https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Keechaka_VadhamKeechaka Vadham - Revision history2026-07-31T13:12:44ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Keechaka_Vadham&diff=509145&oldid=prevDeangeloWaley at 01:13, 7 April 20262026-04-07T01:13:01Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Silent film by R. Nataraja Mudaliar}}<br />
{{featured article}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2018}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}<br />
{{Infobox film<br />
| name = Keechaka Vadham<br />
| director = [[R. Nataraja Mudaliar]]<br />
| producer = R. Nataraja Mudaliar<br />
| writer = C. Rangavadivelu<br />
| starring = {{ubl|Raju Mudaliar|Jeevarathnam}}<br />
| cinematography = R. Nataraja Mudaliar<br />
| editing = R. Nataraja Mudaliar<br />
| studio = India Film Company<br />
| released = <br />
| runtime = <br />
| country = India<br />
| language = Silent<br />
| budget = [[Indian rupee sign|{{INR}}]]35,000{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=2002|2a1=Muthiah|2y=2009}}<br />
| gross = {{INR}}50,000{{Sfn|Muthiah|2009}}<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''''Keechaka Vadham''''' ({{translation|The Extermination of Keechaka}}){{Sfn|Baskaran|2013|p=14}} is an Indian [[silent film]] produced, directed, filmed and edited by [[R. Nataraja Mudaliar]]. The first film to have been made in [[South India]], it was shot in five weeks at Nataraja Mudaliar's production house, India Film Company. As the members of the cast were [[Tamils]], ''Keechaka Vadham'' is considered to be the first [[Tamil cinema|Tamil film]]. No [[release print|print]] of it is known to have survived, making it a [[lost film]].<br />
<br />
The screenplay, written by C. Rangavadivelu, is based on an episode from the ''[[Virata Parva]]'' segment of the [[Indian epic poetry|Hindu epic]] ''[[Mahabharata]]'', focusing on [[Kichaka|Keechaka]]'s attempts to woo [[Draupadi]]. The film stars Raju Mudaliar and Jeevarathnam as the central characters.<br />
<br />
Released in the late 1910s,{{efn|While film historians [[:de:Suresh Chabria|Suresh Chabria]] and [[Film News Anandan]] said the film was released in 1917,{{Sfnm|1a1=Film News Anandan|1y=1998|2a1=Chabria|2y=2005|2pp=451–452}} film historians [[Randor Guy]], [[S. Muthiah]] and history professor [[Knut A. Jacobsen]] asserted the film was released in 1918.{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=2002|2a1=Muthiah|2y=2009|3a1=Jacobsen|3y=2015|3p=337}}}} ''Keechaka Vadham'' was commercially successful and received positive critical feedback. The film's success prompted Nataraja Mudaliar to make a series of similar films based on Hindu mythology, which laid the foundation for the [[Cinema of South India|South Indian cinema]] industry and led to him being recognised as "the father of Tamil cinema." Nataraja Mudaliar's works were an inspiration to other filmmakers including Raghupathi Surya Prakasa and [[J. C. Daniel]].<br />
<br />
== Plot ==<br />
Keechaka, the commander of King [[Virata]]'s forces, attempts to woo and marry Draupadi by any means necessary; he even tries to molest Draupadi, prompting her to tell [[Bhima]], her husband and one of the [[Pandava]] brothers, about it. Later, when Keechaka meets Draupadi, she requests him to meet her at a secret hiding place. He arrives there, only to find Bhima instead of Draupadi; Bhima kills him.{{Sfnm|1a1=Buck|1y=2000|1pp=215–222|2a1=Muthiah|2y=2009}}<br />
<br />
== Cast ==<br />
*Raju Mudaliar as [[Kichaka|Keechaka]]<br />
*[[U. R. Jeevarathnam|Jeevarathnam]] as [[Draupadi]]<br />
<br />
== Production ==<br />
=== Development ===<br />
[[File:Raja Ravi Varma, Keechaka and Sairandhri, 1890.jpg|200px|thumb|right|alt=A painting by Raja Ravi Varma|Painting of Keechaka and Draupadi by [[Raja Ravi Varma]]]]<br />
