{{short description|1947 film by Kothamangalam Subbu}} {{for|the blogger known as "Miss Malini"|Malini Agarwal}} {{good article}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}} {{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}} {{Infobox film | image = Miss Malini (1947).jpg | alt = Black-and-white newspaper ad | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Kothamangalam Subbu | screenplay = Kothamangalam Subbu | story = R. K. Narayan | producer = K. Ramnoth | starring = Pushpavalli<br />Kothamangalam Subbu<br />M. S. Sundari Bai | cinematography = M. Natarajan | editing = N. K. Gopal | music = S. Rajeswara Rao<br />Parur S. Anantharaman | studio = Gemini Studios | released = {{Film date|df=y|1947|9|26}} | country = India | language = Tamil }}
'''''Miss Malini''''' is a 1947 Indian Tamil-language satirical film written and directed by Kothamangalam Subbu and produced by K. Ramnoth, based on a story by R. K. Narayan. Subbu also starred in the film alongside Pushpavalli and M. S. Sundari Bai. Javar Seetharaman and Gemini Ganesan made their acting debuts in the film appearing in minor supporting roles. The film focuses on Malini (Pushpavalli), an impoverished woman who joins her actress friend Sundari's (Sundari Bai) theatre company Kala Mandhiram and becomes a success. Things take a turn for the worse when she befriends a charlatan named Sampath (Subbu).
''Miss Malini'' ridiculed aspects of life in Madras (now Chennai) during the World War II period, and was the only story written by Narayan for the screen that came to fruition. It was released on 26 September 1947, and was accompanied in theatres by ''Cinema Kadhambam'', the first animated film produced in South Indian cinema. ''Miss Malini'' was praised by intellectuals; Subbu's performance as Sampath was widely appreciated. The songs composed by S. Rajeswara Rao and Parur S. Anantharaman became popular, and the film gained cult status in Tamil cinema.
''Miss Malini'' marked Narayan's earliest use of story elements that would recur in some of his later novels. It was later rewritten by him as the 1949 novel ''Mr. Sampath – The Printer of Malgudi'', which in turn was adapted into the Hindi film ''Mr. Sampat'' (1952) directed by S. S. Vasan, and a 1972 Tamil film directed by Cho Ramaswamy. Although no print of ''Miss Malini'' is known to survive, thereby making it a lost film, surviving artefacts include its songs, along with a few stills and newspaper advertisements.
== Plot == Malini is an indigent woman whose father is in poor health. She is persuaded by her friend Sundari, an actress, to join her theatre company, Kala Mandhiram. Malini soon becomes very successful and popular. She is later befriended by Sampath, a charlatan, who is regularly involved in dodging creditors. Deaf to all advice, Malini allows herself to be led astray in professional, financial and moral terms. She is put out of Kala Mandhiram and sets up a theatre company of her own where Sampath appoints himself as general manager. Malini severs ties with those who previously helped her, including Sundari. At first, the new company prospers, but its resources are soon squandered by Sampath and it falls under a weight of debt and disgrace. Sampath abandons Malini, who falls back to her previous destitute condition. However, with Sundari's help, she returns to Kala Mandhiram and begins her life anew.<ref name="blast" />{{Sfn|Ram|Ram|1996|pp=322–323}}
== Cast == ''The cast is listed below'':<ref name="song book" /> {{Cast listing| * Pushpavalli as Malini * Sundari Bai as Sundari * Subbiah Pillai as Malini's father * Kothamangalam Subbu as Sampath * L. Narayana Rao as the sari merchant * N. Seetharaman as the director * R. G. as Kumar * Varalakshmi as Nirmala * Gopalakrishnan as the office boy }}
== Production == {{multiple image | align = right (default) | direction = vertical | header_align = right | image1 = Miss Malini Gemini still.jpg | link1 = File:Miss Malini Gemini still.jpg | image2 = Miss Malini 1947 still.jpg | link2 = File:Miss Malini 1947 still.jpg | footer_align = center | footer = Two surviving stills from the film. }} ''Miss Malini'' was an original story written by novelist R. K. Narayan for the screen, not based on any of his past works.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Ram |first1=Susan |last2=Ram |first2=N. |date=5 October 1996 |title=Narayan of Malgudi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vJ5KAQAAIAAJ&q=miss+malini |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216105713/https://books.google.com/books?redir_esc=y&id=vJ5KAQAAIAAJ&dq=miss+malini+1947&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=miss+malini |archive-date=16 February 2018 |access-date=19 October 2020 |magazine=Frontline |publisher=S. Rangarajan for Kasturi & Sons |location=Chennai |page=13 |volume=13 |issue=20 |issn=0970-1710 |ref=none}}</ref><ref name="flood" /> It was also his only one that came to fruition.