Michael Madhana Kamarajan
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''Michael Madana Kama Rajan'' is a 1990 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, na ...
-language
comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (born 21 September 1931), commonly known as Singeetam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, composer, and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile directors of India. He is credited with hav ...
and written by
Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...
, with
Crazy Mohan Mohan Rangachari (16 October 1952 – 10 June 2019) known professionally as Crazy Mohan, was an Indian actor, comedian, screenwriter and playwright. An engineer by profession, Mohan started writing plays and established his own drama troupe calle ...
penning the dialogues. The film stars Haasan in four roles alongside Urvasi,
Rupini Komal Mahuvakar, better known by her stage name Rupini, is an Indian actress who has appeared in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu language films during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She started as a child artist in the Hindi fil ...
and
Khushbu Khushbu Sundar (born Nakhat Khan; 29 September 1970) is an Indian actress, politician, film producer and television presenter. She is known for her works predominantly in Tamil, besides Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is a rec ...
, while Manorama,
Delhi Ganesh Delhi Ganesh is an Indian actor who mostly acts in supporting roles in Tamil cinema and serials. He has acted in more than 400 films from 1976 to present. Before films, he was a member of the Delhi-based theatre troupe, ''Dakshina Bharata Nata ...
, Nassar,
Vennira Aadai Moorthy Vennira Aadai Moorthy (born 25 July 1936) is an Indian actor and comedian in Tamil cinema. He has starred in many Tamil films and television serials as a comedian and also played supporting roles. He is a lawyer by education, and holds a B.L. ...
,
S. N. Lakshmi Sennalkudi Narayana Lakshmi (1927 – 20 February 2012) was an Indian actress, who appeared in supporting roles, often playing roles of a mother or grandmother in films. A recipient of the state government's Kalaimamani and Kalaiselvam awards, ...
,
Jayabharathi Jayabharathi is an Indian actress. She is a two-time recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for best actress. Jayabharathi's first leading role was given by director P. Bhaskaran for his movie Kattukurangu in 1969. Later she became one of ...
, R. N. Jayagopal,
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 fi ...
,
Praveen Kumar Praveen Kumar (, born 2 October 1986) is a former Indian cricketer who bowled right-hand medium-pace. In first-class cricket, he played for Uttar Pradesh cricket team. He relied on his ability to swing the ball both ways along with line and le ...
and
Santhana Bharathi Santhana Bharathi is an Indian film director and actor who has primarily worked in Tamil cinema. Career Santhana Bharathi originally wanted to be a director but didn't get the right opportunity, even after working for a well known director ...
,
R. S. Shivaji R. S. Shivaji (born 26 October 1956) is an Indian actor, who is known for his work in Tamil films. He has often collaborated in films involving Kamal Haasan and Raaj Kamal Films International, working as an assistant director, sound designer an ...
play supporting roles. It revolves around quadruplets who get separated at birth and cross paths as adults.
Panchu Arunachalam Panchanathan Arunachalam (22 March 1941 – 9 August 2016) was an Indian writer, director, producer and lyricist who worked in Tamil cinema. He was mentored by poet Kannadasan who was his uncle. He also worked as a lyricist in the Tamil ci ...
obtained the rights to adapt a
Pakistani film Cinema of Pakistan, popularly known as Lollywood ( ur, ), refers to the filmmaking industry in Pakistan. Pakistan is home to several film studios centres, primarily located in its three largest cities – Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad. ...
written by Kader Kashmiri. Despite retaining that film's core premise of quadruplets, Rao, Haasan and Mohan created an otherwise entirely new story. The film was produced by Arunachalam's wife Meena, photographed primarily by
B. C. Gowrishankar B. C. Gowrishankar (25 February 1950 – 16 November 2004) was an Indian cinematographer and an occasional film director and screenwriter who worked primarily in Kannada cinema. He was known for his unorthodox style as a cinematographer and was ...
and edited by D. Vasu. ''Michael Madana Kama Rajan'' was released on 17 October 1990,
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 ...
day, and was commercially successful, running for 175 days, thereby becoming a silver jubilee film.


