Maattukara Velan

Velan (M.G.R) is an innocent village guy whose livelihood is rearing cattle and looks God in them. Nagalingham (S.A.Ashokan) municipal chairman is a crooked & cruel person, performs a lot of atrocities in the town also involved in anti-social and illegal activities. He has an arrogant daughter Kamala (Lakshmi) and a good-nurtured son Sundharam (Cho Ramaswamy). Sundaram always teases and revolts against his father for his evil deeds. Once Velan's cows obstruct Kamala's way, she beats the cattle when Velan becomes furious and beats her in turn. But gets frightened when he comes to know that Kamala is chairman's daughter. Nagalingham sends his men to kill Velan but Sundharam rescues him and changes his attire as a college student. Parallelly, Advocate R. K. Sathiyanadhan (V. K. Ramasamy) an honest person who always supports the justice, backs the piety and gives a tough fight to Nagalingham. He leads a happy family life with his ideal wife Annapurna (S. Varalakshmi) and a daughter Radha (Jayalalitha). Sathiyanadhan fixes his daughter marriage with his childhood friend Sripathi's son Raghu (again M.G.R) who looks alike Velan. On the advice of Sundaram Velan reaches Sathiyanadhan's house, they mistake him as Raghu and highly honors him. Here Velan & Radha fall in love with Radha. Eventually, Raghu arrives to apprentice Sathiyanadhan, he was caught by goons of Nagalingham they take him to Nagalingham's house and beats him. However, Raghu escapes, enters Sathiyanadhan's house where he is surprised to see Velan, explains Raghu about his problem and he understands the fact. Knowing that Velan is in love with Radha he stops and asks him to stay along with him. Now they play a confuse drama without revealing their identity. Meanwhile, Raghu meets Kamala, she again teases him mistaking him as Velan but afterward feels sorry when both of them fall in love. On the other hand, Sundharam loves their maidservant Kaveri (Sachu). Unfortunately, once Radha witnesses Raghu & Kamala, misunderstands Velan when Raghu turn up affirms the entire story. Hearing it, Sathiyanadhan throws Velan out and decides to make Radha's marriage with Raghu. But Raghu refuses it and says he is going to marry Kamala. Then Narasimha declares Nagalingham as his father's murderer who projected it as a suicide. Listening to it Raghu breakdowns and he also comes to know his father gathered pieces of evidence against Nagalingham in a dairy and secured it in a secret place. In that anger, Raghu burst out on Nagalingham, knowing that Raghu is Sripati's son he captivates him and blackmails Sathiyanadhan for the dairy. Immediately, Sathiyanadhan rushes to Nagalingham's house when Nagalingham is about to kill Sathiyanadhan Velan comes to his protection where he plays a drama as if he has murdered Sathiyanadhan. At this moment, everyone understands Velan's virtue, simultaneously, Raghu is shifted to Nagalingham's den. Ultimately, Velan breaks out dairy's secret, finds the route map to Nagalingham's den, sees the end of him and protects Raghu. Finally, the movie ends on a happy note with the marriages of Velan & Radha, Raghu & Kamala, and Sundharam & Kaveri.

• M. G. Ramachandran as Velan and Raghu
• Lakshmi as Kamala[2]
• Jayalalithaa as Velan's lover[2]
• S. A. Ashokan as Nagalingam[2]
• V. K. Ramasamy as Sattanathan[2]
• Cho Ramaswamy as Sundaram[2]
• C. R. Parthiban as Sokka, Dupe Police – a syndicate of The Chairman Nagalingam
• S. Varalakshmi as Annapurna, Advocate R. K. Sattanadhan's wife
• Sachu as Kaveri
• Karikol Raju as Victim of nagalingam
• Usilaimani as Sattanathan's Client
• S. N. Lakshmi as Raghunath Sabhapathi's mother

It is a remake of the super hit Kannada movie Emme Thammanna (1966), which stars Rajkumar, Dikki Madhavarao and Bharathi in the lead roles.

The film had musical score by K. V. Mahadevan.

It exists in 4 combinations: MGR - Pa. Neelakandhan - K.V.Mahadevan in KODUTHU VAITHAVAL (1963): in 1970- MAATTUKAARA VELAN and EN ANNAN and finally NETRU INDRU NAALAI (1974), with the song, "Nerungi Nerungi Pazhagum Pothu..."

The film had highly positive reviews from the audience and became a blockbuster at the box office.

The film was big box office hit of the year.[3]

The film had 400 houseful shows in the Chennai city alone, which was a record.[4]

The movie was re-released in CinemaScope and the print was good and the evening show was a houseful.

Emme Thammanna is the original Kannada version released in 1966 with Rajkumar in double role.

GOVULA GOPANNA is the Telugu version of 1968, with Akkineni Nageswara Rao in the double-role. Release Date: 22 July 1968

JIGRI DOST is the Hindi version of 1969, with Jeetendra in the double-role. Release Date: 16 August 1969

Just like next year in the cult RICKSHAWKARAN, MGR, already, in 1970, with MAATTUKARA VELAN gives to the public a beautiful and astonishing final sequence, during which he executes a masterful fight with the stick!

At the beginning of MAATTUKARA VELAN, during the first fight scene, the "Makkal Thilagum" MGR-Velan uses as defense, a belt with little spherical bells for a cow to drive away his aggressors.

During the monumental correction of the MGR-Raghu with the hired men of S.A.Ashohan, when MGR removes his jacket at the beginning of the fight with the actor Justin, at no time, he never parts from her, holding her (the jacket) firmly in the hand, which results an original fight!

After the triumph of MAATTUKAARA VELAN, the producer N. Kanagasabai will finance via his Jayanthi Films banner, another MGR in 1972, with Jayalalithaa for a partner for "Makkal Thilagum", RAMAN THEDIYA SEETHAI.

The music was composed by K. V. Mahadevan, while the lyrics were written by Kannadasan and Vaali.[5]

Maattukara Velan on IMDb