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{{Infobox film<br />
| name = Punjab Kesari<br />
| image = Punjab Kesari 1938 poster.jpg<br />
| caption = Film poster<br />
| director = Fram Sethna<br />
| producer = <br />
| writer = <br />
| screenplay = <br />
| story = Te. Po. Krishnasami Pavalar<br />
| starring = {{ubl | K. P. Kesavan | [[P. U. Chinnappa]] | [[Kali N. Rathnam]] | A. K. Rajalakshmi}}<br />
| music = <br />
| cinematography = <br />
| editing = <br />
| studio = Star Films<br />
| distributor = <br />
| released = {{Film date|1938}}<br />
| runtime = <br />
| country = India<br />
| language = Tamil<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''''Punjab Kesari''''' ({{translation|The Lion of Punjab}}) is 1938 [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[thriller film]] directed by Fram Sethna. It was adapted from Te. Po. Krishnasami Pavalar's Tamil-language play of the same name. The film adaptation stars K. P. Kesavan, [[P. U. Chinnappa]], [[Kali N. Rathnam]] and A. K. Rajalakshmi.<br />
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== Plot ==<br />
Sundaranathan is in love with Padma Bai (A. K. Rajalakshmi), the daughter of the wealthy Somanathan Prabhu. Somanathan decides to get his daughter married to Sundaranathan, but a villain lusts for her and her wealth. His gang kills Somanathan and frames Sundaranathan, who is arrested. A doctor hires detective Punjab Kesari to uncover the truth. Kesari and his assistant Karappanpoochi unmask the killer and the truth. Sudaranathan is exonerated, and marries Padma Bai.<ref name="BFTP">{{Cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/Punjab-Kesari-1938/article5973131.ece |title=Punjab Kesari 1938 |last=Guy |first=Randor |date=3 May 2014 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=10 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140511051629/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/punjab-kesari-1938/article5973131.ece |archive-date=11 May 2014 |url-status=live |author-link=Randor Guy }}</ref><br />
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== Cast ==<br />
<br />
* K. P. Kesavan as Punjab Kesari<ref name="BFTP" /><br />
*[[P. U. Chinnappa]] as Sundaranathan<ref name="BFTP" /><br />
* A. K. Rajalakshmi as Padma Bai<ref name="BFTP" /><br />
*[[Kali N. Rathnam]] as Karapaanpoochi<ref name="BFTP" /><br />
* K. K. Perumal as the villain<ref name="BFTP" /><br />
* H. H. Sarma as Somanathan Prabhu<ref name="BFTP" /><br />
* Kannan as the doctor<ref name="BFTP" /><br />
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== Production ==<br />
''Punjab Kesari'' was a popular play written by Te. Po. Krishnaswamy Pavalar. It was staged all over the Tamil-speaking areas of the [[Madras Presidency]] and also in neighbouring countries like Ceylon (now [[Sri Lanka]]), Malaya (now [[Singapore]] and [[Malaysia]]) and Burma (now [[Myanmar]]). The play's title was an allegorical reference to the Indian freedom fighter [[Lala Lajpat Rai]], who was popularly known as ''Punjab Kesari'' ({{lit|Lion of Punjab}}). Following the play's success, it was adapted into a feature film with the same title, directed by the [[Mumbai|Bombay]]-based Parsi filmmaker Fram Sethna and produced by the studio Star Films. Shooting took place at the National Movietone Studio, Madras.<ref name="BFTP" /><ref>{{Cite book |title=Madras Studios: Narrative, Genre, and Ideology in Tamil Cinema |last=Pillai |first=Swarnavel Eswaran |publisher=[[SAGE Publishing|SAGE Publications]] |year=2015 |isbn=978-93-515-0121-3 |pages=311 }}</ref> The final length of the film measured {{convert|16000|feet|metres}}.<ref name="Anandan">{{Cite book |url=http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/cineprofiles/1938-cinedetails19.asp |title=Sadhanaigal Padaitha Thamizh Thiraipada Varalaru |last=Film News Anandan |publisher=Sivagami Publishers |year=2004 |location=Chennai |language=Tamil |trans-title=Tamil film history and its achievements |author-link=Film News Anandan |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180428060438/http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/cineprofiles/1938-cinedetails19.asp |archive-date=28 April 2018 |url-status=usurped |access-date=28 April 2018 }}</ref><br />
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== Soundtrack ==<br />
The film's opening song was the [[Bankim Chandra Chatterjee]]-written "[[Vande Mataram]]", which urged [[Tamils|Tamil people]] to participate in the [[Indian independence movement]]. Another song used in the film was the [[Tyagaraja]] composition "Tholi Nenu Chesina Pooja Palamu", with vocals the by lead actress A. K. Rajalakshmi.<ref name="BFTP" /><br />
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== Reception ==<br />
Film historian [[Randor Guy]] praised the performances of the cast and the storyline, though he felt it was "somewhat predictable". The film was an average success.<ref name="BFTP" /><br />
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== References ==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
[[Category:1938 Indian films]]<br />
[[Category:1930s Tamil-language films]]<br />
[[Category:1938 thriller films]]<br />
[[Category:1938 films]]<br />
[[Category:Fictional portrayals of the Tamil Nadu Police]]<br />
[[Category:Films about organised crime in India]]<br />
[[Category:Films scored by Kunnakudi Venkatarama Iyer]]<br />
[[Category:Films set in 1938]]<br />
[[Category:Films set in Chennai]]<br />
[[Category:Indian black-and-white films]]<br />
[[Category:Indian films based on plays]]<br />
[[Category:Indian thriller films]]<br />
[[Category:Tamil-language Indian films]]</div>Mihmbathinda