The South Indian film industry produced colour films since the 1940s. The earliest colour films in India were also produced in South India.

Tamil cinema

First colour film Seetha Kalyanam is known to be Tamil Cinema's first colour film. The film was released in year 1934.

Hand - colored films

Some Indian films were hand-coloured, beginning in the 1940s. Bhaktha Chetha, a 1940 Tamil language film directed and produced by Krishnaswami Subrahmanyam, contained sequences which were hand-coloured. This is known to be the earliest Tamil film to have scenes in colour. This process colourises film shot originally in black and white by colouring the negatives frame by frame.Mangamma Sabatham (1943) included hand-tinted scenes. Haridas, released in 1944, has a clear statement of its release in full new colour copy in its poster. Saalivaahanan, a 1945 film by B. N. Rao, had a hand-coloured sequenced of a romantic scene by Ranjan and T. R. Rajakumari. This film is currently known to be lost with no surviving prints. A. V. M. Productions's Naam Iruvar (1947) and Vedhala Ulagam (1948) had hand-coloured sequences. The last sequence of Vethala Ulagam was hand tinted and drew large crowds because such coloured sequences in Tamil cinema were a rarity then. Murugesan was an expert craftsman, who could paint every frame in the positive print.

Gevacolor Gevacolor is a colour motion picture process. It was established in 1948, originally based in Belgium and an affiliate of Agfacolor. The process and company flourished in the 1950s as it was suitable for on location shooting. The companies merged in 1964 to form Agfa-Gevaert, and continued producing film stock until the 1980s. Gevacolor was among the cheapest colour film, which encouraged Tamil cinema to produce colour films. Gevacolor films produced in India were mostly processed in the Film Centre, Mumbai.

Gevacolor made its debut in Tamil cinema through the film Kalyaanam Pannippaar, a 1952 Indian bilingual Tamil-Telugu satirical comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad and produced by B. Nagi Reddy and Aluri Chakrapani under their company Vijaya Vauhini Studios. The film's credits state the presence of Gevacolor sequences. However, the simultaneously shot Telugu version, Pelli Chesi Choodu, did not have any sequences in colour.

In 1955, Kanavaney Kankanda Deivam, a Tamil language fantasy film directed by T. R. Raghunath, had dance sequences by Anjali Devi in Gevacolor, which was rare in that decade. It clearly states this in its credits. This film was inspired by a 1954 Hindi language film, Naagin, to have its dance sequence in colour. Devta, a Hindi film released in 1956, is a remake of Kanavaney Kankanda Deivam, which also had sequences in colour. Both the versions were great successes.features/cinema/Blast-from-the-past-Kanavaney-Kankanda-Deivam/article16856290.ece

Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum made history in Tamil cinema by being the first Tamil film to be entirely shot and released in Gevacolor. It was also the first full-length colour film released in South India. A production of Modern Theatres and released in 1956, the film starred M. G. Ramachandran and Bhanumathi Ramakrishna in lead roles. This film was a swashbuckler which is still remembered by the current generation. Marma Veeran, released in the same year, is believed to contain sequences in Gevacolor.

Films like Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum and Kanavaney Kankanda Deivam influenced other Tamil film directors and producers to make their films in colour. Due to the high price of colour then, some films had songs and dance sequences in colour, with their film's censor certificate stating "partly coloured".

"Partly coloured" films such as Thangamalai Ragasiyam, Ambikapathy and Allavudinum Arputha Vilakkum were released in 1957. The carnatic cinema song "Ehalogame" rendered by P. Leela and T. M. Soundararajan from the film Thangamalai Ragasiyam starring Sivaji Ganesan and Jamuna was shot in Gevacolor. Three duet songs from the film Ambikapathy were shot in colour; the credits say its Gevacolor sequences were cinematographed by W. R. Subba Rao, who mostly cinematographed Gevacolor sequence in Tamil cinema. The song "Chaelaadum Neerodai Meethaey" from the film Alauvidinum Arputha Vilakkum was shot in colour.

Nadodi Mannan, a 1958 film directed by and starring M. G. Ramachandran, had its second half in Gevacolor. The entry of the colour sequence began with a dance song by B. Sarojadevi. Illarame Nallaram, released the same year, contained a dance sequence for the song "Maaraney Un Malarkanai" in colour. B. Sarojadevi and Kumari Kamala appeared in this sequence.

Thirumanam, released on 18 July 1958, has a dance sequence by B. Sarojadevi, Kumari Kamala and Gopi Krishna in colour. This film, starring Gemini Ganesan and Savitri, is known to be lost with no surviving copies. B. R. Panthulu's Engal Kudumbam Perisu (1958) had a sequence of school children's dance drama in colour. This film was simultaneously shot in Kannada as School Master.

Veerapandiya Kattabomman is a 1959 Indian Tamil-language biographical war film directed by B. R. Panthulu which was entirely shot in Gevacolor and released its prints in Technicolor. It had a very good colour preservation although it was shot in Gevacolor. This is because of its prints released in Technicolor. It was expensive at that time to shoot a film entirely in Technicolor. This method helped the film's colour not to fade compared to other Gevacolor film such as Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum, whose colour has faded badly. Veerapandiya Kattabomman is the first Tamil film to release its prints in Technicolor.

Also in 1959, Athisaya Penn was entirely shot in Gevacolor with some portions in Technicolor. It is the first Tamil film to contain sequences originally shot in Technicolor.

Gevacolor continued to be used in Tamil cinema even after the entry of Eastmancolor to Tamil cinema through the films Deiva Balam and Raja Malayasimman. These films had song and climax sequences in colour. Anjali Pictures's Adutha Veettu Penn starring Anjali Devi, T. R. Ramachandran and K. A. Thangavelu had a colourful sequence for the songs "Enakkaaga Neeyae Raajaa" and "Mannavaa Vaa Vaa Magizhavaa" in colour, which were notable parts of the film. The censor certificate and credits state the presence of these colour sequences processed at the Film Centre, Mumbai.

