TP Rajalakshmi: From an Abandoned Child Bride to the Queen of Cinema

Widely regarded as Tamil and Telegu cinema’s first female actress, the story of TP Rajalakshmi begins with child marriage and losing a parent but then she climbs up many ladders in the world of movies. But as it often happens with stardom, it vanishes as fast as it emerges. Later in her life, she went through a lot of financial trouble.

Source: Times of India

India’s love for cinema is known across the world. Considering the recent global successes of movies from India, especially the south, it can be said that Indian cinema is being loved across the globe. We have had plenty of names that have shaped this art form in the country. One such name is TP Rajalakshmi (1911-1964). She was the first actress in Tamil and Telugu cinema and the first woman director of south Indian movies.

Born in the era when women weren’t allowed to go out and work, not only did she work on her own terms, but also went on to join and gain massive success in an industry that was mostly male-centric. TP Rajalakshmi was born on 11 November 1911 in the town of Saliyamangalam in the then Tanjore district of Madras Presidency. As a child, she had an exceptional, almost eerie, ability to re-create a song as soon as she heard it. This exposed her to singing, an art form she would practice till the end of her life.

As the norm was back then, young girls were married at an early age. She was only seven years old when her parents got her married. However, the marriage never worked out, especially because the dowry demands were not fulfilled by Rajalakshmi’s family and she was sent back to her parents' house within a short span of time. Later, her father committed suicide, and the mother and daughter were left on their own. They soon relocated to Trichy; a town larger than Saliyamangalam, to look for opportunities to feed themselves.

At an early age in Trichy, she was exposed to dramas and plays, which conceived her fascination for acting. One of the first people to recognize and support her talent was Sankaradas Swamigal, a renowned Tamil theatre artist. Her life was about to take a turn from here. Seeing her inclination for the art form, Sankaradas made arrangements for her to get into a distinguished theatre group. This is where she became one of the first-known female actors of the Tamil theatre.

By the time she was 18, her acting prowess had made her a 'special drama' star. Her dramas were staged not just in India but in other parts of the world too, like Singapore. She was no longer bound to work with just one theatre group but she could perform in other productions as well, a privilege that wasn’t given to many at that time. She moved to Madras (Chennai) in 1925 to be a part of a rising entertainment industry; cinema.

Rajalakshmi was soon approached by the 'Studio General Pictures Corporation' and she debuted with the silent film Kovalan in 1929. Her next project was the biographical drama of the Sanskrit poet Kalidas where she played the female lead and also sang four songs in the film while choreographing a dance sequence. But her stardom catapulted with S. Vincent’s Valli Thirumanam in 1933 which was shot in Calcutta. Not only was she climbing up the ladders in the movie world but she also fell in love here in Calcutta with an actor, T.V. Sundaram. At this point in her career, she had gained the title of ‘Cinema Rani’ (The Queen of Cinema).

Rajalakshmi’s next step was to launch her own production house, Sri Rajam Talkies. The first film of the production house was 'Miss Kamala' which she wrote, directed, edited, and also starred in. The story was based on the novel Komalavalli written by none other than Rajalakshmi herself. One can draw parallels between the protagonist’s story and the author’s own. The film went on to become a huge hit and later Rajalakshmi named her daughter after the protagonist, Kamala.

She made other successful films and starred in many. Apart from being in the cinema, she was an activist, raising her voice for issues like female infanticide, widow re-marriage, sati, feminism, Tamil Brahmin patriarchy, and other women-centric issues. She also adopted a daughter, Mallika, to save the child from female infanticide. Activism wasn’t new for her. In her initial days of dramas and plays, she was arrested multiple times as the plays were considered anti-colonial by the British regime. Her film Indhiya Thaai (later changed to Tamil Thaai without permission) also faced a lot of backlash for being anti-colonial.

It can happen with stardom, it crashes down with the same intensity as it goes up, Rajalakshmi was soon starting to fade from the cinema. One reason was her artificial appearance of an older woman in her last film, which the audience took as real. And as primitive thought was back then, movie actresses were supposed to be young.

Later, she played forgettable side characters in some movies which made no real impact. Gradually, due to lack of work, her financial condition went downhill. She had to sell her real estate properties to make ends meet. She died in Madras in 1964 in her rented house.

Most of her works of art did not survive the test of time and are lost just as the case is with other heritages of India from the colonial period. Most of what we know about her is through her family and friends and hearsay. But, whenever you look her up, you will find her as the ‘first Tamil and Telugu female actor’. And she will forever be remembered for her contributions toward empowering women against the evil dogmas of the time.