He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of Tamil cinema,[2] and one of three movie moguls of the South Indian film industry along with S. S. Vasan and L. V.

Notable films produced by AVM Productions are Vazhkai, Bahar, Parasakthi, Hum Panchhi Ek Daal Ke, Bhookailas, Kalathur Kannamma, Server Sundaram and Major Chandrakanth.

AVM also directed a number of films in the 1930s and 1940s, the notable ones being Alli Arjuna, Bhookailas, Sabapathy, Sri Valli and Nam Iruvar.

[2] In 1935, AVM made his debut as a producer with the Tamil film Alli Arjuna which performed miserably at the box-office.

He then teamed up with Jayanthilal, a cinema house owner and promoted a new company, Pragati Pictures Ltd.[2][4] In 1938, AVM bought the rights for the Tamil remake of a Marathi film on the boyhood of Lord Krishna.

[4] Nandakumar was also one of the first Tamil movies to be shot on location as AVM leased the Club House off Mount Road in Chennai to shoot scenes without erecting sets.

[2] In 1943, he produced the film Harischandra in Kannada based on the legend of a king who attempted to kill his own son to defend justice.

[4][9] Reflecting the intense patriotic fervour and hope which engulfed the newborn nation, the film released in January 1947 after six months of shooting and was "a thundering success".

With the success of Vazhkai, AVM Productions began to produce films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and even Sinhalese.

[9] With a powerful storyline and fiery dialogues by a future Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi, the film preached social revolution and questioned the authority of Hindu temple priests.

Kalathur Kannamma in 1960 saw the introduction of another star in Tamil cinema, the thespian Kamal Haasan[25][26] who played an unforgettable supporting role as a young orphan.

[26] His next Tamil venture Server Sundaram (1964) featuring Nagesh, who was a budding comedian then and debutant Major Sundarrajan was a roaring success.

However, AVM's greatest success of the 1960s was Bhakta Prahalada which was produced in Telugu and subsequently dubbed into Tamil and Hindi.

'"Enga Mama was a Tamil remake of the Hindi film Brahmachari produced by G. P. Sippy and performed moderately at the box-office.

Starring Vyjayanthimala, Karan Dewan, Pandari Bai, Pran, Om Prakash and Tabassum, it was a remake of the 1948 Tamil film Vazhkai.

After enjoying moderate successes in his first two films in Hindi which went unnoticed, AVM ascended the heights of Bollywood with the third one Hum Panchi Ek Daal Ke(1957).

[1] After the phenomenal success of Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke, AVM produced some good films like Bhai Bhai(1956), which was popular for the song Mera Naam Abdul Rehman sung by Kishore Kumar[31] and Miss Mary(1957), the dubbed version of the Tamil film Missiamma.

[33] Jagdeep also acted in other films produced by AVM as Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke and Barkha.

[33] The Hindi films Miss Mary, Bhakti Mahima and Bhakt Prahlad were dubbed versions of AVM's Tamil or Telugu hits.

[34] Other notable Hindi films made by AVM during the 1960s were Man Mauji, Main Chup Rahungi, Pooja Ke Phool and Mehrban.

AVM Productions produced not more than four films during the decade: Bomma Borusa, Dil Ka Raja,Akka Thamudu and Jaise Ko Taisa.

Bomma Borusa made in Telugu by K. Balachander was an average grosser as was the Hindi film Dil Ka Raja which released in 1972.

[1] During his four decades in the Indian film industry, he also introduced actors as T. R. Mahalingam, Vyjayanthimala, Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan and Major Sundarrajan, who later became top stars in Kollywood.

But his greatest achievement is undoubtedly his massive business empire which comprises a production company, a cinema, a movie studio and a string of educational institutions and charities.

Under the able leadership of M. Saravanan, AVM Productions has continued producing hits as Punnami Naagu (launchpad for chiranjeevi as most notable actor), Murattu Kalai (which launched Rajnikanth into superstardom), Samsaram Adhu Minsaram (1986), Minsara Kanavu (1997), Gemini (2002), and Perazhagan (2004).

In 1955, AVM won the president's gold medal for the Hindi film Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke.

On the 24th death anniversary of Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar, in 2003, AVM Productions released a VCD on the life of its founder.

[6] Starting with his early childhood in Karaikudi, the 2-hour long documentary told the story of AVM's entry into the film industry and his rise to greatness.

On 30 July 2006, in commemoration of AVM's centenary year, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi, unveiled a statue of A. V. Meiyappan at the campus of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce.

[38] Apart from his contributions to the growth of motion picture industry in Tamil Nadu, AVM has also donated extensively for charitable causes.