''Chandrodayam'' () is a 1966 Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

-language

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film directed by

K. Shankar Kannan Shankar (17 March 1926 - 5 March 2006) was an Indian film editor, screenwriter and director. He directed more than 80 films in South Indian languages including Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada as well as in Hindi. Film career Shanka ...

. The film stars

M. G. Ramachandran Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...

and J. Jayalalithaa, with M. N. Nambiar and

Nagesh Nagesh (born Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran; (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) was an Indian actor, mostly remembered for his roles as a comedian in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in over 1,000 fil ...

in supporting roles. It was inspired by the 1934 American film ''

It Happened One Night ''It Happened One Night'' is a 1934 pre-Code American romantic comedy film with elements of screwball comedy directed and co-produced by Frank Capra, in collaboration with Harry Cohn, in which a pampered socialite ( Claudette Colbert) tr ...

'', and released on 27 May 1966.

Plot

Devi, an innocent heiress, runs away from her home, the Selvamani Estate, the day before her engagement, thereby creating a scandal within her family, in particular, for her father,

Zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...

Ponnambalam. Being away, abandoned to herself, Devi is saved at the last minute by a reporter, Chandran, who decides to accommodate her at his home until he is able to find her a new home. Chandran is the news reporter for the newspaper named ''Dinakkavartchi''. Duriothanan, the editor of the newspaper, is an unscrupulous man with no regard for genuine news presentation, and is always in favour for sensationalising news, even if it means concealing the truth. The two very often disagree. Chandran is helped in his quest by his friend, the newspaper's photographer, Alwar. Chandran wants at all costs to help another young woman, Kamala, wounded cruelly by life since her birth. She had previously been a victim of a predator, the rich Paranthaman. Chandran puts everything in its place by uniting Kamala with Paranthaman and he himself marrying Devi, with the blessings of the elders from both the families. Duriothanan regrets his misdeeds and asks Chandran to start a new newspaper and name it as he wants. The newspaper is named ''Chandrodayam'', the first issue carrying the wedding news of Chandran and Devi.

Cast

as Chandran * J. Jayalalithaa as Devi * M. R. Radha as Duriothanan * M. N. Nambiar as Paranthaman *

Pandari Bai Pandari Bai (1930 – 29 January 2003) was an Indian actress who worked in South Indian cinema, mostly in Kannada cinema during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. She is considered Kannada cinema's first successful heroine. She has acted as both heroi ...

as Lakshmi * S. A. Ashokan as Ponnambalam * C. K. Nagesh as Alwar * C. R. Manorama as Ahalya, wife of Alwar * Bharathi as Kamala *

S. N. Lakshmi Sennalkudi Narayana Lakshmi (1927 – 20 February 2012) was an Indian actress, who appeared in supporting roles, often playing roles of a mother or grandmother in films. A recipient of the state government's Kalaimamani and Kalaiselvam awards, ...

as Maheshwari, mother of Paranthaman *

Kuladeivam Rajagopal V. R. Rajagopal, known professionally as Kuladeivam Rajagopal, was an Indian actor and comedian who worked predominantly in Tamil films and plays. He was a popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Rajagopal made his film debut in ''Kaveri'' (1955). He ...

as Ekambaram

Production

''Chandrodayam'' was inspired by the 1934 American film ''

''. It was produced by G. N. Velumani of Saravana Films, directed by K. Shankar, photographed by Thambu and edited by K. Narayanan. The climax fight sequence between M. N. Nambiar and M. G. Ramachandran was shot with the use of only one light source: a rolling, broken small table lamp.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack is composed by M. S. Viswanathan. The songs "Chandrodayam Oru Pennanatho", "Buddhan Yesu" and "Kaasikum Pogum Sanyasi" were well received. The song "Kaasikum Pogum Sanyasi" is based on Yadhukulakambhoji raga, and "Chandrodayam Oru Pennanatho" is based on

Hamir Kalyani Kalyani is a melakarta raga (parent musical scale) in the Carnatic music. It was called Kalyan but is now more popularly called Yaman in Hindustani Music. Its Western equivalent is the Lydian mode. Kalyani in Carnatic music In South India ...

Release and reception

''Chandrodayam'' was released on 27 May 1966. Jayalalithaa won the Tamil Nadu Cinema Fan Award for Best Actress.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{K. Shankar 1960s Tamil-language films 1966 films 1966 romantic comedy films Films about journalists Films directed by K. Shankar Films scored by M. S. Viswanathan Indian remakes of American films Indian romantic comedy films