பராசக்தி || 1952 || Parasakthi || Sivaji Ganesan || M. Karunanidhi || R....

பராசக்தி

Parasakthi (English: The Goddess) is a 1952 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by R. Krishnan and S. Panju. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan in his cinematic acting debut, along with S. V. Sahasranamam, S. S. Rajendran, Sriranjani Jr., and Pandari Bai. It was jointly produced by National Pictures and AVM Productions and is based on the stage play of the same name, written by Pavalar Balasundaram. The film narrates the misfortunes that befall the members of a Tamil family during World War II, and how the members face their individual fate and reunite at the end.



The screenplay and dialogues for Parasakthi were written by M. Karunanidhi, who would later become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The film's soundtrack was composed by R. Sudarsanam. Parasakthi was released on 17 October 1952, during the festive occasion of Diwali, and faced controversies because of its portrayal of Brahmins and Hindu customs and practices in poor light. The elitarian society including the then ruling State government even demanded the film to be banned.



Despite these protests, the film was critically acclaimed, with praise directed towards its dialogues and the actors' performances in particular. The film also become a commercial success, and had a theatrical run of over 175 days. Parasakthi acquired cult status in Tamil cinema and became a trendsetter for dialogues and acting for later Tamil films.



Directed by      R. Krishnan   S. Panju

Produced by         P. A. Perumal Mudaliar, A. V. Meiyappan

Screenplay by M. Karunanidhi

Based on         Parasakthi, by Pavalar Balasundaram

Starring                 Sivaji Ganesan, S.V.Sahasranamam, S. S. Rajendran, Sriranjani Jr., Pandari Bai

Music by           R. Sudarsanam

Background score  : Saraswathi Stores Orchestra

Cinematography   : S. Maruti Rao

Edited by           : S. Panju (Panjabi)

Production company AVM Productions National Pictures

Distributed by National Pictures

Release date         17 October 1952

Running time         188 minutes

Country                  India

Language          Tamil