagopala Iyer
Cinematography	M.C.Abu Becker
Distributed by	S.S. Vasan
Release dates	20 May 1939
Running time	194 min
Language	Tamil

Thyagabhoomi (English: Land of Sacrifice) is a 1939 film directed and produced by famous film director K. Subramanyam. Starring K.J.Mahadevan and S.D.Subbalakshmi, the film was produced at the height of India's freedom movement and glorified Mahatma Gandhi and his ideals in no mean terms. The story for the film was based on a novel written by the great Tamil writer Kalki Krishnamurthy and was financed and distributed by the movie moghul S.S. Vasan before he created Gemini Pictures.^[1] Thyagabhoomi is the only Indian film to be banned after release by the British government.^[2][3][4] The film's only existing print is now at an archive store in Pune.^[5] The story was serialized in Ananda Vikatan (Kalki was still with the magazine at the time and S.S. Vasan was the financier-distributor of the film) simultaneously when the film production was going on with stills from the film being published. This was the first time ever something like this had ever been attempted in the world and garnered great success both in India and across other Tamil populations across the world (Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Burma etc.) and British Empire.

Production

In 1937, the pro-independence Indian National Congress defeated the pro-British Justice Party for the first time in the elections to the Madras Legislative Assembly and Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari was sworn in as the Chief Minister. As an immediate consequence of this change of guard, censorship was relaxed on films glorifying the freedom movement and national leaders. Encouraged by the new government's policies, a few films glorifying the freedom movement were made during this period. Thyagabhoomi was one of them.^[2][5]

However, censorship was reimposed when the Congress Government resigned on the eve of India's entry into the Second World War. The Governor of Madras who took over the administration of the province subsequently banned Thyagabhoomi.^[5] The ban evoked severe protests from Indian film-viewers. However, by the time the ban was enforced, Thyagabhoomi was already a success — it was being screened at packed theaters in and around Madras. British Government policy was to either completely prohibit films with "potentially seditious" or subject them to strict censorship. Thyagabhoomi was the first film released in Madras to be banned. As the British Government believed that Thyagabhoomi supported the Congress Party due to the visuals of congress cap wearing people in scenes as well as a sing rendered by D.K. Pattammal "Desiya Sevai Seyya Vareer", it was banned as soon as the Governor took over the administration in 1940 when the film had already been running full for 22 weeks. Unfazed by the declaration K Subrahmanyam and S.S. Vasan announced that shows would run for free continuously in Gaitey theatre until the ban declaration was served to it. This brought in a huge rush of viewers and finally the ban became enforced after a lathi charge took place inside the theatre!^[6]

Cast

• S. D. Subbulakshmi as Savithri
• Papanasam Sivan as Sambhu Sastry
• Baby Saroja as Charu
• K.J. Mahadevan as Sridharan
• A.K. Kamalam

Plot

A still from the film

Sambu Sastri is a Brahmin priest who shelters Harijans who had been rendered homeless in a cyclone and is eventually excommunicated from the orthodox Hindu society and moves to Madras. The focus then shifts to Sambu Sastri's daughter Savitri who is illtreated by her Westernized husband Sridharan and is eventually driven out of his palatial house in Calcutta. Meanwhile, Sambu Sastri had offered his ancestral home to Sridharan as dowry and hence Savitri finds herself homeless when she arrives in her native village. She gives birth to a baby girl Charu in hospital and entrusts her to the care of her father and continues on her wanderings. Sambu Sastri, meanwhile, along with Harijan Nallan, embarks on Gandhian social uplift programmes including picketing liquor shops. At the end of the film, Savitri emerges as the wealthy woman under the pseudonym Uma Rani and devotes herself to charitable activities. She eventually rejects the overtures of her husband Sridharan who wishes to return to her.^[7]

The character of Sambu Sastri was modelled upon Mahatma Gandhi. The film also included real-life footage of Mahatma Gandhi spinning the charkha.^[7][8]

Kalki Krishnamurthy was inspired by real life people and performers, Papanasam Sivan, S.D. Subbulakshmi and Baby Saroja to write a story that intertwined characters written for them set in the social milieu of reformation, the freedom movement and personal sacrifice.

Other versions

In 1989, on the 50th anniversary of the film, a telefilm version was made by director K. Subramanyam's son, S. Krishnaswamy. The newer Hindi version of the film marked the anniversary of the ban on the original and served as a tribute to the memory of S. Krisnaswamy's father. The Hindi version features Bharat Bhushan in a lead role as father of the heroine protagonist (Sambu Sastri), while Gita plays the main role of Savitri. Charu is played in this version by Aparna Anantharaman. Several other well-known artistes are also featured.^[9]

References

External links

• Thyagabhoomi at the Internet Movie Database