Kalidas (film)

Kalidas (film)

Kalidas is a 1931 Indian Tamil- and Telugu-language biographical film. It was the first sound film to be made in a language from South India. It featured P. G. Venkatesan in the title role and T. P. Rajalakshmi as the female lead. The film was shot in Bombay on the sets of India’s firstSound film Alam Ara.

About Kalidas (film) in brief

Summary Kalidas (film)Kalidas is a 1931 Indian Tamil- and Telugu-language biographical film. It was the first sound film to be made in a language from South India. It featured P. G. Venkatesan in the title role and T. P. Rajalakshmi as the female lead. Kalidas spawned other films based upon Kālidāsa, such as Mahakavi Kalidasa. Because no print, gramophone record, or songbook of the film is known to survive, it is a lost film. The film was shot in Bombay on the sets of India’s firstSound film Alam Ara and was completed in eight days. Despite numerous technical flaws, it received critical acclaim, with praise for Rajal Kakshmi’s singing performance, and became a major commercial success. The sound was recorded using German-made technology. Despite its mythological theme, the film featured songs from much later time periods, including publicity songs of the Indian National Congress and songs about Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian independence movement.

It is the only South Indian film to have been produced and released that year, and was released with high expectations on 31 October 1931, coinciding with Diwali day. It has been described as the first South Indian sound film, and the first Tamil-Telugu film to feature a female lead in the same role as T. P. RajalakShmi. It also featured a comic role for L. V. Prasad, Thevaram Rajambal, T. Susheela Devi, J. Sushila, and M.  S. Santhanalak Shmi in supporting roles. The soundtrack was composed by Carnatic musician Tyagaraja, and featured songs by the likes of T.S. Jopling and Thela Devi. The movie was released in India on October 31, 1931, and went on to be released in the UK on November 2, 1931. The box office receipts for the film were around $1,000,000 (US$2,500,000) The film is considered one of the most successful sound films of the 20th century.