Kalam Vellum
Kalam Vellum (transl. Time Will Win) is a 1970 Tamil language Western film produced, filmed and directed by M. Karnan. The film stars Jaishankar in the lead role.
| Kalam Vellum | |
|---|---|
 VCD cover | |
| Directed by | M. Karnan |
| Produced by | M. Karnan |
| Written by | A. Gurusamy Mathangan |
| Story by | Mathangan |
| Starring | Jaishankar C. R. Vijayakumari Nagesh Vijaya Lalitha O. A. K. Devar M. R. R. Vasu |
| Music by | Sankar Ganesh |
| Cinematography | M. Karnan |
| Edited by | G. Kalyanasundaram |
Production company | Indirani Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 127 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
Velu, a poor farmer, loses his sister Dhanam due to the atrocities and exploitation of landlord Periyaraja. To avenge his sister's death, Velu kills Periyaraja's brother Chinnaraja. He then escapes from there. He joins a gang of dacoits, headed by Narasingam. The gang is initially perturbed by Velu's presence, but his courage and good nature wins him their love and respect. Velu succeeds Narasingam as gang leader. His aim is to rob the rich and save the poor. He is constantly looking for an opportunity to take revenge against Periyasamy. Velu forgets that his wife is waiting for his return to his village. Finally, Velu takes revenge on Periyaraja and surrenders to police.
Cast
- Jaishankar as Velu[1]
- C. R. Vijayakumari as Kannamma[1]
- Vijaya Lalitha as Rani[2]
- Nagesh as Paavadai[2]
- Suruli Rajan as Periyaraja's assistant
- O. A. K. Thevar as Periyaraja[1]
- M. R. R. Vasu as Chinnaraja[1]
- Ganthimathi as Velu's mother[1]
- K. Kannan as Vairam
- Usha as Dhanam[1]
- Shanmugasundaram as Narasingam[3]
- Chittor V. Nagaiah as a police officer[4]
- Kathadai Ramamurthy as Chinnaraja's henchman
- Usilai Mani as Chinnaraja's henchman
Production
In January 1970, several months after the release of his first film as a producer (Pennai Vazha Vidungal, August 1969), M. Karnan began pre-production on his directorial debut, Kalam Vellum.[5]
Soundtrack
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ellorum Thirudargale" | Kannadasan | P. Susheela | |
| 2. | "Ennanga Sambandhi Eppo Namma Sambandham" | Kannadasan | P. Susheela, T. M. Soundararajan, P. Mathuri | |
| 3. | "Maalaiyittom Pongalittom" | Kannadasan | Sirkazhi Govindarajan, L. R. Eswari, Chorus | |
| 4. | "Penn Oru Kannadi" | Kannadasan | L. R. Eswari |
Release and reception
Kalam Vellum was released on 11 September 1970.[5] The Indian Express called it a "hotchpotch of all the adventure films that have come in Tamil and English movies that have been imported".[7]
References
- Pillai 2015, p. 168.
- Pillai 2015, p. 171.
- Pillai 2015, p. 169.
- Pillai 2015, p. 176.
- Pillai 2015, p. 166.
- "Kalam Vellum songs". Inbaminge. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- "Cinema". The Indian Express. 26 September 1970. p. 8.
Bibliography
- Pillai, Swarnavel Eswaran (24 April 2015). "Tamil B Movie Westerns: The Global South and Genre Subversion". The Western in the Global South. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-73113-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
External links
- Kalam Vellum on IMDb