Music Composer Deva dies at age 75
Respected and popular music composer Deva – popularly known as Thenisai Thendra Deva – passed away earlier this morning at the age of 75. He experienced severe chest pains this morning and was rushed to Surya Hospital where he sadly passed away. Deva faced many challenges and career obstac;es but overcame them to rise to […]
Sowcar Janaki – Indian Cinema loses another Legend
Sowcar Janaki, the star of 401 films and more than 300 stage plays passed away on Friday, 21 August 2026, less than four months before her 95th birthday. In a remarkable career spanning an astounding seven decades across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films, Janaki established herself as a discerning actress who could convincingly […]
Black Day for Indian Cinema – 21 July 2001
Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan breathed his last at 19h45 on 21 July 2001, bringing an end to a remarkable life of a self-made man whose command of the Tamil language and his ability to transform his acting styles remain unmatched. The recent death of S. Janaki has reignited the deeply embedded condescension with which many […]
History of Tamil Cinema – Episode 15
MGR as villain in Saalivaahanam This film released on 16 February 1945 and starred Ranjan opposite T.R. Rajakumari. Directed by B.N. Rao, the film’s screenplay was penned by Kambadasan, the screen name of Rajappa. Ranjan, who made a memorable debut in the 1941 film Ashok Kumar and whose greatest claim to fame was as the […]
An introduction to K. Bhagyaraj for Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences
Social media is filled with tributes, articles and memories of K. Bhagyaraj – but he was not a superstar in the true sense of the word, nor were his screen characters lofty ambitions to aspire to. Bhagyaraj did not have the qualities associated with the previous stereotype of lead actors who were good-looking, smart, macho […]
History of Tamil Cinema – Episode 14: The murder mystery that destroyed Tamil cinema’s first superstar
Tamil cinema and the state of Tamil Nadu had a real-life murder mystery that brought unwanted attention to an industry struggling to survive during the Second World War. The murder victim Lakshmikanthan was unable to pay for further education and worked as an illegal tout outside the Chennai High Court. He was eventually arrested in […]
Celebrating a Symphonic Career
Yesterday I listened to Illaiyaraja’s Symphony Number 1 – Valiant – on loop. I am not at all qualified to talk about the musical intricacies of the piece, or the musical merit or otherwise of the four-movement symphony of approximately 45 minutes. I know only since first discovering the magic of western classical music (way […]
Who was Dr Samuel Grubb?
Dr Samuel Grubb, a famous dermatologist who retired as Chief of Dermatology at the Madras Meducal College, found greater fame as a choir conductor and gospel singer. Dr Grubb headed the famous quartet called GATT, made up of the four initial letters of its members – Grubb, Allan, Tony and Theophilus. After spending 20 years […]
History of Tamil Cinema – Episode 13
In 1944, India was undergoing a trying time on the political front. The battle for independence was heightening while Indian soldiers were playing important roles for the UK military in the Second World War. As in 1943, the impact on the entertainment industry was a huge one, and the film industry was very severely affected. […]
Sigaram Awards 2025
This is the very first Sigaram Awards – an accolade designed to recognise excellence in Tamil Cinema. Like the film reviews that appear on Sigaram, the selection of awardees remains unbiased, impartial and transparent. The long list of nominees in each category was posted on Sigaram earlier this year and readers were invited to make […]