K. R. Chellam

{{Infobox person

| name = K. R. Chellam

| image = Balayogini 1937film 2.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Chellam (left) in Balayogini (1937)

| birth_name = Kambayanatham Rangaswami Kanakavalli

| birth_date = 1918

| birth_place = Thanjavur

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Indian

| other_names =

| occupation = Actress

| years_active = 1935–1960

}}

Kambayanatham Rangaswami Kanakavalli (born 1918), known professionally as K. R. Chellam, was an Indian actress who appeared in Tamil language films.{{Cite web |date=10 October 2018 |title=செல்லுலாய்ட் பெண்கள் |trans-title=Celluloid girls |url=http://www.dinakaran.com/Ladies_Detail.asp?Nid=6285 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610125935/http://www.dinakaran.com/Ladies_Detail.asp?Nid=6285 |archive-date=10 June 2020 |access-date=10 June 2020 |website=Dinakaran |language=ta}}

Early life

Kambayanatham Rangaswami Kanakavalli was born in 1918 to a middle-class Iyengar family in Thanjavur. She lost her mother at an early age, so her father Rangaswami, a lawyer, raised her along with her two siblings. Chellam, as she was informally known, dropped out of school early, and married a Bombay-based insurance salesman, later settling there with him. This marriage resulted in two daughters. After the family incurred financial losses due to the insurance salesman's mismanagement, they went to Madras almost penniless.{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=1 September 1990 |title=K. R. Chellam: Sheer poverty drove her to acting |page=18 |work=The Indian Express |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19900901&printsec=frontpage&hl=en }}

Career

Kanakavalli made her film debut with a minor role in Kausalya (1935) to support her family financially. As cinema was considered taboo in India at that time and she did not want her acquaintances to know she was in that profession, she chose her nickname Chellam as her stage name, though her family ultimately learned the truth. The film became a box office bomb and its production company closed, forcing Chellam to continue as an actress to stay afloat. With help from actress T. N. Meenakshi, she was cast in a bigger role in Madras Mail (1936). This film performed well and got Chellam noticed, resulting in her being cast in Balayogini (1937), also a success. Her next film Vanaraja Karzan (1938) received significant media attention because she wore a revealing outfit. Adrishtam (1939), in which she played a lawyer, established her as an actress of "high merit". Her last film was Pattaliyin Vetri (1960).{{Cite web |last=மாதவன் |first=பிரதீப் |date=15 December 2017 |title=நீர்க்குமிழி: குடும்பத்தைக் காப்பாற்ற திரை நடிப்பு! - கே.ஆர் செல்லம் |url=https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/hindu-talkies/120461-.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610125200/https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/hindu-talkies/120461-.html |archive-date=10 June 2020 |access-date=10 June 2020 |website=Hindu Tamil Thisai}} As of September 1990, Chellam was living in Madras with one of her daughters being a doctor.

Filmography

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Title

!Role

!{{Abbr|Ref.|References}}

1935

|Kausalya

1936

|Madras Mail

1937

|Balayogini

|Sarasa

|{{Cite book |last=Dhananjayan |first=G. |title=Pride of Tamil Cinema: 1931 to 2013: Tamil Films that have earned National and International Recognition |publisher=Blue Ocean Publishers |year=2014 |pages=14 |author-link=G. Dhananjayan}}

1938

|Vanaraja Karzan

|Leela

|{{Cite book |last=Dhananjayan |first=G. |title=The Best of Tamil Cinema |publisher=Galatta Media |year=2011 |volume=1 |pages=32–33 |author-link=G. Dhananjayan}}

1938

|Desa Munnetram

|{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=17 December 2011 |title=Blast from the past: Desa Munnetram (1938) |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Blast-from-the-past-Desa-Munnetram-1938/article13430576.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613153011/https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Blast-from-the-past-Desa-Munnetram-1938/article13430576.ece |archive-date=13 June 2020}}

1939

|Adrishtam

|Lawyer

|{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=1 August 2008 |title=Adrishtam 1939 |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/adrishtam-1939/article3023187.ece |url-status=live |access-date=10 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209050248/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/adrishtam-1939/article3023187.ece |archive-date=9 February 2019}}

1941

|Surya Puthri

|Thapathi

|{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=16 November 2013 |title=Suryaputhri (1941) |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/suryaputhri-1941/article5357978.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113043409/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/suryaputhri-1941/article5357978.ece |archive-date=13 January 2017}}

1942

|En Manaivi

|Chellam

|{{Cite AV media |title=En Manaivi |year=1942 |type=motion picture |language=ta |publisher=Pragathi Pictures |trans-title=My Wife |time=0:00 to 2:01 |time-caption=Opening credits, from}}

1943

|Karaikkal Ammaiyar

|{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=21 December 2013 |title=Karaikkal Ammaiyar (1943) |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/karaikkal-ammaiyar-1943/article5486857.ece |url-status=live |access-date=17 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180610191730/https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/karaikkal-ammaiyar-1943/article5486857.ece |archive-date=10 June 2018}}