<ref name="1947MadrasStory" />{{efn|Narayan wrote a story for Jupiter Pictures which was not produced. He also wrote a treatment for Gemini's ''Moondru Pillaigal'' (1952) and contributed to the script of ''Avvaiyar'' (1953), but Narayan's brother R. K. Ramachandran did not know "how much of his work Vasan used" for the latter.<ref name="flood" />}} Soon after the story developed, Narayan's friend, Gemini Studios' owner S. S. Vasan launched it as a film.{{sfn|Ghosh|2013|pp=3–4}} K. Ramnoth, then the controller of productions at Gemini, produced the film under the studio's banner.<ref name="StarVersatile" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=3 November 2006 |title=Remembering Ramnoth |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/remembering-ramnoth/article3231213.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428102536/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/remembering-ramnoth/article3231213.ece |archive-date=28 April 2016 |access-date=8 May 2017 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> M. Natarajan worked as the cinematographer, N. K. Gopal was the main editor, and the art director was A. K. Sekhar.<ref name="lakshmansruthi" /> Besides directing the film and writing the screenplay,<ref name="lakshmansruthi" /><ref name="flood" /> Kothamangalam Subbu starred in a leading role as Sampath the charlatan, also known as "Bit Notice".{{sfn|Ganesh|2011|p=50}}<ref name="ChandraMohana" /> It was his second directorial venture, after ''Kannamma En Kadhali'' (1945), also produced by Gemini Studios.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Director |url=http://www.kothamangalamsubbu.com/director.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408072810/http://www.kothamangalamsubbu.com/director.shtml |archive-date=8 April 2017 |access-date=8 April 2017 |website=Kothamangalam Subbu}}</ref> Narayan's brother, R. K. Ramachandran, who did some editing on the film (marking his cinematic debut), believed that the character of Sampath was inspired by Sathashivayya, a man in Mysore who "exploited young women singers and artistes under the guise of promoting them".<ref name="flood" />
The film featured Pushpavalli in the title role, and M. S. Sundari Bai as her friend Sundari.<ref name="blast" />{{sfn|Guy|2016|p=193}} It was the former's second appearance in a Tamil film, after Gemini's ''Dasi Aparanji'' (1944).<ref name="MissMaliniIndianExpress" /> N. Seetharaman, who later became known as Javar Seetharaman, made his acting debut in a minor role with this film, portraying the director of Kala Mandhiram.<ref name="blast" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=14 November 2015 |title=''Aalayamani'' (1962) Tamil |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/tamil-film-aalayamani-was-one-of-the-biggest-hits-of-1962/article7877439.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503085422/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/tamil-film-aalayamani-was-one-of-the-biggest-hits-of-1962/article7877439.ece |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=6 April 2017 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> The film also marked the cinematic debut of Ramaswamy Ganesan, who later became known as Gemini Ganesan. He was then working in Gemini's casting department, and Ramnoth, who had faith in Ganesan's acting prowess, cast him in the minor role of an assistant director employed by Seetharaman's character.<ref name="StarVersatile" /> In his only scene in the film, the assistant director tells the director, "Sir, Collection – Record Break", referring to the tickets having been sold out, to which the director replies that while the collection is "record break", in some time the theatre too would be "break" (broken) due to Malini having gone missing.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rocISW-SUYc |title=Chapter Four – The Missing Film Reels of Thamizh Cinema 1916–2016 |date=5 January 2018 |last=Krishnamoorthy |first=Sugeeth |type=documentary |publisher=THE MISSING FILM REELS OF THAMIZH CINEMA 1916–2016 |access-date=25 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109031909/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rocISW-SUYc |archive-date=9 November 2019 |url-status=live |via=YouTube}}</ref> Ganesan was credited onscreen as "R.G.", standing for "Ramaswamy Ganesan".{{sfn|Guy|2016|p=252}}<ref name="madrasmusings" /> This was the film where he met his future paramour Pushpavalli.{{sfn|Usman|2016|p=28}}
