page_title: Bhakta Nandanar
section_title: Production
hierarchical_section_title: Bhakta Nandanar / Production
caption_attribution_description: English: K. B. Sundarambal and Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer in Nandanar (1935).
context_page_description: Bhakta Nandanar is a 1935 Tamil-language film directed by Manik Lal Tandon. It marked the cinematic debut of the carnatic singer and stage artist K. B. Sundarambal. She was paid a then unprecedented ₹100,000 as salary for this film. This was also the first film for Ellis R. Dungan. No print of the film is known to survive, making it a lost film.
context_section_description: K. B. Sundarambal had retired from stage performances in 1932 after the death of her husband S. G. Kittappa. Hassandas, a textile magnate from Madras and a member of Chellaram  business family was keen on making a film with Sundarambal in the lead. She was initially reluctant to star in the film and refused even the recommendation of her mentor S. Satyamurti. Hassandas persisted and to discourage him she offered to act in the film if he could pay One lakh Rupees. Hassandas agreed to pay her and the film was made.
  The film was directed by Manik Lal Tandon with Ellis Dungan shooting many scenes in his absence. Sundarambal was cast as a man – the untouchable saint Nandanar. The same story had earlier been the subject of a 1932 Tamil film of the same name. Carnatic musician Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer was cast as the landlord Vedhiyar. He was paid 3000 Rs as salary. The script had a scene where Iyer's character would prostrate before Nandanar. Due to the prevailing social norms and her respect for Iyer, Sundarambal refused to do the scene. Director Tandon filmed a compromise by changing the scene such that both prostrated before each other. The completed film cost ₹3 lakh (US$4,200) to make and was 18000 feet long. Tunes of three songs from the 1934 Hindi film Chandidas  were reused in this film.
caption: K. B. Sundarambal and Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer in Nandanar
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