''Mannippu'' () is a 1969 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 thriller A romantic thriller is a narrative that involves elements of the romance and thriller genres. A good thriller provides entertainment by making viewers uncomfortable with moments of suspense, the heightened feeling of anxiety and fright. A thril ...

film, directed by M. Krishnan Nair and written by Thuraiyur K. Moorthi. The film stars

Jaishankar Jaishankar (12 July 1938 – 3 June 2000) was an Indian actor known for his work in Tamil cinema. He was a very popular lead actor in the 1960s and 70s. He was credited onscreen with title of ''Makkal Kalaingnar'' (people's artiste) or '' ...

, A. V. M. Rajan,

Vennira Aadai Nirmala Vennira Aadai Nirmala (born as A. B. Shanthi in Kumbakonam) is an Indian actress who has appeared in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. She was a prominent lead actress from 1960s and 70s. She is credited as Ushakumari in Malayalam film indust ...

and

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

, with

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 ...

R. S. Manohar Rasipuram Subramaniyan Iyer Manohar was an Indian actor who performed roles ranging from hero to villain to comedic characters. He was born at Namakkal in 1925. He acted in over 200 films. He is known for his versatility and dominating personal ...

, C. K. Saraswathi and Major Sundarrajan in supporting roles. It is a remake of the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

film ''

Padunna Puzha ''Padunna Puzha'' (''The Singing River'') is a 1968 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by M. Krishnan Nair and produced by T. E. Vasudevan. The film stars Prem Nazir, Sheela, Jayabharathi and Adoor Bhasi. The film had musical score by ...

'' (1968). The film was released on 28 November 1969 and was successful at the box office.

Plot

Advocate Kumar and his sister Bhama lose their mother and are brought up by their maternal aunt, who loves them as her own. Radha gives Bhama daily music lessons. Radha is in love with Gopi, an artist. But her mother is against their relationship due to a family feud. Kumar invites Gopi to his house. Bhama impressed by the artistic talents of Gopi and falls in love with him at first sight. Gopi rejects her love and Bhama attempts to commit suicide. Her step mother consoles her and assures her fulfillment of her ambitions. One day, Bhama is not at home when Radha arrives for their lessons. Bhama's step mother gives her a cup of coffee and leaves for a wedding. Kumar, who is attracted to Radha, attempts to take advantage of the situation. Radha resists out of fear and shame. Kumar blocks her mouth with his hands. Radha dies and Kumar throws her corpse in a river. Gopi is arrested by the police on the evidence of a letter found in her handbag, in which he suggests they elope. Kumar decides to surrender to the police to save Gopi, whom he knows to be innocent. Kumar's step mother learns of Kumar's decision. At the climax, the step mother appears before the court during Gopi's trial and reveals that the real cause for Radha's death was the poison that she mixed in Radha's coffee. Her objective was get Bhama and Gopi married following Radha's demise. Kumar fatally poisons himself. The mother is sentenced to ten years imprisonment. Gopi is freed by the court and the film ends with Gopi lamenting his lover's demise on the banks of the river.

Cast

as Artist Gopi * A. V. M. Rajan as Advocate Kumar *

as Radha, Bhama's music teacher *

as Bhama, Kumar's sister *

as Nalla Muthu, barber *

as Public Prosecutor * Major Sundarrajan as Govinda Pillai, Gopi's father *

S. V. Ramadas S. V. Ramadas (1921-2004) was an Indian actor who appeared in Tamil-language films, most often as a villain. He acted in more than 700 films in a career spanning over four decades. Film career Among popular movies, he acted in Aayirathil Or ...

as Police Inspector * C. K. Saraswathi as Radha's mother * Sattampillai Venkataraman as Chettiyar *

Loose Mohan Arumugam Mohanasundaram (8 February 1928 – 16 September 2012), popularly known as Loose Mohan and Raja Gopalakrishnan, was an Indian actor who had acted as a comedian in over 1000 Tamil films. He is credited with popularizing Madras Basha ...

as Ramaiah, Kumar's servant *

Ennathe Kannaiah Ennathe Kannaiah (1925 - 7 August 2012) was a comedian who appeared in Tamil-language films. In the Ravichandran-Jayalalita starrer Naan, as he spoke his dialogues, he frequently used the word Ennathe and this became his nickname. Decades later ...

as Radha's uncle

Soundtrack

Music was by

S. M. Subbaiah Naidu Subburayulu Munuswami Subbaiah Naidu (a.k.a. SMS) (15 March 1914 – 26 May 1979) was an Indian composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He was one of the oldest music directors. He worked as an in-house music composer for Central Studios an ...

and lyrics were written by Vaali.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title 1960s romantic thriller films 1960s Tamil-language films 1969 films Films directed by M. Krishnan Nair Films scored by S. M. Subbaiah Naidu Indian black-and-white films Indian courtroom films Indian romantic thriller films Tamil remakes of Malayalam films