Oru Thalai Ragam
| Oru Thalai Raagam | |
|---|---|
 Promotional Poster | |
| Tamil | ஒரு தலை ராகம் |
| Directed by | E. M. Ibrahim[1] |
| Produced by | E. M. Ibrahim |
| Written by | T. Rajendar |
| Screenplay by | Mansoor Creations Story Department |
| Story by | T. Rajendar |
| Starring |
Shankar Thyagu Chandrasekhar Usha Rajendar Roopa Ravindran |
| Music by |
T. Rajendar A. A. Raj (Background Score) |
| Cinematography |
Robert Rajasekharan |
| Edited by | D. Raj |
Production company |
Mansoor Creations |
| Distributed by | Mansoor Creations |
Release date |
|
Running time | 145 min |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Oru Thalai Raagam (literally One Beat Melody, figuratively One Side Love) is a 1980 Tamil-language Indian film produced and directed by E. M. Ibrahim. Written by T. Rajendar, the film stars Shankar, Roopa, Chandrasekhar, Usha Rajendar and Ravindran. The film earned critical acclaim and did well at the box office.[2]
The 1999 Telugu language film Panchadara Chilaka is the remake of Oru Thalai Raagam, but with a happy ending.
Plot
Oru Thalai Raagam is the heart breaking love story of Subhadra and Raja, played by (Roopa) and (Shankar) respectively. They are classmates and their colleagues/classmates include Ravindran, Chandrasekhar, Kailash, Thyagu and others. The day starts for them at the Railway Station, where they all catch the train to the college. Raja sincerely loves Subhadra, but she does not reciprocate as she is an introvert as well as she is afraid of society's backlash. Moreover her mother's character isn't spoken good by the same people. Even though Subhadra loves Raja, she always tries to insult him whenever opportunity comes, but on the positive side, she sometimes shows her feelings for him as well.
Raja's life becomes hell as he couldn't concentrate on his studies and he is not taking care of his health as well as he gets affected by liver jaundice. Raja cuts a sorry figure among his colleagues and all of them want Subhadra to accept Raja's love. Later Raja's health deteriorates as he still neglects to have proper food and rest. Finally, college days are over for the batch and Subhadra decides to proclaim her love. She gets in the train and see Raja sitting in the compartment and she happily starts speaking with him saying to accept his love and seek apology for her indifferent behavior, but it was too late as Raja dies during her proclamation.
Cast
- Shankar as Raja
- Chandrasekhar
- Usha Rajendar
- Roopa as Subhadra
- Ravindran
- Thyagu
- Kailash
Production
The film was entirely shot at AVC college in Mayiladuthurai where Rajendar was an alumnus.[3] The film marked the acting debut of Shankar, Roopa, Ravindran.[4][5]
Reception
The film completed 365 days of run in several theatres.[6][5] Initial days after the release saw low responses at the box office. But the film became "super hit" afterwards.[7] Critic Baradwaj Rangan mentions the film in his book Conversations with Mani Ratnam as an example of a love story where the lead characters hardly speak at all.[1] Film historian Theodore Bhaskaran noted that Oru Thalai Ragam (1980) and Nammavar (1994) which looked at the issue of social reforms and aimed at raising social awareness among students.[8]
Soundtrack
The music composed by T. Rajendar and the background score is worked upon by A. A. Raj.[9] The songs became successful and made Rajender popular as a composer.[3]
| Song | Singer(s) | Lyrics | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| "En Kathai" | T. M. Soundararajan | T. Rajendar | 3.24 |
| "Ithu Kuzhanthai" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4.38 | |
| "Kadavul Vazhum" | P. Jayachandran | 5.00 | |
| "Kudaiyile Karuvaadu" | Malaysia Vasudevan | 3.25 | |
| "Manmadan" | Jolly Abraham | 4.13 | |
| "Nan Oru Raasiyilaa Raja" | T. M. Soundararajan | 4.24 | |
| "Vasamilla Malar Ithu" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4.48 | |
References
- 1 2 Baradwaj Rangan (2013). Conversations with Mani Ratnam. Penguin UK. ISBN 9788184756906.
- ↑ P George, Daniel (15 October 2010). "Days of Liberty are now history-Kodambakkam Landmark Is Latest To Go". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- 1 2 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/a-film-star-visits-his-alma-mater/article6278790.ece
- ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/in-a-brand-new-role-actor-raveendran-in-ennum-eppozhum/article7065214.ece
- 1 2 http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/The-circle-of-life/article16269048.ece
- ↑ "The lover boys of Indian cinema-100 years of Indian cinema". Galatta Cinema. December 2012.
- ↑ Preminda Jacob (2008). Celluloid Deities: The Visual Culture of Cinema and Politics in South India. Lexington Books. p. 65. ISBN 9780739131305.
- ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/where-is-the-student-in-indian-cinema/article8286171.ece
- ↑ P. S. Gopalakrishna (23 January 2014). "In reference to film music". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 January 2016.