[This is an excerpt from the e-book BollySwar: 1951 – 1960. It may not be reproduced elsewhere.]
Cinema helped bridge the divide between the North and the South through a combination of dubbed films, remakes and inspired songs. By and large, Hindi films portrayed South Indian characters as stereotypical “Madrasis” with outlandish accents but they laid a foundation for better understanding and future cultural amalgamation.
Dubbed Films
While there were some Bengali and Marathi films that were dubbed in Hindi, most of the Hindi-dubbed films released in the 1950s were of South Indian origin.
| No. | Hindi Film | Original Film | Original Language |
| 1. | Jeevan Tara (1951) | Ithaya Geetham (1950) | Tamil |
| 2. | Jeevan Nauka (1952) | Jeevitha Nouka (1951) | Malayalam |
| 3. | Krishna Kanhaiya (1952) | Krishna Vijayam (1950) | Tamil |
| 4. | Patal Bhairavi (1952) | Pathala Bhairavi (1951) | Telugu |
| 5. | Manohar (1954) | Manohara (1954) | Tamil |
| 6. | Rajkumari (1955) | Vanasundari (1951) | Tamil |
| 7. | Gul-E-Bakavali (1956) | Gul-E-Bakavali (1955) | Tamil |
| 8. | Alladin Ka Chiragh (1958) | Allauddin Adhbhuta Deepam (1957)Allavudeenum Arputha Vilakkum (1957) | Telugu Tamil |
| 9. | Matwala (1958) | Neelamalai Thirudan (1957) | Tamil |
| 10. | Piya Milan (1958) | Marma Veeran (1956) | Tamil |
| 11. | Sitamgar (1958) | Uthama Puthiran (1958) | Tamil |
| 12. | Suhaag (1958) | Thangamalai Ragasiyam (1957) | Tamil |
| 13. | Jaising (1959) | Jayasimha (1955) | Telugu |
| 14. | Aai Phirse Bahar (1960) | Raja Rani” (1956) | Tamil |
| 15. | Amar Prem (1960) | Kathavarayan (1956) | Tamil |
| 16. | Amar Shaheed (1960) | Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1959) | Tamil |
| 17. | Bhakti Mahima (1960) | Bhookailas (1958) | Telugu, Kannada |
| 18. | Daku Bhupat (1960) | Raja Nandini (1958) | Telugu |
| 19. | Durgamata (1960) | Mahishasura Mardini (1959) | Kannada |
| 20. | Mohabbat Ki Jeet (1960) | Raja Malaya Simha (1959)Raja Malaya Simhan (1959) | TeluguTamil |
| 21. | Ramayan (1960) | Sampoorna Ramayanam (1958) | Tamil |
There were some Hindi films that were dubbed in South Indian languages. “Aan” (1952) was released in Tamil with the same title and “Ratnadeep” (1952) was dubbed in Tamil and released as “Ratna Deepam” (1953).
