Ammaiyappan (film)

Ammaiyappan is a 1954 Indian Tamil-language film written by M. Karunanidhi and directed by A. Bhimsingh in his directorial debut. The film stars S. S. Rajendran, G. Sakunthala and S. Varalakshmi. It was released on 24 September 1954 and became a major breakthrough in the career of Bhimsingh.

Cast
Cast according to the song book


 * Male cast
 * S. S. Rajendran as Muthan
 * D. V. Narayanaswami as Velaizhagan
 * D. Balasubramaniam as Balathevar
 * V. K. Ramasami as Maigai Nada Swamigal
 * M. R. Saminathan as Ghost
 * M. N. Krishnan as Sukhadev
 * M. A. Ganapathi as Thirusangu
 * K. A. Ramakrishnan as Bhoopathi
 * P. S. Dakshinamoorthi as Prankster
 * E. Krishnamoorthi as Businessman
 * Master Muthumanikkam as Businessman's Child

P. A. Dakshinamoorthi, and Nagoor Hanifa.
 * Female cast
 * S. Varalakshmi as Poongavanam
 * G. Sakunthala as Muthayi
 * K. Rathnam as Sumathi
 * Saraswathi as Rani
 * Male support cast
 * N. S. Nagarajan, Stunt Krishnan,

Production
Ammaiyappan marked the directorial debut of A. Bhimsingh. It was produced by National Pictures, written by M. Karunanidhi, and featured S. S. Rajendran as the male lead, with G. Sakunthala as his love interest. Shooting took place at the studios Newtone and Citadel in Chennai (then known as Madras). Cinematography was handled by G. Vittal Rao.

Music
The music of the film was composed by T. R. Pappa, with lyrics by Karunanidhi, Suratha, M. K. Athmanathan and N. M. Muthukuttan.

Reception
Ammaiyappan was released on 24 September 1954. Though the film became a breakthrough in the career of Bhimsingh it was an utter failure. Writing for The Hindu, film historian Randor Guy praised the "alliterative Tamil dialogue" by Karunanidhi, and the performance of Rajendran.