Sivandha Mann

Sivandha Mann
Promotional poster
Directed by	C. V. Sridhar
Produced by	Chitralaya Films
Written by	C.V. Sridhar
Starring	Sivaji Ganesan Kanchana M. N. Nambiar R. Muthuraman Nagesh
Music by	M. S. Viswanathan
Release dates	9 November 1969[1]
Country	India
Language	Tamil
Budget	790000 (US$13,000)[2]

Sivandha Mann (Red Soil), also spelt as Sivantha Mann, is a 1969 Indian Tamil language film with communistic theme directed by C.V. Sridhar that stars Sivaji Ganesan, Kanchana and M. N. Nambiar in the lead roles, while other actors like R. Muthuraman, Nagesh and S. V. Ranga Rao play supporting roles. It is notably the first Tamil film to be shot extensively in locations (outside India),^[3] and later Tamil and Telugu films "fell to the French charm" after this.^[4] The film was a success, but the producers incurred heavy losses due to the high cost of making the film. It led to a Hindi remake titled Dharti which starred Rajendra Kumar and Waheeda Rehman in the lead, along with Sivaji Ganesan in a cameo role.^[5][6]

Plot

The Portuguese want to set up an army base in Vasanthapuri, a zameen in Tamil Nadu, India. They approach Diwan (M.N. Nambiar), a corrupt citizen of the area and decide to make him the king if he agrees to carry out the plan. He subsequently agrees, but none of the local people are happy and protest against this. Hence he starts killing them in large numbers. One of the civilians Anand (R. Muthuraman), who lost his father in the shootout, swears that he will have revenge for the outrage when his close friend Bharath (Sivaji Ganesan), son of a General (S. V. Ranga Rao) returns from abroad. Meanwhile Chitralekha (Kanchana), the princess of Vasanthapuri is living in Zurich, and is completely unaware that her zameen is in danger. She sees Bharath's photo in a local daily, and finds out that he is also from Vasanthapuri. She reads that he came first in the University of Bern, and develops interest in meeting him. That night, Chitralekha meets him at a club and congratulates him for his performance, while introducing herself as "Vasanthi" to hide her true identity. Quickly, they both fall for each other.

They both enjoy as they start touring all over Europe, but suddenly Chitralekha's life takes a drastic turn: She hears about the danger in her zameen, and hence she has to return. Bharath also agrees to come, as he is also determined to save Vasanthapuri. During the flight, one of the flight attendants (Thengai Srinivasan) announces that Diwan wants to marry the princess and will hence receive her at the airport. Chitralekha is not happy and commands that the flight take a different turn, but the attendant stops her from trying to escape. Bharath however supports Chitralekha and fights the attendant, causing the flight to continuously spin and in the process, the flight drowns in the sea. Bharath and Chitralekha are presumed dead, and this results in the dismay of their parents. The two are however washed ashore onto an island and are unconscious. They are cured by two local doctors who befriend them, and arrange a special raft for their return. Bharath realises that Vasanthi is actually princess Chitralekha, but she advices him just to see her as his lover and not as the princess.

They both arrive at Anand's house, and he is surprised to see Bharath alive. However, Chitralekha takes the guise of a normal girl because she does not want anyone to know that the princess is still alive, and to aide Bharath. Her true identity remains a secret to everyone except Bharath. The next day, people again protest at Diwan who starts killing them all, but Anand dies in the shoot out, saying that his death will be honoured as a sacrifice and that the zameen would be avenged by Bharath. Meanwhile, Anand's mother also dies in the shock of her son's death, making Bharath and his friends more determined to save their zameen. They kill a few of Diwan's men, and seek shelter in a bar owned by Nagesh, who also becomes their ally. One by one, Bharath, Chitralekha and the rest of their gang secretly deal with Diwan and his army.

Later at Diwan's castle, "Vasanthi" finally reveals herself as princess Chitralekha, and shocks everyone. Diwan immediately kidnaps her and boards a hot air balloon. But Bharath manages to reach him and after an intense fight, Diwan is killed. Peace returns to Vasanthapuri, so Bharath and Chitralekha are married.

Cast

• Sivaji Ganesan – Bharath. He is an NRI living in Zurich. After hearing that his zameen Vasanthapuri is in danger, he is determined to do anything to save it.
• Kanchana – Chitralekha, princess of Vasanthapuri. After falling for Bharath, she hides her identity initially to prevent him from finding out who she is, but discloses her identity when danger arrives in her zameen.
• M. N. Nambiar – Diwan, the main antagonist
• R. Muthuraman – Anand, Bharath's close friend
• S. V. Ranga Rao as General (Bharath's father)
• Nagesh – Bar owner, an ally of Bharath
• Javar Seetharaman
• Santha Kumari
• Sachu
• T.V. Kumudini
• Radhika
• Thengai Srinivasan – Flight attendant (cameo role)

Production

According to C. V. Sridhar's autobiography, Sivandha Mann had evolved from Andru Sinthiya Rattam, a script originally written for actor M. G. Ramachandran.^[7] It was the first Tamil film to be shot extensively in foreign locations – a "great novelty in those days".^[8] Reportedly made on a budget of 790000 (US$13,000),^[2] filming took place largely in Europe in countries like Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany and the Alps. The rest of the film was shot back in India.^[3][9][10] After the film's success, many Tamil and Telugu films were also inspired to shoot in France.^[4]

Soundtrack

Music is composed by M. S. Viswanathan, with lyrics by Kannadasan.^[11]

Box office

Though Sivandha Mann was successful, it faced heavy losses due to its high budget that was invested in filming in the foreign locations.^[12] Reportedly, the film ran for over 100 days in theatres.^[13] It was subsequently labelled as one of Sridhar's "most popular" films.^[14]

References

External links

• Sivantha Mann at the Internet Movie Database