Vellinakshatram - 1949 film (Malayalam)
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Vellinakshatram
Directed by Felix J. H. Baez
Screenplay by Felix J. H. Baez
Story by K. Ramakrishna Pillai
Produced by Kunchacko
K. V. Koshy
Starring Gayaka Peethambaram
P. Lalitha Devi
Alleppey Vincent
K. Ramakrishna Pillai
Kandiyoor Parameshwarankutty
Joseph Mulavana
P. A. Ambujam
Cinematography T. G. Sivaram Singh
V. Ramamoorthy
Edited by K. D. George
Music by B. A. Chidambaranath
Production
company
K & K Productions
Distributed by Await Release
Release date
14 January 1949
Country India
Language Malayalam
Vellinakshatram (lit. 'Silver-star') is a 1949 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Felix J. H. Baez, who also handled special effects. It was produced by Kunchacko and K. V. Koshy in their debut production. The film stars Gayaka Peethambaram, P. Lalitha Devi, Alleppey Vincent, K. Ramakrishna Pillai, Kandiyoor Parameshwarankutty, Joseph Mulavana, and P. A. Ambujam. It was the debut film produced at Udaya Studios, the acting debut of Miss Kumari, and debut of K. D. George as film editor. Its music was composed by B. A. Chidambaranath, who debuted with this film.
Vellinakshatram was released in theatres on 14 January 1949. No print of the film exists today, making it a lost film. It is the seventh Malayalam-language film to be released in Malayalam cinema.
Cast:
Gayaka Peethambaram as Mohan
P. Lalitha Devi as Santha
X. P. Vincent (Alleppey Vincent) as Ananthan
K. Ramakrishna Pillai as Partner
Kandiyoor Parameshwarankutty as Retired Justice
Joseph Mulavana as Manager
P. A. Ambujam as Leela
M. T. Mathappan as Govindan
P. K. Janamma as Lakshmi
Mrs. Rose as Parvathy Amma
Baby Girija as Prasanna
Lilly Punnooran as Janu
J. G. Punnooran as Captain
Thresiamma (Miss Kumari) in Flash song
Trivia:
IMAGES ALSO NOT AVAILABLE
Reference:1.
VELLINAKSHATRAM 1949
Gayaka Peethambaram, Kandiyoor Parameswaran Kutty, Alleppey Vincent, Lalitha Devi, Cherai Ambujam etc.B. VIJAYAKUMAR
Udaya Studios, Kerala’s first cinema studio, was established by Kunchacko at Alleppey in 1947. Kunchacko followed B. N. Reddy’s example in Telugu and brought respectability to Malayalam cinema. He distanced himself from the dominant genres of Tamil cinema, collaborated with scenarists like Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai and K. P. Kottarakkara to produce several notable films. Vellinakshatram, released on January 14, 1949, was the first film produced at Udaya Studios.
Vellinakshatram was directed by a German named Felix. J. H. Beyas .The film introduced to Malayalam cinema several artists and technicians who later became very popular, like editor K. D.George, lyricist Abhayadev, music director B. A. Chidambaranath, child actor Baby Girija, and the most popular heroine of early Malayalam cinema Miss.Kumari, referred to in the title cards as Thresiamma, her real name. She appeared as a guest artiste in a song sequence.
Popular stage and film actors like Alleppey Vincent, Gayaka Peethambaram, Cherai Ambujam, Lalitha Devi etc. played important roles in the film. But the film flopped.
The story and dialogues were by Kuttanadu Ramakrishna Pillai. Miss.Kumari impressed in the song sequence and went on to become one of the favourite heroines of both Udaya Studios and Neela Productions.
Jagadish Mills is owned by a Retired Judge (Kandiyoor Parameswaran Kutty). The manager of the mill (Mulavana Joseph) supports the Judge in expelling the other partner (Kuttanad Ramakrishna Pillai) and in taking over as the single owner of the mill. False charges are framed on the partner and he is sent to jail where he loses his mental balance.
The Judge realises his guilt and adopts Santha, (Lalitha Devi) the daughter of his partner. Santha falls in love with Mohan (Gayaka Peethambaram), a clerk in the mill. The Manager harboured a plan to take over the mill by marrying his son Ananthan (Alleppey Vincent) to Santha, the legal heir of the Judge. The Manager now begin to harass Mohan and manages to see that he is dismissed from service. The Manager’s daughter Leela (Cherai Ambujam) also loves Mohan.
