A twisty story

 

 

Although mildly curious about Chennai’s Jewish community when I first came here to teach in 2013, I did little—other than to read a bit of this and that—to learn more. As it turns out, one of the city’s few remaining Jews, a noted champion of the arts and world traveler, lived across the street from the B&B where I stayed on South Street in Alwarpet. In fact, Rochelle Shah, a charming, witty woman with a steel-trap memory, has lived on South Street for more than 60 years. 

 

I didn’t know this until recently, when I had dinner with Rochelle at a noisy, new restaurant across the street from where I now live (for three months) in Chennai. My intrepid colleague, Andrew, had arranged the get together, during which Rochelle told wonderful stories about the Tamil film industry, its stars and directors.

 

In the 1950s, she and her late husband moved from Hyderabad to Madras, where they established an outpost of Patel India, a film stock distributor. The business whisked Rochelle into the city’s vibrant film culture, where she befriended one Ellis R. Dungan, an American from Wheeling, W. Va. who improbably made his way to Madras after film school in California and a sojourn in Europe. Dungan went on to become a renowned Tamil film director, even though he didn’t speak Tamil. A translator stayed by his side on the set.

 

(Here’s more about the making of “Meera,” one of Dungan’s most famous films: https://scroll.in/reel/816654/the-making-of-ms-subbulakshmis-meera-her-final-and-finest-film) 

Ellis Dungan directing “Meera”

 

“Meera” comes to Chennai

  

 

 

Dungan’s first film, “Sathi Leelavathi”, made in 1936, introduced the world to actor Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran (MGR), who became a superstar and later Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, and was revered in both roles by millions as a god in life and death.  Jayalalitha, (Amma), MGR’s costar, paramour and political protege, became Chief Minister in 1991. Both are gone, but you would never know it. Their larger-than-life images still dominate Chennai’s streetscape, on walls, bridges, under bridges, auto rickshaw windshields, windows and a multitude of other facades. 

 

 

                                                                                          

MGR and Jayalalitha

 

 

 

 

Back to Rochelle and her good friend Dungan. After making dozens of films for studios and the Indian government, he returned to Wheeling and years later came back to India briefly to work on a wildlife film. During his visit, he was honored for his achievements by the Tamil film industry at a “felicitation” orchestrated by Rochelle. A couple of actors he had worked with made suprise appearances, including “Meera” star MS Subbulakshmi, who serenaded him with a song from the film. Later, Rochelle visited Dungan and his second wife in the U.S. and the two friends corresponded until the end of his life. 

 

But that’s not even the end of this twisty story. Rochelle was instrumental in the making of “An American in Madras,” a documentary about Dungan that premiered in 2013 at the Chennai International film festival. The film recounts how under Dungan’s direction, Tamil film production values advanced from staged and static to dynamic and realistic. The documentary opens with a Tamil film fan driving around the neighborhood where I now live, which was once home to the studio where Dungan worked. And Rochelle, herself, takes a star turn, sharing memories of her American friend.

Watch! It’s on Netflix! 

 

 

An American in Madras