A glorious era in celluloid wound to a close when producer M. Saravanan, 86, passed away in Chennai on Thursday. For cinephiles, with their collective memories harking back to a storied past right from the 1940s, AVM Productions is a banner that will continue to remain close to their hearts.
A movie enterprise launched by Mr. Saravanan’s father A.V. Meiyappan, AVM was a powerful brand, known for both the star-driven tentpole films and the tiny ones riding on fine scripts and good word-of-mouth reviews. In the 1980s, when Madras in general and Kodambakkam in particular, were the crux of the South Indian film industry, AVM held centrestage.
Political leaders, artistes pay tribute to veteran Tamil cinema producer AVM Saravanan
Movie lovers often pick a film based on the lead actor, and at times based on the director. However, AVM broke through that mode, and there was a fandom that opted for their offerings as a certain quality and newness were expected to be the norm. Thevar Films, too, at one point had that kind of allure; AVM, though, was prolific and especially in the 1980s, offered a slew of films in multiple languages.
If there was a Murattu Kaalai with Rajinikanth, there was also a Sakalakala Vallavan with Kamal Haasan. The feel may have been a mosaic of commercial highs, a kind that is even superior to the latest adrenaline-infused Instagram reels, but equally, AVM forayed into strong themes as evident in Pudhumai Penn, which dealt with women’s emancipation.
