Parthiban Kanavu

Parthiban Kanavu (Tamil: பார்த்திபன் கனவு, pārttipaṉ kaṉavu, lit. Parthiban's dream) is a famous Tamil novel written by Kalki Krishnamurthy.

Details

Later adopted as film in 1960 with same name. The story is the sequel of Sivagamiyin Sapatham and the incidents mentioned in the book are referred very often in Ponniyin Selvan, one of the greatest novels in Tamil language.

Plot summary

This novel deals with the attempts of the son of (fictional) Chola king Parthiban, Vikraman, to attain independence from the Pallava ruler, Narasimhavarman.

The Cholas remain vassals of the Pallavas. Parthiban conveys his dream of the Chola dynasty regaining its glory – which he believes is lost since they are no longer the independent rulers of their land – to his young son Vikraman. Parthiban refuses to pay the taxes to the Pallavas and this triggers the Pallavas to wage war against the Cholas. In the resulting war Parthiban is killed. But before he dies, in the battlefield, an enigmatic monk promises to Parthiban that he will make sure that Vikraman fulfills Parthiban's dream. Vikraman grows up and plans his retaliation against Narasimhavarman. But his uncle, Marappa Bhupathi, betrays him and Vikraman is arrested and deported to a far off island by Narasimhavarman.

Tamil cinema

The cinema of Tamil Nadu is a part of Indian cinema, producing films in the Tamil language. Based in the Kodambakkam district of Chennai, India, the industry is colloquially referred to as Kollywood, the term being a portmanteau of the words Kodambakkam and Hollywood.

The first silent film in Tamil, Keechaka Vadham, was made by R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1916. The first talkie was a multi-lingual, Kalidas, which released on 31 October 1931, barely 7 months after India's first talking picture Alam Ara By the end of the 1930s, the legislature of the State of Madras passed the Entertainment Tax Act of 1939. Tamil cinema later had a profound effect on other filmmaking industries of India, establishing Chennai as a secondary hub for Bollywood, other regional film industries in South India, as well as Sri Lankan cinema. In its modern era, Tamil films from Chennai have been distributed to various overseas theaters in Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Malaysia, Japan, Oceania, the Middle East, Western Europe, and North America. The industry also inspired independent filmmaking in Tamil diaspora populations in Malaysia, Singapore, and the Western Hemisphere.

Gemini Ganesan

Ramaswamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian film actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was nicknamed "Kadhal Mannan" (King of Romance) for the romantic roles he played in films. Ganesan was one among the "three biggest names of Tamil cinema", the other two being M. G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan. While Sivaji Ganesan excelled in films with drama, and MGR dominated films with fight sequences, Gemini Ganesan held his own with sensitive portrayals of the yearning lover. A recipient of the Padmashree in 1971, he had also won several other prestigious awards such as the "Kalaimamani", "MGR Gold Medal" and "Screen Lifetime Achievement Award". He came from an orthodox Brahmin family, and was one of the few graduates to enter the film industry at that time.

Gemini Ganesan made his debut with Miss Malini in 1947, but was noticed only after his villainous performance in Thai Ullam in 1953. After playing the lead role in Manam Pola Mangalyam (1954), he finally acquired star status. However unlike Sivaji Ganesan or MGR, Gemini Ganesan was not originally a stage performer, and was never involved in politics. Also, he had not won any National Award for his performances in films. In his long film career spanning over five decades, Ganesan acted in more than 200 films mainly in Tamil, and a few in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. His performances on the screen were enhanced by successful playback singers like A. M. Rajah and P. B. Sreenivas. In spite of his celebrated film career, Ganesan's personal life, particularly his marriage to multiple women over the years, has often been a subject of criticism. He won 2 Filmfare Awards for his entire acting career.

R. Parthiepan

Radhakrishnan Parthiban (earlier credited in films as Ra Parthiepan) (Tamil: இராதாகிருஷ்ணன் பார்த்திபன்) is a Tamil film actor, director, film producer and writer. He has worked in more 50 films and has directed nearly 10 films. Parthiepan is known for having directed critically acclaimed films like Pudhiya Paadhai and Housefull and for his performances in films like Bharathi Kannamma, Vetri Kodi Kattu, Azhagi, Melvilasom and Aayirathil Oruvan.

His movies Housefull (1999) & Pudhea Paadhai (1989) won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.

Early life

He came from a middle-class family and was born and brought up in Chennai. His father was a clerk in the post and Telegraph department, but his family could never make both ends meet. He started as a stage artiste who used to perform on stages in Chengalpattu and Villupuram. It was getting him nowhere and so he came back to Chennai. There, he made the usual round of going to the producers offices and was finally able to become the assistant of K. Bhagyaraj. At that time, he used to make around Rs 6000 a month by dubbing for various artistes. He made his first film appearance in Raanuva Veeran. Then, he played the role of a postman in his mentor's Dhavani Kanavugal.

Sneha

Sneha (Hindi: स्नेहा) is a Hindu Indian popular feminine given name, which means "love".

Notable people named Sneha