Plot

Venugopal, a wealthy industrialist, marries a woman and they have quadruplets. His brother Nandagopal tries to have her and the babies killed by hired goons. Alex, the leader of the goons, refuses to kill the babies, so he adopts one (Michael), leaves one in an orphanage (Subramaniam Raju), one in a temple (Kameshwaran) who is adopted by a cook Palakkad Mani
Iyer Iyers (also spelt as Ayyar, Aiyar, Ayer, or Aiyer) are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins. Most Iyers are followers of the ''Advaita'' philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara and adhere to the Smarta tradition. This is ...
, and one (Madanagopal) in a car that belongs to Venugopal. 30 years later, Madan is a London-educated businessman. Venugopal has raised Madan as his adopted son, unaware that he is his biological son. Venugopal is seemingly killed by Nandagopal and his nephew, Ramu for his inheritance; unknown to them, the will has already named Madan as the beneficiary. Madan returns to
Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
from London to take over his father's company. He confronts Avinashi, his father's PA, over his embezzlement, while reluctantly promising to forgive him if Avinashi accepted his culpability. In
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, Michael and Alex run a
counterfeit money Counterfeit money is currency produced without the legal sanction of a state or government, usually in a deliberate attempt to imitate that currency and so as to deceive its recipient. Producing or using counterfeit money is a form of fraud or fo ...
racket. While they escape from the police, Michael accidentally causes a fire in an art gallery. Raju, a firefighter, saves the artist Shalini and her paintings, leading to romance. Kameshwaran, a vegetarian cook for weddings, meets Thirupurasundari alias "Thirupu" and her grandmother in a wedding. Eventually, Kameshwaran marries Thirupu. Someone contacts Madan over phone and tells him that his father's death was no accident, but planned, and asks him to meet her in Madras. After some distractions involving a theatre artist Chakkubai and her mother Gangabai, Madan meets the caller, Sushila, unaware she is his biological mother. While escaping from goons sent by Ramu, Madan meets Raju and hires him to take leave from firefighting and to impersonate him in Bangalore while Madan investigates in Madras. In exchange, Madan pays off Raju's loans. Meanwhile, Ramu and Nandagopal have hired Michael to kill Madan. Michael sabotages Madan's car, not realising it is Raju. The brakes fail on the highway, but Raju brings the car to a safe stop. Sushila meets with him thinking he is Madan, but he redirects her to the real Madan in Madras. Raju, Shalini, and her father arrive at Madan's house in Bangalore. Raju confiscates back Avinashi's money, unaware of Madan's deal with Avinashi. Meanwhile, Michael finds the real Madan in Madras. Madan and Chakkubai have fallen in love. Michael and Alex spy on them. Michael follows Madan, Chakkubai, Gangubai, and Sushila to Sushila's house where it is revealed that Madan's father is alive but dazed from the assassination attempt. Michael and Alex arrive at the scene. Sushila recognises Alex as the man who had taken her quadruplets and realises that Michael and Madan are her sons. Michael and Alex knock them out and kidnap Madan and the others to a mountain cabin near Bangalore. Avinashi chances upon Kameshwaran on his wedding day, and hires him to impersonate Madan to retrieve the confiscated money. Back in Madan's house in Bangalore, Raju and Shalini plan to meet without her father knowing. Avinashi drugs Raju's soup, thinking Raju is Madan, but Madan's bodyguard Bheem drinks it. Raju and Shalini meet and profess their love for one another. Michael and Alex arrive at Madan's house to loot it. Michael sees Raju, mistakes him for Madan, and thinks that Madan has escaped from the cabin. He knocks Raju unconscious. Avinashi sees the unconscious Raju, assumes it was the effect of his drugged soup, and brings Kameshwaran in. Kameshwaran is mistaken for Raju by Shalini who then tries to get intimate with him. Thirupu and her grandmother drag Kameshwaran away from her. Shalini then witnesses Kameshwaran hugging Thirupu. This angers her as she thinks it is Raju. Chakkubai and Gangubai also arrive at the house in search of Madan. Chakkubai mistakes Kameshwaran for Madan and introduces herself to everyone as Madan's lover. Shalini takes a rifle and holds everyone at gunpoint. Avinashi and the rest try to tell her that Kameshwaran is not Madan or Raju but she does not believe them. Meanwhile, the real Madan has escaped the cabin with his parents and comes to the house. Amidst all this confusion, Michael steals Madan's wealth and escapes to the cabin. Everyone else follows them back to the cabin in multiple cars. Ramu and Nandagopal are already present in the cabin and hold everyone at gunpoint as they arrive . All four brothers are finally in the same room at the same time and Sushila tells them that they are her sons. The presence of all the people in the small cabin causes it to tilt over the cliff edge. The goons are knocked out and the four brothers work together to safely get everyone out of the cabin.