V. Gopalakrishnan, in one of his earliest film roles, appeared as Sampath's office boy.{{sfn|Guy|2016|pp=193–194}}<ref name="Thulasimaadam" /> L. Narayana Rao was cast as a sari merchant who Sampath tells in English, "In this age of publicity, be wise and advertise!" and when the impressed merchant asks in Tamil who said it, Sampath simply replies "Shakespeare", duping the merchant in the process.<ref name="MissMaliniIndianExpress" /> According to the 1996 book ''R.K. Narayan: The Early Years'' by N. Ram and his wife Susan, the film was made on a shoestring budget of approximately {{INR}} 2,50,000.{{sfn|Ram|Ram|1996|p=322}}{{efn|The exchange rate in 1947 was 3.3175 Indian rupees ({{INR}}) per 1 US dollar (US$).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exchange Rate – 1945–1971 |url=https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/FAQView.aspx?Id=118 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503095107/https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/FAQView.aspx?Id=118 |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=24 April 2017 |website=Reserve Bank of India}}</ref>}} Its final length was {{convert|13924|feet|metres}}.<ref name="lakshmansruthi" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Doraiswamy |first=V . |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0wY6AQAAIAAJ&q=miss+malini |title=Asian Film Directory and Who's who |publisher=Fozalbhoy House |year=1952 |location=Bombay |pages=167 |oclc=19120677}}</ref>
== Themes == ''Miss Malini'' subtly ridiculed aspects of life in Madras (now Chennai) during the World War II period when there was a shortage of commodities and high prices. It included depictions of social mores, a love story, and the moral dilemmas its characters face pursuing business and personal interests.<ref name="blast" /> Film historian Randor Guy called the film a satire on South Indian society, it's wolves in sheep's clothing, frauds, social climbers and so on.{{Sfn|Guy|2016|p=193}} According to the 2006 book ''Performing Pasts: Reinventing the Arts in Modern South India'', the name "Bit Notice" was resonant of Subbu's own interests in the fields of theatre and cinema.{{sfn|Peterson|Soneji|2008|p=275|ps=: "In ''Miss Malini'', Subbu played the role of the film's central character, Sampath, dubbing him 'Bit Notice', a name resonant of his own interests in the worlds of the popular drama and cinema".}} Guy felt that the dialogue "Be wise and advertise!" reflected Vasan's personal beliefs.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=23 May 2003 |title=With a finger on people's pulse |url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/05/23/stories/2003052301510600.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503091518/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/05/23/stories/2003052301510600.htm |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=7 April 2017 |work=The Hindu}}</ref>
''R.K. Narayan: The Early Years'' stated that the film marked Narayan's earliest use of story elements that would recur in his later novels such as ''The Financial Expert'', ''The Man-Eater of Malgudi'' and ''The Guide''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Haq |first=Kaiser |author-link=Kaiser Haq |year=1997 |title=A Malgudi Life |magazine=The London Magazine |page=211 |volume=37 |issue=1–6}}</ref> These include the protagonist having humble beginnings before being lifted into a "totally new and unexpected situation," which brings fame and prosperity, the rise being invariably associated with an external player, who is a plausible person, of considerable force and no integrity. At the instigation of this character, the protagonist rises even higher, then engages in immoral actions causing their fall, and eventual return to their original position, but with a new philosophical perspective.{{sfn|Ram|Ram|1996|p=323}}
== Soundtrack == S. Rajeswara Rao and Carnatic musician Parur S. Anantharaman composed the film's soundtrack.<ref name="song book">{{Cite book |title=மிஸ் மாலினி |publisher=Gemini Studios |year=1947 |location=Madras |language=ta |type=song book|url=https://rmrl.in/ta/dl/books/33282/%E0%AE%AE%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B8%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%AE%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B2%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A9%E0%AE%BF}}</ref> Subbu was the lyricist for all of the songs except "Kaalaiyiley Ezhunthiruntha Kattayodey Azhuganam", which was written by Surabhi.<ref name="blast" /><ref name="lakshmansruthi" /> T. V. Rathnam sang all of the songs except "Kulikkanum Kalikkanum" (sung by P. Leela), and "Kaalaiyiley" (sung by Sundari Bai).<ref name="blast" />
"Mylapore Vakkeelathu" explores a young woman's ambition to marry a lawyer from the Mylapore district of Chennai – "''Mylapore vakeelaathu mattupennaaven''" ("I shall be a Mylapore lawyer's daughter-in-law").<ref name="mylaporelawyer" /> It also reflects the trend that popular and wealthy people of that period lived in Mylapore,<ref>{{Cite interview |last=Chetti |first=Nalli Kuppuswami |subject-link=Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti |interviewer=V. G. Narayanan |title=Creating Emerging Markets – Oral History Collection |url=http://www.hbs.edu/businesshistory/Documents/emerging-markets-transcripts/ChettiTranscriptWithCoverFinal.pdf |access-date=24 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503095605/http://www.hbs.edu/businesshistory/Documents/emerging-markets-transcripts/ChettiTranscriptWithCoverFinal.pdf |archive-date=3 May 2017 |url-status=live |publisher=Harvard Business School |date=28 June 2014}}</ref> and highlights the association between Mylapore and lawyers.