S. V. Venkatraman
S. V. Venkatraman | |
---|---|
Birth name | Venkatraman |
Born | 25 April 1911 |
Origin | Ayyampalayam, Madras Presidency, British India |
Died |
7 April 1998 86) Palavakkam, Tamil Nadu, India | (aged
Sozhavanthan Varadharajan (S.V.) Venkatraman (Tamil: சோழவந்தான் வரதராஜன் வெங்கட்ராமன்) (25 April 1911 – 7 April 1998), also known as SVV, was an actor, singer, and music director, who was active in the Indian film industry from 1938 to the 1970s.
Venkatraman composed the music for Meera, starring M. S. Subbulakshmi. He also composed music for more than 200 Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films.
Early life
Sozhavanthan Varadharajan Venkatraman was born on 25 April 1911, to Varadharajan Iyer and Lakshmi Ammal. When he was three years old, his father died, and his uncle took responsibility for his upbringing. Although he displayed an aptitude for music from an early age, his school education ended after the fourth standard.
To pursue his passion for music he went to Chintadripet, Madras. There the head of a drama troupe him heard singing, and offered Venkatraman a job as a stage artist/singer/musician. Venkatraman learnt to play the harmonium, but had no formal training in Carnatic music.
During his time in Madras, Venkatraman he acted in five films. During a fight scene in one of the films he broke his left hand. While recuperating at Cubbon Park, Bangalore, A. V. Meiyappa Chettiar found Venkatraman and invited him back to Madras to work as the music director for Chettiar's next film, Nanda Kumar.
Career
Venkatraman composed music for many films, including Nanda Kumar, Tahsildar, Valmiki, Manonmani, Kannagi, Nandanar, Meera (Tamil and Hindi), Naga Panchami, Sri Murugan, Manohara (Tamil, Telugu and Hindi), and Irumbu Thirai.
Venkatraman worked with actors such as C. N. Annadurai, M. G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi, Jayalalitha, and N. T. Rama Rao. Many popular composers, including M. S. Viswanathan, T. K. Ramamoorthy, and G. K. Venkatesh worked with him.
All leading playback singers of the time from P. U. Chinnappa Bhagavathar and G. N. Balasubramaniam to M. M. Dandapani Desikar and T. M. Soundararajan lent their voices to Venkatraman's tunes. Carnatic music legends D. K. Pattammal and M. L. Vasanthakumari also came under his baton. Venkatraman himself also proved his prowess as a singer in a few films. Venkatraman's last assignment was Sri Krishna Leela.
Venkatraman scored the music for the famous "Bhaja Govindam", sung by M. S. Subbulakshmi and worked on songs that she made famous, such as "Vadavaraiyai Mathakki", "Mudiondrum Moolangalum", and a few Mahakavi Bharathiyar songs. He set to tune the Narayaneeyam and the Guruvayur Suprabhatam, rendered by Trichur Ramachandran and Papanasam Sivan's Sree Rama Charitha Geetham and sung by Sirkazhi Govindarajan. He tuned Mahakavi Bharathiyar songs and tuned Karpagambal Andhadi for M. M. Dandapani Desikar. He was the composer for All India Radio's Serndhisai, Vadhya Vrindha, and many other music ventures. Music for the Voice of India by Mahatma Gandhi's son had been scored by him.
Venkatraman worked with singers like T. M. Soundararajan, A. M. Rajah, Seerkazhi Govindarajan, Thiruchi Loganathan, V. N. Sundaram, T. A. Mothi, M. L. Vasanthakumari, P. Leela, Jikki, T. V. Rathinam, A. P. Komala, Radha Jayalakshmi, K. Jamuna Rani, P. Suseela, K. Rani, S. Janaki, and L. R. Eswari.
The singing actors M. M. Dandapani Desikar, G. N. Balasubramaniam, M. S. Subbulakshmi, D. K. Pattammal, P. U. Chinnappa, C. Honnappa Bhagavathar, U. R. Jeevarathinam, N. C. Vasanthakokilam, T. R. Mahalingam, T. R. Rajakumari, Chittor V. Nagaiah, N. S. Krishnan, T. A. Madhuram, T. S. Durairaj, and J. P. Chandrababu all sang songs under his compositions.
Personal life
Venkatraman married Saraswathi at the age of 28 in 1939. The couple had four sons and four daughters.
Venkatraman died in his sleep on 7 April 1998, at his residence in Palavakkam.
