AV. Meiyappan

January 22, 2006

A commemorative postage stamp on A. V. Meiyappan (AVM), an Indian film maker, founder of AVM Productions in Vadapalani, Chennai :

Issued by India

Issued on Jan 22, 2006

Issued for : India Post is proud to issue a commemorative postage stamp on AVM.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Sankha Samanta
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.6 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

Name : Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar

Born on Jul 28, 1907 at Karaikudi, Madras Presidency, British India

Died on Aug 12, 1979 at Madras, India

About :

AV. Meiyappan, popularly known as “AVM“, and the founder of AVM Studios, was born on 28.07.1907 at Karaikudi, a small town in what is now Tamil Nadu. His father ran a provisions store in Karaikudi, named “AV & Sons“, and sale of gramophone records was a part of its business. AVM joined his father’s business as a teenager, but he soon foresaw a great future in entertainment business and decided to produce gramophone records. He promoted Saraswathi Stores, now in Chennai, and produced gramophone records. Later he ventured into technical collaboration with a German company, and the songs recorded in Madras were processed in Germany and marketed under the “Odeon” label. Breaking away from the tradition of producing classical music only, AVM released records of folk songs and patriotic songs, and struck gold.
AVM’s love affair with the silver screen started with the advent of the talkies in the 1930s. Fascinated by the medium, he ventured into his maiden production “Alli Arjuna” which released in 1935. His first directorial venture was “Sabhapathy”. He created history with new technological innovations time and again. While ‘Harish Chandra’ was the first Indian film to be dubbed from Kannada to Tamil, AVM introduced the play back system in the film ‘Nanda Kumar’, and post synchronization with “Sri Valli”.
November 1945 saw the birth of the famous AVM Studios in AVM’s home town of Karaikudi. With its very first film, ‘Naam Iruvar’, and its patriotic and emotional songs by Mahakavi Bharathiar, AVM Studios became a household name. The Studio moved to its present premises at Chennai in 1948, and is now one of the biggest and most beautifully landscaped studios in South East Asia, apart from being the oldest in the country.
Since its inception AVM has produced films in various languages like Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Hindi and Sinhala, besides Tamil, and has introduced many prominent artists like Shivaji Ganesan, Raj Kumar and Kamal Hasan, among others, to the Indian public. AVM has been renowned for its blockbusters, many of them featuring legendary stalwarts of the Indian cinema like A. Nageswara Rao, Raj Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Balraj Sahni, N.T. Rama Rao, and Vijayantimala, among others. Interestingly, four Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, in addition to Late Shri N.T. Rama Rao, who was Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, have worked for AVM Studio at one time or another.
Through the years AVM films have been very popular with the audience winning great public acclaim, apart from critical accolade including Certificates of Merit from the Government of India and various State Governments. Among the most noteworthy of AVM’s films was “Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke”, which won the first Gold Medal for the best Children’s Film instituted in 1958, while the films ‘Naam Oru Paru’, ‘Kuzhandaiyum Daivamum’ and ‘Ramu’ got silver medals.
AVM also founded charitable institutions to provide education and health-care. His special concern for the Studio workers led him to set up a separate colony for them, and also to extend insurance coverage to them for the first time. In 1952 AVM donated to the Government the rights to all Bharathiar songs and made it State property.
Shri AV. Meiyappan died on 12^th August 1979, but his legacy lives on.
Text: Based on material given by the proponent.