[[R. Nataraja Mudaliar]], a [[Car dealership|car dealer]] who was based in [[Chennai|Madras]],{{efn|The city was renamed Chennai in 1996.{{Sfn|Venkatesan|2014}}}} developed an interest in motion pictures after watching [[Dadasaheb Phalke]]'s 1913 [[fantasy film|mythological film]], ''[[Raja Harishchandra]]'' at the Gaiety theatre in Madras.{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=2000|2a1=Balakrishnan|2y=2015}} The former then learned the basics of photography and filmmaking from Stewart Smith, a [[Pune|Poona]]-based British cinematographer who had worked on a documentary that chronicled the [[Governor-General of India|viceroyship]] of [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|Lord Curzon]]<br />
(1899–1905).{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=1997|1pp=21–22|2a1=Guy|2y=2002|3a1=Chabria|3y=2005|3pp=451–452}} Nataraja Mudaliar bought a Williamson 35&nbsp;mm camera and [[Optical printer|printer]] from Mooppanar, a wealthy landowner based in [[Thanjavur]], for {{INR}}1,800.{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=1997|1p=22|2a1=Guy|2y=2002}}{{efn|The average exchange rate in 1917 was 13 [[Indian rupee]]s ({{INR}}) per 1 US dollar (US$).{{Sfn|Roy|2015}}|name=exchange}} In 1915, he established the India Film Company, which was South India's first production company. He then set up a [[film studio]] on Miller's Road in [[Purasawalkam]] with the help of business associates who invested in his production house.{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=2002|2a1=Pinto|2a2=Srivastava|2y=2008|2pp=42–43|3a1=Rajadhyaksha|3a2=Willemen|3y=2014|3p=152}}{{efn|According to Baskaran and Tamil feminist writer [[C. S. Lakshmi]], the place where Nataraja Mudaliar founded the India Film Company was previously known as Tower House.{{Sfnm|1a1=Lakshmi|1y=2004|1p=80|2a1=Baskaran|2y=2013|2p=141}}}}<br />
<br />
Nataraja Mudaliar sought advice from his friend, [[Theatre|theatrical]] artist [[Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar]], who suggested that he depict the story of [[Draupadi]] and [[Kichaka|Keechaka]] from the ''[[Virata Parva]]'' segment of the [[Hindu]] [[Indian epic poetry|epic]] ''[[Mahabharata]]''.{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=2002|2a1=Muthiah|2y=2009}} Some of Nataraja Mudaliar's relatives objected, feeling that it was an inappropriate story for his debut venture, but Sambandha Mudaliar persuaded him to proceed with making the film as audiences were familiar with the story.{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=1997|1p=22|2a1=Guy|2y=2002|3a1=Pattanaik|3y=2010|3pp=203–206|4a1=Baskaran|4y=2013|4p=14}} Attorney C. Rangavadivelu, a close friend of Nataraja Mudaliar, assisted him in writing the screenplay as the latter was not a writer by profession.{{Sfn|Guy|2002}} The paintings of [[Raja Ravi Varma]] provided Nataraja Mudaliar with a source of inspiration for recreating the story on celluloid.{{Sfn|Guy|1997|p=23}} Nataraja Mudaliar cast stage actors Raju Mudaliar and Jeevarathnam as Keechaka and Draupadi, respectively.{{Sfn|Guy|2002}}<br />
<br />
=== Filming ===<br />
''Keechaka Vadham'' was filmed on a budget of {{INR}}35,000 (worth {{INR}}6 crore in 2021 prices). [[Principal photography]] began in 1916–1917, and the film was shot over 35–37 days.{{efn|While historian [[S. Muthiah]] wrote that principal photography began in 1917 and took five weeks (35 days) to complete, Pradeep Madhavan of ''[[Hindu Tamil Thisai]]'' estimated that ''Keechaka Vadham'' was shot over the course of 37 days.{{Sfnm|1a1=Muthiah|1y=2009|2a1=Madhavan|2y=2014}} Nataraja Mudaliar said he began shooting the film {{circa|the end of 1916}}.{{Sfn|Mail|1936}}}} Nataraja Mudaliar imported the [[film stock]] from London with the help of an Englishman named Carpenter, who worked for the [[Mumbai|Bombay]] division of the photographic technology company, [[Kodak]].{{Sfn|Balakrishnan|2015}} Film historian [[Randor Guy]] noted in his 1997 book ''Starlight Starbright: The Early Tamil Cinema'' that a thin white piece of cloth was used as a ceiling for filming and [[sunlight]] was filtered through it onto the floor.{{Sfn|Guy|1997|p=22}} Rangavadivelu was also experienced in playing female roles on stage for the [[Suguna Vilasa Sabha]], and coached the artists on set.{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=2002|2a1=Baskaran|2y=2013|2p=141}} The film's production, cinematography and editing were handled by Nataraja Mudaliar himself.{{Sfnm|1a1=Film News Anandan|1y=1998|2a1=Guy|2y=2000}}<br />