B. R. Panthulu included some Gevacolor sequence in his film Kuzhandhaigal Kanda Kudiyarasu which was simultaneously shot in Kannada as Makkala Rajya and dubbed into Telugu as Pillalu Techina Challani Rajyam. This film was released on 29 July 1960.

Sri Valli, a full-length Gevacolor film, was released on 1 July 1961. This was the fourth full-length colour film produced in Tamil. However, it was not a box office success compared to its 1945 version Sri Valli. This film was dubbed into Telugu as Sree Valli Kalyanam and released in 1962.

Kappalottiya Thamizhan, another film by B. R. Panthulu, contained a Gevacolor sequence as the censor certificate and credits state. Today, that film had no sequences in Gevacolor despite the fact that the censor certificate clearly states "partly coloured".

Lava Kusa is a 1963 Indian bilingual Telugu-Tamil Hindu mythological film, directed by C. Pullaiah and his son C. S. Rao. Shot and released entirely in Gevacolor, it is believed to be Telugu cinema's first full-length Gevacolor film. It was also the last Gevacolor film in Tamil. Gevacolor was replaced by Eastmancolor, which produced long-lasting colour prints.

List of Tamil films in Gevacolor

Title Color Year Notes Kalyaanam Pannippaar Partly in colour1952 First Tamil and South Indian film with a colour sequence. Song sequence of "Engu Sendraayo" filmed in colour. Kanavaney Kankanda Deivam 1955Second Tamil film to have colour sequence. Song sequence of "Jagajothiye" and ending dance sequence in colour. Alibabavum 40 ThirudargalumColour 1956First full length Tamil colour film Marma VeeranPartly in colourSome scenes shot in colour. Kannin ManigalContains sequences in Gevacolor. Lost film. Thangamalai Ragasiyam1957Sequence of the song "Ehalogame" in colour Ambikapathy Sequence of duet songs in colour Allaudinum Arputha Vilakkum Song sequence of "Chelaadum Neerodai Meethae" in colour Nadodi Mannan1958Second half in colour Illarame Nallaram Dance sequence by Saroja Devi and Kumari Kamala in colour. Engal Kudumbam Perisu Children's dance drama in colour Neelavukku Neranja Manasu Dance sequence for the song "Kanakku Pannuraaru Summaa" by Helen in colour. Thirumanam Dance sequence by Gopi Krishna, Kumari Kamala and B. Sarojadevi in colour. This is a lost film with no surviving prints. Minnal Veeran1959Second half in color. Deiva BalamSecond half of the film and other segments in colour. Veerapandiya KattabommanGevacolor Shot entirely in Gevacolor, then prints released in Technicolor. Athisaya Penn Partly in GevacolorFilm was shot in Gevacolor. The climax of this film was shot in Technicolor for 45 minutes. Adutha Veetu PennPartly in colour1960The sequences for the songs "Enakkaga Nee Raja", Mannavaa Vaa Vaa, and the animation of credit scenes were in colour. Kuzhandhaigal Kanda KudiyarasuSome parts of the film appeared in colour. Sri ValliColour 1961Although shot entirely in colour, the film was not a commercial success because of a draggy storyline. Kappalottiya ThamizhanPartly in colourA song sequence shot in colour. Lava KusaColour1963Last Tamil film to be shot in Gevacolor. Tamil colour films after 1963 were shot in Eastmancolour.

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of colour motion picture processes, the first version dating from 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Technicolor had never been widely used in Tamil cinema as it is the world's most expensive colour process. Only three Tamil films were associated with Technicolor.

Athisaya Penn, a 1959 remake of the Hindi film Aasha was entirely shot in Gevacolor with dance portions in Technicolor. This is the first Tamil film to contain sequences shot and released originally in Technicolor.

Veerapandiya Kattabomman, entirely shot in Gevacolor, had its prints released in Technicolor for a long-lasting colour image. This process kept the colour of the film well preserved. Only this film in South India used this process.

The only Indian Tamil film entirely shot and released in Technicolor was M. V. Raman's Konjum Salangai. It starred Gemini Ganesan, Savitri and Kumari Kamala and R. S. Manohar. It was released in India on 14 January 1962, coinciding with Thai Pongal. It was the first Tamil film to be exhibited in Poland with a dubbed version. In a review dated 28 January 1962, The Indian Express said, "Konjum Salangai, the first Technicolor feature film of South India is a revealing experience that even our technicians can bring out in a film the rich, glossy sheen and pleasing tonal gradations comparable with that of any Technicolor product made abroad."

Sri Lanka's first Tamil language film, Samuthaayam, released in 1962, was entirely shot in 16mm Technicolor.

Eastmancolor

Eastmancolor is a trade name used by Eastman Kodak for a number of related film and processing technologies associated with colour motion picture production. First introduced in 1950, it was one of the first widely successful "single-strip colour" processes, and eventually displaced the more cumbersome Technicolor.

Eastmancolor was known by a variety of names such as Deluxe colour (20th Century Fox), Warnercolor, Metrocolor, Pathecolor and Columbiacolor.Peter Lev. Transforming the Screen, 1950-1959. University of California Press, 2003. p. 108.Stephen Neale. Contemporary Hollywood Cinema. Psychology Press, 1998. p. 120.

Eastmancolor made its debut in Tamil cinema in 1959 through the film Raja Malayasimman. The film was simultaneously shot in Telugu with the same titles and were "partly coloured".