A literary magazine that gave equal importance to cinema

‘Manikodi had to allot more space for film reviews to be relevant’

The name Manikodi conjures up an era when the Tamil literary world witnessed outstanding short stories and writers. The literary magazine that survived for just six years from its launch on September 17, 1933, had also accorded equal importance to cinema, and a new monograph sheds light on the subject.

“It was a time when people were attracted to cinema in a big way. The magazine, then a weekly, had decided to publish film advertisements to ensure its existence. Compared to Ananda Vikatan, Manikodi had published more film advertisements,” said writer Kadarkarai Matthavilasa Angatham, the author of the book Manikodi Cinema.

Though it was inevitable for a literary magazine to allot adequate space for cinema reviews to make itself relevant, in the case of Manikodi, some of its writers nurtured the dream for a role in the film world. Languishing in poverty, Pudumaipithan, a trailblazer in Tamil short story writing, went to Pune with the hope of becoming a rich man. “But he only got tuberculosis and was left without money to even buy medicine. His letters to his wife Kamala reveal his life,” Kadarkarai said.