<br />
The film was shot with a speed of 16 frames per second, which was the standard rate for a silent film, at the India Film Company, with [[intertitle]]s in English, Tamil and [[Hindi]]. The Tamil and Hindi intertitles were written by Sambandha Mudaliar and [[Devdas Gandhi]] respectively, while Nataraja Mudaliar wrote the English intertitles himself with the assistance of Guruswami Mudaliar and Thiruvengada Mudaliar, a professor from [[Pachaiyappa's College]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=1997|1p=23|2a1=Guy|2y=2013}}<br />
<br />
''Keechaka Vadham'' was the first film made in [[South India]]; as the cast was [[Tamils|Tamil]], it is also the first Tamil film.{{Sfnm|1a1=Muthiah|1y=2009|2a1=Thakur|2y=2010}} According to Guy, Nataraja Mudaliar established a laboratory in [[Bangalore]] to [[Photographic processing|process]] the [[Negative (photography)|film negatives]] since there was no film laboratory in Madras. Nataraja Mudaliar believed that Bangalore's colder climate "would be kind to his exposed film stock"; he processed the film negatives there each weekend and returned on Monday morning to resume filming.{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=2007|1p=6|2a1=Baskaran|2y=2013|2p=141}} The film's final [[Reel#Motion picture terminology|reel]] length was {{Convert|6000|ft|m|abbr=on}}.{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=2000|2a1=Muthiah|2y=2009|3a1=Baskaran|3y=2016}}<!--how long (time) did it run?--><br />
<br />
== Release, reception and legacy ==<br />
According to Muthiah, ''Keechaka Vadham'' was first released at the Elphinstone Theatre in Madras;{{Sfn|Muthiah|2009}} the film netted {{INR}}50,000 after being screened in India, [[Myanmar|Burma]], [[Sri Lanka|Ceylon]], the [[Federated Malay States]] and [[Singapore]]. The film yielded {{INR}}15,000 which Muthiah noted to be a "tidy profit in those days."{{Sfn|Muthiah|2009}} Writer Firoze Rangoonwalla notes that a reviewer for ''[[The Mail (Madras)|The Mail]]'' praised the film: "It has been prepared with great care and is drawing full houses".{{Sfn|Rangoonwalla|2003|p=31}} Guy pointed out that with the film's critical and commercial success, Nataraja Mudaliar had "created history".{{Sfn|Guy|2000}} Since no [[release print|print]] is known to have survived, it appears to be a [[lost film]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Thakur|1y=2010|2a1=Suganth|2y=2012}}<br />
<br />
''Keechaka Vadham''{{'}}s success inspired Nataraja Mudaliar to make a series of films based on Hindu mythology: ''Draupadi Vastrapaharanam'' (1918), ''Lava Kusa'' (1919), ''Shiva Leela'' (1919), ''Rukmini Satyabhama'' (1922) and ''Mahi Ravana'' (1923).{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=2000|2a1=Guy|2y=2007|2p=6}} He retired from filmmaking in 1923 after a fire killed his son and destroyed his production house.{{Sfnm|1a1=Guy|1y=2000|2a1=Baskaran|2y=2013|2p=141}} Nataraja Mudaliar is widely regarded as "the father of [[Tamil cinema]]," and his films helped lay the foundation for the [[Cinema of South India|South Indian cinema]] industry; his works inspired Raghupathi Surya Prakasa, the son of [[Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu]], and [[J. C. Daniel]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Thoraval|1y=2000|1p=16|2a1=Guy|2y=2002|3a1=Velayutham|3y=2008|3pp=2–3|4a1=Baskaran|4y=2011|5a1=Vats|5y=2013|6a1=Subramanian|6y=2013}}<br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
* ''[[Raja Harishchandra]]'', the first Indian silent film<br />
* ''[[Kalidas (film)|Kalidas]]'', the first [[sound film]] in Tamil and Telugu cinema<br />
* [[List of lost films]]<br />
<br />
== Notes ==<br />
{{notelist}}<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
== Bibliography ==<br />
<br />
=== Books ===<br />