<ref name="mylaporelawyer" /> "Kaalaiyiley" ridicules India's ration system through the lyrics "''Sarkaraikku queuevil poi saanjukittu nikkanum, sanda pottu patthu balam sakkata mann vaanganum''" ("I have to stand in the queue for sugar, and after a lot of fighting, buy ten measures of gutter mud").<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 November 2016 |title=தில்லானா மோகனாம்பாளை திரைக்குத் தந்த கொத்தமங்கலம் சுப்பு! பிறந்தநாள் சிறப்புப் பகிர்வு |trans-title=Kothamangalam Subbu, who gave the screen ''Thillana Mohanambal''! Birthday special |url=http://www.vikatan.com/news/tamilnadu/71977-kothamangalam-subbu-birthday-special-article.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503110351/http://www.vikatan.com/news/tamilnadu/71977-kothamangalam-subbu-birthday-special-article.html |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=3 May 2017 |work=Ananda Vikatan |language=Tamil}}</ref><ref name="Amudhasurabi" />
"Sri Saraswathi" is a partial variant of the Muthuswami Dikshitar composition of the same name.<ref name="MissMaliniIndianExpress" /> S. S. Vasan initially hired D. K. Pattammal to sing the song, picturised on Malini. However, Pattammal's recording was excluded from the final cut in favour of a version recorded by Rathnam.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=31 July 2009 |title=Memorable voice, evergreen songs |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/Memorable-voice-evergreen-songs/article15939184.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503093444/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/Memorable-voice-evergreen-songs/article15939184.ece |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=6 April 2017 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> Vasan later told Randor Guy that Malini is an impoverished woman with no training in music when the song takes place, and cannot be expected to sing with the "class, perfection and brilliance" of Pattammal. As a result, he chose "a regular singer" to sing the song.{{Sfn|Guy|1997|p=234}} "Paadum Radio" outlines the comfort of life in Madras with its electricity, radio and so on, but there is "counter in the same song which [emphasises] what city life is devoid of."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gopalakrishnan |first=P. V. |date=22 August 2017 |title=Filmy Ripples – Madras Day, in the eyes of an old movie buff |url=https://tcrcindia.com/2017/08/22/filmy-ripples-madras-day-in-the-eyes-of-an-old-movie-buff/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170823091426/https://tcrcindia.com/2017/08/22/filmy-ripples-madras-day-in-the-eyes-of-an-old-movie-buff/ |archive-date=23 August 2017 |access-date=23 August 2017 |website=The Cinema Resource Centre}}</ref> The songs attained popularity,<ref name="blast" /> particularly "Mylapore Vakkeelathu",<ref name="mylaporelawyer" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ramnarayan |first=Gowri |date=15 June 2010 |title=Memories of Madras: Mystic aura of Mylapore |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Memories-of-Madras-Mystic-aura-of-Mylapore/article15584320.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503093744/http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Memories-of-Madras-Mystic-aura-of-Mylapore/article15584320.ece |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=6 April 2017 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> and "Kaalaiyiley".<ref name="blast" /> ''R.K. Narayan: The Early Years'' states that the songs "would be remembered long after the film ceased showing".{{sfn|Ram|Ram|1996|p=322}}
{{Track listing | headline = Tracks sorted alphabetically<!-- tracks taken from here: http://cooltoad.com/music/search_all/miss%20malini --> | extra_column = Singer(s) | total_length = 29:06 <!-- Automatically generated with User:JPxG/TrackSum.js --> | title1 = Abayam Thanthu Arul Purivaiyam | note1 = | writer1 = | lyrics1 = Kothamangalam Subbu | music1 = | extra1 = T. V. Rathnam | length1 = 2:52 | title2 = Jegame Oru Chiththira Salai | note2 = | writer2 = | lyrics2 = Kothamangalam Subbu | music2 = | extra2 = T. V. Rathnam | length2 = 3:15 | title3 = Kaalaiyiley Ezhunthiruntha Kattayodey Azhuganam | note3 = | writer3 = | lyrics3 = Surabhi | music3 = | extra3 = M. S. Sundari Bai | length3 = 6:06 | title4 = Kulikkanum Kalikkanum | note4 = | writer4 = | lyrics4 = Kothamangalam Subbu | music4 = | extra4 = P. Leela | length4 = 1:58 | title5 = Mylapore Vakkeelathu | note5 = | writer5 = | lyrics5 = Kothamangalam Subbu | music5 = | extra5 = T. V. Rathnam | length5 = 2:24 | title6 = Paadum Radio | lyrics6 = Kothamangalam Subbu | music6 = | extra6 = T. V. Rathnam | length6 = 6:24 | title7 = Senthamizh Nadu Sezhiththidave | lyrics7 = Kothamangalam Subbu | extra7 = T. V. Rathnam | length7 = 2:43 | title8 = Sri Saraswathi | lyrics8 = Kothamangalam Subbu | extra8 = T. V. Rathnam | length8 = 3:24 }}
