THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: History of Malayalam cinema is incomplete if P Subramaniam’s contributions are not mentioned. People of Thiruvananthapuram cannot forget Subramaniam’s contributions in making them appreciate cinema when celluloid was considered to be a taboo by many. Making a mark in every aspect of cinema in the good old days, he continued to rule the hearts of film lovers by means of a bunch of devotional films in Malayalam and the theatres he owned in the city.
His grandson Gireesh Chandran has brought out a book titled ‘P Subramaniam Ormayile Velli Velicham’, which highlights his contributions to the industry. The book will be released by Gowri Parvathi Bayi of erstwhile Travancore royal family by handing over the first copy to Sarojini, wife of ONV Kurup at P Subramaniam Hall at Vazhuthacaud on Wednesday.
Unlike the usual biography, the book has the memoirs of several eminent personalities recalling the contributions of the doyen of Malayalam cinema and many rare pictures.
In a memoir legendary musician late G Devarajan has pointed out the contribution of Merryland studio minted out several film playback singers and musicians.‘Subramaniam muthalali’, as he was addressed by many in the city, became passionate about cinema when the industry in Kerala was at its nascent stage. He made an entry into the tinsel town in 1951 through Merryland studio at Nemom in the outskirts of the city. He shot devotional cinema at a time when computer graphics and the technology to provide visual effects were not in the picture.
As a visionary and suave entrepreneur, Subramaniam was one of the legends who laid the foundation of Malayalam cinema in the early fifties.
Film stars, lyricists, composers, directors and technicians entered the world of cinema through the doors of Merryland. ‘Atmasakhi’ marked the debut of Satyan. Kottarakkara, Raghavan, Bahadur, Miss Kumari, Kaviyoor Ponnamma and Sreevidya are some of the stars who established their career in cinema through Merryland.
“The first time contacted Subramaniam was when I was a student at a film institute. As a cinema student, I was eager to know about film sets and locations. Hence, I went to Merryland studio. Interestingly, Subramaniam was more eager in gathering knowledge about cinema,” Adoor Gopalakrishnan recalls in the book.
Born on January 7, 1908, Subramaniam began his career as a clerk with the Water Works Department in Thiruvananthapuram. He tried his hand in various enterprises.
Even in politics. For some time, he was the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram and built many theatre complexes in the district(Sree Kumar, Sreevisakh, New Theatre, Padmanabha). Subramaniam also constructed Swami Ayyappan road in Sabarimala with the profit made from his film Swami Ayyappan. He breathed his last in 1978 at the age of 70.