Meet first ‘Dream Girl’ of Tamil Cinema TR Rajakumari
Meet first ‘Dream Girl’ of Tamil Cinema
TR Rajakumari
ActressTR Rajakumari is widely hailed as the first “dream girl “of the Tamil film industry. Her playful and sparkling eyes enchanted all who saw her. The renowned writer Kalki even referred to her as ‘Kollum Vijiyal’ – meaning ‘the one with killing eyes’.
In the late 1930s, director K Subramaniam went to meet actress SPL Dhanalakshmi, and there, he was struck by the mischievous charm of a young girl named Rajayi. He was so impressed that he cast her as the heroine in his film Kacha Devayani (1941), renaming her Rajakumari.
As a matter of interest Dhanalakshmi, who introduced Subramaniam to Rajayi, was the grandmother of Jyothi Meena, acknowledged for her roles alongside comedian Koundamani in Ullathai Allitha. Jyothi Meena’s mother was Jyothi Lakshmi, and Dhanalakshmi’s second daughter was Jayamalini, famous for her glamorous roles.
Dhanalakshmi’s sister, meanwhile, was Rajakumari’s mother, making this a true film family.
TR Rajakumari is blessed with the rare distinction of having shared screen space with first five superstars of Tamil cinema: Thiagaraja Bhagavadar, PU Chinnappa, TR Mahalingam, MGR, and Sivaji Ganesan. She first appeared alongside Thiagaraja Bhagavathar, famously in Haridas, where Thiagaraja Bhagavathar sang the iconic song Manmadha Leelayai Vendrar
The film was a record-breaking hit, running for three consecutive Diwalis.
She later acted with
PU Chinnappa in Vanasundari, and then with TR Mahalingam, another major name of that era. Remarkably, she also appeared in films with both MG Ramachandran (MGR) and Sivaji Ganesan, the two titans of Tamil cinema’s next generation.
Notedly,.cinema hall named after TR Rajakumari was even established in Chennai’s Pondy Bazaar, inaugurated by film producer SS Vasan, making her the first Tamil actress to have a theatre in her name.
Rajakumari’s brother was director TR Ramanna, and together they founded RR Pictures, producing the film Koondukkili starring both MGR and Sivaji Ganesan – the only film in which the two icons appeared together. Though the film did not perform well, she later found success with Gulebakavali, which she also acted in. Her career spanned decades, and her final film was Vanambadi in 1964, where a young Kamal Haasan appeared as a child artiste.
Rajakumari never married but, dedicated her life to her siblings and their families. However, actor-producer Kalaignanam once revealed a deeply emotional reason behind her decision to remain single.
According to him, when she was at the height of her fame, the king of Pudukottai sent her a marriage proposal, which she refused. Her brother, TR Ramanna, grew suspicious and hired a private investigator. It was then discovered that Rajakumari was in love with her driver, Raghavan.
One day, the family allegedly caught Rajakumari with Raghavan, and he was severely beaten. Witnessing this, Rajakumari locked herself in her room. As Raghavan left, he reportedly said: “One day, will return as Rajakumari’s lover and husband. Until then, she will not marry anyone else.” He later disappeared and was believed to be living in seclusion near Tirunelveli.
Kalaignanam claimed this love story was true, and that it was the reason Rajakumari remained unmarried until her death in 1999.
News Edit KV Raman