== Release == thumb|200px|A scene from ''Cinema Kadambam'', an animated short screened alongside ''Miss Malini''. It was the first animated film produced in South India.<ref name="PadmaJyoti" /> ''Miss Malini'' was released on 26 September 1947.<ref>{{Cite news |last=மாதவன் |first=பிரதீப் |date=14 November 2014 |title=ஜெமினி கணேசன் பிறந்தநாள்: நவம்பர் 17 – காதல் மன்னன் பிறந்த கதை |trans-title=Gemini Ganesan's birthday: 17 November – How the King of Romance was born |url=https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/hindu-talkies/22590-17.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250312083711/https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/hindu-talkies/22590-17.html |archive-date=12 March 2025 |access-date=12 March 2025 |work=Hindu Tamil Thisai |language=ta}}</ref> An animated film of roughly 10 minutes,{{Efn|While film historian Randor Guy estimated the short to have run for "5 to 10 minutes",<ref name="PadmaJyoti" /> the 1992 book ''Films Division and the Indian Documentary'' by India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting says it was 8 minutes long.{{sfn|Narwekar|1992|p=45}}}} developed by cartoonist N. Thanu, titled ''Cinema Kadhambam'', was screened after the interval of ''Miss Malini''.<ref name="lakshmansruthi" />{{sfn|Narwekar|1992|p=45}} ''Cinema Kadhambam'', which featured caricatures of popular South Indian actors like Ranjan, Vasundhara, T. R. Ramachandran and P. Kannamba,<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=Glimpses of Indian Animation |type=documentary |publisher=Films Division of India |year=1997 |time=8:40 to 9:30 |time-caption=From}}</ref> was the first animated film produced in South Indian cinema.<ref name="PadmaJyoti" />
=== Critical reception === ''Miss Malini'' was well received by intellectuals; critics praised Subbu's performance as Sampath.<ref name="blast" /><ref name="ChandraMohana" /> On 26 September 1947, the reviewer from ''The Hindu'' believed the technical aspects had made ''Miss Malini'' "Gemini's most outstanding achievement", concluding that the film was "of immense significance for the Indian screen." ''The Free Press Journal''{{'}}s review the same day similarly opined, "[''Miss''] ''Malini'' with its technical perfection, good photography and high level acting splashed by good music, and untainted by vulgarity will provide good entertainment." The following day, a review of ''Miss Malini'' from ''The Indian Express'' noted that it presented "a sort of skit on modern life" and termed it as "fine entertainment." The Tamil newspaper ''Swadesamitran''{{'s}} review described it as a "sample of the high production values Gemini is capable of introducing in a picture".<ref name="reviews" />
The critic from the Telugu newspaper ''Andhra Prabha'' said on 28 September, "Evidence of skillful expression of art is profusely manifest in this picture." On 3 October, the critic from ''The Mail'' praised the cast performances, the film's music, "enchanting pageantry" and Subbu's direction. A reviewer from another Tamil newspaper, ''Dinamani'', believed the film to be "a pointer to social pictures in future" in their review dated 5 October.<ref name="reviews" /> The critic from ''The Indian Review'' called ''Miss Malini'' an "attempt at a new kind of filmmaking with new technique. Eschewing cheap love-scenes and lewd expressions and gestures, the film yet keeps our interest intact."<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 1947 |editor-last=Natesan |editor-first=G. A. |editor-link=G. A. Natesan |title=Gemini's ''Malini'' |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.506746/page/n239/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250312085203/https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.506746/page/n239/mode/2up |archive-date=12 March 2025 |access-date=12 March 2025 |work=The Indian Review |pages=629 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
=== Box office === According to Randor Guy, ''Miss Malini'' was not successful at the box-office,<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=1 February 1989 |title=Hit and Miss |magazine=Aside |pages=46–47}}</ref> and it took a few years to recover its cost.{{sfn|Guy|2016|p=194}} He attributed the film's failure to its lack of commercial elements that would have helped it reach out to average filmgoers, the fact that it was ahead of its time, and wrote that Vasan lamented that "making films for intellectuals would not bring money"; Guy considered this a "lesson" he learnt from making the film.<ref name="blast" /> Guy also stated that Vasan would later often tell his friends that the film proved that Indian audiences "did not appreciate movies that tickled their intellect".{{sfn|Guy|2016|p=194}} Novelist and historian Venkatesh Ramakrishnan supported Guy's claim, saying the film "bombed at the box office".<ref name="1947MadrasStory" />
