A. V. Meiyappan

AVM was born in Karaikudi on 28 July 1907 to Nagarathar family of father Avichi Chettiar and mother Lakshmi Achi. Avichi Chettiar owned a department store called AV & Sons which sold gramophone records. At an early age, AVM envisioned better prospects in the trade of manufacturing records than simply selling them. Hence, he moved to Madras with his friends K.S. Narayan Iyengar and Subbaiah Chettiar and established a new firm called Saraswathi Stores on 9 September 1932. This new firm also manufactured gramophone records apart from selling them. In this new venture, he got excellent support from the manager K.P. Varadachari and his lawyer friend Thoothukudi Govindachari Raghavachari. Some of AVM's early productions were dramas on mythological subjects like Ramayanam. ==Early film career==

With the dawn of the talkies, AVM established the Saraswathi Sound Productions. for the part of the young Lord Krishna. This young boy would later become an efficient singer turning in a number of melodious hits. Lalitha Venkataraman sang for the character Devaki making Nandakumar the first film to introduce the concept of playback singing in the Tamil film industry. Nandakumar was also one of the first Tamil movies to be shot on location as AVM leased the Club House off Mount Road in Chennai to shoot scenes without erecting sets. AVM started his own studios in 1940 and named it Pragathi Studios. In the same year, AVM produced Bhookailas which became one of the most popular film versions of the Ramayana. The film was made in Telugu, it was a famous Kannada play and its lead actors were from Kannada cinema and it was directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni from Karnataka, who had received his training in Bombay. AVM's comedy flick Sabapathy(1941) starring T.R. Ramachandran, K. Sarangapani and Kali N. Ratnam was a runaway hit as also Poli Panchali, another comedy. Sabapathy eventually emerged as one of the greatest comedy films of the era. He followed this with another hit En Manaivi. In 1943, he produced the film Harischandra in Kannada based on the legend of a king who attempted to kill his own son to defend justice. The next year, the film was dubbed into Tamil making it the first Indian film to be dubbed from one language to another. During the making of Sri Valli in 1945, he employed singer Periyanayaki to sing for actress Rukmini. This was AVM's second film to make use of playback. Pragati technicians worked round the clock to synchronise voice and lip. Reels were shipped back and forth in cars and trains between Madras and Karaikkudi to ensure good quality. ==AVM Productions==

On 14 November 1945, riding on the phenomenal success of his first few films, AVM established his new production company, AVM Productions at Santhome, Chennai. Reflecting the intense patriotic fervour and hope which engulfed the newborn nation, the film released in January 1947 after six months of shooting and was "a thundering success". The story begins with a Subramania Bharati anniversary and ends with Gandhi's 77th birthday celebrations. The film ran for 25 weeks and was released as Jeevitham (1949) in Telugu and Bahar in Hindi. With the success of Vazhkai, AVM Productions began to produce films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and even Sinhalese. Following India's independence, the power shortages had been met and AVM studios shifted to the sprawling location in Kodambakkam chosen by AVM, in the year 1948. ==The 1950s==

The decade of the 1950s was a honeymoon period for AVM Productions which turned out a series of hits. The early years were marked by AVM's attempts to conquer the Hindi film industry. In 1952, AVM's Tamil film Parasakthi released in theatres all over Madras and was an instant success. By the mid-1950s, he had emerged as one of the top-stars in Kollywood. Sivaji also starred in AVM's next Tamil film Andha Naal (1954) directed by S. Balachander. The film, the first film without any songs to be released in any Indian language, was about a radio engineer who intrigues with the invading Japanese during the Second World War and is eventually killed by his wife. The style of narration had been heavily borrowed from Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon. In 1953, AVM produced the Kannada film Jatakaphala which was dubbed into Jatakam in Tamil and Jatakaphalam in Telugu. In 1958, AVM made Bhookailas in Telugu, which triggered the "golden age of Telugu cinema". ==The 1960s==

In 1961, AVM produced the Telugu film Papa Pariharam which was a remake of the Tamil film Pavamanippu which released in the same year. Both were directed by eminent director A. Bhimsingh and starred Shivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Savitri and Devika. Like most of AVM's early films, Pavamanippu too had a storyline based on the Second World War. Kalathur Kannamma in 1960 saw the introduction of another star in Tamil cinema, the thespian Kamal Haasan who played an unforgettable supporting role as a young orphan. He was barely six years old at the time. It also launched Major Sundarrajan as a character actor in the Tamil film industry. Sundarrajan's second hit, Major Chandrakanth where his famous portrayal of title role earned him the screen name "Major" Sundarrajan was also produced by AVM. Narayanmurthy had earlier directed a black-and-white version of Bhakta Prahlada in 1942 which had failed at the box-office. The film was a major success and the song Rajavin Paarvai topped the charts for a long time. In 1970, AVM produced Enga Mama featuring Sivaji Ganesan. Enga Mama was a Tamil remake of the Hindi film Brahmachari produced by G. P. Sippy and performed moderately at the box-office. ==Films in Hindi==

