Sri Lankan Tamil cinema

Sri Lankan Tamil cinema is a small filmmaking industry based in Sri Lanka, which has made under 100 Tamil language films as of 2013.^[1] it is separate from its Indian counterpart, the Tamil cinema of Kodambakkam in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, as many Sri Lankan Tamil actors work in Sri Lankan films or independent Tamil films overseas, although a few noted Tamil actors in India were born in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Tamil cinema's growth has largely been stalled due to the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Tamils contributed significantly to Sinhala cinema as well as Indian Tamil cinema. The earliest ever Tamil films were mostly destroyed or unrecovered during wartime. The first known Sinhalese film dubbed in Tamil was released on December 29, 1951.^[1]^[2] The Sri Lankan Tamil film Samuthayam (transl. Society), an adaptation of C.N. Annadurai’s Velaikkari, was made in 16 mm and technicolor. It was shown in 1962 and 1963. Thottakkari (Plantation Woman), released on March 28, 1962, was the first Sri Lankan Tamil film in the standard 35 mm format. It included speeches by trade unionists S. Thondaman and Azeez and was directed by Krishnakumar, who also played the film's male lead.^[1]

Government-instituted development and individual achievement (1971–1979); unprecedented surge in yearly admissions In 1971, a socialist government that sought to overcome the dominance of screen time in Sri Lanka by Tamil and Hindi films came to power in the country. Foreign film dominance had resulted in domestically produced films being relegated to 20% of the screen time while foreign films occupied 80% (60% Tamil, 10% Hindi, 10% English). The government that won power had promised to redress this imbalance. It established the State Film Corporation by Act No. 47 of 1971, charged with the promotion of national film and giving and making available a wide variety of films to the public.

The State Film Corporation (SFC) established a unique credit scheme for film production. Loans were given on the basis of a script evaluation, and those taking part with credit were given on the collateral of the negatives. This was at a time when bank lending was very conventional and such a 'collateral' was unheard of in the banking industry. The directors and main technicians had to have prior training to obtain loans via a system of registration. Prior to these measures, films produced domestically were transliterations of Tamil and Hindi films, to the extent that there was no credit for screenplay. The only credit was for dialogues, as the "screenplay" was a transliteration of the Hindi or Tamil original. The credit scheme ensured original screenwriting for the first time, and stories that were copies of Hindi and Tamil were not entitled to receive loans. Thus, a professional film production industry was established.

As a rebirth of Sri Lankan Tamil cinema, the comedy/thriller movie ‘'Komaali Kings’' was announced on January 23, 2016. The team says, "‘Komaali Kings’ is an attempt to rekindle and re-establish nostalgic memories of the hay days of Sri Lankan Tamil cinema."

The filmography of the Sri Lankan Tamil cinema is as follows.

Early films 1960s edit

No	Film title	Meaning of title	Film Director / Music Director	Date released
1	Samuthayam	Society	Henry Chandrawansa	1962 (16-mm Technicolor Movie)
2	Thottakkari	A lady from Plantation	Krishnakumar	March 28, 1962
3	Kadamayin Ellai	Limits of Duty	M.Vedanayagam	1966
4	Pasa Nila	Beloved Moon	Joe Dev Anand	1966 (16-mm Movie)
5	Taxi Driver	Taxi Driver	T.Sundukuli Somasegaran	1966
6	Nirmala	Nirmala	A.Ragunathan	1968

Films released in 1970s edit

No	Film title	Meaning of title	Film Director	Date released	Notes
7	Manjal Kungumam	Turmeric and Kumkum	Balan	1970
8	Vensangu	White conch	W.M.S.Thambo	1970
9	Kuththu vilakku	Sacred Lamp	W.S.Mahendran	1972
10	Meenava Penn	Fisherfolk Lady	Krishnakumar	1973
11	Pudhiya Kattru	A New waves	S.Ramanathan	1975
12	Komaligal	The Clowns	S.Ramanathan	1976
13	Ponmani	Ponmani	Dharmasena Patthiraja	1977
14	Kaathirupaen Unakaaha	I will wait for you	S.V.Chandran	1977
15	Naan Ungal Thozhan	I'm Your friend	S. V. Chandran	1978
16	Vadakkattru	Cool Breeze	Premnath Moraes	1977
17	Thendralum Puyalum	Wind and Typhoon	M.A.Kapoor	1978	First and only Tamil Cinemasope movie
18	Theivam Thantha Veedu	God gave this House	Wlfred silva	1978
19	Aemalikal	Fools	S.Ramanathan	1978
20	Anuragam	Anuragam	Yasapalitha Nanayakkara	1978
21	Engalil Oruvan	A Man among us	S.V.Chandran	1979

