Pallandu Vazhga
| Pallandu Vazhga | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | K. Shankar |
| Produced by |
S. Maniyan Vidwan V. Lakshmanan |
| Written by | R. K. Shanmugam |
| Screenplay by |
S. Maniyan Vidwan V. Lakshmanan Thamarai Manalan Na. Pandurangan |
| Story by | V. Shantaram |
| Starring | |
| Music by | K. V. Mahadevan |
| Cinematography | T. V.Rajaram |
| Edited by | K. Shankar |
Production company |
Udhayam Productions |
| Distributed by | Udhayam Productions |
Release date | 31 October 1975 |
Running time | 154 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Pallandu Vazhga (lit. Live Long!) is a 1975 Indian Tamil language drama film directed by K. Shankar, starring M. G. Ramachandran and Latha in the lead roles. It is a remake of V. Shantaram's 1957 Hindi film Do Aankhen Barah Haath.
Plot
Rajan (MGR) is a jail warden who rehabilitates six deadly prisoners released on parole into persons of virtue. He takes these notorious, often surly, murderers and makes them work hard with him on a dilapidated country farm, rehabilitating them through hard work and kindly guidance as they eventually produce a great harvest. The warden is however given an ultimatum: He will be arrested if even one of the prisoners attempts to escape.
They all come across Saroja (Latha) an itinerant seller who they get attracted to, but she only gets close to Rajan, after he saves her from a bunch of goons. As Saroja is homeless, the six prisoners plead with Rajan to let the girl stay with them and he subsequently agrees. When Sanguili (R.S. Manohar), one of the prisoners, coincidentally runs into his long-lost family, he tearfully reunites with them. But they appear homeless, and so Rajan allows them also to stay with him and the other prisoners. This angers the other prisoners who feel that Rajan did not give them freedom, compelling them to try killing him in order to escape.
Another prisoner Mayandi (V. K. Ramasamy) who was a barber before his arrest, agrees to give Rajan a shave (it is his trick to kill the warden by cutting his neck). The warden is unaware that he is going to be killed and blissfully sits for the shave, but Mayandi sees Rajan's magical eyes and gets hypnotised, thus compelling him to abort the idea of murder. The prisoners who were attempting escape while Rajan was having a shave, however, see a statue of C. N. Annadurai and because they see Rajan's spirit in it, they get hypnotised and eventually return. The prisoners' escape was well seen by the other policemen around, which leads to Rajan's stay in jail for one day. However, when they hear that the prisoners have returned, Rajan is released and returns to duty. The prisoners gradually turn into good people and become attached to Rajan, who dreams of marrying Saroja, in his mother's presence.
One night, the prisoners are invited to a bar by a corrupt businessman and Rajan is unaware of this. They return drunk and almost attack Rajan and Saroja. Rajan is not pleased with their status and commands them to kill him if that is what they want. Hypnotism and conscience again strike the prisoners, causing them to drop their weapons. The next morning, the prisoners fall at Rajan's feet and explain that the corrupt businessman forced them to drink; they earn the forgiveness of both Rajan and Saroja.
Later, the same corrupt businessman orders that Rajan and his prisoners surrender, or else their plantation and home will be destroyed. Rajan refuses, so the businessman sends his thugs and elephants to destroy everything in sight. However, Rajan and his men vigorously battle all the thugs and emerge victorious, while the local police capture the corrupt businessman and arrest him. Rajan, having been praised for transforming the six prisoners into reformed people, frees the prisoners and tearfully sees them off.