Remakes And Bilingual Films
M.S. Subbulakshmi’s “Meera” (1947) was perhaps the first Hindi film that was a remake of a Tamil film. This was followed by the multi-lingual production “Nishan” (1949), which was simultaneously released in Telugu as “Apoorva Sahodarulu” and in Tamil as “Apoorva Sagodharargal”, and “Mangala” (1950), which was a remake of the Tamil film “Mangala Sabatham” (1943). However, the film that opened the floodgates of South Indian remakes and multilingual productions was the film “Bahar” (1951), the remake of the hit Tamil “Vaazhkai” (1949). Its success started the trend of South Indian heroines crossing over and making it big in Hindi cinema. The following Hindi films were either a part of a South Indian multi-lingual production, remade from a South Indian film or were remade in a South Indian language:
| No. | Hindi Film | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bahar (1951) | This was the Hindi remake of the hit Tamil “Vaazhkai” (1949). The Tamil film was also remade in Telugu as “Jeevitham” (1950). All three films were produced by A.V.M. Studios. This was the Hindi film debut of Vyjayanthimala, who had played the same role in the film’s Tamil and Telugu versions. According to her, she was the only South Indian actress of the time who did not use a voice artist to dub her lines in Hindi. |
| 2. | Deedar (1951) | This film was remade in Tamil as “Neengadha Ninaivu” (1963). |
| 3. | Ek Tha Raja (1951) | This Hindi film was part of a bilingual production. It was released in Tamil as “Marmayogi” (1951). The Tamil release was rated ‘A’ since the film had the character of a ghost! |
| 4. | Sansar (1951) | This bilingual film production was made simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil. The Tamil version was titled “Samsaram” (1951). This was a remake of the Telugu film “Samsaram” (1950). |
| 5. | Rani (1952) | This bilingual film was released simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil with the same title. |
| 6. | Chandirani (1953) | With this film, P. Bhanumathi earned the distinction of being the first woman to have directed a trilingual film in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. She did this while also playing the lead role in the film. This was Bhanumathi’s directorial debut. |
| 7. | Ladki (1953) | This was the Hindi release of AVM’s trilingual film. It was released in Tamil as “Penn” (1954) and in Telugu as “Sangham” (1954). All three films featured Vyjayanthimala and Anjali Devi as the female leads. Some of R. Sudarsanam’s original song compositions were adapted by music director Dhaniram in Hindi. The Hindi film also featured original songs composed by C. Ramchandra, who for some reason was not listed in the opening credits. |
| 8. | Alibaba And Forty Thieves (1954) | The film was remade in Tamil as “Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum” (1956) with M.G. Ramachandran and P. Bhanumathi in lead roles. The tunes of several songs in this film were reused in the Tamil remake. |
| 9. | Bahut Din Huwe (1954) | This was a remake of Gemini’s Telugu film “Bala Nagamma” (1942). The same film was remade again in Telugu in 1959 with the same title. |
| 10. | Azaad (1955) | This was filmmaker S.M.S. Naidu’s remake of a hit bilingual film he had made the previous year, titled “Malaikallan” (1954) in Tamil and “Aggi Ramudu” (1954) in Telugu. Naidu also remade the film in Malayalam as “Thaskaraveeran” (1957) and in Kannada as “Bettada Kalla” (1957). |
| 11. | Insaniyat (1955) | This was a remake of the hit Telugu film “Palletoori Pilla” (1950) starring N.T. Rama Rao and A. Nageswara Rao. |
| 12. | Munimji (1955) | The writer Vempati Sadasivabrahmam loosely adapted this film to develop the script for the Telugu film “Intiguttu” (1958). The four main characters in the two films were essentially the same but the treatment of the Telugu film was different. N.T. Rama Rao played Dev Anand’s titular character in the Telugu remake. |
