A.V. Meiyappa Chettiar is a stalwart who built Tamil Cinema. It is hard to think about South Indian Cinema without A.V.M. It has been 101 years since this legend was born. Let us remember this legend on this occasion.
A.V.M. was born in Karaikudi. Enamoured by cinema, A.V.M. came down to Chennai and opened a shop that sold gramophone records. Pretty soon, he directed his first film, which did not do well. But A.V.M., known as an iron-willed man, did not give up and worked diligently. He found an opportunity in mythological films. Thus he bought the rights of a Marathi film Nandakumar, based on Lord Krishna’s adventures and remade it in Tamil. The film did well. He then teamed up with yet another entrepreneur and built a studio and made yet another mythological film – Bhoo Kailash – which was a blockbuster. From there on, it was a long successful journey for A.V.M. But it was not a smooth journey; though there were many roadblocks, they were pulverized by this iron-willed man.
A.V.M., a sharp-minded improviser, was responsible for many “firsts” in Tamil as well as Indian Cinema. He was the one to introduce playback singing to Tamil Cinema. In 1940, he produced Harishchandra in Kannada, which was then dubbed into Tamil making it the first ever film in India to be dubbed into another language. And A.V.M. was the first to introduce the “shooting-on-location concept” to Tamil Cinema.
A.V.M was like a powerful river. Nothing could block his flow. If his path was blocked by some hurdle, he worked around it with incredible resilience, even if it meant giving it all he had. Even when he started AVM Productions, he had to face a hindrance right away. The Second World War broke out, Madras faced an acute power shortage and many film studios closed down. In a country where a shaky start is indicative of a bleak future, A.V.M was undeterred and won the situation with his iron will. He moved his studio to Karikudi, operated from there and made super hits like Vedala Ulagam and Naam Iruvar. He proved that nothing could stop him when he was determined to fulfil a job.
A.V.M. is one of the most inspiring personalities. If you are looking for inspiration, then you should read about A.V.M. Galatta.com brings you an exclusive documentary about A.V.M’s life history. Watch it and be inspired.
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