{{Refbegin|30em}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Baskaran |first=S. Theodore |url=https://archive.org/details/eyeofserpentintr0000bask |title=The Eye of the Serpent: An Introduction To Tamil Cinema |date=15 December 2013 |publisher=[[Westland Books]] |isbn=978-93-83260-74-4 |location=[[Chennai]] |author-link=S. Theodore Baskaran |orig-year=1996 |url-access=registration}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Buck |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bgnHHqPg6R8C |title=Mahabharata |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass#Publications|Motilal Banarsidass Publications]] |year=2000 |isbn=978-81-2081-719-7 |location=[[Delhi]]}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Chabria |first=Suresh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hFxwX-dM008CkC |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-415-23440-5 |editor-last=Abel |editor-first=Richard |editor-link=Richard Abel (cultural historian) |location=[[Abingdon-on-Thames]] |chapter=Mudaliar, R. Nataraja}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Guy |first=Randor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tWVYGwAACAAJ |title=Starlight, Starbright: The Early Tamil Cinema |publisher=Amra Publishers |year=1997 |location=Chennai |oclc=52794531 |author-link=Randor Guy}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Jacobsen |first=Knut A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=--9WCgAAQBAJ |title=Routledge Handbook of Contemporary India |date=11 August 2015 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-317-40358-6 |location=Abingdon-on-Thames}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Lakshmi |first=C. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LnflUVu0w2QC |title=The Unhurried City: Writings on Chennai |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-14-303026-3 |location=[[London]] |author-link=C. S. Lakshmi}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Pattanaik |first=Devdutt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gzN2_fu0mIYC |title=Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-14-310425-4 |location=London |author-link=Devdutt Pattanaik}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last1=Pinto |first1=Jerry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Az1XFhjzmUwC |title=Talk of the Town |last2=Srivastava |first2=Rahul |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-14-333013-4 |location=London}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last1=Rajadhyaksha |first1=Ashish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLkABAAAQBAJ |title=Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema |last2=Willemen |first2=Paul |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-135-94318-9 |location=Abingdon-on-Thames |author-link=Ashish Rajadhyaksha |author-link2=Paul Willemen |orig-year=1999}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Rangoonwalla |first=Firoze |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]], [[Popular Prakashan]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-81-7991-066-5 |editor-last=Gulzar |editor-link=Gulzar |location=[[Mumbai]] |chapter=1896–1930: The Early Days |editor-last2=Nihalani |editor-first2=Govind |editor-link2=Govind Nihalani |editor-last3=Chatterjee |editor-first3=Saibal}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Thoraval |first=Yves |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-OpkAAAAMAAJ |title=The cinemas of India |date=2000 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]] |isbn=978-0-333-93410-4 |location=London}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last=Velayutham |first=Selvaraj |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kuPaE3v22zAC |title=Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's other Film Industry |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-203-93037-3 |location=Abingdon-on-Thames}}<br />
{{Refend}}<br />
<br />
=== Newspapers ===<br />
