M. D. Parthasarathy

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M. D. Parthasarathy (21 September 1910 – August 1963) was an Indian music composer and actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was honored with the Sangeetha Bhushanam by Annamalai University, where he studied under teachers like Ponniah Pillai and T. S. Sabesa Iyer. After finishing his studies in the early 1930s, he moved to Chennai as Tamil talkies began to flourish. Many early Tamil films drew on mythological stories, and Parthasarathy’s training in Carnatic music helped him fit in.

Stage actor Vadivel Naicker spotted Parthasarathy in a play by Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar’s amateur group, which led to film roles in Sakkubai (1934), Draupadi Vastrapaharanam (1934), and Srinivasa Kalyanam, the first Tamil film wholly made in Madras. He truly made his mark with his Hanuman portrayal in Garuda Garva Bhangam (1936).

After this, his film career slowed, and he worked at Tiruchi Radio as a staff artiste, where he was popular in radio plays. He later joined AIR Bangalore. After a few years in radio, S. S. Vasan invited him to be in-house music director for Gemini Studios, helping him regain prominence. Parthasarathy died in August 1963 from cancer.