Bilhanan

Plot

A king searches for a suitable teacher to educate his daughter Yamini. Finally, he engages the poet Bilhana. To prevent any romance from developing between the two, the king tells Yamini that Bilhana is blind, and tells Bilhana that Yamini is deformed. He hangs a curtain between the two while the lessons are in progress. One day, amused by the sight of the full moon, Bilhana sings a poem in its praise. Yamini, wondering how a blind man can compose a poem about the moon, pulls down the curtain and finds that Bilhana is attractive and youthful, and he finds the princess attractive in turn. The two fall in love and decide to marry. The king opposes the marriage and when the lovers do not listen to him, he sentences them both to death. The king's friends and people protest and, understanding the power of true love, he forgives the lovers and gets them married.

Production

A. S. A. Sami wrote and produced the Tamil play Bilhanan, based on the life of the Kashmiri poet Bilhana, for his college's annual day celebrations. The play became a success, and soon he submitted it to the Tiruchirappalli station of All India Radio, who broadcast it as a radio drama, with M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar playing the title character. The radio drama was also a success, and T. K. Shanmugam of TKS Brothers bought the rights to the play. He later adapted it into a film with the same name, and starred as the title character, with M.S. Draupathi playing princess Yamini and T. K. Bhagavathi playing her father, the king. Sami rewrote the script for the film adaptation, which K. V. Srinivasan directed. Shooting took place at Central Studios in Coimbatore.

Release and reception

Bilhanan was released in April 1948. According to film historian Randor Guy, the film was an average success because audiences "felt it was stagy in presentation". He did, however, note that the film would be "Remembered for the interesting storyline, impressive performances by Shanmugam, Bhagavathi and Draupathi".