S. V. Venkatraman

Sozhavanthan Varadharajan Venkatraman (Tamil: சோழவந்தான் வரதராஜன் வெங்கட்ராமன்) (25 April 1911 – 7 April 1998), also known as SVV, was an Indian actor, singer, and music director, who was active in the Indian film industry from 1938 to the 1970s.

Venkatraman composed the music for Meera, starring M. S. Subbulakshmi. He also composed music for more than 200 Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films.

Early life

Sozhavanthan Varadharajan Venkatraman was born on 25 April 1911, to Varadharajan Iyer and Lakshmi Ammal. When he was three years old, his father died, and his uncle took responsibility for his upbringing. He displayed an aptitude for music from an early age, & his school education ended after the fourth standard.

To pursue his passion for music he went to Chintadripet, Madras. There the head of a drama troupe heard him singing, and offered Venkatraman a job as a stage artist/singer/musician. Venkatraman learnt to play the harmonium, but had no formal training in Carnatic music.

During his time in Madras, Venkatraman acted in five films. During a fight scene in one of the films he broke his left hand. While recuperating at Cubbon Park, Bangalore, A. V. Meiyappa Chettiar found Venkatraman and invited him back to Madras to work as the music director for Chettiar's next film, Nanda Kumar.

Career Venkatraman composed music for many films, including Nanda Kumar, Tahsildar, Valmiki, Manonmani, Kannagi, Nandanar, Meera (Tamil and Hindi), Naga Panchami, Sri Murugan, Manohara (Tamil, Telugu and Hindi), and Irumbu Thirai.

Venkatraman worked with actors such as C. N. Annadurai, M. G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi, Jayalalitha, and N. T. Rama Rao. Many popular composers, including M. S. Viswanathan, T. K. Ramamoorthy, and G. K. Venkatesh worked with him.

All leading playback singers of the time from P. U. Chinnappa Bhagavathar and G. N. Balasubramaniam to M. M. Dandapani Desikar and T. M. Soundararajan lent their voices to Venkatraman's tunes. Carnatic music legends D. K. Pattammal and M. L. Vasanthakumari also came under his baton. Venkatraman himself also proved his prowess as a singer in a few films. Venkatraman's last assignment was Sri Krishna Leela.

Venkatraman scored the music for the famous "Bhaja Govindam", sung by M. S. Subbulakshmi and worked on songs that she made famous, such as "Vadavaraiyai Mathakki", "Mudiondrum Moolangalum", and a few Mahakavi Bharathiyar songs. He set to tune the Narayaneeyam and the Guruvayur Suprabhatam, rendered by Trichur Ramachandran and Papanasam Sivan's Sree Rama Charitha Geetham and sung by Sirkazhi Govindarajan. He tuned Mahakavi Bharathiyar songs and tuned Karpagambal Andhadi for M. M. Dandapani Desikar. He was the composer for All India Radio's Serndhisai, Vadhya Vrindha, and many other music ventures. Music for the Voice of India by Mahatma Gandhi's son had been scored by him.

Venkatraman worked with singers like T. M. Soundararajan, A. M. Rajah, Sirkazhi Govindarajan, Thiruchi Loganathan, V. N. Sundaram, T. A. Mothi, M. L. Vasanthakumari, P. Leela, Jikki, T. V. Rathnam, A. P. Komala, Radha Jayalakshmi, K. Jamuna Rani, P. Susheela, K. Rani, S. Janaki, and L. R. Eswari.

The singing actors M. M. Dandapani Desikar, G. N. Balasubramaniam, M. S. Subbulakshmi, D. K. Pattammal, P. U. Chinnappa, C. Honnappa Bhagavathar, U. R. Jeevarathinam, N. C. Vasanthakokilam, T. R. Mahalingam, T. R. Rajakumari, V. Nagayya, N. S. Krishnan, T. A. Madhuram, T. S. Durairaj, and J. P. Chandrababu all sang songs under his compositions.

Personal life Venkatraman married Saraswathi at the age of 28 in 1939. The couple had four sons and four daughters. Venkatraman died in his sleep on 7 April 1998, at his residence in Palavakkam.