| 13. | Shiv Bhakta (1955) | This was director H.L.N. Simha and producer A.V. Meiyappan’s remake of their own hit Kannada film “Bedara Kannappa” (1954) starring Rajkumar. The Kannada film was also remade in Telugu as “Kalahasti Mahatyam” (1954). |
| 14. | Tonga-Wali (1955) | The film was remade in Tamil as “Alli Petra Pillai” (1959). |
| 15. | Bhai Bhai (1956) | This film was adapted from the Tamil play “Ratha Paasam” by C.V. Sridhar. The play was also adapted for a 1954 Tamil film of the same title. |
| 16. | Devta (1956) | This was producer K.S. Narayanan’s Hindi remake of his banner’s hit Tamil film “Kanavane Kankanda Deivam” (1955). It was the debut Hindi film of the Tamil film star Gemini Ganesan. Ganesan and Anjali Devi reprised their roles in this film. |
| 17. | Ek Hi Rasta (1956) | The film was remade as a bilingual production – in Tamil as “Pudhiya Pathai” (1960) and in Telugu as “Kumkuma Rekha” (1960). |
| 18. | Naya Aadmi (1956) | This was the Hindi remake of the Tamil film “Velaikari” (1949), an adaptation of C.N. Annadurai’s Tamil play of the same name. Director C.P. Dikshit and producer M. Somasundaram remade the Tamil simultaneously in Telugu as “Santosham” (1955). The Hindi and Telugu remakes had a few minor differences in their casting. While some tunes by M.S. Viswanathan – T.K. Ramamoorthy were common between the two films, the Hindi version had a few original songs composed by Madan Mohan. |
| 19. | Pocket Maar (1956) | The film was remade in Tamil as “Thirudathe” (1961) and in Kannada as “Manassakshi” (1968). |
| 20. | Aasha (1957) | Filmmaker M.V. Raman remade this film in Tamil as “Athisaya Penn” (1959). Vyjayanthimala reprised her lead role in it. |
| 21. | Bhabhi (1957) | This was Krishnan – Panju’s remake of their Tamil film “Kula Deivam” (1956). The Tamil film itself was based on the Bengali novel “Bijila” by Prabhavati Devi Saraswati. |
| 22. | Do Ankhen Barah Haath (1957) | The film was remade in Tamil as “Pallandu Vaazhga” (1975) and in Telugu as “Maa Daivam” (1976). |
| 23. | Miss Mary (1957) | This was L.V. Prasad’s Hindi remake of his own bilingual film, released as “Missiamma” (1954) in Tamil and as “Missamma” (1954) in Telugu. Gemini Ganesan and Jamuna reprised their roles in the original film. The bilingual film itself was an adaptation of the Bengali play “Manmoyee Girls’ School” written by Rabindranath Maitra. The same play was also adapted for two Bengali films of the same title – one in 1935 and another in 1958. |
| 24. | Payal (1957) | This was director Joseph Thaliath Jr.’s remake of his Tamil film “Mallika” (1957). Padmini played the lead role in both films. |
| 25. | Pyaasa (1957) | The film was remade in Telugu as “Mallepoovu” (1978). |
| 26. | Sharada (1957) | This was a Hindi remake of the Tamil film “Edhir Paradhathu” (1954) starring Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini. The Tamil film was also remade in Telugu as “Ilavelpu” (1956) and in Malayalam as “Nithyakanyaka” (1963). |
| 27. | Amar Deep (1958) | This was director T. Prakash Rao’s remake of his own Tamil film “Amara Deepam” (1956). The Hindi remake saw actress Padmini reprising her role in the Tamil original. |
| 28. | Lajwanti (1958) | The film was remade in Tamil as “Engal Selvi” (1960). |
| 29. | Parvarish (1958) | The Tamil film “Paar Magaley Paar” (1963) was based on a play titled “Petral Thaan Pillaya” which in turn was an adaptation of this film. |
| 30. | Raj Tilak (1958) | This film was the Hindi remake of the Tamil film “Vanjikottai Valiban” (1958). Both films had the same three leads – Vyjayanthimala, Padmini, and Gemini Ganesan – and had music composed by C. Ramchandra. The film’s premise was based on the Alexandre Dumas novel “The Count Of Monte Christo” (1844). |
| 31. | Suvarna Sundari (1958) | This was producer Adi Narayana Rao’s Hindi remake of the Telugu film of the same title released in 1957. The 1957 film was simultaneously made in Tamil as “Manaalane Mangaiyin Baakkiyam”. The remake had the same director – V. Raghavaiah – and the same lead actors – Anjali Devi and A. Nageswara Rao – as the original film. |