Cast

*
Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...
as Michael, Madanagopal, Kameshwaran and Subramaniam Raju *
Urvashi Urvashi ( sa, उर्वशी, Urvaśī}) is the most prominent apsara (celestial nymph) in Hindu mythology, considered to be the most beautiful of all the apsaras, and an expert dancer. She is mentioned in both ''Vedic'' and ''Puranic'' scr ...
as Thiripurasundari *
Rupini Komal Mahuvakar, better known by her stage name Rupini, is an Indian actress who has appeared in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu language films during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She started as a child artist in the Hindi fil ...
as Chakku Bai *
Khushbu Khushbu Sundar (born Nakhat Khan; 29 September 1970) is an Indian actress, politician, film producer and television presenter. She is known for her works predominantly in Tamil, besides Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is a rec ...
as Shalini Sivaraman *
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 fi ...
as Avinasi *
Vennira Aadai Moorthy Vennira Aadai Moorthy (born 25 July 1936) is an Indian actor and comedian in Tamil cinema. He has starred in many Tamil films and television serials as a comedian and also played supporting roles. He is a lawyer by education, and holds a B.L. ...
as Sivaraman * Nassar as Ramu * Manorama as Gangabai *
Jayabharathi Jayabharathi is an Indian actress. She is a two-time recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for best actress. Jayabharathi's first leading role was given by director P. Bhaskaran for his movie Kattukurangu in 1969. Later she became one of ...
as Sushila *
S. N. Lakshmi Sennalkudi Narayana Lakshmi (1927 – 20 February 2012) was an Indian actress, who appeared in supporting roles, often playing roles of a mother or grandmother in films. A recipient of the state government's Kalaimamani and Kalaiselvam awards, ...
as Thiripurasundari's grandmother *
Delhi Ganesh Delhi Ganesh is an Indian actor who mostly acts in supporting roles in Tamil cinema and serials. He has acted in more than 400 films from 1976 to present. Before films, he was a member of the Delhi-based theatre troupe, ''Dakshina Bharata Nata ...
as Palakkad Mani Iyer *
Santhana Bharathi Santhana Bharathi is an Indian film director and actor who has primarily worked in Tamil cinema. Career Santhana Bharathi originally wanted to be a director but didn't get the right opportunity, even after working for a well known director ...
as Alex *
R. S. Shivaji R. S. Shivaji (born 26 October 1956) is an Indian actor, who is known for his work in Tamil films. He has often collaborated in films involving Kamal Haasan and Raaj Kamal Films International, working as an assistant director, sound designer an ...
as David * R. N. K. Prasad as Venugopal * R. N. Jayagopal as Nandagopal *
Crazy Mohan Mohan Rangachari (16 October 1952 – 10 June 2019) known professionally as Crazy Mohan, was an Indian actor, comedian, screenwriter and playwright. An engineer by profession, Mohan started writing plays and established his own drama troupe calle ...
as the provisions store owner * Ananthu as a car driver * Ponnambalam as an assassin * Venkatesh as an assassin * Gopinath Rao as Varadhu Kutty *
Praveen Kumar Praveen Kumar (, born 2 October 1986) is a former Indian cricketer who bowled right-hand medium-pace. In first-class cricket, he played for Uttar Pradesh cricket team. He relied on his ability to swing the ball both ways along with line and le ...
as Bheem *
Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (born 21 September 1931), commonly known as Singeetam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, composer, and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile directors of India. He is credited with hav ...
as the travelling singer (uncredited)