Cast
- M. G. Ramachandran as Rajan (Chinnaiya), the assistant director of prison
- Latha as Saroja, an itinerant seller
- M. N. Nambiar as Bhaiyaravan, n.o999 (he stabbed a businessman)
- V. K. Ramaswamy as Mayandi, n.o111 (ex-barber, he knifed a customer)
- Thengai Srinivasan as Mounkannu, n.o144 (he stabbed a man and his daughter)
- R. S. Manohar as Sanguili, n.o302, father of 2 children (he flooded his wife)
- P. S. Veerappa as David, n.o 250 (he killed a policeman)
- Gundumani as Kalayr, n.o1320 (he killed all his family)
- V. S. Raghavan as Dharmaraj, the storekeeper
- V. Gopalakrishnan as the superior of Rajan, the warden
- Isari Velan as the secretary of Rajan
- Pandari Bai as Rajan's mother
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of the film has been composed by K.V. Mahadevan.[1]
| Track list | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Ondrae Kulamendru (Anbilaar)" | Pulamaipithan | K. J. Yesudas (Solo version) | 3.20 |
| 2. | "Maasi Maasa" | Pulamaipithan | Vani Jairam | 3.24 |
| 3. | "Poi Vaa Nadhi" | Na. Kamarasan | K. J. Yesudas & T. K. Kala | 3.14 |
| 4. | "Sirens (Instrumental)" | No lyrics | K. V. Mahadevan | 1.19 |
| 5. | "Enna Sugam" | Pulamaipithan | K. J. Yesudas & P. Susheela | 3.09 |
| 6. | "Sorgatthin Thirappuvaizha" | Pulamaipithan | K. J. Yesudas & Vani Jairam | 3.19 |
| 7. | "The Tease (Instrumental)" | No lyrics | K. V. Mahadevan | 1.44 |
| 8. | "Ondrae Kulamendru (Anbilaar)(Reprise 1)" | Pulamaipithan | K. J. Yesudas & chorus | 3.17 |
| 9. | "Ondrae Kulamendru (Anbilaar)(Reprise 2)" | Pulamaipithan | K. J. Yesudas & chorus | 3.17 |
| 10. | "Chella Papa" | Pulamaipithan | Vani Jairam | 4.22 |
| 11. | "Ondrae Kulamendru (Anbilaar)(Reprise 3)" | Pulamaipithan | K. J. Yesudas & chorus | 3.17 |
| 12. | "Puthiyathor Ulagam" | Bharathidasan | T. M. Soundararajan & Vani Jairam | 3.29 |
| 13. | "Ondrae Kulamendru (Anbilaar)(Reprise 4)" | Pulamaipithan | K. J. Yesudas & chorus | 3.17 |
Production
Pallandu Vazhga is a remake of the Hindi film Do Aankhen Barah Haath.[2] Unlike the original, this did not feature the protagonist being killed, a measure which was taken after M. G. Ramachandran's character in an earlier film Paasam died and caused negative fan reactions, that resulted in the film's failure.[3] Much of the film was shot at Karnataka.[4]
Release and reception
Pallandu Vazhga was released on 31 October 1975.[5] Ananda Vikatan stated, "எம்.ஜி.ஆர். ரசிகர்களுக்கு மட்டுமல்ல, எல்லோருக்குமே பல்லாண்டு வாழ்க ஓர் இனிய சித்திரம்" (Pallandu Vazhga is a film not only for MGR fans, but a good film for everyone).[6] The film ran for over 100 days in theatres,[7] but did not achieve the same success as the 1957 original.[8]
References
- ↑ "Pallandu Vazhga (1975)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
- ↑ Guy, Randor (19 March 2016). "Pallandu Vazhga (1975)". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ↑ Vaasanthi (2008). Cut-outs, Caste and Cine Stars : The World of Tamil Politics. New Delhi: Penguin Books. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-14-306312-4.
- ↑ "எம்ஜிஆர் 100 | 25 - திரையுலகில் முடிசூடா மன்னர்!". The Hindu Tamil (in Tamil). 19 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ Chellaiah, Rajeswari (20 November 2017). "மாணவியாக... நடிகையாக... அரசியல்வாதியாக எம்.ஜி.ஆருடன் பயணித்த லதா..! - ஒப்பனையும் ஒரிஜினலும்! எம்.ஜி.ஆர் 100 #MGR100 அத்தியாயம்-22". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ↑ "சினிமா விமர்சனம்: பல்லாண்டு வாழ்க". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). 16 November 1975.
- ↑ "'பல்'லாண்டு வாழ்க'...எம். ஜிஆர். ரசிகர்கள் ஏற்றுக்கொள்வார்களா...?" ['Pal'aandu Vazhga'... Will MGR fans accept this...?]. Dinamalar (in Tamil). 22 November 2014. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- ↑ Joshi, Priya; Dudrah, Rajinder, eds. (2016). The 1970s and its Legacies in India's Cinemas. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-83658-6.