The mention of the myth in Sangam poetry Paripadal, in JeevakaSindhamani,etc, the Pallava period temples of Narasimha and the Pallava sculptures depicting the scenes from Narasimha myths, also the hymns of the Alwars stand testimony for the antiquity of the cult of Narasimha in the Tamil region. Of these the most popular one performed in many number of places is the ‘Prahaladha Charithram’ also termed in Tamil as ‘Iranian Nadagam’, the Play of Iranian. Similar to the Bharatha koothu which is performed as a tradition in the Draupadi Amman temples as a part of the cult, various dramas are enacted around the Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur districts.The ‘Manu Neethi Cholan’ drama performed in Tiruvarur, the ‘Siruthondar Nadagam’ performed in Thiruchengattangudi and Thanjavur,etc falls under this category. There are a wide range of traditional performance arts as theatre, operas, dramas, etc in Tamilnadu, existing not only as an entertainment but also as a ritual practice related to various cults. Narasimha Sirasu, Sarukkai Akkaraippoondi, In the similar context the ”Prahalada Charithram” is performed in Tamil in many regions of Tamilnadu by various communities.
As the reminiscences of the Nayaks contribution to fine arts we are aware of the “Bhagavatha Mela” tradition nurtured in places like Melattur, Saliyamangalam, etc where every year during the Narasimha Jayanthi festival the ‘Prahaladha charithram’ is performed vibrantly as a Telugu dance drama, a devotional offering to the god. The ‘Prahaladha Charithram’ as a dance drama is popular in Orissa, Karnataka, Andhra, Kerala, and Tamilnadu even today. The most important among the dramas written by him is the ‘Prahaladha Charithram’. One among the Thanjavur Nayak kings, Vijayaraghava Nayak (1634 -1673) is said to have composed over 32 dance dramas and most of them were staged in the thousand pillared hall of the Rajagopalaswami temple at Mannargudi.
These narratives had been existing over centuries and have been portrayed as performing arts through theatre or operas. In early days, the films were based on the epics, and religious or historical stories. They were the pioneers in this field in the previous century and on advent of film industry the persons who were in close proximity with them evolved into popular personalities of the industry. When it is uttered as ‘drama’, in Tamilnadu, it is obvious to get reminded of personalities like Shri Shankardas Swamigal, Pammal Sambandha Mudaliyar.