Production


Development

The producer/writer
Panchu Arunachalam Panchanathan Arunachalam (22 March 1941 – 9 August 2016) was an Indian writer, director, producer and lyricist who worked in Tamil cinema. He was mentored by poet Kannadasan who was his uncle. He also worked as a lyricist in the Tamil ci ...
saw a
Pakistani film Cinema of Pakistan, popularly known as Lollywood ( ur, ), refers to the filmmaking industry in Pakistan. Pakistan is home to several film studios centres, primarily located in its three largest cities – Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad. ...
written by Kader Kashmiri featuring quadruplets being separated at birth and reuniting in the climax. He obtained the rights to adapt that film in Tamil, with
Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (born 21 September 1931), commonly known as Singeetam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, composer, and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile directors of India. He is credited with hav ...
hired to direct, the screenplay written by
Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...
and the dialogues by
Crazy Mohan Mohan Rangachari (16 October 1952 – 10 June 2019) known professionally as Crazy Mohan, was an Indian actor, comedian, screenwriter and playwright. An engineer by profession, Mohan started writing plays and established his own drama troupe calle ...
. While the film retained the original's core premise and Kashmiri received credit for the story, the team of Rao, Haasan and Mohan created an otherwise entirely new story. The film was initially titled ''Jolly Jag Jeevan Ram'', but no one liked it. Mohan suggested ''Madana Kama Rajan'', inspired by the 1941 film of the same name, which Haasan agreed to but felt it was not inclusive; at his suggestion, Mohan added "Michael". As Haasan did not like spending time to establish the premise, the opening montage song "Kadha Kelu Kadha Kelu" was conceived to do the same. Haasan said he wrote the script of ''Michael Madana Kama Rajan'' "like a
kolam Kolam (,, ), also known as Muggu () or Tharai Aalangaram () Rangoli () is a form of traditional decorative art that is drawn by using rice flour as per age-old conventions. It is also drawn using white stone powder, chalk or chalk powder, often ...
that you teach a child. There were just a few dots and crosses. Mohan was the only one who truly got it." He said the story has its origin in
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
's play ''
The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...
''. Despite being credited for the story, Kashmiri had not received his due of as of 2013. The film was produced by Arunachalam's wife Meena under P. A. Art Productions, cinematography was handled primarily by
B. C. Gowrishankar B. C. Gowrishankar (25 February 1950 – 16 November 2004) was an Indian cinematographer and an occasional film director and screenwriter who worked primarily in Kannada cinema. He was known for his unorthodox style as a cinematographer and was ...
, and editing by D. Vasu.


Casting

Haasan played four distinct characters who are quadruplets: the criminal Michael, the businessman Madanagopal, the cook Kameshwaran and the firefighter Subramaniam Raju. To portray each quadruplet, Haasan sported different looks; for Michael, he grew his hair long and had a French beard; for Madan, he wore glasses and was clean-shaven; for Kameshwaran (also clean-shaven), he brushed his hair back and applied a ''
vibhuti In Hinduism, ''vibhuti'' ( sa, विभूति, vibhūti), also called ''bhasma'' or ''thiruneeru'', is sacred ash made of burnt dried wood, burnt cow dung and/or cremated bodies used in Agamic rituals. Hindu devotees apply ''vibhuti'' tradi ...
tilaka In Dharmic culture, the ''tilaka'' ( sa, तिलक) () is a mark worn usually on the forehead, at the point of the Ajna chakra, or sometimes another part of the body such as the neck, hand, chest or arm. ''Tilaka'' may be worn daily or for ...
'' on his forehead; for Raju, he kept his moustache thick and hair short. In keeping with the quadruplets' diverse upbringings, he even had different speaking styles for each quadruplet: a "gruff" accent for Michael, an English one for Madan, a
Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated munici ...
one for Kameshwaran, and
Madras Bashai Madras Bashai (Tamil: , ) is the variety of the Tamil language spoken by native people in the city of Madras (currently known as Chennai) in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is sometimes considered a pidgin, as its vocabulary is heavily in ...
for Raju. As
Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbat ...
was then a hub for numerous
counterfeit money Counterfeit money is currency produced without the legal sanction of a state or government, usually in a deliberate attempt to imitate that currency and so as to deceive its recipient. Producing or using counterfeit money is a form of fraud or fo ...
scams, Haasan added this to Michael's characterisation.
Urvashi Urvashi ( sa, उर्वशी, Urvaśī}) is the most prominent apsara (celestial nymph) in Hindu mythology, considered to be the most beautiful of all the apsaras, and an expert dancer. She is mentioned in both ''Vedic'' and ''Puranic'' scr ...
played Kameshwaran's love interest Thirupurasundari, this being her second Tamil film after ''
Mundhanai Mudichu ''Mundhanai Mudichu'' () is a 1983 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed and written by K. Bhagyaraj and also stars alongside Urvashi (actress), Urvashi (in her major Tamil debut). The film focuses on Parimala, a ...
'' (1983). She dubbed in her own voice at Haasan's insistence.
Khushbu Khushbu Sundar (born Nakhat Khan; 29 September 1970) is an Indian actress, politician, film producer and television presenter. She is known for her works predominantly in Tamil, besides Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is a rec ...
was cast as Raju's love interest Shalini after a meeting with Arunachalam's son
Subbu ''Subbu'' is a 2001 Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Rudraraju Suresh Varma and produced by Kanakapura Srinivas and P.M. Hari Kumar. It stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr., succeeding his role in the hit '' Student No.1'', and Sonali Joshi. ...
.
Rupini Komal Mahuvakar, better known by her stage name Rupini, is an Indian actress who has appeared in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu language films during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She started as a child artist in the Hindi fil ...
played Madan's love interest Chakku Bai. According to Haasan, all three actresses would be "squeamish about what would be their part and we couldn't take any more of it", hence a love interest for Michael was not created.
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 fi ...
initially wanted to play a different role from Madan's PA Avinashi, but when Haasan asked him if he would play his role, Nagesh retorted, "As if you'd give me that if I asked you for it!" He was interested in playing Thirupurasundari's kleptomaniac grandmother before
S. N. Lakshmi Sennalkudi Narayana Lakshmi (1927 – 20 February 2012) was an Indian actress, who appeared in supporting roles, often playing roles of a mother or grandmother in films. A recipient of the state government's Kalaimamani and Kalaiselvam awards, ...
was cast.
Vennira Aadai Moorthy Vennira Aadai Moorthy (born 25 July 1936) is an Indian actor and comedian in Tamil cinema. He has starred in many Tamil films and television serials as a comedian and also played supporting roles. He is a lawyer by education, and holds a B.L. ...
, who played Shalini's father Shivaraman, added "his own quirks" to the role. Haasan cast
Praveen Kumar Praveen Kumar (, born 2 October 1986) is a former Indian cricketer who bowled right-hand medium-pace. In first-class cricket, he played for Uttar Pradesh cricket team. He relied on his ability to swing the ball both ways along with line and le ...
as Madan's bodyguard after being impressed with his performance as
Bhima In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The '' Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. ...
in the TV series ''
Mahabharat The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuru ...
''; the bodyguard was named Bheem as a reference to the earlier role.
Delhi Ganesh Delhi Ganesh is an Indian actor who mostly acts in supporting roles in Tamil cinema and serials. He has acted in more than 400 films from 1976 to present. Before films, he was a member of the Delhi-based theatre troupe, ''Dakshina Bharata Nata ...
, who played Kameshwaran's foster father Mani Iyer, also used a Palakkad accent for his character.
Santhana Bharathi Santhana Bharathi is an Indian film director and actor who has primarily worked in Tamil cinema. Career Santhana Bharathi originally wanted to be a director but didn't get the right opportunity, even after working for a well known director ...
was cast as Michael's foster father Alex after Haasan recommended him to Rao.


