Karnataka-born Honnappa Bhagavathar was a Carnatic musician who worked in Tamil films in the 1940s. Few people know that he was originally slated to play the lead role in the 1937-blockbuster Ambikapathi, but the role was later taken by MKT Bhagavathar, who made history in both this and the other 1937 releases. After being implicated in the dramatic Lakshmikanthan Murder Case in 1944–1945, MKT spent a gruelling thirty months behind bars. Many of the films that had been promoted with MKT at the time were shelved. A few of them were made and brought on board by Honnappa Bhagavathar. One of them was the 1948 film Gokuladasi, which completed 75 years of its release yesterday, on December 1.
Renowned screenwriter Elangovan created the narrative of Gokuladasi. Honnappa played three parts in it: Sage Narada; Kamaroopan, a lustful monarch doomed by Parvathi’s curse; and a goldsmith posing as a man to court Anuradha (Rajamma). The female lead assumes two roles: one as a singer-dancer and a follower of Parvathi, and another as a devadasi in Gokulam after being cursed by Sage Narada.
The story takes many amazing turns as the passionate hero tries his best to woo the chaste heroine, not knowing the consequences of his past birth. The heroine is helped by Lord Krishna (Padmini); in the end, everyone is freed from their curses and harmony is restored.
A key character in the film was played by Krishnamurthi. He was quite active and starred in a few films, including En Magan. He was a gifted table tennis player, who eventually disappeared from the movie industry after enlisting in the Army during the war. Then the film also had renowned comedian Ramachandran, who made people laugh in his inimitable way. K Subramanyam, who also directed and penned the screenplay, shot the movie at Neptune Studios. L Krishnan, the associate director, went on to become one of Malaysia’s most eminent citizens after immigrating there. The Malaysian government gave him the title “Dato,” which is the equivalent of “Sir,” and he became known as “Dato” L Krishnan. Gokuladasi failed at the box office even with a strong cast, catchy soundtrack, and skillful director.
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