On the 10th of July 2000 , I had the honour of organising a function to Release a Special PostalCover and cancellation for a number of people who were all the early Pioneers of Tamil, nay, Indian Cinema. They were Mr.Natraja Mudaliar, the man who made the first Feature Film in Tamil Nadu or should I say South India, just a few years after Phalke released his.The film being a silent film cannot be called a “Tamil” film can it? Then Mr. Raja Sandow one of our early Pioneer Directors, Mr.Raghupathy Prakash another one of the early greats and Mr.Narayanan , who set up the first “Sound” studio in Chennai thus ensuring that Tamil Films were made here and not in Mumbai or Kolkatta as was the practice.Indeed the earliest MKT films were not made here, the entire team had to go to one of the two cities. There was also an image of “Warwicks Electric Theatre” – this was south’s first Cinema hall, built in 1900 this structure was celebrating its centenary. Happily it is stll there to be seen in the Mount Road Post Office,opposite Shanthi Theatre. It currently Houses the Philatelic Bureau.The other Pioneers were Mr. L.V.Prasad, Mr.K.Subrahmanyam(the man who introduced MKT, T.R.Rajakumari and M.S.Subbulakshmi) and Mr. A.V.Meiyappan. This function was well attended and both the main attractions Nadigar Thilakam Dr.Sivaji Ganesan and Ulaga Nayakan Kamalhassa spoke on that occassion. Watch the film clip to know what they said.Happily with the total support of Nadigar Thilakam’s family I continue my homage to these stars of yesteryear…we honour them on the 21st of July every year to mark the passing away of Dr.Sivaji.

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