KANCHANAMALA, THE FIRST
BIKINI ACTRESS IN TELUGU CINEMA
BORN 1917 MARCH 5 - 1981 JANUARY 24
Kanchanamala MARCH 5,1917–JANUARY 24,1981) was an Indian actress known for her works in Telugu cinema.[1][
Personal life[edit]
She was born in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh. During her childhood days, she went to live with her uncle who was a violin teacher. She was married to Gali Venkaiah, who died of tuberculosis.[
Career[edit]
She started her film career in Srikrishna Tulabharam, in a minor role as Mitravinda in 1935. The film was based on a play by Telugu cinema's first lyricist Chandala Kesava Dasu. Relangi Venkataramaiah played a bit role in the movie.
She captured the audience with her beauty and played lead roles in films such as Veerabhimanyu, Gruhalakshmi and Malapilla.
During his stint as a production director with Vel Pictures, Ramabrahmam felt that she was not fit for acting and rejected her. As she rose in her career, he realised he was wrong and signed her for the harijan village girl Sampalatha in Malapilla, based on Gudipaati Venkata Chalam's unpublished novelette. Sceptics commented that she was a misfit for such a complex character. But she rendered a scintillating performance in the first half as an illiterate downtrodden village belle and as the literate modern city woman in the later portions.
Her next role was as Uthara in Veerabhimanyu (1936) produced by Sagar Movietone in Bombay. Kodavatiganti Kutumba Rao debuted as a screenwriter with this film. Mesmerised by her beauty, Jaddan Bai, actor and producer and mother of Hindi cinema's most elegant actress, Nargis, asked her to act in Hindi films. Mehaboob Khan and popular hero of the time Motilal also told her to learn Hindi so that they could make her a big star in Hindi cinema. Kanchanamal, still a teenager, spurned their offers. Her third starring role, Vipra Narayana catapulted her to stardom.
In Vandemataram, Chittoor Subrahmanya Pillai's Madhuranagarilo challanamma bodhu was used as a duet rendered by Nagaiah and Kanchanamala. Under the production of Gemini Movies, Kanchanamala signed a contract for the role of Nagamma in the movie Bala nagamma which included clause to work only under Gemini movies. During the filming of the movie, she had differences with the director and producer S. S. Vasan which led to legal entanglement. Unable to work in movies outside Gemini movies and having lost her husband caused despair and led to mental imbalance.
She later moved into her sister's place in her hometown Tenali.
Cultural impact[edit]
Mothers of those days used to put their child to sleep humming this lullaby, "Dina Dinamu Papadni Deevinchi pondi Devalokamuloni Devathallaara", first performed by Kanchanamala.
Kanchanamala's photograph from the Malapilla film's promotional calendar adorned many homes and she generated such a "craze" among the cinema patrons.
Kanchanamala: The first pin-up girl of Telugu cinema
The song ‘Dina dinamu paapadni deevinchi pondi’: Lullaby of the 40s
Music for the popular ‘Dina dinamu paapadni deevinchi pondi’ was composed by S Rajeswara Rao when he was only 19
The year was early 1940. Gudavalli Ramabrahmam was holding a song composing session at his office for his movie, Illalu. Saluru Rajeswara Rao was signed to compose the music. Kanchanamala, who was playing the female lead, had to sing two songs in the movie. Ramabrahmam introduced Rajeswara Rao to her. Looking at him mockingly, she said, “Is this boy going to teach me how to sing?” and left the room. Recalling that incident, Rajeswara Rao once said, “I was 19 then. She made fun of me with these words, Ee kurrakunka sangeetha darsakudigaa naaku ishatam ledu (I do not like this little fellow as the music director). However, Ramabrahmam garu managed to persuade her for about 10 days and made her agree to sing.”
In fact, it was just two years earlier, with Gudavalli Ramabrahmam‘s Malapilla (1938), that Kanchanamala had attained stardom. Recognising her new status as a superstar, Gudavalli Ramabrahmam had signed her for his next movie, Illalu, on a monthly salary of ₹3,000 with a four- month contract — the total of ₹12000 was a whopping salary for an actor in those days (when a gram of gold was being sold at less than nine rupees). Kanchanamala, who had by then turned hauteur, refused to listen to her mentor, despite his coaxing. Gudavalli Ramabrahmam hit upon an idea. He asked Rao Balasaraswati, who was also a part of the project as a singer-actress, to sit next to Kanchanamala and hum a few lines from one of the two songs, a lullaby, which Kanchanamala had to sing in the movie. That did the trick. Captivated by Balasaraswati’s mellifluous humming, Kanchanamala, realising her folly, agreed to sing the song for the young composer.
Kanchanamala and Umamaheswara Rao in ‘Illalu’ | Photo Credit: By arrangement
The dialogues and the lyrics for Illalu were credited to Tapi Dharma Rao. However, Gudavalli Ramabrahmam used a couple of songs penned by Basavaraju Apparao, including the duet, Kavyapaanamu jesi kaipekkinaane, rendered by and filmed on Rajeswara Rao and Balasaraswathi.