| 32. | Anari (1959) | Following its box office success, the film was remade in Tamil as “Pasamum Nesamum” (1964) starring Gemini Ganesan and B. Saroja Devi. |
| 33. | Ardhangini (1959) | The film was remade in Tamil as “Panithirai” (1961) starring Gemini Ganesan and B. Saroja Devi. |
| 34. | Barkha (1959) | This was a remake of the hit Tamil film “Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum” (1958) which was also remade in Telugu as “Manchi Manasuku Manchi Rojulu” (1958). |
| 35. | Chhoti Bahen (1959) | This was a remake of the Tamil film “En Thangai” (1952) which was also remade in Telugu as “Aada Paduchu” (1967) and in Kannada as “Onde Balliya Hoogalu” (1967). The Tamil film itself was adapted from a play of the same name written by T.S. Natarajan. |
| 36. | Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan (1959) | This film was remade in Telugu as “Maa Babu” (1960). |
| 37. | Paigham (1959) | Producer-director S.S. Vasan remade this film in Tamil as “Irumbu Thirai” (1960). Several actors who worked in the film, including Vyjayanthimala, B. Saroja Devi, Pandari Bai, and Vasundhara Devi, reprised their roles in the remake. |
| 38. | Qaidi No. 911 (1959) | Following its commercial success, the film was remade in Tamil as “Kaithi Kannayiram” (1960) and in Telugu as “Khaidi Kannayya” (1962). |
| 39. | School Master (1959) | This was filmmaker B.R. Panthulu’s remake of his hit Kannada film of the same title released in 1958. Panthulu played the eponymous role in both films. The original film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada. There were other remakes as well – the Malayalam film “School Master” (1964), the Telugu film “Badi Panthulu” (1972), and the Tamil film “School Master” (1973). The Tamil film “Vaathi” (2023) had a similar premise. |
| 40. | Bindiya (1960) | This was director Krishnan – Panju’s remake of their own award-winning Tamil film “Deivapiravi” (1960). Padmini reprised her role in the original film and Balraj Sahni played the role essayed by Sivaji Ganesan in the original. |
Inspirations And Plagiarism
The cultural exchange between the North and the South took place in another form – inspired or plagiarised tunes.
| No. | Hindi Film Song | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Ek Bewafa Se Pyar Kiya” (“Awara”, 1951) | Debutant music directors Rajan – Nagendra used the tune of this song for their Kannada film song “Kanasalli Obba” (“Sowbhagya Lakshmi”, 1952). |
| 2. | “Thandi Hawayen Lehra Ke Aaye” (“Naujawan”, 1951) | The Tamil film song “Konjum Puraave” (“Thai Ullam”, 1952) sung by M.L. Vasanthakumari was also based on the same tune. |
| 3. | “Tu Ganga Ki Mauj Main Jamuna Ka Dhaara” (“Baiju Bawra”, 1952) | Music director P. Shamanna reused the tune of this hit song for the Kannada film song “Ee Samsara Naukeyu” (“Gandharva Kanye”, 1955). |
| 4. | “Yeh Zindagi Usi Ki Hai” (“Anarkali”, 1953) | Music director P. Shamanna reused the tune of this song for the Kannada film song “Indinadina Mana Kanti Shanti” (“Gandharva Kanye”, 1955). |
| 5. | “Ae Saba Unse Keh Zara” (“Alibaba And Forty Thieves”, 1954) | Music director Susarla Dakshinamurthi reused the tune of this song for the Tamil film song “Maasila Unmai Kaadhale” (“Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum”, 1956). He reused the tune of three other songs from the film for the Tamil remake. |
| 6. | “O Le Ke Pehla Pehla Pyar” (“C.I.D.”, 1956) | The tune of this song was plagiarised by Ghantasala for the Telugu film song “Oho Basthi Dorasaani” (“Abhimanam”, 1960). |
| 7. | “Yeh Nayi Nayi Preet Hai” (“Pocket Maar”, 1956) | Music director Vedha plagiarised the tune of this song’s mukhda for the mukhda of the Tamil film song “Indru Vantha Sonthama” (“Chitrangi”, 1964). For the antara of the same Tamil song, he plagiarised the antara of the Hindi film song “Na Tum Hamen Jaano” (“Baat Ek Raat Ki”, 1962). |
| 8. | “Eena Meena Deeka” (“Aasha”, 1957) | The tune of this song and the lyrics of a portion of its mukhda were reused for a song in the Tamil remake of the film. |