In contrast, the 1985 book ''70 Years of Indian Cinema, 1913–1983'' says ''Miss Malini'' not only created box office records, but was also a trendsetter in Tamil cinema.{{sfn|Ramachandran|Rukmini|1985|p=164}} V. Balakrishnan, writing for the magazine ''Ananda Vikatan'' in 2015, also stated that the film was a success.<ref>{{Cite news |last=பாலகிருஷ்ணன் |first=பேராசிரியர் வா. |date=19 December 2016 |title=கைதட்டலை கணித்த கெட்டிக்காரர் எஸ்.எஸ்.வாசன் (தமிழ்சினிமா முன்னோடிகள்: தொடர்-13) |trans-title=S. S. Vasan, the clever man who foresaw applause (Pioneers of Tamil cinema: Part 13) |url=http://www.vikatan.com/news/coverstory/53952.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170508110624/http://www.vikatan.com/news/coverstory/53952.html |archive-date=8 May 2017 |access-date=8 May 2017 |work=Ananda Vikatan |language=Tamil}}</ref> ''R.K. Narayan: The Early Years'' says that the film "paid for itself at the box office".{{sfn|Ram|Ram|1996|p=322}} Vasan's son S. S. Balan said the film "fared reasonably well".{{sfn|Ghosh|2013|p=8}} In April 1954, the magazine ''Gundoosi''{{'s}} column "Nunippul" ({{Translation|Surface Grass}}) said that Ramnoth, not Subbu, was the main reason for the film's success.{{sfn|Pillai|2015|p=189}}
== Legacy == ''Miss Malini'' attained cult status in Tamil cinema,<ref name="ChandraMohana" /> and the character of Sampath became iconic.<ref name="blast" /> Sundari Bai's "nippy delivery" of her lines also attained popularity.{{sfn |Guy |2016 |p=181}} Subbu became popularly known by his character's nickname "Bit Notice" after the film's release; children around Kapaleeshwarar Temple would scream "Bit Notice" when he passed by that area.<ref name="flood" /> Subbu's dialogue "Be wise and advertise!" also attained popularity.<ref name="MissMaliniIndianExpress" />{{sfnm |1a1=Pillai |1y=2015 |1p=173 |2a1=Guy |2y=2016 |2p=249}} Music historian Vamanan noted in 2013 that politician M. P. Sivagnanam's enthusiasm for popularising the life of the Polygar chieftain Veerapandiya Kattabomman as a resistance fighter was derived initially from a line written by Subbu in a song from ''Miss Malini'', which mentions Kattabomman along with Mahatma Gandhi and Subhas Chandra Bose ("''Gandhi Mahaan, Netaji, Kattabomman kathai koori''").{{efn|The claim by Vamanan does not identify the song by name.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Vamanan |author-link=Vamanan |date=April 2013 |title=Kothamangalam Subbu: Storyteller par excellence |url=https://www.dhvaniohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/kothamangalam-subbu.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424085615/https://www.dhvaniohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/kothamangalam-subbu.pdf |archive-date=24 April 2017 |access-date=23 April 2017 |magazine=Sruti |pages=13–14 |language=en}}</ref>}}
According to Ganesan's journalist daughter Narayani, his role in ''Miss Malini'' won him acclaim, and he soon received more acting offers.{{sfn |Ganesh |2011 |pp=50–51}} Guy noted that he went on to "blossom as one of the top stars of South Indian cinema".<ref name="blast" /> The film was later rewritten by Narayan as the 1949 novel ''Mr. Sampath – The Printer of Malgudi'',<ref name="ChandraMohana" /> which in turn was adapted into the Hindi film ''Mr. Sampat'' (1952) directed by Vasan,{{sfn |Rajadhyaksha |Willemen |1998 |p=326}}{{efn|While Vasan's son S. S. Balan and ''Mr. Sampat''{{'s}} lead actress Padmini stated that the film was adapted from ''Miss Malini'',{{sfn |Ghosh |2013 |p=4}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Santhanam |first=Kausalya |date=24 September 2004 |title=The tillana glitter is intact |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/the-tillana-glitter-is-intact/article28577182.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612050051/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/the-tillana-glitter-is-intact/article28577182.ece |archive-date=12 June 2020 |access-date=6 March 2026 |work=The Hindu |language=en}}</ref> a December 1952 article by ''The Times of India'' stated that it was "based on a popular story which appeared in serial form in ''The Illustrated Weekly of India'' some time ago".<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 December 1952 |title=Vast crowds welcome Gemini's ''Mr Sampat'' |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref>}} and a 1972 Tamil film directed by Cho Ramaswamy.<ref name="Amudhasurabi" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 January 2016 |title=திரை உலகில் சோ மீது போர் தொடுத்த துக்ளக்! |trans-title=The war on the actor Cho by ''Tughlaq''! |url=http://www.dinamalarnellai.com/web/news/2754 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416183316/http://www.dinamalarnellai.com/web/news/2754 |archive-date=16 April 2017 |access-date=17 April 2017 |work=Dinamalar |language=Tamil}}</ref> Although no print of ''Miss Malini'' is known to survive, which makes it a lost film,<ref name="madrasmusings" /> surviving artifacts include its songs,<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 December 1947 |title=Miss Malini |url=https://www.jiosaavn.com/album/miss-malini/Z89MiYdkoWQ_ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250312101159/https://www.jiosaavn.com/album/miss-malini/Z89MiYdkoWQ_ |archive-date=12 March 2025 |access-date=12 March 2025 |website=JioSaavn}}</ref> along with a few stills and newspaper advertisements.<ref name="blast" /><ref name="reviews" />