1944

|Prabhavathi

|Shakthi

|{{Cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7JevgDCLbuNQ3B6Z1lfSGN5OUE/view |title=Prabhavathi |publisher=Krishnan Pictures |year=1944 |language=ta |type=song book}}

1944

|Poompavai

|Ponnammal

|{{Cite book |url=http://mininoolaham.blogspot.com/2017/05/1944_7.html |title=Poompavai |publisher=Rangam Bros |year=1944 |location=Mount Road, Madras |language=ta |type=song book |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606024156/http://mininoolaham.blogspot.com/2017/05/1944_7.html |archive-date=6 June 2020 |url-status=live}}

1945

|Meera

|Udha

|{{Cite AV media |title=Meera |type=motion picture |language=ta |publisher=Chandraprabha Cinetone |year=1945 |time=0:15 to 0:32 |time-caption=Opening credits, from}}

1946

|Lavangi

|Komalam

|{{Cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7JevgDCLbuNRHIwekFtblJsUVE/view |title=லவங்கி |publisher=Sri Jagadish Films |year=1946 |language=Tamil |type=song book}}

1947

|Naam Iruvar

|Ambujam

|{{Cite AV media |title=Nam Iruvar |last=Meiyappan |first=A. V. |type=motion picture |language=Tamil |publisher=A.V.M Productions |year=1947 |author-link=A. V. Meiyappan |time=0:50 to 2:24 |time-caption=Opening credits, from}}

1947

|Deiva Needhi

|{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=11 December 2010 |title=Deiva Neethi 1947 |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Deiva-Neethi-1947/article15589269.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20191008064945/https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Deiva-Neethi-1947/article15589269.ece |archive-date=8 October 2019}}

1948

|Vedhala Ulagam

|Mohanavalli

|{{Cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7JevgDCLbuNUTVMbVl4TzJCZnc/view |title=வேதாள உலகம் |publisher=AVM Productions |year=1948 |language=ta |type=song book }}

1948

|Bhaktha Jana

|{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=28 August 2010 |title=Bhaktha Jana 1948 |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Bhaktha-Jana-1948/article16148511.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613142533/https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Bhaktha-Jana-1948/article16148511.ece |archive-date=13 June 2020}}

1952

|Thai Ullam

|Santhamma

|{{Cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7JevgDCLbuNUTExUTJIallQUnM/view |title=தாய் உள்ளம் |publisher=Narayanan & Company |year=1952 |language=Tamil |type=song book}}

1953

|Jatakam

|Kannammal

|{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/sok.Jathagam_R.NagendraRao_1953 |title=ஜாதகம் |publisher=R. N. R. Pictures |year=1953 |language=ta |type=song book}}

1954

|Rajee En Kanmani

|Raji's aunt

|{{Cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7JevgDCLbuNR2lEYWpjUTRtbmc/view |title=ராஜி என் கண்மணி |publisher=Gemini Studios |language=Tamil |trans-title=Rajee, My Darling |type=songbook}}

1954

|Vaira Maalai

|{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=24 December 2011 |title=Blast from the past – Vaira Maalai 1954 |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/blast-from-the-past-vaira-maalai-1954/article2744712.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617052850/https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/blast-from-the-past-vaira-maalai-1954/article2744712.ece |archive-date=17 June 2020}}

1955

|Kalvanin Kadhali

|{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=22 November 2008 |title=Kalvanin Kadhali 1954 |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/Kalvanin-Kadhali-1954/article15394184.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110001231/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/Kalvanin-Kadhali-1954/article15394184.ece |archive-date=10 January 2018}}

1956

|Mathar Kula Manikkam

1957

|Karpukkarasi

|Singari

|{{Cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7JevgDCLbuNV0w1QS1XOXVkRjQ/view |title=கற்புக்கரசி |publisher=Jupiter Pictures |year=1957 |language=ta |type=song book}}

1959

|Aval Yaar

|{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=21 June 2014 |title=Aval Yaar (1957) |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/aval-yaar-1957/article6136650.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704122604/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/aval-yaar-1957/article6136650.ece |archive-date=4 July 2014}}

1959

|Orey Vazhi

|{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=23 August 2014 |title=Orey Vazhi 1959 |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/blast-from-the-past-orey-vazhi-1959/article6345207.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622183756/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/blast-from-the-past-orey-vazhi-1959/article6345207.ece |archive-date=22 June 2018}}

1960

|Pattaliyin Vetri

1960

|Paavai Vilakku

|{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=25 October 2014 |title=Blast from the past: Paavai Vilakku 1960 |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/blast-from-the-past-paavai-vilakku-1960/article6533208.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728144902/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/blast-from-the-past-paavai-vilakku-1960/article6533208.ece |archive-date=28 July 2017}}

References

External links

{{IMDb name}}

Category:Actresses in Tamil cinema

Category:1918 births