Poompaavai

Poompaavai
Tamil	பூம்பாவை
Directed by	Krishnan–Panju
Written by	Ayyalu Somayajulu (dialogues)
Story by	Kambadasan
Starring	K. R. Ramaswamy U. R. Jeevarathinam K. Sarangkapani K. R. Chellam
Music by	Addapalli Rama Rao
Cinematography	Purushothaman
Edited by	Panju
Production company	Leo Films
Release date	1944
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Poompaavai is a 1944 Indian Tamil-language film directed by the duo Krishnan–Panju in their directorial debut. Produced under the banner of Leo Films, it features K. R. Ramaswamy, U. R. Jeevarathinam, K. Sarangkapani, K. R. Chellam, T. R. Ramachandran, A. R. Sakunthala, S. V. Sahasranamam, D. Balasubramaniam, N. S. Krishnan, T. A. Madhuram, M. R. Durairaj and ‘Kottapuli’ K. P. Jayaraman.

Poompaavai is the daughter of Sivanesan, a jeweller based in Mylai (now Mylapore), which is ruled by a chieftain. Her stepmother despises her and plots against her. Poompaavai devotes herself to worshipping the Hindu god Shiva. One day, Shiva appears before her father in the guise of a sadhu, and gifts him a rare ruby, which he decides to embed in a crown that the chieftain has ordered him to make. To his dismay, Sivanesan realises that his daughter has given the ruby away to a sadhu seeking alms. The chieftain refuses to believe this, and banishes Sivanesan and his family. They wander all over until they meet Thirugnana Sambandhar, a saint to whom Poompaavai is attracted. However, he tells her not to indulge in such desires but instead seek divine knowledge. After learning of Sambandhar's powers, the Mylai chieftain decides to forgive the banished Sivanesan's family and reinstates them. However, Poompaavai dies after being bitten by a snake. A shocked Sivanesan rushes to Sambandhar, who prays over her and successfully resurrects her. She again requests him to marry her, but Sambandhar says that having given her life, he is now like her father. He instead gives her divine knowledge and she becomes his devotee.

Poompaavai was based on the folk story of the girl of the same name. Produced by the studio Leo Films, it marked the directorial debut of the duo Krishnan–Panju. But the director's credit was given to Balaji Singh instead. Besides directing, Panju also edited the film and handled the audiography along with Abel Jeeva. Purushothaman was the cinematographer and the film was shot at Newtone Studios, Kilpauk. Kambadasan wrote the story while Ayyalu Somayajulu the dialogue. Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai and cast member A. R. Sakunthala’s husband Nataraj was the dance choreographer.