Why was actress Savitri's biopic Mahanati titled differently in Tamil?
Actress Savitri's biopic Mahanati is a Telugu movie. The movie was also simultaneously shot in Tamil and was released as Nadigaiyar Thilagam. As far as I know, the two films have the same screenplay and obviously the cast is the same and the two films were released in their respective regions within 2 days.
Mahanati (Telugu word, same in Hindi) means "Hardworking". Nadigaiyar Thilagam (Tamil word) means "Actress Thilakam" (Used Google Translate, it doesn't make sense). Using extensive Google search, I found the meaning to be "The Pride of an Actress". That makes sense.
Why was the Telugu movie title so much different in meaning than the Tamil movie title, when both films are essentially same.
One title means "hardworking", the other means "pride of the actress". Both convey a different meaning as to how to interpret the movie. Why was this decision made?
Best Answer
The titles for the biopic were named as per the titles given to Savitri when she was alive. Just to inform, this is not completely a biopic. There are some incidents which are added by the director. Telugu version of disclaimer of "All the characters and events depicted in the film are fictitious" is shown in the beginning of the film.
In Telugu, Savitri title was Mahanati which means great actress. In Tamil, it was Nadigaiyar Tilagam which roughly means the greatest of actresses, ornament among the actresses
Tilakam is originally Sanskrit word and also present in Telugu which changes to Thilagam in Tamil. This has many meanings.
- Ornament
- Which brings beauty
- Dots put on the forehead which bring beauty.
- Pride etc., based o context it's used.
Tilakam is a dot put on forehead or top of forehead which signifies that is top. It is used in poetry to show something which is the best among the class.
Greatest of actresses or ornament to the actresses or the one who brings beauty to the actresses is roughly the meaning of Nadigaiyar Thilagam which is similar to Mahanati.
Pictures about "Why was actress Savitri's biopic Mahanati titled differently in Tamil?"
Why was Savitri called Mahanati?
She is often referred as "Mahanati" which means "Great Actress" and "Nadigaiyar Thilagam" which means "Doyen of all the actresses". Savitri's first significant role was in the 1952 Telugu film Pelli Chesi Choodu.Who is Mahanati in real life?
Mahanati ( transl. The great actress) is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language biographical drama film based on the life of actress Savitri. It is written and directed by Nag Ashwin, and produced by Priyanka Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies and Swapna Cinema.Is Mahanati based on true story?
The biopic Mahanati, which revolves around the life and times of actress Savitri who was a popular heroine in Telugu and Tamil cinema in the 50s and 60s, carries a caveat right at the beginning. It states that the film is a fictionalized account of the late actor's life.Is Nadigaiyar Thilagam true story?
A still from Mahanati/Nadigaiyar Thilagam. Although a brief flash at the very beginning of Nadigaiyar Thilagam (Mahanati in Telugu) states that it's a fictionalised account of Savitri's life, the film hasn't been honestly presented, feels Gemini Ganesan's daughter, Dr Kamala Selvaraj.Gemini and Savithri - Who did what mistake : Vijaya Chamundeswari Interview
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