Veerapandiya Kattabomman/ Amar Shaheed

1959 201’ col Tamil/Hindi? d/p B.R. Panthulu pc Padmini Pics s Sakthi Krishnaswamy c W.R. Subba Rao lyr K.M. Balasubramanyam m G. Ramanathan lp Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesh, Padmini, S. Varalakshmi, Ragini, V.K. Ramaswamy, Jawar Seetharaman, Anandan

The epic historical and best-known of Ganesan’s collaborations with Panthulu. Kattaboman is presented as the ruler of a small kingdom in Tamil Nadu in the 18th C. who heroically fought against the British invaders and is still revered for his rebellion. The plot has the British lure a rival, Ettayappan (Ramaswamy), into betraying the valiant Kattaboman (Ganesan) who is wounded, captured, humiliatingly brought to trial and hanged. The idealised portrait of Kattaboman is interwoven, in Ganesan’s first Technicolor picture, with lavish court scenes, temple worship and the taming of bulls (much of the film was shot in Rajasthan). A love interest has been added as well. The film consciously invoked Cecil B. DeMille?’s spectacles with Panthulu adopting DeMille?’s tactic of personally introducing the film, on camera.

Film