Kambadasan

• Name — Kambadasan • Birth Name — Appaavu a.k.a. Rajappa • Born — 15 September 1916 • Birthplace — Ulagapuram Tindivanam South Arcot District (Madras Presidency) • Died — 23 May 1973 • Place of death — Chennai • Known for — Film Lyricist • Occupation — Writer, Poet • Parents — Father: Subbarayar Mother: Balammal

Kambadasan was born as Appaavu a.k.a. Rajappa at Ulagapuram, a village near Tindivanam in the then South Arcot District (Madras Presidency) on 15 September 1916. His father Subbarayar was a potter and his mother is Balammal. He was the only son to his parents whose other five children were all girls. The family migrated to Purasaivakkam in Chennai when he was a child. The school education came to an end with 6th standard. He was interested in stage plays. With his fine voice, singing talents and ability to play the harmonium, he soon established a place for himself in stage dramas. Rajappa was devoted to poet Kambar and took his pen name as Kambadasan which means fanatic of Kambar.

As a writer, he has written short stories, poems and plays. With his talents, it was an easy entry for him into the Tamil cinema. He started as an actor and then developed into scriptwriter and lyricist. His debut as a lyricist was in Vaamana Avatharam (1940) in which he was credited as C. S. Rajappa. He wrote the dialogues for Saalivaahanan (1945) and as a popular lyricist with the hit song Arul Thaarum Deva Mathaave in Citadel's Gnana Soundari (1948). Another song Parthal pasi theerum sung by the erstwhile P. U. Chinnappa for the film Mangayarkarasi (1949) also was a hit. He was also featured as the court poet in this film. He was adept at writing for dubbed films. Many of the films dubbed from Hindi and Telugu were successful at the box office in Tamil mainly due to his dialogues and lyrics. The challenge for writing for dubbed films is to write lyrics with the tune already set and to suit the lip movements. A case in point for his success in such films is Vaanaratham (1956). Lata Mangeshkar who sang the original Hindi songs rendered the Tamil versions written by Kambadasan.

He first married Chitralekha, a dancer and daughter of Malayalam poet Vallathol. The marriage did not last long and they separated soon. Then he married poet and school teacher Susheela. That marriage also failed. He married again a dancer Anusuya. Kambadasan was admitted to Royapettah hospital due to failing health condition related to alcoholism, and he died on 23 May 1973.

• Year — Film — Role — Director — Banner — Remarks • 1934 — Draupadi Vastrapaharanam — R. Prakash — Sreenivas Cinetone • 1934 — Srinivasa Kalyanam — A. Narayanan — Sreenivasa Cinetone • 1949 — Mangayarkarasi — Court Poet — Jiten Bannerjee — Bhagya Films

• Year — Film — Music director — Director — Banner — Remarks • 1940 — Vaamana Avatharam — N. B. S. Mani — Prem Chethna — Lakshmi Films — Credited as C. S. Rajappa • 1942 — Aaraichimani — Srinivasa Rao Shinde — P. K. Raja Sandow — Kandhan Studio • 1944 — Mahamaya — S. V. Venkatraman Kunnakkudi Venkatrama Iyer — T. R. Raghunath — Jupiter Pictures • 1948 — Gnana Soundari — S. V. Venkatraman — F. Nagoor, Joseph Thaliath Jr. — Citadel Film Corporation • 1950 — Ithaya Geetham — S. V. Venkatraman — Joseph Thaliath Jr. — Citadel Film Corporation • 1950 — Laila Majnu — S. V. Venkatraman — F. Nagoor — Balaji Pictures • 1950 — Parijatham — C. R. Subburaman S. V. Venkatraman — K. S. Gopalakrishnan — Lavanya Pictures • 1951 — Vanasundari — S. V. Venkatraman C. R. Subburaman — T. R. Raghunath — Krishna Pictures • 1951 — Mayakkari — P. Adinarayana Rao — P. Sridhar — Aswini Pictures — Film made in Tamil and Telugu simultaneously • 1952 — Aan or Murattu Adiyal — Naushad — Mehboob Khan — Dubbed from Hindi • 1952 — Pasiyin Kodumai — P. S. Diwakar — K. J. Mohan Rao — K & K Combines — Dubbed from Malayalam • 1952 — Priyasakhi — Br Lakshmanan — G. R. Rao — Neela Productions — Dubbed from Malayalam • 1952 — Shyamala — G. Ramanathan T. V. Raju Dinakar Rao — P. A. Subba Rao — Yuva Pictures • 1953 — Anbu — T. R. Pappa — M. Natesan — Natesh Art Pictures • 1953 — Avan — Shankar Jaikishan — Raja Nawathe — R. K. Films — Dubbed from Hindi • 1953 — Avan Yaar — Brother Lakshmanan — Antony Mitradas — Neela — Dubbed from Malayalam • 1953 — Poongodhai — P. Adinarayana Rao — L. V. Prasad — Anjali Pictures — Film made in Tamil and Telugu simultaneously • 1953 — Thanthai — P. S. Diwakar — M. R. S. Mani — Excel Productions — Dubbed from Malayalam • 1955 — Kangal — S. V. Venkatraman G. Ramanathan — Krishnan–Panju — Motion Picture Team • 1955 — Maaman Magal — S. V. Venkatraman — R. S. Mani — Mani Productions • 1956 — Kannin Manigal — S. V. Venkatraman — T. Janakiraman — Maheswari Pictures • 1956 — Kudumba Vilakku — T. R. Pappa — F. Nagoor — Nagoor Cine Productions • 1956 — Marma Veeran — Vedha — T. R. Raghunath — Mehboob Studio • 1956 — Moondru Pengal — C. N. Pandurangan — R. S. Prakash — Jayasri Lakshmi Pictures • 1956 — Nannambikkai — S. V. Venkatraman — K. Vembu Charlie — Film Centre • 1956 — Vaanaratham — Naushad — S. U. Sunny — Sunny Art Productions — Dubbed from Hindi • 1957 — Magathala Nattu Mary — R. Parthasarathy — S. S. Rajan — Jaikumar Pictures • 1958 — Avan Amaran — T. M. Ibrahim — S. Balachander — Beaubills Films • 1959 — Kalaivaanan — Pendyala Nageswara Rao — P. Pullaiah — Sharadha Films • 1959 — Manimekalai — G. Ramanathan — V. S. Raghavan — Sekar Art Film Enterprises • 1959 — Odi Vilaiyaadu Paapa — V. Krishnamoorthi — Muktha Srinivasan — Jagajothi Films • 1959 — Yaanai Valartha Vaanambadi — Br Lakshmanan — P. Subramaniam — Neela — Dubbed from Malayalam • 1961 — Akbar — Naushad — K. Asif — Sterling Investment Corporation — Dubbed from Hindi • 1962 — Mahaveera Bheeman — M. S. Gnanamani — S. A. Subbaraman — Jaikumar Pictures • 1963 — Kubera Theevu — C. N. Pandurangan — G. Viswanathan — Nithyakalyani Films