Filmography
Music director
Year | Film | Language | Cast | Banner | Co-Music Director |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1938 | Nandakumar | Tamil | T. R. Mahalingam | Pragati Pictures Ltd | |
1940 | Bhookailas | Telugu | AVM Productions | R. Sudharsanam | |
1940 | Sakunthalai | Tamil | G. N. Balasubramaniam, M. S. Subbulakshmi | Royal Talkies | Thuraiyur Rajagopala Sharma |
1941 | Mani Maalai or Mainarin Kaadhal | Tamil | T. S. Durairaj, P. R. Mangalam | ||
1941 | Kamadenu | Tamil | K. B. Vastal, Vathsala | ||
1942 | Kannagi | Tamil | P. U. Chinnappa, P. Kannamba, U. R. Jeevarathinam, M. S. Saroja | Jupiter Pictures | |
1943 | Kubera Kuchela | Tamil | P. U. Chinnappa, Papanasam Sivan, P. S. Govindan, T. R. Rajakumari | Jupiter Pictures | Kunnakudi Venkatarama Iyer, N. S. Balakrishnan & T. K. Ramanathan |
1944 | Mahamaya | Tamil | P. U. Chinnappa, P. Kannamba | Jupiter Pictures | |
1944 | Harichandra | Tamil | P. U. Chinnappa, P. Kannamba | Sri Rajarajeswari Films | |
1945 | Meera | Tamil | Chittor V. Nagaiah, M. S. Subbulakshmi | Chandraprabha Cinetone | |
1945 | Paranjothi | Tamil | V. A. Chellappa, T. P. Rajalakshmi | ||
1946 | Valmiki | Tamil | C. Honnappa Bhagavathar, U. R. Jeevarathinam, N. C. Vasanthakokilam, T. R. Rajakumari | Central Studios | Papanasam Sivan |
1946 | Sri Murugan | Tamil | C. Honnappa Bhagavathar, M. G. Ramachandran, U. R. Jeevarathinam | Jupiter Pictures | S. M. Subbaiah Naidu |
1947 | Meera | Hindi | M. S. Subbulakshmi | Chandraprabha Cinetone | |
1947 | Thiyagi | Tamil | N. Krishna Moorthy, V. N. Janaki | ||
1947 | Mahathma Utthangar | Tamil | Kothamangalam Seenu, Vijaya Kumari | ||
1948 | Thirumazhisai Aazhwar | Tamil | M. M. Dandapani Desikar, M. S. Devasena | Sri Kanna Films | |
1948 | Krishna Bhakthi | Tamil | P. U. Chinnappa, T. R. Rajakumari | Krishna Pictures | Kunnakudi Venkatarama Iyer |
1948 | Gnana Soundari | Tamil | T. R. Mahalingam, M. V. Rajamma | Citadel Film Corporation | |
1948 | Gokuladhasi | Tamil | N. Krishna Moorthy, M. V. Rajamma | Neptune Studios | |
1949 | Navajeevanam | Tamil | Chittor V. Nagaiah, P. Kannamba | Rajarajeshwari Films | |
1949 | Laila Majnu | Tamil | T. R. Mahalingam, M. V. Rajamma | Balaji Pictures | |
1950 | Idhaya Geetham | Tamil | T. R. Mahalingam, T. R. Rajakumari | Citadel Film Corporation | |
1950 | Sri Krishna Vijayam | Tamil | P. V. Narasimha Bharathi, N. C. Vasanthakokilam | Jupiter Pictures | S. M. Subbaiah Naidu & C. S. Jayaraman |
1950 | Paarijatham | Tamil | T. R. Mahalingam, M. V. Rajamma, B. S. Saroja | G. Ramanathan & C. R. Subburaman | |
1950 | Laila Majnu | Tamil | T. R. Mahalingam, M. V. Rajamma | ||
1951 | Vanasundari | Tamil | P. U. Chinnappa, T. R. Rajakumari, S. Varalakshmi | Krishna Pictures | C. R. Subburaman |
1951 | Singari | Tamil | T. R. Ramachandran, Lalitha | ||
1951 | Lavanya | Tamil | T. E. Varadhan, Athi M. Irani, Surya Prabha | ||
1953 | Kangal | Tamil | Sivaji Ganesan | Motion Pictures Team | G. Ramanathan |
1953 | Panakkaari | Tamil | M. G. Ramachandran, Chittor V. Nagaiah, T. R. Rajakumari | Uma Pictures | |
1953 | Manithan | Tamil | T. K. Shanmugam, Krishna Kumari | ||
1954 | Manohara | Tamil | Sivaji Ganesan, Girija, P. Kannamba | Manohar Pictures | T. R. Ramanathan |
1954 | Manohara | Telugu | Sivaji Ganesan, Girija, P. Kannamba | Manohar Pictures | T. R. Ramanathan |
1954 | Manohar | Hindi | Sivaji Ganesan, Girija, P. Kannamba | Manohar Pictures | T. R. Ramanathan |
1955 | Maman Magal | Tamil | Gemini Ganesan, Savitri | Mani Productions | |
1955 | Kodeeswaran | Tamil | Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini | Shri Ganesh Movietone | |
1955 | Kalyanam Seithukko | Tamil | P. S. Govindan, Girija | ||
1956 | Kannin Manigal | Tamil | M. K. Radha, Padmini | Maheswari Pictures | |
1956 | Nannambikkai | Tamil | N. N. Kannappa, Pandari Bai | Film Center | |
1956 | Paanai Pidithaval Bagyasaali | Tamil | Gemini Ganesan, Savitri | Maragatha Pictures | S. Rajeswara Rao |
1956 | Ondre Kulam | Tamil | R. S. Manohar, Madhuri Devi | ||
1960 | Irumbu Thirai | Tamil | Sivaji Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala, B. Saroja Devi | Gemini Studios | |
1961 | Marudha Nattu Veeran | Tamil | Sivaji Ganesan, Jamuna | Sri Ganesh Prasad Movies | |
1961 | Akbar | Tamil | Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Durga Khote | Sterling Investment Corporation | |
1963 | Arivaali | Tamil | Sivaji Ganesan, P. Bhanumathi | A.T.K. Productions | |
1977 | Sri Krishna Leelai | Tamil | Sivakumar, Sri Vidhya | C.N.V. Movies |
References
- Randor Guy. "Idhaya Geetham 1950". The Hindu.
- Randor Guy. "Meera 1945". The Hindu.
- Randor Guy. "Sakunthalai 1941". The Hindu.
- Randor Guy. "Panakkari 1953". The Hindu.
- Special Correspondent. "Kalaimamani Awards Announced". The Hindu.