Just how many of us know about Meena Narayanan (producerdirector A. Narayanan’s wife), the first sound engineer in Tamil cinema? Or T.P. Rajalakshmi, the first woman director, who stormed a male bastion with ‘Miss Kamala’ in 1936? Did you know that T. K. Muthuswamy and P. K.

Diwakar played two widowed sisters in Raja Sandow’s ‘Menaka’ in 1935? Why? Because no actress was ready to tonsure her head to play a widow.

It is these little-known stories accompanying details on 232 films that rivet readers’ attention in G. Dhananjayan’s The Best of Tamil Cinema. The book that spans across 80 years of Tamil cinema comprises two volumes. The first volume covers films made during 1931- 1976, and the second includes those produced from 1976 to 2010.

Information on each film includes a list of its cast and crew, a synopsis, a note on the filmmaker, the critical acclaim it received and awards if any. Films have been categorized into trendsetting (that were technically brilliant, widely appreciated, commercially successful and set a new trend) and landmark films (setting a new benchmark, besides being technically brilliant and commercially successful).

Designed in a readerfriendly format and supported with photographs including rare glimpses of heroes andheroines of yesteryear, this comprehensive record willinterest film students, assistant directors, film aficionados and any lay lover of Tamil cinema. International cinephiles will find it a good guide to Tamil cinema.

‘sheer passion for films drove me’

How did the idea of the book take shape?
The idea was sparked off by an interview with a foreign journalist, who asked me if there was a reference book in English on Tamil cinema for international readers. After searching severalbook stores, I realized that there was no such work like 1001 Films You Must Watch or 501 Best of Hollywood. So I decided to write one for an international audience.

What challenges did you face?
Compiling a list of best films over the past 80 years was a challenge. While I was aware of films released during the last 40 years, I was clueless about films produced during 1931-1976. Eminent historians, including Randor Guy, Film News Anandan, Dina Thanthi I. Shanmuganathan and Thiruninravur T.Santhanakrishnan helped me in compiling a list of best films from this era. This was shortlisted after I watched the films on DVD. In some instances, DVDs of films were not available. For information on them, I relied on copies of original scripts.

Did you know that every director had to submit a detailed script to the British Censor Board before 1947?
More information on them was garnered from the archives of Ananda Vikatan and Roja Muthiah Library.

What next?
The Tamil version of this book is getting ready. I am working on it with Editor Aravindan of Namma Chennai. In 2020, we plan to launch Volume 3 of the book. I am also keen on bringing out books, in both English and Tamil, on legends of Tamil cinema. Each chapter will capture the cinematic journey of a legend from the first film to the last work.

What kept you going as you juggled writing and work? The sheer passion for films drove me. I believe in the motto from Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

By Mythily Ramachandran