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THE INTERESTING STORY
Bharatanatyam and Tamil cinema have had a long association. Several noted actors were dancers and several practitioners of Bharatanatyam were invited to perform on screen. At most times all of these were Tamils or of Tamil origin, barring a few odd exceptions. But it took great guts for three sisters from Kerala to come and rule the Tamil industry. This is the story of the famous three, popular in later years as 'Travancore Sisters'. Today when Indian cinema is celebrating its centenary, none of them were remembered or their memory invoked. Thankappan Pillai a wealthy landlord and his wife Saraswathiyamma belonged to a large Nair family from Thiruvananthapuram. They lived in Thiruvanathapuram in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore. They had four children. Lalitha born in 1930, Padmini born in 1932, Ragini born in 1939 and son Chandrakumar. Living in a large joint family in the palatial mansion of Malaya Cottage in Pujapura in Thiruvananthapuram, the children were encouraged to take to arts at a very early age. Lalitha and Padmini began their training in dance from Kathakali exponent Guru Gopinath. Lalitha was barely eight years old when she got a break to perform in a Tamil film. With the untimely demise of the father, the mother and kids had to fend for themselves. They decided to migrate to Madras in search of greener pastures. In Madras they continued their dance training under the great Nattuvanar and dance director for films Vuzhavoor Ramaiah Pillai. He groomed them to perfection soon. They also made some lifelong friends with other fellow students of Ramaiah Pillai like Kamala, Radha and Padma Subrahmanyam. The Malayalam film 'Prasanna' in 1950 by a Telugu producer and director Sreeramulu Naidu was the first to introduce all the three sisters together. The film was a massive hit and the songs are considered classic till date. By 1953 Padmini was on the cover of one of India’s most popular film journal Filmfare. However, that didn’t stop her or her sisters from her classical dance training. In Bombay, they continued her training in Bharatanatyam from Guru Mahalingam Pillai. In the early 1960s, Padmini married a US-based physician TK Ramachandran. After this, Padmini began shuttling between Madras and the US. Meanwhile, the other two sisters were making waves in Malayalam cinema. The sisters had an active performing career, both as classical dancers and as dancers and actors in cinema. They conquered not just Malayalam and Tamil but Kannada, Telugu and Hindi cinema as well. They acted alongside all the top heroes of that era like MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, NT Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageshwar Rao, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand. Padmini acted in over 250 films. Some of her memorable movies were 'Madurai Veeran', 'Amaradeepam' (1956), 'Veera Pandiya Kattaboman' (1959), 'Chitthi' (1966), 'Penn Deivam' and 'Vietnam Veedu' (1970). Her most fondly remembered Tamil movie is 'Thillana Mohanambal' (1968), in which she proved to be a fine match for Sivaji Ganesan. The highlight of 'Vanjikottai Valiban' with Gemini Ganesan in 1958 was the scintillating 'dance duel' between Padmini and her contemporary Vyjayanthimala Bali, which has come to be regarded as one of the best dance sequences in Indian cinema. Another stalwart among Bharatanatyam Gurus, the famous Nattuvanara Dandayudhapani Pillai, choreographed it. Many critics and friends of both the dancers commented how it was real life rivalry and jealousy that reflected on screen. You can see the famous dance sequence video here: Among Padmini’s notable Hindi films were 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hain' (1960) opposite Raj Kapoor and 'Pardesi', three years earlier with his father, Prithiviraj Kapoor, in an Indo-Russian collaboration. The Russians were so impressed with Padmini’s acting in 'Mera Naam Joker' that they released a stamp in her honour in 1971. One can go on and on about each of the three sisters and their individual achievements, both as Bharatanatyam dancers and as heroines on screen. The Travancore sisters were also the face of several big advertisement campaigns. From Lux to Air India to several other big brands, they were the faces of several ad campaigns in those decades. However, not everything was fine in all their personal lives. Ragini’s husband Madhavan Thampi was close to a decade younger to her. An alcoholic, gambler, womanizer and an abusive husband, he ill-treated Ragini causing her much personal trauma. Added to this she was detected with breast cancer in 1971. After that it was downhill. Ragini the youngest died battling cancer in 1976. She wasn’t even forty years old, just like many of her screen contemporaries like Madhubala, Meena Kumari and Geeta Bali. Lalitha the older one too succumbed to cancer in 1982. This left Padmini all by herself. She lived in the US where she established a dance school and trained students. In 2006, she relocated to Chennai after 35 years. She was welcomed by many of her fans and older colleagues including former CM Karunanidhi. The same year she passed away from a massive heart attack. With the demise of Padmini, the big era of the Travancore sisters