{{Refbegin|30em}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Baskaran |first=S. Theodore |date=September 2011 |title=How old is Tamil Cinema? |url=http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2021%20No%2010/otherstories.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028050046/http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2021%20No%2010/otherstories.html |archive-date=28 October 2015 |access-date=28 October 2015 |work=[[Madras Musings]] |volume=XXI |issue=10}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Baskaran |first=S. Theodore |date=30 January 2016 |title=From the shadows into the limelight |url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/From-the-shadows-into-the-limelight/article14027204.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403055833/http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/From-the-shadows-into-the-limelight/article14027204.ece |archive-date=3 April 2017 |access-date=6 April 2017 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |date=10 July 2000 |title=The stamp of honour |url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2000/07/10/stories/09100224.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918010758/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2000/07/10/stories/09100224.htm |archive-date=18 September 2015 |access-date=30 June 2011 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |date=9 May 2002 |title=Remembering a pioneer |url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/05/09/stories/2002050900170300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918005729/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/05/09/stories/2002050900170300.htm |archive-date=18 September 2015 |access-date=29 June 2011 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |date=December 2007 |title=A Miller's Road Film Pioneer |url=http://madrasmusings.com/older-archives/Vol%2017/Vol%20XVII%20-%20No%2016.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028045458/http://madrasmusings.com/older-archives/Vol%2017/Vol%20XVII%20-%20No%2016.pdf |archive-date=28 October 2015 |access-date=28 October 2015 |work=[[Madras Musings]] |page=6 |volume=XVII |issue=16}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |date=5 October 2013 |title=The forgotten heroes |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/the-forgotten-heroes/article5204125.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918010848/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/the-forgotten-heroes/article5204125.ece |archive-date=18 September 2015 |access-date=6 October 2013 |work=The Hindu}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Madhavan |first=Pradeep |date=22 August 2014 |title=சென்னையும் சினிமாவும்: குதிரைகள் தயவால் உருவான கோடம்பாக்கம்! |trans-title=Chennai and cinema: Kodambakkam, a place that evolved with the help of horses! |url=https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/hindu-talkies/13778-.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250809133041/https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/hindu-talkies/13778-.html |archive-date=9 August 2025 |access-date=16 April 2021 |work=[[Hindu Tamil Thisai]] |language=Tamil}}<br />
* {{Cite news |date=24 December 1936 |title=He Founded the Motion Picture Industry in South India |url=https://timestamil.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/nataraja-mudaliyar.jpg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324102955/https://timestamil.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/nataraja-mudaliyar.jpg |archive-date=24 March 2018 |work=[[The Mail (Madras)|The Madras Mail]] |ref={{Sfnref|Mail|1936}}}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Muthiah |first=S. |author-link=S. Muthiah |date=7 September 2009 |title=The pioneer 'Tamil' film-maker |url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/the-pioneer-tamil-filmmaker/article15949.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918005505/http://www.thehindu.com/arts/the-pioneer-tamil-filmmaker/article15949.ece |archive-date=18 September 2015 |access-date=29 June 2011 |work=The Hindu}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Roy |first=Anjan |date=4 June 2013 |title=The mystery of India's purchasing power parity |url=http://www.theshillongtimes.com/2013/06/04/the-mystery-of-indias-purchasing-power-parity/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250813072117/https://theshillongtimes.com/2013/06/04/the-mystery-of-indias-purchasing-power-parity/ |archive-date=13 August 2025 |access-date=29 October 2015 |work=[[The Shillong