Films released in 1980s edit

No	Film title	Meaning of title	Film Director	Date released
22	Rathathin Rathamae	Beloved blood relatives	Joe Dev Anand	1980
23	Aval Oru Jeevanathi	She is a living river	J.B.Robert, Joe Michael	1980
24	Nadu Potra Vaalka	Live a great life so that the country will celebrate you	Yasapalitha Nanayakkara	1979
25	Nenjukku Neethi	Just to the heart	T.Sundukuli Somasegaran	1980
26	Pathai Maariya Paruvangal	Ages when paths changed	NA	1982

Films released in 1990s—present edit

No	Film title	Meaning of title	Film Director	Date released
27	Sharmilavin Ithaya Ragam	Sharmila’s Melody of the Heart	Peradeniya Junaideen, Sunil Soma Peiris	1993
28	Mann	Earth	Pudhiyavan	2006
29	Orae Naalil	In a single day	Yusuf Rahim	released 2007
30	Operation Ellalan	Symbol of Supreme Sacrifice	Thamilan	2010
31	Ennul Enna Matramo	What change do I have within me?	Director: S.Kavimaran	14 June 2013
32	School Gang - Kalluri Padaiyani	Musical Instrument	Director: K.Kiruthigan	16 June 2015
33	Senthanal	Red Flame	Director: Sutharshan Kanagarajah	April 2016
34	Akoran	Very angry person	Director: Dinesh Raveendran	10 feb 2017
35	Komaali Kings^[3]	Kings Of Comedians	Director: King Ratnam	23 February 2018
36	Oru Kuyilum 2 Koattankalum	1 Koel, 2 batons	Director: NS thanaa	26 June 2018
37	Bodhai	Addictive	Director: Kirushanth Jeyakumar	26 June 2019
38	Parthiba	Parthiba	Director: R.P.Abarnasuthan	21 November 2019
39	Theevinai Achcham	scared	Director: Dinesh Raveendran	08 feb 2020
40	Puththi Ketta Manitharellam	All dumb people	Director: Raj Sivaraj	24 December 2021
41	Munnel	Soil	Director: Visakesa Chandrasekaram	28 January 2023
42	Vellinattukkaasu	Foreign money	Director: Sasikaran Yo	26 March 2023
43	Soppana Sundhari		Director: Mathavan Maheswaran	26 August 2023

Films yet to be released edit

No	Film title	Meaning of title	Film Director / Music Director	Date released
35	Kaadhal Kaditham	Love Letter	Mukesh	Yet to be released
36	Rajathanthiri	King Maker	Director: Sanathana Sarma	Yet to be released
38	Sooriya	Sooriyan	Dr.p.suren	Yet to be released
39	Maalai Neram	Evening	Director: Vithya Sharma	Yet to be released
40	Yaaldevi	The train	Director: S.K.Logakanthan	Yet to be released
42	YARL	Musical Instrument	Director: MS Anand	Yet to be released
46	Poiyaa Vilakku	The Lamp of Truth	Director: Thanesh Gopal	Yet to be released

References edit

^ ^a ^b ^c Sri Lankan Tamil Cinema and the Search for a Distinct Identity 4 December 2013 by D.B.S. Jeyaraj (originally published in the Indian newsmagazine Frontline on 13–26 February 1999, Vol. 16–No. 04, as part of the Symposium on Sri Lanka’s Cultural Experience)
^ "ஈழத்துத் தமிழ்த் திரைப்படங்களின் பட்டியல்". thaayagakkalaignarkal.blogspot.com. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
^ 'Komaali Kings': 40-year revival of Sri Lankan Tamil cinema?

[search-1] Sri Lankan Tamil Cinema and the Search for a Distinct Identity 4 December 2013 by D.B.S. Jeyaraj (originally published in the Indian newsmagazine Frontline on 13–26 February 1999, Vol. 16–No. 04, as part of the Symposium on Sri Lanka’s Cultural Experience)

[2] "ஈழத்துத் தமிழ்த் திரைப்படங்களின் பட்டியல்". thaayagakkalaignarkal.blogspot.com. Retrieved 16 August 2020.

[3] 'Komaali Kings': 40-year revival of Sri Lankan Tamil cinema?

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