A. Bhimsingh

1. Bhimsingh or Bhim Singh (1924–1978) was a film maker, producer, editor and writer from the Tamil Film Industry. He has directed films in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi. He was born on October 15, 1924. His film career started as an assistant editor with the film making duo Krishnan-Panju, in the late 1940s. He became assistant director and then promoted as director. His films mainly dealt with family relationships. He made a series of films all of which started with the Tamil syllable pa Pasamalar and Pava Mannippu are notable among them. His work adapting the novels of the Jnanpith-award winning Jayakanthan stand out.

Personal life He hailed from Tirupathi and his mother was a Telugu Brahmin. He had a brother called Hukkum Singh. He was married to Sona, Sister of Krishnan - (Panju) and Thirumalai (Mahalingam) and Pattabiraman alias Pattu. He and Sona are survived by 8 children. One of whom is B. Lenin a noted film editor and winner of National Film Award for Best Editing and many other awards. B. Kannan has been the cinematographer of many of Bharathiraja’s masterpieces. Gopi Bhimsingh directed the memorable TV serial Vizhudhugal. Bhimsingh’s grandson Ranjit is doing wonderful work as a member of Koothu-P-Pattarai, and has appeared in an interesting cameo in Vaanam Vasappadum. Bhimsingh married actress Sukumari later in his life, and the couple have a son, Dr. Suresh, who is a specialist in geriatrics and one of Chennai’s best known dog-breeders as well.

Career Life

He started his career as a journalist for a Telugu magazine. His film career started as a trainee editor then as an assistant editor with the film in the late 1940s under the prolific R. Krishnan -S. Panju. He was the Assistant Director for Ratnakumar (1949), Nallathambi (1949), Parasakthi (1952), Kangal (1953) and Ratha Kanneer (1954). His directorial debut was with Ammaiyappan (1954) for National Productions in which S.S.Rajendran was in the lead role, he directed several movies thereafter. Encouraged by their success at the box office. He started his own production company Buddha Pictures and directed Padhi Bhakti. This movie established his place as a director and thus began the pa series movies. Bhimsingh formed another production company in the mid 60s, called Sunbeam Productions and made his assistants Thirumalai - Mahalingam direct some small-budget movies like Sadhu Mirandaal (1966) and Aalalayam (1967) with creative concepts and refreshingly different stories. His direction in Tamil become very less during the late 1960s. He came back in 1974 and his direction picked up till 1977. He worked with Jayakanthan and came up with Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal, Oru Nadigai Nadagam Paarkiraal and Karunai Ullam which rank among the finest Tamil films ever made. He directed movies in Hindi which were adaptations of his own successes in Tamil. Bhaaga Pirivinai as Khandan, Pasamalar as Rakhi, Kalathur Kannamma as Main Chup Rahungi, Shanthi as Gowri and Saadhu Mirandaal as Sadhu Aur Shaitaan. Bhimsingh also remade movies of other directors: K. Shankar’s Aalayamani as Aadmi and A. P. Nagarajan’s Navarathiri as Naya Din Nai Raat. He won the prestigious Filmfare Award for the Best Director in 1967, for his work in Meherban (1967). He continued on directing other Hindi films till 1977. Besides this, we also directed Telugu and Malayalam movies as well. In Telugu, Kalsi Vunte Kaladu Sukhamu, Maa Inti Jyothi and Evaru Devudu are the famous movies. In Malayalam, Nirakudum, Sheham, Ragam and Maattoli are much talked about. Mishiha Charitram, the story of Jesus, was dubbed in Tamil and Telugu too. He remade Bhaaga Pirivinai as Khandan in Hindi, Kalsi Vunte Kaladu Sukhamu in Telugu and Nirakudum in Malayalam respectively.

Producer