From page to screen: How Madras filmmakers brought literature to life

Filmmakers have often turned to novels for engaging narratives, layered characters, portrayal of human experiences and reflections of a changing society.

The cover of Kalki magazine that marked the launch of the serialised novel Ponniyin Selvan.
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Courtesy: Kalki

While conversations about literary adaptations usually centre on Thillana Mohanambal, Thyaga Bhoomi, or, more recently, Ponniyin Selvan, much of Tamil cinema has drawn inspiration from the printed word. Tracing some notable page-to-screen journeys.

The 1936-film Sathi Leelavathi was based on Mrs. Henry Wood’s novel Danesbury House (published in 1860).
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The Hindu Archives

Author Vaduvur Doraisami Iyengar’s Menaka adapted to the screen in 1935, marked N.S. Krishnan’s debut. Sathi Leelavathi (1936) based on Mrs. Henry Wood’s Danesbury House (1860), introduced M.G. Ramachandran, T.S. Balaiah and director Ellis R. Dungan to the audience.

The 1942 film Yen Manaivi was based on a popular Marathi play Samshay Kolli, a cinematic adaptation of French playwright Moliere’s Sganarelle.

R. Ranjan and M.K. Radha in Apoorva Sagodharargal.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives

Gemini Studios’s Apoorva Sagodarargal (1949), an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ The Corsican Brothers, is about conjoined twins surgically separated at birth. M.K. Radha played dual roles in the film. Seventy-eight rpm records of Bhanumati’s multilingual song ‘Laddu’ were in such great demand that one had to pre-order copies with Thirunavukkarasu, a record seller in Moore Market. He didn’t have a phone, and anxious customers made daily visits to check if the Laddu record had arrived. Neerum Neruppum (1971), with MGR in dual roles, was also an adaptation of the same novel.

P.U. Chinnappa in Krishna Bhakti was based on the French novel, The Monk, by Mathew Lewis.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives

Krishna Bhakti (1949) was drawn from Mathew Lewis’ French novel The Monk. P.U. Chinnappa wears a cloak of piety, while lusting after T.R. Rajakumari. MLV sang Tyagaraja’s Saraswathi Manohari kriti ‘Yenta vedukondu’ in the film, and this was the only time she appeared on screen.

Vaduvur Doraswamy Iyengar’s novel Digambara Saamiyar made its way to the silver screen in 1950, with Nambiar playing the role of a detective. The song ‘Anna oru paithiyamaa ayidichu anni mela chokki’ (My brother has lost his mental balance, because he is besotted with his wife) from the film was often sung during the nalangu ritual in weddings. The song ‘Sanmaargam thyagam’ had the lines ‘Akramathaal ulagaala ninaithaar Hitler Mussolini; anugundaale avarai adithaar arumai vignani’ (wicked Hitler and Mussolini wanted to rule the world, but were crushed when great scientists developed the atom bomb). The audience erupted in joy when they heard this line, because the disruptions caused by World War II had not been forgotten.

M.G. Ramachandran in the 1951 film Marmayogi, inspired by Marie Corelli’s Vengeance and Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
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The arrangement

Jupiter Pictures’ Marmayogi (1951), owed its premise to Marie Corelli’s novel Vengeance. The king’s paramour grabs the throne, thinking she has killed him. The king, however, is not dead, but haunts her as a ghost. We see shades of Shakespeare’ s Macbeth here. ‘Yen Manadhukkisaindha raja’ sung by T.V Rathnam, a student of Ramnad Krishnan and Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, was a popular number in the film. Rathnam sang ‘Gopiyar konjum ramana’ in the film Vedala Ulagam, based on Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar’s play. Later, T.M. Soundararajan sang the same song in the film Thirumaal Perumai.

Stories from Devan’s Thuppariyum Sambu series were woven into the film Motor Sundaram Pillai (1966)
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives

Not all cinematic adaptations do justice to their literary foundations. The film Gomathyin Kaadhalan (1955) is an example of such a disconnect between word and screen. The film did not capture the sparkling, effervescent humour of Devan’s novel of the same name. Stories from Devan’s Thuppariyum Sambu series were woven into the film Motor Sundaram Pillai (1966), with Nagesh playing the role of the goofy, but incredibly lucky Sambu, who solves mysteries through sheer luck.

Kulamagal Radhai (1963) was a cinematic rendering of Akhilan’s Vaazhvu Yengey. TMS sings ‘Radhe unakku kobam agadhedi’, which were the opening words of a Papanasam Sivan song in the same tune sung by M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagvavatar in Chintamani (1937). The rest of the lyric in Kulamagal Radhai was written by Maruthakasi. TMS’ debut was ‘Radhe nee yennai vittu’ in the same tune in the 1950 film Krishna Vijayam. So, we have the same tune in three songs — one sung by Bhagavatar and two by TMS.

The 1957-MGR starrer Mahadevi was based on the Marathi novel Punya Prabhav, written by R.G. Gadkari.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives

The MGR film Mahadevi (1957) was a cinematic retelling of the novel Punya Prabhav, by Marathi author R.G. Gadkari, and was famous for Veerappa’s refrain: Manandaal mahadevi, illaiyel maranadevi (I will either marry Mahadevi or embrace the goddess of death). The Radha-Jayalakshmi song ‘Aadinaal’ in the film Maragatham (1959) has a brief but beautiful Kedaragowla alapana. Maragatham was inspired by T.S.D. Sami’s Karunkuyil Kundrathu Kolai.

Shanti Nilayam (1969) borrowed the unsettling mysterious elements of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Anaadhai Anandan (1970) was a take on Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, but A.V.M. Rajan, who plays the Tamil version of Bill Sikes, does not kill his girlfriend as in the book.

R.K. Narayan’s Mr. Sampath – The Printer of Malgudi, made its way to the screen with the title Mr. Sampath (1972). ‘Cho’ Ramaswamy has an eye on the jewels of his sweetheart Baakki (Manorama), and serenades her with the song ‘Alankaram podhumadi’. He then strips her of all her jewellery. Finally, Cho says endearingly, “Baakki.” Manorama puns on the word and says, “Baakki ? (What is left). You have taken everything from me.”

The film adaptation of R.K. Narayan’s Mr. Sampath – The Printer of Malgudi feattured ‘Cho’ Ramaswamy and Manorama in the lead roles.
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Special Arrangement

When M.S. Perumaal’s novelette, Vaazhkkai Azhaikkiradhu, made the transition to the screen, director K. Balachander gave it the title Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974). “For the role of Kavitha, Balachander chose a new face, Sujatha, because if he had opted for a star, the character would not have been so deeply ingrained in the minds of the audience. The film was remade in Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, and was the first Tamil film to be remade in Bengali,” says Perumaal.

Literature remains the unsung architect of some of Tamil cinema’s greatest triumphs. By transmuting text into image, film adaptations ensure that the printed word transcends time and resonates across generations of viewers.

The film Thillana Mohanambal was based on Kothamangalam Subbu’s novel of the same name.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Published – August 19, 2026 04:26 pm IST