One of the most popular songs from Illalu was the lullaby Dina dinamu paapadnni deevinchi pondi, rendered by Kanchanamala. It is largely believed to have been written by Tapi Dharma Rao. But neither the 78 rpm gramophone records nor the song book mention the lyricist’s name.
The song
Dina dinamu paapadni deevinchi pondi / Devalokamu loni devathallaaraa / Dina dinamu... / Naa papa niduralo navvukuntaadu / Aassekaalaadeno apsarasalathonu apsarasalathonu / Kannayya niduralo kannu gilikenu / Verri lokamu joochi vekkirinchenu/ Dina dinamu paapadni deevinchi pondi / Devalokamu loni devathallaaraa devathallaaraa.
The scene
Indira (played by Kanchanamala) is happily married to Murthy (Umamaheswara Rao) till Murthy falls in love with Leela (Lakshmi Rajyam) and brings her as his second wife. Though it leaves Indira in anguish, she performs her duty as a devoted wife and a doting mother of her child. While patiently bearing with her husband, she sings the lullaby to put her child to sleep in the swing.
Breaking away from the convention in vogue then, Rajeswara Rao designed a new pattern for the lullaby with only the background music for the first 30 seconds and then followed it up with the singer’s melodious rendition. “Dina dinamu paapadni deevinchi pondi was the most popular jola paata (lullaby) of the time. Almost every mother in the Telugu home used to sing this song to put their offspring to sleep,” recalls J Madhusudana Sarma, an expert in Telugu and Hindi film music up to the 60s. “Prior to this the popular lullaby was Jo Achhutaananda jo jo mukunda enacted and rendered by C Krishnaveni playing Anasuya in the all children star cast — Sati Anasuya — Dhruva Vijayam (1936).” On a lighter note he adds, “with due respect to Ramatilakam as a veteran actress, however, her rendition of the lullaby, Jo jo jo komala syamala gokula bala in Sri Krishna leelalu (1935) used to wake up even those children who were in deep slumber.”
Journalist turned actor and film historian Ravi Kondala Rao says that he first heard the song as a nine year old, when his eldest sister-in-law used to sing the lullaby to put her child to sleep. “It remained the most popular lullaby for the next many years.”
Though Saluru Rajeswara Rao made his debut as a music director with Jayaprada (1938), it was Illalu which established him in the field, with songs from the film appealing to all and sundry.
Kanchanamala was a bold actress of Telugu film industry. In fact, she was the first heroine of Telugu film industry to wear a bikini. Born in the year 1923, Kanchanamala was known as the “Queen of the 70s”.
Kanchanamala kick started her career in film industry with the1935 film Srikrishna Tulabharam when she was just 12 years old. That was not a major role. She wooed the audience with her beautiful eyes and acted in some other films, including Veerabhimanyu, Malapilla and Gruhalakshmi.
Born in Tenali, Kanchanamala has only 19 movies to her credit. There is an interesting story in the film career of Kanchanamala. Director-producer Ramabrahmam assumed that this beautiful actress was not fit for acting. He eventually ignored her. But Kanchanamala steadily had an upswing in her career, and this is when Ramabrahmam realized that he made a mistake. He later cast her in the role of Harijan, a rural girl in the film Malapilla. Hardcore critics ruled her out, but nevertheless this beauty came with a brilliant performance as an illiterate village girl in the initial half and as a learnt modern city damsel in the second half.
Later Kanchanamala acted in the 1936 flick Veerabhimanyu in a supporting role. Jaddan Bhai, who is a producer as well as an actress (Bollywood’s good actress Nargis is her daughter), was attracted towards Kanchanamala, and expressed her wish to see the Telugu star in Hindi films. Even Mehboob Khan, and renowned hero Motilal requested Kanchamala to get to know Hindi. They wanted Kanchanamala to be a great star of Bollywood. But Kanchanamala rejected all these offers. She was just a teenager then. The flick Vipra Narayana made her a big star. She was seen in a supporting role in this film.
The film Gruhalakshmi was a milestone in Kanchanamala’s career, and she enacted the significant role of a depraved dancer in the film.
Kanchanmala was mainly known for her glamour. The Telugu song "Dina Dinamu Papadni Deevinchi Pondi Devalokamuloni Devathallaara" in which Kanchanamala acted was such a hit that mothers used to sings this as a lullaby. Also such was Kanchanamala’s magnetic presence that her photograph decorated several homes.
Filmography[edit]
- Srikrishna Thulabhaaram (1935) as Mitravinda
- Veerabhimanyu (1936) as Uttara
- Vipranarayana (1937) as Devadevi
- Gruhalakshmi (1938) as Madhuri
- Malapilla (1938) as Shampalatha
- Vande Mataram (1939) as Janaki
- Malli Pelli (1939) as Lalitha
- Illalu (1940)
- Mahiravana (1940) as Chandrasena
- Bala Nagamma (1942) as Balanagamma
- Narthanasala (1963) in a guest role
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