The workers unite and go on strike against the management demanding that Mohan be reinstated. Mohan is taken back into service. Everyone now comes to know about the wicked plans of the Manager and the Judge. Santha comes to know about the injustice done to her own father. Issues are settled, a reconciliation is brought about. And Santha is married to Mohan.
Alleppey Vincent and Mulavana Joseph excelled in their roles.
Ten songs, written by Abhayadev, were composed by Chidambaranath and Cherai Paramu Das. The ‘flag song,’ Thrikkodi thrikkodi … (Cherai Ambujam) became a super hit.
The other hits included Prema Manoharame … (Gayaka Peethambaram-Cherai Ambujam), Jeevitha vadi poovidukayayi …. (Gayaka Peethambaram), Asha Mohanane … ( Ponkunnam Ambujam ), Raga ramyame … (Savithri Alappuzha), and Asha heenam shokadam … (Gayaka Peethambaram).
Will be remembered: As the first film produced by Udaya Studios; as the debut film of Miss. Kumari, child actress Baby Girija, actors Kandiyoor Parameswaran Kutty, Kuttanad Ramakrishna Pillai and Mulavana Joseph. It was also the debut film of editor K. D. George.
Reference-2:
Malayalam cinema's first female film star did only 34 movies; brought industry's first National Award; died 'mysteriously' at 37
Malayalam cinema’s first female film star did only 34 movies; brought industry’s first National Award; died ‘mysteriously’ at 37
While Malayalam cinema found its voice in crafting hard-hitting dramas rooted in Kerala's social fabric, she was at the forefront, headlining many of them. Christened Miss Kumari, she did 34 films in 18-year career.
It is not easy to survive in the film industry, let alone be a star for long. While the conditions are challenging for even men, it goes without saying that things are far worse for women, who also have to tackle misogyny and sexism both on and off screen. If things aren’t that great even in 2025, imagine how much worse they would have been in the early days of the industry. The story of PK Rosy, Malayalam cinema’s first female actor, alone is enough to illustrate how rotten Kerala society was back then.
While Malayalam cinema was slowly moving forward, trying to find its voice, a new producer, Kunchacko, entered the scene with his Udaya Studios. In 1949, he released Vellinakshatram, the first film produced at Udaya Studios. Starring P Lalitha Devi and Gayaka Peethambaram in the lead roles, the movie also introduced a new actress, Thressiamma, who appeared in just a song sequence. However, the sharp Kunchacko immediately sensed her talent and offered her a lead role in no time. She was rechristened Miss Kumari and made the female lead in Udaya’s next project, Nalla Thanka (1950), marking the birth of one of Malayalam cinema’s first female stars.
Made on a Rs 20 crore budget, movie earned Rs 240 crore, won 10 awards; actor was arrested, landed makers in a fraud case
Born in 1932 in Bharananganam, Kottayam, Thresiamma Kollamparampil became a schoolteacher after completing her formal education, according to information provided on the website dedicated to her memory. It was during this time that she got the opportunity to make an appearance in Vellinakshatram. With the sudden success of Nalla Thanka, Miss Kumari rose to fame, and both Udaya and Merryland Studios rushed to sign her for more movies. And, this was just the beginning of an illustrious career.
While Malayalam cinema found its voice in crafting hard-hitting dramas rooted in Kerala’s social fabric, Kumari was at the forefront, headlining many of them. From Chechi (1950), Athmasakhi (1952) and Kanchana (1952), to Sheriyo Thetto? (1953), Balya Sakhi (1954), and Avakashi (1954), Kumari established herself as a strong performer and a bankable star.
Miss Kumari was born in 1932 in Bharananganam, Kottayam, as Thresiamma Kollamparampil. Miss Kumari in Neelakuyil.
