Velaikaari

Velaikaari

A poster for Velaikaari
Directed by A. S. A. Sami
Produced by M. Somasundaram (Jupiter Pictures)
Written by C. N. Annadurai
Starring K. R. Ramasamy
T. S. Balaiya
Janaki Ramachandran
M. N. Nambiar
S. A. Natarajan
M. V. Rajamma
Music by C. R. Subburaman
S. M. Subbaiah Naidu
Cinematography Masthan
Edited by D. Durairaj
Release dates
 25 February 1949[1]
Running time
 180 min. (16,744 Feet)
Language Tamil

Velaikaari (Tamil: வேலைக்காரி; English: Maid) is a 1949 Tamil film produced by Jupiter Pictures. It was based on the play of the same name written by C. N. Annadurai (later chief minister of Tamil Nadu). This was the second film to be based on Annadurai's plays.[2][3][4][5][6]

Production

Velaikaari (lit. servant maid) was a stage play written by Annadurai. It was originally written for K. R. Ramasamy's drama company by Annadurai. M. Somasundaram of Jupiter productions decided to make a film based on the successful play.[1] Annadurai wrote the script and dialogues for the film. This was second film to be made based on Annadurai's plays after Nallathambi, which was released only three weeks prior to Velaikaari. A. S. A. Sami, was chosen by Annadurai to direct the movie.[1] Also per Annadurai's recommendation, his friend K. R. Ramasamy was hired to play the hero. The play's original screenplay based on class conflicts and was partly inspired by the Bhawal case to this some plot elements of The Count of Monte Cristo were added for the film version.[7] The film's concept was inspired from a newspaper article about a devotee who broke the idols of god out of frustration.[7] Janaki Ramachandran and M. V. Rajamma played the female lead roles in the film. The supporting cast included M. N. Nambiar, T. S. Balaiya and S. A. Natarajan.

Remakes

The film was later remade in Hindi (Naya Aadmi), Telugu (Santhosham) and Kannada (Malli Maduve).[7] The completed film was 16,774 feet in length.[2][3][8]

Plot

Velaikaari was a socially themed story based on class conflicts and a critique of existing social customs.[2][6] The hero's (K. R. Ramasamy) father commits suicide unable to repay his debts to the local landlord. The hero swears revenge. After earning wealth, he returns to avenge his father's death. He finds a dead body which looks like him in the woods and impersonates the dead man. He marries the landlord's daughter and ill treats her. He forces the landlord to realise his mistakes and repent.[9]

Cast and crew

Screenshot from Velaikaari

Reception

The film was a commercial and critical success. Its dialogues became famous among the audience. Some of the rhetorical lines like " "Sattam Oru Iruttarai. athiley vakkilin vaathamoru vilakku. anaal athu ezhaikku ettaatha vilakku" (lit. The law is a dark room. In which the lawyer's arguments are like the lamp light, but the poor cannot get it) became famous.[10] The 1981 Tamil film Sattam Oru Iruttarai was titled after that particular piece of dialogue. The popular reception Velaikaari received was the beginning of the long association between the Dravidian Movement and Tamil Cinema. The dialogues and scenes promoting atheism led to some controversy and demands for banning the film.[7][2][9][11]

Soundtrack

Partial list of songs from Velaikkari:

It is interesting to note here that the song 'Innamum Para Mugam Enamma' sung by K. R. Ramasamy was remixed in the year 2012 by a popular musician of Tamil Nadu called Manachanallur Giridharan in his devotional album titled OM NAVA SAKTHI JAYA JAYA SAKTHI, which was also sung by Giridharan himself.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 78.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Guy, Randor (7 December 2007). "blast from the past - Velaikari 1949". The Hindu. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Film News Anandan (2004). Sadhanaigal padaitha Tamil Thiraipada Varalaaru (in Tamil). Chennai: Sivagami Publications. pp. 28:52.
  4. ↑ Velayutham, Selvaraj (2008). Tamil cinema: the cultural politics of India's other film industry (Hardback ed.). New York: Routledge. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-415-39680-6.
  5. ↑ Thoraval, Yves (2000). The cinemas of India. India: Macmillan. p. 39. ISBN 0-333-93410-5, ISBN 978-0-333-93410-4.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Baskaran, S. Theodore (1996). The eye of the serpent: an introduction to Tamil cinema. Chennai: East West Books. p. 104.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 79.
  8. ↑ Guy, Randor (29 September 2000). "An antithesis on screen". The Hindu. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Gangadhar, V (10 December 1998). "One for the masses!". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  10. ↑ Dhananjayan 2014, p. 80.
  11. ↑ Naryanan, Aranthai. "Tamil Cinema through the eyes of a politician". tamilcinema.com (in Tamil). Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  12. ↑ Innamum Para Mugam REMIX by Giridharan

Bibliography