Times]] |ref={{Sfnref|Roy|2015}}}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Subramanian |first=Anupama |date=29 May 2013 |title=Classics must be preserved, says B. Mahendra |url=http://archives.deccanchronicle.com/130529/entertainment-kollywood/article/classics-must-be-preserved-says-b-mahendra |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028022043/http://archives.deccanchronicle.com/130529/entertainment-kollywood/article/classics-must-be-preserved-says-b-mahendra |archive-date=28 October 2015 |access-date=5 June 2013 |work=[[Deccan Chronicle]] |df=dmy-all}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Suganth |first=M. |date=2 March 2012 |title=Black and white films in Kollywood |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Black-and-white-films-in-Kollywood/articleshowprint/12098170.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302112115/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Black-and-white-films-in-Kollywood/articleshowprint/12098170.cms |archive-date=2 March 2018 |access-date=25 November 2012 |work=[[The Times of India]]}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Thakur |first=Atul |date=1 May 2010 |title=Gone Forever |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Gone-forever/articleshow/5880201.cms? |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814124456/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Gone-forever/articleshow/5880201.cms |archive-date=14 August 2016 |access-date=29 June 2011 |work=[[The Times of India]]}}<br />
* {{Cite news |last=Venkatesan |first=Deepa |date=22 August 2014 |title=Madras Day: Tracing a city's transformation as Chennai turns 375 |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-madras-day-tracing-a-city-s-transformation-as-chennai-turns-375-2012781 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629224156/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-madras-day-tracing-a-city-s-transformation-as-chennai-turns-375-2012781 |archive-date=29 June 2017 |access-date=28 October 2015 |work=[[Daily News and Analysis]]}}<br />
{{Refend}}<br />
<br />
=== Websites ===<br />
{{Refbegin|30em}}<br />
* {{Cite web |last=Balakrishnan |first=V. |date=12 August 2015 |title=தமிழ் சினிமா முன்னோடிகள் (4) : ஆர். நடராஜ முதலியார் |trans-title=Pioneers of Tamil Cinema (4) : R. Nataraja Mudaliar |url=https://cinema.vikatan.com/others/cinema-serials/50885.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309123005/https://cinema.vikatan.com/others/cinema-serials/50885.html |archive-date=9 March 2018 |access-date=9 March 2018 |website=[[Ananda Vikatan]] }}<br />
* {{Cite web |last=Film News Anandan |author-link=Film News Anandan |date=26 February 1998 |title=Tamil Cinema History&nbsp;– The Early Days |url=http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Memories/98/fna/fna1.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028020625/http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Memories/98/fna/fna1.htm |archive-date=28 October 2015 |access-date=28 October 2015 |website=Indolink }}<br />
* {{Cite web |last=Vats |first=Rohit |date=1 March 2013 |title=100 Years of Indian Cinema: The founding fathers |url=http://www.news18.com/news/india/100-years-of-indian-cinema-the-founding-fathers-593752.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170105085215/http://www.news18.com/news/india/100-years-of-indian-cinema-the-founding-fathers-593752.html |archive-date=5 January 2017 |access-date=24 April 2016 |website=[[News18]] }}<br />
{{Refend}}<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
*{{IMDb title}}<br />
{{Portal bar|Film|India}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:1910s directorial debut films]]<br />
[[Category:1910s historical films]]<br />
[[Category:1910s Indian films]]<br />
[[Category:1910s lost films]]<br />
[[Category:Films based on the Mahabharata]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu mythological films]]<br />
[[Category:Indian black-and-white films]]<br />
[[Category:Indian historical films]]<br />
[[Category:Indian silent films]]<br />
[[Category:Lost Indian films]]<br />
[[Category:Lost silent films]]</div>DeangeloWaley