''Kaavalkaaran'' () is a 1967 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

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...

, directed by

P. Neelakantan Palaniyaandi Neelakantan (2 October 1916 – 3 September 1992) was a Tamil film director, who was active for nearly four decades. Life He was born at Villupuram, Tamil Nadu. He graduated to movies from stage play. His play '' Naam Iruvar'' ...

and produced and co-written by R. M. Veerappan. 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

Jayalalithaa Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...

, with M. N. Nambiar, S. A. Ashokan, Sivakumar 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 released on 7 September 1967 and became a major success. The film was remade in

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

as '' Rakhwala'' (1971).

Plot

Mani, stemming from a modest background, enters in the service of the billionaire Maruthachalam, as the driver. The charming daughter of this fantastically wealthy notable, Susila desperately falls in love with Mani and it is mutual. However, Mani seems to be very worried. He does not confine himself only to his driver's job. Indeed, upset by the terrible secret (that her mother reveals him at the bedside of her agony) on his young brother Chandra and intrigued by the strange behaviour and the actions of his boss, Maruthachalam, Manikkam looks actively for the answers! In spite of the categorical opposition of his father and contrary to all expectations, Susheela marries the man of her life, Manikkam. But does she believe and do they think all to know or to seize Manikkam, really? But who is thus, in reality, this Mani? What does he plot?

Cast

as Mani alias Manickam *

as Susila * Sivakumar as Chandra (alias Chandran) *

as Gobi (alias Gobinath), the doctor * V. K. Ramasamy as Vaithilingham *

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 Karpagam * M. N. Nambiar as Maruthachalam * S. A. Ashokan as Nagu *

Usilai Mani Usilai Mani (உசிலை மணி) was an Indian film actor. He worked predominantly in Tamil movie industry. He has acted over 1000 films and stage plays. His popular movies include ''Enga ooru Kavalkaran'' and '' Ayul Kaithi''. His dial ...

as Patient *

Karikol Raju Karikol Raju was a Tamil film veteran actor who appeared in Tamil-language films. He acted in more than 500 films in a career spanning over five decades. He had started his career as a dramatist and stage actor and went on to act as a charac ...

as Patient * Kallapetti Singaram as Patient *

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 Doctor * Vijayarani as Gobi's lover * Pusphamala as Pushpa

Production

Before ''Kaavalkaaran'' began production, Ramachandran's voice had been damaged due to a gunshot to his throat caused by M. R. Radha. Despite this, Ramachandran refused others' suggestion to use a dubbing artiste, and dubbed in his own voice. The song "Ninaithen Vanthai" has him and Jayalalithaa dressed as

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

and Cleopatra respectively, re-enacting the

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

play '' Antony and Cleopatra,'' and later ''

Layla and Majnun ''Layla & Majnun'' ( ar, مجنون ليلى ; Layla's Mad Lover) is an old story of Arab origin, about the 7th-century Bedouin poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah and his ladylove Layla bint Mahdi (later known as Layla al-Aamiriya). "The Layla ...

''.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by M. S. Viswanathan.

Release and reception

''Kaavalkaran'' was released on 7 September 1967. ''

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 that Veerappan and Neelakantan "made the story gripping with well-punctuated romantic, dramatic and fighting scenes." ''

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 ...

'' called the film a flawless, entertaining film. The film became a major success, and Ramachandran considered it his ninth turning point.

References

External links

* {{TamilNaduStateFilmAwardBestFilm 1960s Tamil-language films 1967 films Films directed by P. Neelakantan Films scored by M. S. Viswanathan Indian spy action films Intelligence Bureau (India) in fiction Tamil films remade in other languages