''Karuthamma'' is a 1994 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
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
produced and directed by
Bharathiraja
Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with '' 16 Vayathinile'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. ...
from a story by M. Rathnakumar. The film stars
Raja
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
,
Rajashree and
Maheswari
Maheswari is an Indian former actress, who appeared predominantly in Telugu cinema, Telugu and Tamil cinema, Tamil language films. She was one of the leading actresses in Telugu and Tamil films from 1994 to 2000. She appeared alongside major ...
, with
Saranya
Sanjna (Sanskrit: संज्ञा, IAST: ''Saṃjñā''), also known as Saranyu ( sa, सरन्यू, IAST: ''Saraṇyū''), is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of Surya, the Sun god. She is mentioned in the ''Rigveda'', and also a ...
,
Periyar Dasan
Dr. Periyar Dasan or Dr. Abdullah (born Seshachalam; 21 August 1949 – 19 August 2013) was an Indian scholar, professor, eminent speaker, and activist from Tamil Nadu. He propagated atheism and rationalist ideologies for most part of his lif ...
,
Ponvannan
Ponvannan (born Shanmugam; 23 September 1963) is an Indian actor and director who has worked in Tamil cinema and television. After beginning his career as an artist (painter), Ponvannan apprenticed as a director and writer under Bharathiraja. H ...
,
Vadivukkarasi
Vadivukkarasi is an Indian actress. She made her acting debut in the Tamil film ''Sigappu Rojakkal'' (1978) and has acted in more than 350 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam and 40 television serials in Tamil. Film director A. P. ...
, Vaani,
Vadivelu
Kumaravadivel Natarajan (born 12 September 1960), known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and playback singer, having acted in supporting and lead roles in Tamil cinema. He gained widespread acclaim in Kollywood in the ...
, and
Janagaraj
Janagaraj is an Indian actor who has appeared in over 200 films predominantly in Tamil cinema as a comedian or in supporting roles. He also starred in few Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films.
Early life
Janagaraj was born to Vadivelu and Muthu ...
in supporting roles. It is set in a village where
female infanticide
Female infanticide is the deliberate killing of newborn female children. In countries with a history of female infanticide, the modern practice of gender-selective abortion is often discussed as a closely related issue. Female infanticide is a m ...
is prevalent and considered acceptable, but the title character is against the practice. The music was scored by
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
with cinematography by
B. Kannan and editing by K. Pazhanivel.
''Karuthamma'' was released on 3 November 1994 and became a commercial success. Besides being the blockbuster of that year, the film won three
National Film Awards, four
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...
and the
Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil
The Filmfare Best Film Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil (Kollywood) films.
Winners
Nominations 1970s
*1972 - '' Pattikada Pattanama''
*1973 - '' Bharatha Vilas''
*1974 - ''Dikkat ...
. The film brought widespread attention to the practice of female infanticide and compelled the government at national and state levels to enact various laws to curb this practice.
Plot
Mokkatha, the wife of Mokkaiyan, a farmer in Pottalpetti village, is in labour. They already have two daughters and are keen to have a son; two daughters born earlier were killed soon after birth by feeding them with poisonous cactus extract. Unable to pay hefty dowries for their daughters' marriages, the villagers consider female infanticide acceptable. A new school teacher, Soosai, feels sad on learning about this practice. When Mokkatha delivers a girl again, Mokkaiyan orders the village midwife Mooli to kill the baby. Mooli reluctantly tries to feed the cactus extract to the baby at a secluded place. Soosai notices this, meets her, and requests to hand over the infant so that he can raise her. She hands over the infant, and he moves away from the village.
Years later, Stephen, a veterinarian, comes to the village. Mokkaiyan's first daughter Ponnatha is married to Thavasi, the son of Mokkaiyan's nefarious sister Kaliamma. The second daughter, Karuthamma, takes care of the family. After getting into some tiff with Stephen, Karuthamma falls in love with him.
Ponnatha has two daughters and is pregnant for the third time. As a girl is born again, Kaliamma orders to kill it. To save her child, Ponnatha escapes with her baby and is chased by Thavasi, who beats her to death; the child also dies. He and Kaliamma lie that Ponnatha committed suicide as her third child was also a girl. Karuthamma, devastated by the death of her sister, does not believe this story. Ponnatha had earlier expressed her fear to her that if she delivered a girl again, Kaliamma would kill her.
