[1] Subramanyam was involved in the establishment of the Tamil film industry.

He made a shift with the politically emphatic Balayogini, criticizing the caste system prevalent then.

[citation needed] In 1938, he made Sevasadanam, advocating a better deal for women, the saint film Bhaktha Chetha, critiquing untouchability and the war effort film Maanasamrakshanam.

Thyaga Bhoomi was a novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy, which was banned by the British government.

[3] He also directed the Malayalam film Prahlada (1941), which was scripted by noted playwright N. P. Chellappan Nair.