Both Kumari’s career and the Malayalam cinema landscape received the push they needed with the release of Neelakuyil (1954), directed by P Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat. Based on a story by noted author Uroob, Neelakuyil questioned the social evils of the caste system, untouchability, feudalism, and gender injustice. It also introduced the industry to a new cinematic grammar that embraced realism. Starring Kumari, Sathyan, Prema, and Bhaskaran, Neelakuyil went on to become the first Malayalam film to win a National Award. At the 2nd National Film Awards, it earned the now-discontinued All India Certificate of Merit and the President’s Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Malayalam. Her hard-hitting performance as the Dalit woman Neeli opened to widespread acclaim, and the movie’s massive success cemented her position in the industry.
From Prem Nazir’s iconic CID (1955), Kidappadam (1955), Aniyathi (1955), Paadatha Painkili (1957), and Randidangazhi (1958), to Aana Valarthiya Vaanambadi (1959), Poothaali (1960), Mudiyanaaya Puthran (1961), Sri Rama Pattabhishekam (1962), Susheela (1963), and Snapaka Yohannan (1963), she became a part of several memorable movies. Interestingly, Paadatha Painkili, Randidangazhi, and Mudiyanaaya Puthran also won the President’s Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Malayalam.
Miss Kumari made her debut with Vellinakshatram. Miss Kumari with Prem Nazir and other artistes in the 1955 film CID. (Credit: misskumari.com)
According to The News Minute, she got married in 1961 at the age of 29 and bid adieu to cinema soon. After Snapaka Yohannan, she did one more movie — director N Sankaran Nair’s Arakkillam (1967) — wherein she shared the screen with Sathyan and Sarada. That became her swansong. In a career spanning 18 years, she appeared in only 34 films but etched her name in the hearts of the Malayali audience forever.
Although she chose to step away from the limelight following her marriage, Kumari had a progressive mindset towards the social institution and did not believe in the conventional, patriarchal norm of women being forced to stay at home after becoming wives. In an article titled “Daivabayavum Sanmarga Bodavum Thaliridunna Santhoshakaramaya Kudumbajeevitham,” she reportedly detailed her opinion that people should get married only after turning 25. “I personally do not think that family life and an acting career are incompatible. But the deciding factor is whether the industry would accommodate a married woman to continue in the lead role,” the star-actor apparently said once.
Unnatural death?
Unfortunately, two years after Arakkillam, Kumari passed away suddenly. She was just 37 when she breathed her last on June 10, 1969. According to The Hindu, no daily newspapers had much information about her death, except for the detail that she had passed away following a stomach ailment. Soon, rumours surfaced that her death was unnatural. As per a 2016 report in the publication, Kumari lived in isolation during her final days, seemingly indifferent to what was happening around her. The report also claimed that she appeared tormented to some local film journalists, who were familiar with her situation, as she seemed to be reeling under mental agony, fear, and frustration. “We knew that she was not happy at all after she left cinema. Several doubts and questions about her death still linger. But somehow they were not probed,” former MP Sebastian Paul, who also worked as a film journalist at one point in his career, noted.
However, several details mentioned in this report are in direct contrast to information available in the aforementioned 2021 TNM article, based on findings by Malayalam cinema scholar Darshana S Mini and direct quotes from Babu Thaliath, the youngest of Kumari’s three sons.
Two years after Arakkillam, Miss Kumari passed away suddenly. Miss Kumari with Sathyan in Arakkillam, her last movie.
Regardless of how Kumari passed away, there’s no doubt that her demise shocked both the film industry and the audience, even though the tragic incident happened years after she stepped away from the limelight. “I was shocked beyond words. Kumari acted as my sister in my first movie (Aathmasakhi) and she has remained my dear sister ever since. Kumari was a well-behaved, cultured girl. During the outdoor shooting of Manaswini, while I was staying at Bharat Tourist Home in Ernakulam, one day, Kumari and her husband took me to their house in their car. I returned after seeing my sister leading a happy married life as a humble and obedient homemaker. That day, as I was returning, Kumari said, ‘I often hear that many film stars visit Ernakulam. But none of them bother to visit here. Please don’t see me as a stranger,'” Sathyan said at the Malayala Chalachithra Parishad’s condolence meeting.
Taking part in the meet, Prem Nazir reportedly shared, “I was shocked to hear about her demise; it was like I had lost a dear family member. Death is often like an ill-timed joker, but this news was very unexpected. I had tears in my eyes. Kumari was among the most dedicated and gifted artistes we had.” Even after 56 years, Miss Kumari’s name remains an enduring part of Malayalam cinema’s history.
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