== Notes == {{notelist}}
== References == <references> <ref name="blast">{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=25 July 2008 |title=''Miss Malini'' 1947 |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/miss-malini-1947/article3023159.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503091049/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/miss-malini-1947/article3023159.ece |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=21 April 2012 |work=The Hindu |language=en}}</ref> <ref name="lakshmansruthi">{{Cite web |title=1947 – மிஸ் மாலினி – ஜெமினி |trans-title=1947 – Miss Malini – Gemini |url=http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/cineprofiles/1947-cinedetails23.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503085733/http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/cineprofiles/1947-cinedetails23.asp |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=4 April 2017 |website=Lakshman Sruthi |language=Tamil}}</ref> <ref name="Thulasimaadam">{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=13 July 2013 |title=''Thulasimaadam'' (1963) |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/thulasimaadam-1963/article4911895.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503094727/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/thulasimaadam-1963/article4911895.ece |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=6 April 2017 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> <ref name="MissMaliniIndianExpress">{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=6 April 1991 |title=''Miss Malini'': Fine acting and good music |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eH1lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uJ0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=373%2C2185447 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250311134148/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eH1lAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uJ0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=373%2C2185447 |archive-date=11 March 2025 |access-date=11 March 2025 |work=The Indian Express |pages=19 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref> <ref name="flood">{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |date=26 July 2001 |title=A flood of fond memories |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2001/07/26/stories/13261282.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503085637/http://www.thehindu.com/2001/07/26/stories/13261282.htm |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=4 April 2017 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> <ref name="1947MadrasStory">{{Cite news |last=Ramakrishnan |first=Venkatesh |date=14 August 2017 |title=1947: A Madras story |url=http://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/1947-a-madras-story/article19492358.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823045621/http://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/1947-a-madras-story/article19492358.ece |archive-date=23 August 2017 |access-date=23 August 2017 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> <ref name="StarVersatile">{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |date=15 August 2003 |title=Star and a versatile actor |url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/08/15/stories/2003081501500300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503090658/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/08/15/stories/2003081501500300.htm |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=6 April 2017 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> <ref name="ChandraMohana">{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=8 February 2014 |title=Blast from the Past: ''Chandra Mohana'' or ''Samooga Thondu'' 1936 |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/blast-from-the-past-chandra-mohana-or-samooga-thondu-1936/article5668076.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503092228/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/blast-from-the-past-chandra-mohana-or-samooga-thondu-1936/article5668076.ece |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=6 April 2017 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> <ref name="madrasmusings">{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=2008 |title=Round the City's old studios with Randor Guy |url=http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2018%20No%2013/otherstories.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221628/http://madrasmusings.com/Vol%2018%20No%2013/otherstories.html |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=10 February 2016 |work=Madras Musings}}</ref> <ref name="mylaporelawyer">{{Cite web |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |title=Mylapore Lawyer |url=http://www.mylaporelawyerpichai.org/mylawporelawyer.