Madras Mail (film)
| Madras Mail | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | C. M. Trivedi |
| Screenplay by | (Dialogues) P. R. Rajagopala Iyer |
| Story by | Battling Mani |
| Produced by | Ramaniklal Mohanlal |
| Starring | Battling Mani T. N. Meenakshi |
| Cinematography | Rajinikanth Pondiya |
| Edited by | Indukumar Bhat |
| Music by | S. N. Ranganathan |
Production company | Mohan Pictures |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Madras Mail is a 1936 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by C. N. Trivedi. The film stars Battling Mani and T. N. Meenakshi. It is recognised as the first action film in Tamil cinema.[1][2]
Plot
[edit]Sekar is a kindhearted young man who helps others. He falls in love with Meena, the daughter of a zamindar, despite an initial clash between them. Sekar is trying to get a government job, but Murugesh, a minister in the princely state, desires to marry Meena. To thwart Sekar, Murugesh falsely has him jailed. With the help of an inmate, Sekar escapes from the jail.
Sekar renames himself as Madras Mail. He begins punishing wrongdoers and helps ordinary people. Meanwhile, Meena is abducted by someone, prompting the zamindar to file a police complaint, and a search is going on. Madras Mail rescues and brings back Meena, revealing that Murugesh was behind the abduction of Meena. The zamindar sends Murugesh to jail, releases Sekar and allows him to marry Meena.
Cast
[edit]- Male cast[3]
- Battling Mani as Sekar
- S. R. K. Iyengar as Murugesh
- S. S. Kokko as the inmate
- Kalaiman as Senapathi
- S. N. R. Nathan as the Bhajan singer
- Jayaraman as the poor man
- Female cast[3]
- T. N. Meenakshi as Meena
- Chellam as Ramani
Production
[edit]The film was produced by Ramaniklal Mohanlal under the banner Mohan Pictures and was directed by C. N. Trivedi. Battling Mani wrote the story while the dialogues were penned by P. R. Rajagopala Iyer. Cinematography was done by Rajinikanth Bondiya, while Indukumar Bhat did the editing.[2] Madras Mail is recognised as the first action film in Tamil.[1][4]
Soundtrack
[edit]Music was composed by S. N. Ranganathan while P. R. Rajagopala Iyer wrote the lyrics.[2][3]
Reception
[edit]Historian G. Dhananjayan noted that, in a period when filmgoers were shown films with historical and mythological stories, this action film created a sensation among the audience. He said this was the forerunner to many such films that followed suit.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Dhananjayan, G. (2011). The Best of Tamil Cinema, 1931 to 2010: 1931–1976. Galatta Media. pp. 16–17. OCLC 733724281.
- ^ a b c "1936 - மதராஸ் மெயில் - மோகன் பிக்சர்ஸ்" [1936 – Madras Mail – Mohan Pictures]. Lakshman Sruthi (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ a b c மதராஸ் மெயில் [Madras Mail] (pressbook) (in English and Tamil). Mohan Pictures. 1936.
- ^ "மதராஸ் மெயில்.... முதல் ஆக்சன் ஹீரோ நடித்த முதல் ஆக்சன் படம்..." Theekkathir (in Tamil). 19 July 2021. Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
External links
[edit]- Madras Mail at IMDb