When Karuthamma is giving a ceremonial bath to Ponnatha's body, she notices bloodstains on her abdomen. Concluding that she was murdered, Karuthamma stops the funeral and rushes to tell the police. The village chairman Chellamuthu, who is close to Thavasi, asks the police not to intervene, and they comply. Karuthamma refuses to leave the station. Stephen, who was passing by, threatens action against the police if they do not act on her complaint, as he is also a government employee. With no option, the police takes Ponnatha's body away and arrests Thavasi and Kaliamma.
Rosy, a doctor, comes to meet her close relative Stephen. Her presence and closeness with Stephen are misunderstood by Karuthamma. Rosy loves Stephen, but he only likes her. Kaliamma's husband celebrates her arrest by drinking with Mokkaiyan, who is not used to liquor. Mokkaiyan suffers a paralytic attack and loses control of his limbs. Rosy tends to him, and in the process gets attached to Mokkaiyan and Karuthamma.
A few weeks later, when Thavasi and Kaliamma get bail, they come to attack Karuthamma, but Stephen saves her. Chellamuthu manipulates the villagers into accepting Thavasi's proposal that Karuthamma must marry Thavasi to take care of Ponnatha's daughters (by which the police case will also be closed). Chellamuthu, who has lent money to Mokkaiyan, threatens and seeks immediate repayment if he does not accept this proposal.
Thavasi's father realises that his son is using the young children as bait and takes away the children with him one night. However, he is caught by Thavasi, who, motivated by Chellamuthu, burns his father to death. Thavasi takes the children away and forces Karuthamma to come with him to their village to marry him. Shocked with all this, Mokkaiyan consumes poison and is on his deathbed.
When Rosy expresses her love to Stephen, he gets surprised and states that he loves Karuthamma. Rosy is shocked as she was keen to marry him and decides to move away from the village. When the villagers ask her to treat Mokkaiyan, who is fighting for his life, she does not as she is keen to leave. When her father Soosai arrives, Mooli realises that he is the same person who took Mokkiayan's third daughter. Mooli reveals to Rosy that Mokkaiyan is her real father, and Soosai also confirms it. Rosy treats Mokkaiyan, who now realises his mistake of killing female infants without realising their worth.
Karuthamma, on the eve of her wedding, demands to see the children taken away earlier by Thavasi's father. However, Thavasi is unable to show his children (as they were taken by Chellamuthu to use them as bait to force himself on Karuthamma). That night, Chellamuthu makes Thavasi drunk and asks him to spare Karuthamma for that night. Thavasi agrees in a drunken state, which is overheard by Karuthamma, who also learns that Thavasi had killed his own father. When Chellamuthu goes to meet Karuthamma, she is well prepared to meet him. She murders him and then Thavasi. After saving Ponnatha's children, who were locked inside a box, she returns to her village. Realising that Rosy is her own sister, Karuthamma asks her to look after the children and their father and leaves with the police. Stephen decides to wait for her.
Cast
Production
The film was titled after Bharathiraja's mother. The story was based on a real-life incident in a village, and the script was written by Bharathiraja's relative M. Rathnakumar.
Periyar Dasan
Dr. Periyar Dasan or Dr. Abdullah (born Seshachalam; 21 August 1949 – 19 August 2013) was an Indian scholar, professor, eminent speaker, and activist from Tamil Nadu. He propagated atheism and rationalist ideologies for most part of his lif ...
, who worked as a professor in
Pachaiyappa's College
Pachaiyappa's College is one of the oldest educational institutions in Chennai, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In addition, it is the first sole Indian college in Madras Presidency.
History
Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai is the resul ...
, made his acting debut with this film, as did
Rajashree and
Maheswari
Maheswari is an Indian former actress, who appeared predominantly in Telugu cinema, Telugu and Tamil cinema, Tamil language films. She was one of the leading actresses in Telugu and Tamil films from 1994 to 2000. She appeared alongside major ...
; Rajashree's voice was dubbed by
Raadhika
Raadhika Sarathkumar is an Indian actress, entrepreneur, producer and politician who works predominantly in Tamil cinema along with Telugu cinema as well as a few Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. She is the founder and CP of the Radaan Media ...