From the initial phase of his career, AVM was associated with a number of producers and directors from North India. His 1938 film Nandakumar was the Tamil remake of a Marathi film. His 1940 film Bhookailas was directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni who had received his training in Bombay. In 1951, AVM made his entry into the Hindi film industry with Bahar. Starring Vyjayanthimala, Karan Dewan, Pandari Bai, Pran, Om Prakash and Tabassum, it was a remake of the 1948 Tamil film Vazhkai. Apart from being AVM's first film in Hindi, it also marked the launch of Vyjayanthimala in the Hindi film industry. In 1954, he made Ladki, his second film in Hindi, with Vyjayanthimala again in the lead. Both these films were directed by M. V. Raman. After enjoying moderate successes in his first two films in Hindi which went unnoticed, AVM ascended the heights of Bollywood with the third one Hum Panchi Ek Daal Ke(1957). It was a children's film based on the theme of national integration and won him the prime minister's gold medal. and Miss Mary(1957), the dubbed version of the Tamil film Missiamma. Bhabhi (1957) featured Balraj Sahni, Pandari Bai and Nanda, apart from comedian Jagdeep in his first romantic role. Jagdeep also acted in other films produced by AVM as Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke and Barkha. Other notable Hindi films made by AVM during the 1960s were Man Mauji, Main Chup Rahungi, Pooja Ke Phool and Mehrban. AVM's last Hindi film was Jeene Ki Arzoo directed by Rajasekhar in 1981. ==Family==

Meiyappan has five sons and six daughters born to his two wives Alamelu and Rajeswari. From Alamelu Meiyappan, who died in 1946, has 1 son and 5 daughters. For Rajeswari Meiyappan, who died on 9 November 2008, has 1 daughter and 4 sons including M. Saravanan. With dawn of the 1970s, production had slowed down considerably. This was due to the fact that AVM himself was aging. Moreover, the AVM family chose to focus their attention upon social activities other than filming. AVM Productions produced not more than four films during the decade: Bomma Borusa, Dil Ka Raja,Akka Thamudu and Jaise Ko Taisa. Bomma Borusa made in Telugu by K. Balachander was an average grosser as was the Hindi film Dil Ka Raja which released in 1972. Akka Thamudu directed by the successful partnership of Krishnan–Panju was AVM's last film in Telugu. It was also AVM's only Telugu film featuring Jayalalithaa. In 1973, AVM produced his last film Jaise Ko Taisa starring Jitendra in the lead role. AVM did not produce any movies following Jeene Ki Arzoo in 1981. He spent his time on social activities and the charitable institutions he had built as well as looking after his massive business empire. AVM died on 12 August 1979 at the age of 72. In 1980, as per AVM's last wishes, AVM Studios commenced film production under Meiyappan's sons A.V.M Kumaran and M. Saravanan, after a seven-year hiatus. ==Legacy==

During a career spanning four decades, AVM had produced 167 movies in all. He also directed most of his early movies. He is credited with having introduced Kollywood's first playback singers, made India's first dubbed film and Kollywood's first film shot on location. He has also had the distinction of having had five chief ministers work in his films – C. N. Annadurai wrote the script for AVM's Ore Iravu, M. Karunanidhi scripted the dialogues for Parasakthi, M. G. Ramachandran played the hero in Anbe Vaa, J. Jayalalithaa was the heroine in AVM's Major Chandrakanth and Akka Thamudu and N. T. Rama Rao starred in AVM's Jeevitham, Ramu and Bhookailas. Made at enormous cost of Rs. 60 to 960 million (15 to 20 million dollars), it is the costliest Tamil film made to date and had earned a critical reception worldwide. In recent times, AVM Productions has significant lessened film production making only one or two films a year. ==Philanthropy==

Apart from his contributions to the growth of motion picture industry in Tamil Nadu, AVM has also donated extensively for charitable causes. The charitable activities of the AVM group were channelled through an organisation called AVM Charities established at Mylapore in Chennai. This trust has been managed by the descendants of AVM since his death in 1979. The AVM Charities had provided land for old age homes and organising social events. The AVM family also owns a marriage hall, AVM Rajeswari Kalyana Mandapam which is generally rented for Hindu marriages. This marriage hall is controlled by the AVM family through AVM Charities. Following the astounding success of the 2007 Tamil film Sivaji, AVM Productions declared publicly that it would offer 25% of the revenues from the film as charity. The AVM Group owns a string of educational institutions all over Chennai. On 10 June 1963, AVM inaugurated Avichi High School in Virugambakkam in memory of his father Avichi Chettiar. The motive behind the founding was to provide good quality education to the poorer sections of society. Later, Avichi High School was upgraded to Avichi Higher Secondary School. A number of schools have been established since the creation of Avichi School. In 1994, AVM's son Kumaran established the Avichi High School for girls. This was followed by the establishment of AVM Rajeswari Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Virugambakkam in 1995. These schools which are run by the AVM Group as a part of AVM Charities are regarded as some of the best in Chennai. ==Filmography==

• He won Filmfare Award for Best Film - Tamil - Ramu (1966) ==See also==