''Doctor Savithri'' is a 1955 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

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by R. M. Krishnaswamy and written by Acharya. A contemporary adaptation of the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

story of

Savitri and Satyavan In Hinduism, Savitri and Satyavan ( sa, सावित्री ''Sāvitrī'' and ''Satyavān'') are a legendary couple, known for Savitri's love and devotion to her husband Satyavan. According to the legend, princess Savitri marries an exiled ...

, the film stars

Anjali Devi Anjali Devi (; 24 August 1927 – 13 January 2014) was an Indian actress, model and producer in Telugu and Tamil films. She was well known for her role as the Devi Sita in ''Lava Kusa'' as well as for the titular roles in movies like Chenchu ...

S. Balachander Sundaram Balachander (18 January 1927 – 13 April 1990) was an Indian veena player and filmmaker. He directed, produced, and also composed music for a few of his films. Balachander was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1982. He died of a hear ...

, M. N. Nambiar and

B. R. Panthulu Budaguru Ramakrishnaiah Panthulu (26 July 1910 – 8 October 1974) was an Indian film director, producer and actor. He is best known for directing films in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. His most popular films are '' Karnan'', ''Veerapandiya ...

. It revolves around the title character's (Anjali Devi) efforts to clear the name of her wrongfully convicted husband (Panthulu). The film was released on 25 November 1955 and became a success.

Plot

Savithri is a doctor who treats the poor for free. When she discovers that Vanaja, a young wealthy woman in their community is being harassed by Nagalingam, a crooked lawyer, she and her husband Somasundaram endeavour to help Vanaja. Later, Nagalingam is murdered by an unknown assailant and Somasundaram is wrongfully convicted of the crime. Savithri investigates the murder and identifies the true killer as Jagath Singh, a doctor who had been blackmailed by Nagalingam.

Cast

;Female cast *

as Doctor Savithri * T. A. Mathuram as Aandal * M. N. Rajam as Vanaja * Chellam as the lawyer's wife * (Baby) Kanchana as Vimala ;Male cast *

Doctor Jagath Singh * M. N. Nambiar as Krishnamoorthi *

as Somasundaram *

D. Balasubramaniam D. Balasubramaniam was an Indian actor whose career spanned from the late 1930s through the late 1950s. He was well known for his roles in mythological films and later switched to character roles. Filmography References Male actors in Tam ...

as Lawyer Nagalingam *

Serukalathur Sama Swaminathan Vaidyanathan (26 June 1904—11 January 1963), known by his stage name Serukulathur Sama, was an Indian stage and film actor who was primarily known for playing the role of the Hindu god Krishna in Tamil language Hindu mythological f ...

as Sambandam Pillai *

N. S. Krishnan Nagercoil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan, popularly known as Kalaivanar () and also as NSK, was an Indian actor-comedian, theatre artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry – in the 1940s and 1950s. He is conside ...

as Muniyan * S. D. R. Chandran as Judge * G. V. Sharma as Public Prosecutor * Ramaraj as Defense Lawyer * Ashokan as Commissioner * C. P. Kittan as Monkey Performer * Sethuraman as Paranoid and Greedy Person * Sobharaj as Inspector * A. Karunanidhi as Guest artist ;Dance * Sayee, Subbulakshmi

Production

In 1941, a Tamil language film based on the

story of

, titled '' Savithri'' was released. More than a decade later,

T. G. Raghavachari Thoothukudi Govindachari Raghavachari, also known by his initials TGR and the pseudonym Acharya, was an Indian filmmaker and lawyer who was active in Tamil cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. Early and personal life Thoothukudi Govindachari Raghavach ...

(Acharya) sought to create a new adaptation of the story but with a modern setting. Titled ''Doctor Savithri'', the film's story and screenplay was written by Acharya and it was directed by R. M. Krishnaswamy and produced by M. Radhakrishnan under the banner Aruna Films. Krishnaswamy also served as the cinematographer, while Raghavan was the art director, and R. M. Venugopal was the editor. Acharya wrote the dialogues, along with A. K. Velan and Elangovan. Roy Chowdary, Muthuswamy Pillai (Sayee Subbulakshmi) and Gopalakrishnan were in charge of the choreography. The film was processed at

AVM Studios AVM Productions is an Indian film production studio founded by A. V. Meiyappan. It is the final oldest survived studio in India. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai. It has produced over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, ...

Soundtrack

Music was composed by G. Ramanathan and lyrics by

Udumalai Narayana Kavi [https://idhatri.com/udumalai-narayana-kavi/ Udumalai Narayana KavUdumalai Narayana Kavi Udumalai Narayana Kavi (25 September 1899 – 23 May 1981) was an Indian poet and lyricist known for his work in Tamil films. Early life Udumalai Narayana wa ...

, A. Maruthakasi and Samuel Vedanayagam Pillai, Mayavaram Vethanayagam Pillai.

Release and reception

''Doctor Savithri'' was released on 25 November 1955, delayed from

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...

. On the same day ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

'' wrote, "The atmosphere of mystery and suspense is well maintained to the last though the all-too-brief finale is a bit all-too-tame". The film emerged a commercial success; this assisted in establishing Aruna Films as a leading production company in the 1950s Tamil film industry.

References

External links

* {{Savitri and Satyavan 1950s Tamil-language films 1950s thriller films 1955 films Films about miscarriage of justice Films about Savitri and Satyavan Films set in 1955 Indian black-and-white films Indian legal films Indian thriller films Legal thriller films