Filmography Music Direction Year Film Language Director Banner Co-Music Director 1938 Nandakumar Tamil Keshav Rao Dhaibar Pragati Pictures 1940 Bhookailas Telugu Sundar Rao Nadkarni Pragati Pictures R. Sudarsanam 1940 Sakunthalai Tamil Ellis R. Dungan Royal Talkies Thuraiyur Rajagopala Sharma 1941 Mani Maalai or Mainarin Kaadhal Tamil Fram Sethna & A. T. Krishnaswamy AL.RM & Company 1942 Kannagi Tamil M. Somasundaram & R. S. Mani Jupiter Pictures 1943 Kubera Kuchela Tamil R. S. Mani Jupiter Pictures Kunnakudi Venkatarama Iyer, N. S. Balakrishnan & T. R. Ramanathan 1944 Harichandra Tamil K. B. Nagabhushanam Sri Rajarajeswari Films S. Rajeswara Rao 1944 Mahamaya Tamil T. R. Raghunath & Elagovan Jupiter Pictures Kunnakudi Venkatarama Iyer 1945 Meera Tamil Ellis R. Dungan Chandraprabha Cinetone 1945 Paranjothi Tamil B. S. Ramaiya Shyamala Pictures 1946 Sri Murugan Tamil M. Somasundaram & V. S. Narayanan Jupiter Pictures S. M. Subbaiah Naidu 1946 Valmiki Tamil Sundar Rao Nadkarni Central Studios Papanasam Sivan 1947 Meera Hindi Ellis R. Dungan Chandraprabha Cinetone 1947 Thiyagi Tamil Ramjibhai Arya & S. R. Krishna Ayyangar Moorthi Productions T. R. Ramanathan 1947 Mahathma Udhangar Tamil G. Pattu Iyer Sri Kamal Productions 1948 Gnana Soundari Tamil F. Nagoor & Joseph Thaliath Jr Citadel Film Corporation 1948 Gokuladasi Tamil K. Subrahmanyam Neptune Studios 1948 Thirumazhisai Aazhwar Tamil D. S. Kotnis & P. S. Chettiar Sri Kanna Films T. R. Ramanathan 1949 Krishna Bakthi Tamil R. S. Mani Krishna Pictures 1949 Navajeevanam Tamil K. B. Nagabhushanam Rajarajeshwari Films 1950 Laila Majnu Tamil F. Nagoor Balaji Pictures 1950 Ithaya Geetham Tamil Joseph Thaliath Jr. Citadel Film Corporation 1950 Paarijatham Tamil K. S. Gopalakrishnan Lavanya Pictures C. R. Subbaraman 1951 Vanasundari Tamil T. R. Raghunath Krishna Pictures C. R. Subbaraman 1951 Soudamini Telugu K. B. Nagabhushanam Sri Rajarajeswari Films 1951 Saudamini Tamil K. B. Nagabhushanam Sri Rajarajeswari Films 1951 Lavanya Tamil G. R. Lakshmanan Eastern Art Productions 1951 Singari Tamil T. R. Raghunath National Productions T. A. Kalyanam & T. R. Ramanathan 1953 Panakkaari Tamil K. S. Gopalakrishnan Uma Pictures 1953 Manithan Tamil K. Ramnoth Jupiter Pictures & Lavanya Movies 1953 Kangal Tamil Krishnan–Panju Motion Pictures Team G. Ramanathan 1954 Karkottai Tamil Kemparaj Productions Kemparaj Urs G. Ramanathan 1954 Manohara Tamil L. V. Prasad Manohar Pictures T. R. Ramanathan 1954 Manohar Hindi L. V. Prasad Manohar Pictures T. R. Ramanathan 1954 Manohara Telugu L. V. Prasad Manohar Pictures T. R. Ramanathan 1955 Maaman Magal Tamil R. S. Mani Mani Productions 1955 Koteeswaran Tamil Sundar Rao Nadkarni Sri Ganesh Movietone 1956 Kannin Manigal Tamil T. Janakiraman Maheswari Pictures 1956 Naga Panjami Tamil K. B. Nagabhushanam Sri Rajarajeswari Films 1956 Naga Panchami Telugu K. B. Nagabhushanam Sri Rajarajeswari Films 1956 Nannambikkai Tamil K. Vembu & Charlie Film Center 1956 Ondre Kulam Tamil N. Krishnaswamy Triveni Pictures 1958 Paanai Pidithaval Bhaagyasaali Tamil T. S. Durairaj Maragatha Pictures S. Rajeswara Rao 1960 Irumbu Thirai Tamil S. S. Vasan Gemini Studios 1961 Akbar Tamil K. Asif Sterling Investment Corporation 1961 Marutha Nattu Veeran Tamil T. R. Raghunath Sri Ganesh Prasad Movies 1963 Arivaali Tamil A. T. Krishnaswamy A.T.K. Productions 1971 Kannan Karunai Tamil N. T. Rama Rao NAT & Ramakrishna Cine Studios 1977 Sri Krishna Leelai Tamil A. P. Nagarajan C. N. V. Movies

Playback Singer Year Film Language Song Co-singer Music 1950 Parijatham Tamil Ulagathukae Unavalikkum Jikki S. V. Venkatraman & C. R. Subbaraman1951 Saudamini Tamil Kaarum Karunaanidhiye S. V. Venkatraman Vidhiyai Meira Vasama 1953 Manithan Tamil Ulagamellaam Nee Odi S. V. Venkatraman1953 Kangal Tamil Sinna Penne Vaadi S. V. Venkatraman & G. Ramanathan Sathiyame Thavaraamale 1954 Manohara Tamil Sandhegam Illai Sandhegam Illai C. S. Pandiyan S. V. Venkatraman & T. R. Ramanathan Pombalathaanaa Nee Pombalathaanaa C. S. Pandiyan Radhi Manmadha C. S. Pandiyan 1955 Koteeswaran Tamil Kattikko Thaali Kattikko P. Leela S. V. Venkatraman 1956 Kannin Manigal Tamil Yaen Marandhaai Eesaa S. V. Venkatraman 1956 Nannambikkai Tamil Vaaraamal Irundhiduvaano K. Rani S. V. Venkatraman Sooriyanum Oru Thozhilaali