Tiruvallur district, also spelled as Thiruvallur district, is one of the 38 districts in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The fast developing city of Tiruvallur is the district headquarters. The district has a mixture of urban and rural characteristics. The eastern part of Tiruvallur district is dominated by urban characteristics while the Northern part of the district has influence of Andhra culture due to its position. In 2011, the district had a population of 3,728,104 with a sex-ratio of 987 females for every 1,000 males.
Tiruvallur is a Grade I municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of Coovum river about 46 km (29 mi) from downtown Chennai (Madras) and just 5 km from megacity border, in the western part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA). It is a satellite town of Chennai and is the administrative headquarters of Tiruvallur District. The town is known for the Veeraraghava Swamy Temple, one of the 108 sacred shrines of Vaishnavites. The tank festival is held at a pond near this temple. A Shiva temple near this shrine which is popular among the locals. There is also a 40-foot (12 m) tall Viswaroopa Panchamukha Hanuman temple, where the murti is made of a single green granite stone.
The culture of Chennai, popularly called the "Gateway to the South India", is distinct from that of any other Indian city. Being a cosmopolitan hub, the city's culture reflects its diverse population that has resulted in a unique blend. Though a modern metropolis, Chennai continues to be traditional and conventional in certain ways. Traditional music, dance and all other art forms of Tamil Nadu are very popular in the city. One can find a peculiar cultural blend in city, from traditional foods to fast foods, from ancient temple architecture to modern high-rises, and from classical music and dance to the growing nightlife.
Sundaram Balachander was an Indian veena player and filmmaker. He directed, produced, and also composed music for a few of his films. Balachander was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1982. He died of a heart attack at the age of 63, while on a music tour of India.
Aalwar is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by S. Chella in his directoral debut and produced by Mohan Natarajan. The film stars Ajith Kumar and Asin in the lead roles. Vivek, Keerthi Chawla, Lal, Shwetha Bandekar and Aditya Srivastava appear in other pivotal roles. The film's score and soundtrack is by Srikanth Deva while the cinematography was by G. Ramesh.
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood or K-Town, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, a widely spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a neighbourhood in Chennai, and Hollywood. The first Tamil silent film, Keechaka Vadham, was directed by R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1918. The first Tamil talking feature film, Kalidas, a multilingual directed by H. M. Reddy was released on 31 October 1931, less than seven months after India's first talking motion picture Alam Ara.
Dhaasippen, also Dhaasippenn is a 1943 Tamil-language film directed by Ellis R. Dungan and produced by Bhuvaneswai Pictures. The lead actors are T. R. Mahalingam and M. G. Ramachandran. The film was scored by Lalitha Venkatraman and S. Rajeswara Rao. The film has had three other titles: Jyothi Malar, Dasi Penn and Thumbai Mahatmyam, and Jothi Malar. The film is based on a folk tale about a girl becoming a devadasi and dedicating her life to worshipping Lord Shiva and refusing to follow the traditional path of marrying a man. Dhaasippen performed well and became a box office hit. But no print of the film is known to survive, making it a lost film.
Chintamani is a 1937 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Y. V. Rao starring M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, Serugulathur Sama and Aswathamma. It was the first Tamil film to run for a year in a single theatre.
Madrasapattinam is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language historical romantic drama film written and directed by A. L. Vijay. The film stars Arya with Amy Jackson,, while Carole Trangmar-Palmer played older version of Amy. In addition to Nassar, Cochin Hanifa, Lisa Lazarus, Alexx O'Nell and others play supporting roles. The music was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar with editing by Anthony and cinematography by Nirav Shah. The film was released on 9 July 2010 and became a box office success.
Madana Kama Rajan is a 1941 Indian Tamil-language adventure film directed by B. N. Rao and produced by S. S. Vasan. It was the first film for Vasan as producer for Dindugal Amirtham Talkies.
Abhimanyu is a 1948 Tamil-language film produced by Jupiter Pictures and starring S. M. Kumaresan as Abhimanyu, a character from the Mahabharatha. The screenplay was written by A. S. A. Sami, while M. Karunanidhi assisted in the script. This was the second film for Karunanidhi as scriptwriter. The film also starred M. N. Nambiar in a supporting role.
Vipra Narayana is a 1954 Telugu-language biographical film directed, produced and edited by P. S. Ramakrishna Rao under Bharani Studios banner. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Bhanumathi, and Relangi with music composed by S. Rajeswara Rao. The film is based on the life of Tamil Vaishnava saint Vipranarayana. He led his life in devotion to Lord Narayana and worked for the Lord by dedicating him with garlands. He is one of the twelve Alvars. The film is also dubbed in Tamil with the same title and released in 1955.
Batasari (transl. Wayfarer) is a 1961 Indian Telugu-language drama film, produced and directed by Ramakrishna of Bharani Pictures. It was simultaneously made in Tamil as Kaanal Neer (transl. Mirage). Based on the Bengali novel Bardidi by Saratchandra Chatterjee, the film stars P. Bhanumathi and Akkineni Nageswara Rao, with music composed by Master Venu. Batasari was released on 30 June 1961, and Kaanal Neer on 21 July. Both versions did not succeed commercially.
Shantha Sakku Bai is a 1939 Indian, Tamil-language film directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni. The film featured K. Aswathamma, Banni Bai, K. Sarangapani, Kothamangalam Seenu, Kothamangalam Subbu in the main roles.
Vaagai Sooda Vaa is a 2011 Tamil-language period drama film directed by A. Sarkunam, making it his second film after Kalavani (2010). It stars Vimal and Ineya, with Bhagyaraj, Ponvannan and Thambi Ramaiah playing supporting roles. The film is a period piece set in the 1960s in a remote village in Tamil Nadu. The film released on 30 September 2011 to mostly positive reviews but become an average grosser. The film was subsequently honored with the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil for 2012.
Melatirupati is a hindu temple located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to the Hindu god Venkatesa Perumal.
Kodambakkam is a business and residential neighbourhood in Central Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The neighbourhood is served by Kodambakkam railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. Kodambakkam has a high concentration of film studios and has been known for its status as the hub of the Tamil film industry, lending its name to the industry's monicker Kollywood.
Chakra Dhari is a 1948 Indian Tamil-language film produced by Gemini Studios. V. Nagayya and Pushpavalli star, while Gemini Ganesan who was a budding actor then, appeared in a minor role.
Kumari Rukmani, also known as Kumari Rukmini, was an Indian actress and dancer. She has acted in about 100 films in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi languages.
Cuddalore Nagarathnam Pandurangan was a noted music director who had scored music for Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Sinhala movies. C. N. Pandurangan was an Indian music director who worked mainly in South Indian films.