came to an end. In 2008, the government of India’s postage department released a special cover dedicated to the three sisters. Among their extended family are actors and dancers like Shobhana and Vineeth. Many actors, dancers and heroines have emerged from Kerala and made a name. But no one has had the kind of charming yet powerful impact the way the Travancore sisters once had. Images courtesy – Krishnamurthy, Selva Kumar, Shruti P, Shobhana Partial filmography[edit source] Malayalam[edit source] Vellinakshathram (1949) Prasanna (1950) Chandrika (1950) Amma (1952) Kaanchana (1952) .... Kaanchana Ponkathir (1953) ![]() Snehaseema (1954) Sudarshan (1957) Minnalppadayaali (1959) Tamil[edit source] Kannika (1947) Adithan Kanavu (1948) Mohini (1948) Bhojan (1948) Gokuladasi (1948) Vedhala Ulagam (1948) Baktha Jana (1948) Vazhkai (1949) Deva Manohari (1949) Kanniyin Kaadhali (1949) Laila Majnu (1949) Maayavathi (1949) Geethagandhi (1949) Pavalkkpodi (1949) Naatiya Rani (1949) Mangaiyarkarasi (1949) Velaikkari (1949) Vinothini (1949) Ezhai Padum Padu (1950) Manthiri Kumari (1950) Ponmudi (1950) Idhaya Geetham (1950) Krishna Vijayam (1950) Vijayakumari (1950) Marudhanaattu Ilavarasi (1950) Parijatham (1950) Dhigambara Swamiyar (1950) Singari (1951) Sudharsa (1951) Manamagal (1951) Oru Iravu (1951) Devagi (1951) Vanasundari (1951) Dharma Devadhai Andhaman Kaidhi (1952) Amma (1952) Anbu (1952) Amarakavi (1952) Kanchana (1952) Marumagal (1953) ... Usha Ponni (1953) ... Ponni Thookku Thookki (1954) Kanavu (1954) Vaira Malai (1954) Sugame Enga (1954) Valliyin Selvan (1955) Menaka (1955) Kanavane Kan Kanda Deivam (1955) Kaveri (1955) Ulagam Palavidham (1955) Madurai Veeran (1956) Rajarajan (1957) ... Priyamohini Pudhu Vazhvu (1957) Kanniyin Sabadham (1958) Senthamarai (1962) 1967 Nil N S Krishnan (1967) Telugu[edit source] Ammalakkalu (1953) ... Usha Devadas (1953) Dharma Devatha (1952) Kanchana (1952) Jeevitham (1950) Beedala Patlu (1950) Laila Majnu (1949) Hindi[edit source] Kalpana (1948)
Contents.Plot H. Rawail's cinematic version of this moving tale of the original star-crossed lovers, Laila Majnu, starring Rishi Kapoor and Ranjeeta, does full justice to this enduring tale.
It has the intense pangs of love, the painful obstacles that lie in its path and a soul-stirring performance by its lead actors as they bring Laila and Majnu alive. The musical score was composed by maestro Madan Mohan, who died before completing the film, and hence the baton was carried forward by Jaidev, seamlessly.To recount the story, Laila and her lover Majnu, better known as Qais, were born to rival clans, the Amaris and the Sharwaris. The two loved each other as children. Their love was such that if one was hurt, the other started bleeding. The film recounts, how as kids at the madarsa, the maulvi asks them to write the name of Allah on their slates. Qais, who is lost in thoughts of Laila, inscribes her name instead. In return, an incensed maulvi canes him on the hand.
But it is Laila's hand which starts bleeding. Incidents such as this, spread like wild fire and Laila's father, scared for his daughter's reputation, decides to stop her from going to school. The two clan heads decide to separate their children as it is impossible for them to conceive of the Sharwaris and the Amaris ever being joined by love instead of blood. Laila and her Majnu grow up in different places.Many years later, Qais and his friends visit Laila's town to buy camels and the stage is set for the two lovers to meet again.
One day at the marketplace, they encounter each other and it is love at first sight for both of them. They start meeting each other secretly, all over again. But the villain makes his entry in the form of Laila's hot-tempered brother Tabrez (Ranjeet). He has already had a spat with Qais, with neither knowing the other's true identity.
In the turn of events that follow, Qais's father dies at the hands of Tabrez. Qais in turn, avenges his father's murder by killing Tabrez.
He is exiled from the town and wanders about in the dunes, like a madman, thirsting for just a look of his beloved. Meanwhile, Laila is married off to a prince, Bakhsh (Danny). Learning of her love for Qais, he promises to keep his distance until such time that he is not able to replace Majnu in Laila's heart. Like all others before him, he is unable to understand the almost divinely ordained love of Laila and Majnu.
When he does, it is too late.The film was co-written by Abrar Alvi, a longtime associate of Guru Dutt.Soundtrack Film's music is by and with lyrics by.SongSinger (s)'Husn Hazir Hai'Tere Dar Pa Aaya Hoon'Hoke Mayoos Tere Dar Se'Mohammed Rafi, Aziz Nazan, Shankar Shambbhu, Ambar Kumar and Chorus'Is Reshmi Paazzeb Ki Jhankar'Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar'Barbad-E-Mohabbat ki Dua'Mohammed Rafi'Ab Agar Hum Se Khudai Bhi'Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar'Yeh Deewane Ki Zidd Hai Apne'Mohammed Rafi'Likh Kar Tera Naam Zameen Par'Mohammed Rafi, Lata MangeshkarThe songs of the movie were hits. Especially 'Is Reshmi Paazzeb Ki Jhankar', 'Tere Dar Par Aaya Hoon', ' Barbad-E-Mohabbat ki Dua' and 'Husn Hazir Hai'. 'Husn Hazir Hai' also reached number one on the, a rarity for a Madan Mohan composed song.See also.Footnotes.
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