| 9. | “Brindaban Ka Krishna Kanhaiya” (“Miss Mary”, 1957) | This song was based on S. Rajeswara Rao’s composition for a song in the film of which this was a Hindi remake. The Tamil version of the song was “Brindavanamum Nandakumaran” (“Missiamma”, 1955) and the Telugu version was “Brindaavanamadi Andaridi” (“Missamma”, 1955). |
| 10. | “C A T Cat Cat Maane Billi” (“Dilli Ka Thug”, 1958) | This song was plagiarised by R. Sudarsanam for the Tamil film song “B O Y Boy Boy Na Paiyan” (“Thilakam”, 1960). |
| 11. | “Yeh Hawa Yeh Nadi Ka Kinara” (“Ghar Sansar”, 1958) | The mukhda of this song may have inspired the tune of the mukhda of the Tamil film song “Kannale Pesi Pesi Kollathe” (“Adutha Veettu Penn”, 1960). Incidentally, the concept of the song sequence of “Kannale Pesi Pesi Kollathe” (“Adutha Veettu Penn”, 1960) was reused in the popular Hindi film song “Mere Saamnewali Khidki Mein” (“Padosan”, 1968). |
| 12. | “Aaj Mere Yeh Ishare” (“Jaising”, 1959) | This song reused the tune of the Telugu film song “Konda Meedha Kokkirayi” (“Jayasimha”, 1955). The original song was composed by T.V. Raju and sung by K. Rani. |
| 13. | “Meethi Meethi Baaton Se Bachna Zara” (“Qaidi No. 911”, 1959) | The tune of this popular song was reused for the corresponding song in the Tamil remake of the film. K.V. Mahadevan used the tune in the Tamil film song “Konji Konji Pesi” (“Kaithi Kannayiram”, 1960) sung by P. Susheela. |
| 14. | “Dekhne Mein Bhola Hai” (“Bombai Ka Babu”, 1960) | The tune of this song was adapted from the Telugu film song “Eruvaaka Sagaroranno Chinnanna” (“Rojulu Marayi”, 1955) composed by Master Venu and sung by Jikki Krishnaveni. The popular Telugu original was actress Waheeda Rahman’s first screen appearance in a song. |
| 15. | “Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho” (“Chaudhvin Ka Chand”, 1960) | The tune of this song was plagiarised by Rajan – Nagendra for the Telugu film song “Neeli Megha Malavo” (“Madana Kamaraju Katha”, 1962). |
Expanded Southern Footprint In Hindi Films
The cross-pollination of ideas between the North and South resulted in an influx of Southern artists in the Hindi film industry. Vyjayanthimala became the first Southern heroine who made it big in Hindi films and set the trend for many more like her to follow. Waheeda Rehman started her career in Telugu films but realised her full potential in Hindi films. P. Bhanumathi, Anjali Devi and Pandari Bai were other South Indian actresses who found success in Hindi films.
South Indian filmmakers like L.V. Prasad, T. Prakash Rao and Krishnan – Panju, who made their Hindi film debuts in the 1950s, enjoyed long and illustrious Hindi film careers. A.V.M. Productions with eleven Hindi film releases in the decade was one of the most prolific banners. Their productions included hits like “Bahar” (1951), “Bhai Bhai” (1956), “Chori Chori” (1956) and “Bhabhi” (1957).
South India was also represented in Hindi films through characters, dances and music. In “Chori Chori” (1956), Kamala Lakshman performed an energetic Bharatanatyam dance to a thillana sung by M.L. Vasanthakumari. The romantic comedy “New Delhi” (1956) told the story of a Punjabi man, played by Kishore Kumar, falling in love with a Tamil woman, played by Vyjayanthimala. The song “Main Bangali Chhokra” (“Raagini”, 1958), filmed on Kishore Kumar and Padmini, made references to their real-life identities – Kishore Kumar, the “Bangali chhokra”, had roots in West Bengal and Padmini, the “Madrasi chhokri”, was a South Indian. Unfortunately, South Indian characters were often mere comedic props. A particularly egregious depiction was Dhumal’s character of a South Indian music teacher in “Chacha Chowdhary” (1953). Dhumal’s South Indian roots were driven home by an exaggerated accent, dark complexion (it is evident that Dhumal used paint for it), a shikha, a Vaishnava tilak and a bare-chested appearance. South Indians got representation in Hindi film in the 1950s but it would take many more decades for their characters to progress beyond stereotypes.
[More details and purchase links for the BollySwar e-book series: https://myswar.co/bollyswar]
Leave a Reply