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123164626/http://mylaporelawyerpichai.org/mylawporelawyer.htm |archive-date=23 January 2020 |access-date=10 April 2017 |website=Mylaporelawyerpichai.org |language=en}}</ref> <ref name="Amudhasurabi">{{Cite magazine |last=வெங்கடாச்சலம் |first=கிருஷ்ணன் |date=November 2009 |title=கொத்தமங்கலம் சுப்பு |url=https://archive.org/details/KothamangalamSubbuAmudhasurabhi |access-date=12 March 2025 |magazine=Amudhasurabi |pages=12–13 |language=Tamil |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> <ref name="PadmaJyoti">{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=3 December 2011 |title=''Padma Jyoti'' 1937 |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/padma-jyoti-1937/article2683822.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503092753/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/padma-jyoti-1937/article2683822.ece |archive-date=3 May 2017 |access-date=6 April 2017 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> <ref name="reviews">{{Cite news |date=21 October 1947 |title=All about Miss Malini the press acclaims |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7NI-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=kkwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3785%2C1776618 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250312095504/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7NI-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=kkwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3785%2C1776618 |archive-date=12 March 2025 |access-date=12 March 2025 |work=The Indian Express |location=Madras |pages=1 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref> </references>
== Bibliography == {{Refbegin|30em}} * {{Cite book |last=Ganesh |first=Narayani |title=Eternal Romantic: My Father Gemini Ganesan |publisher=Lustre Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-81-7436-578-1}} * {{Cite book |last=Ghosh |first=Abhijit |title=40 Retakes: Bollywood Classics You May Have Missed |publisher=Westland |year=2013 |isbn=978-93-83260-31-7}} * {{Cite book |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |title=Starlight, Starbright: The Early Tamil Cinema |publisher=Amra Publishers |year=1997 |oclc=52794531}} * {{Cite book |last=Guy |first=Randor |title=Memories of Madras: Its Movies, Musicians & Men of Letters |publisher=Creative Workshop |year=2016 |isbn=978-81-928961-7-5}} * {{Cite book |last=Narwekar |first=Sanjit |author-link=Sanjit Narwekar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mu9kAAAAMAAJ&q=%22miss+malini%22+gemini |title=Films Division and the Indian Documentary |publisher=Ministry of Information and Broadcasting |year=1992 |location=India |oclc=29012317}} * {{Cite book |last1=Peterson |first1=Indira Viswanathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_LImAQAAIAAJ&q=Miss+Malini |title=Performing Pasts: Reinventing the Arts in Modern South India |last2=Soneji |first2=Devesh |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-19-569084-2}} * {{Cite book |last=Pillai |first=Swarnavel Eswaran |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HreICwAAQBAJ&q=miss+malini+1947 |title=Madras Studios: Narrative, Genre, and Ideology in Tamil Cinema |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2015 |isbn=978-93-5150-121-3 |location=India}} * {{Cite book |last1=Rajadhyaksha |first1=Ashish |author-link1=Ashish Rajadhyaksha |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema |last2=Willemen |first2=Paul |author-link2=Paul Willemen |publisher=British Film Institute and Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-19-563579-5 |orig-date=1994}} * {{Cite book |last1=Ram |first1=Susan |title=R.K. Narayan: The Early Years, 1906–1945 |last2=Ram |first2=N. |author-link2=N. Ram |publisher=Viking |year=1996 |oclc=889711654}} * {{Cite book |last1=Ramachandran |first1=T. M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q9rthUDKxyEC&q=miss+malini+1947 |title=70 Years of Indian Cinema, 1913–1983 |last2=Rukmini |first2=S. |publisher=Cinema India-International |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-86132-090-5}} * {{Cite book |last=Usman |first=Yasser |author-link=Yasser Usman |title=Rekha: The Untold Story |title-link=Rekha: The Untold Story |date=29 August 2016 |publisher=Juggernaut Books |isbn=978-81-93284-18-6}} {{Refend}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title}}
{{R. K. Narayan}} {{Gemini Studios}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miss Malini}} Category:1940s lost films Category:1947 comedy-drama films Category:1947 films Category:1947 Indian films Category:1947 Tamil-language films Category:Films about actors Category:Films about con artists Category:Films about theatre Category:Films directed by Kothamangalam Subbu Category:Gemini Studios films Category:Indian comedy-drama films Category:Indian satirical films Category:Lost comedy-drama films Category:Lost Indian comedy films Category:Lost Indian drama films Category:Tamil films remade in other languages Category:Tamil-language comedy-drama films Category:Tamil-language Indian films