Filming

The song "Sundhari Neeyum Sundharan Njanum" was filmed entirely in slow-motion at 48 frames per second. Rao initially wanted the picturisation with 20 widows in background, but changed the idea after hearing the tune of the song. The song "Rum Bum Bum Arambum" was choreographed by
Prabhu Deva Prabhu Deva (born 3 April 1973) is an Indian dance choreographer, film director, producer and actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada language films. In a career spanning 32 years, he has performed and designed a ...
. In a scene set in Madan's house where many characters confront each other, they cunningly try to evade Michael when held by him at gunpoint; it was not written in the script that they should do so, but improvised during filming at Haasan's suggestion. The climax sequence, featuring a "cliff-hanging-house", was based on a similar scene from the American film ''
The Gold Rush ''The Gold Rush'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film written, produced, and directed by Charlie Chaplin. The film also stars Chaplin in his Little Tramp persona, Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman, and Malcolm Waite. Chapl ...
'' (1925). The exterior portion was shot in
Coonoor Coonoor, natively spelt as Kunnur (), is a Taluk and a municipality of the Nilgiris district in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494. Demographics According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a populatio ...
and the interior of the house was shot in studio, in a hydraulic set. Kabir Lal was selected as cinematographer for the climax sequence due to the complexities involved with shooting multiple lookalikes. Due to his rapport with Panchu Arunachalam, Santhana Bharathi was allowed to aid post-production works such as dubbing and re-recording.


Themes and influences

Haasan has acknowledged various films as influences on ''Michael Madana Kama Rajan'', namely '' Nadodi Mannan'', ''
Deiva Magan ''Deiva Magan'' (; ) is a 1969 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by A. C. Tirulokchander. An adaptation of the Bengali novel '' Ulka'' by Nihar Ranjan Gupta, it stars Sivaji Ganesan in three roles and Jayalalithaa, with ...
'' and ''
Yaadon Ki Baaraat ''Yaadon Ki Baaraat'' () is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language masala film, directed by Nasir Hussain and written by Salim–Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar). It featured an ensemble cast, starring Dharmendra, Vijay Arora, Tariq, Zeenat Aman, Ne ...
''. Rao described it as a "modern version of the old folk tale of a king, queen and their quadruplets who grow up in different households".


Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by
Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one o ...
. Vaali wrote the lyrics for all songs except "Kadha Kelu Kadha Kelu" and "Sundhari Neeyum Sundharan Njanum", which Panchu Arunachalam wrote. "Sundhari Neeyum Sundharan Njanum" was conceived out of Haasan's desire for a song like "Margazhi Thingal" (a verse from the devotional poem ''
Thiruppavai The Thiruppavai ( Tamil: திருப்பாவை) is a set of Tamil devotional religious hymns attributed to the female poet-saint Andal (also known as Nachiyar, Kodhai or Goda Devi). She is considered the manifestation of Bhudevi, who ha ...
'') to feature in the film. K. J. Yesudas was supposed to sing the song, but due to his busy schedule Ilaiyaraaja insisted on Haasan singing it. The
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...
lyrics in the song were written by
Poovachal Khader Poovachal Khader (25 December 1948 – 22 June 2021) was a Malayalam lyricist from Kerala who worked mainly in Malayalam film industry. His first movie as a lyricist was ''Kaattuvithachavan'' (1973) but his first released movie was ''Chuzhi'' ( ...
. The song is set in the
Carnatic raga Carnatic raga refers to '' ragas'' used in Carnatic music. A Carnatic raga has several components - primordial sound (''nāda''), tonal system ('' swara''), pitch ('' śruti''), scale, ornaments ('' gamaka'') and important tones. Origins and hi ...
known as
Kedaram Kedaram (pronounced kēdāram) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a derived scale (''janya'' rāgam) from '' Shankarabharanam'', the 29th ''Melakarta'' rāgam.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. ...
. "Vechalum Vekkama Ponnalum" was inspired by the ''
Thirukkural The ''Tirukkuṟaḷ'' ( ta, திருக்குறள், lit=sacred verses), or shortly the ''Kural'' ( ta, குறள்), is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 short couplets, or kurals, of seven words each. The tex ...
''. While writing the lyrics, Vaali made every syllable have a
stress Stress may refer to: Science and medicine * Stress (biology), an organism's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition * Stress (linguistics), relative emphasis or prominence given to a syllable in a word, or to a word in a phrase ...
as instructed by Ilaiyaraaja. "Siva Rathiri" is set in
Natabhairavi Naṭabhairavi is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 20th ''melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system. It corresponds to the Natural minor scale of western music system. Natabhair ...
, and "Mathapoovu Oru Penna" is set in Malgunji, a
Hindustani raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradition, and as a ...
. The songs "Mathapoovu Oru Penna" and "Aadi Pattam Thedi" were not picturised. For the
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...
-dubbed version ''Michael Madana Kamaraju'',
Rajasri Rajasree (Rajasree Thota Panchajanyam, Kusuma Kumari, born 31 August 1945), also known as Rajasri or Rajashri, is an Indian actress active from 1956 to 1979. She is particularly famous for her portrayal as a princess in several folklore Telug ...
wrote all the lyrics. "Vechalum Vekkama Ponnalum" was later recreated by Ilaiyaraaja's son
Yuvan Shankar Raja Yuvan Shankar Raja or Abdul Haliq (born 31 August 1979) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer-songwriter. He mainly scores music for Tamil films. Considered a versatile composer, he is particularly known for his use of Wes ...
for ''
Dikkiloona ''Dikkiloona'' is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language science fiction comedy film written and directed by Karthik Yogi. The film stars Santhanam, Anagha and Shirin Kanchwala, while Yogi Babu, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendran and Anandaraj play supporting ...
'' (2021). "Rum Bum Bum Arambum" was recreated by Yuvan for ''
Coffee with Kadhal ''Coffee with Kadhal'' () is an 2022 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy family drama film written and directed by Sundar C. and produced by Khushbu, A. C. S. Arun Kumar and A. C. Shanmugam under the banner of Avni Cinemax and Benzz Media ...
'' (2022).


Release and reception

''Michael Madana Kama Rajan'' was released on 17 October 1990,
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 ...
day. Julie 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 ...
'' liked Haasan's performance as Kameshwaran the most among the quadruplets, but criticised the climax for its length. The film was commercially successful and ran for 175 days, thereby becoming a silver jubilee film.


References


Bibliography

* *


External links

* {{Kamal Haasan 1990 comedy films 1990 films 1990s Tamil-language films Counterfeit money in film Films directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja Films shot in Bangalore Films with screenplays by Crazy Mohan Films with screenplays by Kamal Haasan Indian comedy films Indian remakes of Pakistani films