''Andhaman Kaidhi'' () is a 1952 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

crime drama film In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

directed by V. Krishnan and written by Ku. Sa. Krishnamurthy. Starring

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 ...

, it is based on Krishnamurthy's play of the same name. The film was released on 14 March 1952.

Plot

In the opening sequence, jailed former labour leader Nataraj is telling his cellmates about the suffering his family endured as a result of his uncle Ponnambalam betraying his fellow Indians in order to help the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. Nataraj tells of how Ponnambalam murdered his father, swindled his mother of her meager savings and forced her sister Leela into marriage. Nataraj hunts down and kills his uncle, which lands him in jail to tell his story. Circa 1947. Ponnambalam helps himself to the properties and riches of his brother-in-law Chidambaram Pillai, who is settled in faraway Karachi. Ponnambalam is aided by his sidekick Jambu and the court clerk Muniyandi. When Chidambaram Pillai returns home and starts questioning Ponnambalam, he is killed. In the aftermath of India Pakistan partition, Chidambaram Pillai's family manages to escape from the strife torn Karachi. His wife, son Natarajan and daughter Leela reach their hometown, only to find Chidambaram Pillai dead. They are driven away by the heartless Ponnambalam. An honest youth Balu, who is moved by their plight and offers them shelter in his house and falls in love with Leela. Natarajan who took pity for Vallikannu, who had been a victim of Ponnambalam's lust, soon turns to love. Jambu gets Natarajan arrested on trumped up charges, and succeeds in getting Leela married to Ponnambalam. Leela pretends to be haunted by a ghost, and manages to postpone consummating the coerced marriage. But Jambu sees through her pretences and makes bold to molest her. Balu rushes to save Leela from her ordeal, but when he reaches her house, he finds Leela torn and bruised, and Ponnambalam is lying dead. Balu is charged with the murder and arrested.

Cast

as Nataraj *

Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair (16 October 191611 March 1997) was an Indian poet, playwright, script writer, lyricist, orator, film director and actor, though he is best known as an actor in Malayalam cinema. He is the recipient of Padma Shri fr ...

as Balu *

K. Sarangapani Kumbakonam Sarangapani (1904-1984) was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based ou ...

as Ponnambalam *

S. D. Subbulakshmi Srivaikundam Duraisamy Subbulakshmi was an Indian actress and singer who was active in Tamil cinema during the 1930s and 1940s. She was the wife of film director K. Subramanyam. She is credited with having introduced the singer and family fri ...

as Kamatchi * P. K. Saraswathi as Leela * M. S. Draupadhi as Vallikannu *

T. S. Balaiah Thirunelveli Subramaniyan Balaiah (23 August 1914 – 22 July 1972) was an Indian actor. He is best known for playing supporting roles in Tamil films. Born in Sundankottai, near Udankudi in Thoothukudi, Balaiah was introduced to the cine fiel ...

as Jambu * T. N. Sivathanu as the cook in Ponnambalam's household

Production

''Andhaman Kaidhi'' was a play written by Ku. Sa. Krishnamurthy, first staged in 1938. When it was adapted into a film produced by Radhakrishna Films, Krishnamurthy was retained as screenwriter. The film was originally directed by K. Subramanyam who left, resulting in cinematographer V. Krishnan taking over direction. Newsreel footage of

Indian Independence Day Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, which transf ...

celebrations was added to the beginning of the film.

was credited by his real name, rather than "Ramchandar" that was prevailing in many of his previous films in the late 1940s.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by

G. Govindarajulu Naidu G. Govindarajulu Naidu was an acclaimed music director in 1940s and 50s in the south Indian film industry. Hailing from Tiruchirappalli, he was one among the musicians who defined the way of music in South Indian film industry. He composed music ...

. All the lyrics were by Ku. Sa. Krishnamurthy except the song "Kaani Nilam Vendum Paraasakthi", based on a song written by poet Subramania Bharati. The song "Anju Rooba Nottai Konjam Munne Maatthi", sung by

T. V. Rathnam Tenkasi Vallinayagam Rathnam ( ta, தென்காசி வள்ளிநாயகம் (டி.வி.) ரத்தினம்) (1930 - 17 October 1984) hailed from Tenkasi, Madras Presidency, British India. She was a playback singe ...

, revolves around the poor masses who suffer from economic disparity.

Release

''Andhaman Kaidhi'' was released on 14 March 1952. According to historian Randor Guy, the film was not a major success but helped Ramachandran "move up the ladder of success".

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* *{{AllMovie title , 268039 , Andhaman Kaidhi 1950s Tamil-language films 1952 films Films set in the partition of India Indian crime drama films Indian films based on plays 1952 crime drama films