How Films Can Be Important Snapshots Of History

History is interesting and films are enjoyable. Films through history are entertaining. But history through films can be most fascinating. For, movies are a record of time and motion and they preserve gestures, gaits, rhythms, attitudes, emotions and human interactions in a variety of situations.

How much ever we may read and retain, the impact of moving images is always more powerful. Just ponder over which is more long lasting, the very many scholarly works on Normandy Invasion or Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan?

For many of us in Tamil Nadu, the image of Veerpandiya Kattabomman is verily Sivaji Ganesan's as because he immortalised the valorous chieftain on screen.

Whether we openly admit or not, film and television are the great history educators of our time. In the assessment of author and historian Robert Rosenstone,"the visual media have become arguably the chief carrier of historical messages in our culture." 

In the event, the AVM Heritage Museum, which was inaugurated at the eponymous hoary film studio in Vadapalani, Chennai last week, has the potential to be a great treasure trove of history.

Vadapalani, to those not familiar with Chennai, is the headquarters of the Tamil film world. Many of the studios were situated here in their heydays. Now, only two --- Prasad and AVM  --- are still operational.

The museum as of now showcases the stuff that the oldest film studio in India had used in its movies and tele serials over the last 83 years. It is in the fitness of things that the museum is perhaps the first of its kind in India. For, the AVM Studios, run by the conservative but entrepreneurially efficient AVM family, has been the pioneer in the Indian film worlds. 

AVM Studios, which is one of the five studios in the world functioning without a break for over 50 years, had introduced the concept of dubbing for the 1944 film Harischandra (it was dubbed from Kannada to Tamil). In the next year, it for the first time ever in India brought the idea of playback singing for the film Sri Valli.

AVM's historical jugaad

The story of how AV Meiyappa Chettiar, the man who founded the institution, incorporated playback singing is a testimony to his mercurial thinking and typical Indian 'jugaad'.

It is a well known tale, but certainly worth repeating.

The film Sri Valli was already running in the theatres and the word of mouth filtered in that the heroine's voice (Rukmini, the mother of actress Lakshmi, was debuting as the heroine in the film) whenever she broke into a song --- which was often considering that this was the year 1945  --- sounded shrill and did not hold up against the hero's voice. 

That the hero happened to be TR Mahalingam --- a man born for singing the high notes --- did not help matters.

But the Chettiar (as AVM was often called) lived and died by one credo: satisfy the viewers at any cost.

As he had successfully pulled off a dubbing effort in the previous year, he quickly set out to replicate the same formula for singing.

An SOS was sent out for the musicians and technicians and singer-actor Periyanayaki was also summoned. They recorded the song overnight. But a bigger challenge awaited them. The prints of Rukmini singing had to be replaced with Periyanaki's playback voice. It was a logistical nightmare. But Meiyappan and his team pulled it off with the new prints dispatched to theatres by cars and trains.

To this day, Sri Valli songs remain popular among the masses, and Periyanayaki also went on to have a successful playback singing career.

The thing is the audio equipment and other related paraphernalia can be part of the museum. As M S Guhan (grandson of Meiyappan and son of AVM Saravanan) said the museum is a work in progress. "We have a lot of materials and hence will be changing the display of items accordingly." 

Right now, on display is a bunch of audio and video equipment, including cameras used for shooting hugely popular Tamil movies such as Murattu Kaalai, Sakalakala Vallavan, Mundhanai Mudichu, Samsaram Athu Minsaram, Yejaman, among others.

Guhan, who is an avid vintage car aficionado, has also chosen to give prime space for some of the automobiles that have featured in the AVM films or used by famous cine personalities.  Close to 40 vintage classic cars and 20 bikes from the 1910s to 2000s used by various artists including former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M G Ramachandran, S S Vasan (founder, Gemini Studios) and Meiyappan himself.

The palanquins used in the popular song Vaaji Vaaji in superstar Rajinikanth’s Sivaji – The Boss and the 1939 model MG TB car used in the Athiradee song in the same movie have also been kept on display. 

A family that understands the value of history

If Meiyappan was a trailblazer, one of his sons AVM Saravanan, who took over the mantle, had the common sense to continue his illustrious father's legacy.

Continuing the business is one thing --- most scions do that. But to preserve the history and heritage of the institution that one is part of and take it to the next generation calls for a larger vision and humility to understand that one is a mere link in a long chain.

For instance, even as the AVM Studios has embraced technology and seen a sea change, its logo remains essentially the same, and the music accompanying it in films --- in Mohana ragam composed by its official music director R Sudarsanam  --- is still retained.   

Saravanan has infused the much-needed sense of continuity in his son Guhan, who along with his twin daughters, Aparna and Aruna, is now carrying forward that well-lit torch.

Even as AVM studio struggles to survive in these modern times where technology has taken over --- many of its famed floors have been brought down to make way for high-rise apartments, the group still wants to keep at it.

If not for business then at least for the tradition. There have been splits and upheavals in the family over the years. But amidst all that, they are still striving to maintain the legacy that has been handed down with care.   

It is a family that understands the value of history. No wonder it wants to preserve and perpetuate it.