. Kamala Sekhar, the film's art director, also portrayed the village chairman Chellamuthu.
Music
The soundtrack was composed by
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
, with lyrics by
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramasamy (born 13 July 1953) is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist working in the Tamil film industry. He is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world. A master's graduate from the Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai, he first ...
. The film marked Rahman's second collaboration with Bharathiraja after
Kizhakku Cheemayile
''Kizhakku Cheemayile'' () is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja. It stars Vijayakumar, Raadhika and Napoleon, while Vignesh, Pandiyan, and Vadivelu play supporting roles. The film involves a touching sentimenta ...
. As with ''Kizhakku Cheemayile'', the songs in ''Karuthamma'' also gained Rahman notice for composing
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
, contrary to his reputation for composing westernised music. The song "Poraale Ponnuthayi" is based on
Mohanam
Mohanam is a rāga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is an ''audava'' rāga (or ''owdava'' rāga, meaning pentatonic scale). It is usually described as a '' janya'' rāga of Harikamboji (28th Melakartha Raga) ...
raga. The music of "Poraale Ponnuthayi" was reused for "Gurus of Peace" in the album ''Vande Mataram.''
Release
''Karuthamma'' was released on 3 November 1994. The film received critical acclaim and became a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres.
Reception
''
Ananda Vikatan
''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India.
History and profile
''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 wa ...
'' mentioned in its review dated 4 December 1994, "Though the subject taken up was delicate, instead of making a documentary, the director has narrated the film, through visuals, which should be appreciated. Bharathiraja must be congratulated for making a heart – wrenching film on a delicate subject without lecturing us on the theme". The film was given 45 marks. Malini Mannath of ''
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 be ...
'' wrote, "''Karuthamma'' is a film that will move many a human heart."
K. Vijiyin of ''
New Straits Times'' wrote, "Bharathiraja returns to do what he is best at — telling stories about ordinary village people
..And in ''Karuthamma'' he has a winner". He also praised the film's humour, a rare feature in Bharathiraja's films. Prince of ''
Kalki
Kalki ( sa, कल्कि), also called Kalkin or Karki, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of exist ...
'' lauded Bharathiraja for daring to depict such an atrocious social problem onscreen.
Accolades
Legacy
Social Impact
The first film to bring to light the menace of female infanticide on screen, ''Karuthamma'' forced the government at national and state levels to act against this practice and bring in suitable laws to curb it. It became a catalyst for this change in the society, and was instrumental in "making way for the ban on prenatal sexual identification".
In other films
The theme of ''Karuthamma'' found place in other Tamil films, especially in the form of comic scenes or comedy films. In ''
Kadhal Sadugudu
''Kadhal Sadugudu'' is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Durai and produced by S. S. Chakravarthy. The film stars Vikram, Priyanka Trivedi, Prakash Raj, and Vivek. The music was composed by Deva with ...
'' (2003), a character played by
Theni Kunjarammal
Theni Kunjarammal (died 18 April 2008) was an Indian actress and playback singer who has worked in the Tamil film industry. As a playback singer, she has worked extensively with A. R. Rahman during the late 1990s and early 2000s for folk songs, ...
tries to kill a female child with poisoned milk. Super Subbu (
Vivek Vivek (or Bibek/Bivek in some regions) (विवेक in Devanagari script) is a masculine given name that is popular in South Asia, particularly in India and Nepal. It is of Sanskrit origin and means "wisdom" and/or "conscience".
Vivek may refe ...
), who sees this, comically remarks that he has been seeing this from the days of ''Karuthamma''. Scenes from ''Karuthamma'' have also been parodied in ''
Thamizh Padam
''Thamizh Padam'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language parody film written and directed by C. S. Amudhan in his directorial debut. The film stars Shiva and Disha Pandey. Thamizh Padam was the first full-length spoof in Tamil cinema. It parodies co ...
'' (2010), in which the theme of female infanticide has been replaced with that of male infanticide. Periyar Dasan reprises his role from the original film.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
1990s Tamil-language films
1994 films
Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award winners
Films about sex selection in India
Films about women in India
Films directed by Bharathiraja
Films scored by A. R. Rahman
Indian drama films
Indian feminist films