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''Oli Vilakku'' () is a 1968 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
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 life ...
, directed by
Tapi Chanakya Tapi Chanakya (1925–1973), professionally known as Chanakya, was an Indian film director and writer. He is son of the famous writer Tapi Dharma Rao Naidu. He has worked as Radio Telegraphist for the Indian Army. Filmography # Palletoori Pill ...
and produced by
S. S. Vasan Subramaniam Srinivasan (4 January 1904 – 26 August 1969), popularly known by his screen name S. S. Vasan, was an Indian journalist, writer, advertiser, film producer, director and business tycoon. He is the founder of the Tamil-language maga ...
. It is a remake of the
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 de ...
-language film ''
Phool Aur Patthar ''Phool Aur Patthar'' () is a 1966 Indian film, directed and produced by O. P. Ralhan and written by Ralhan with Akhtar ul Iman and Ahsan Rizvi. It starred Meena Kumari and Dharmendra as contrasting characters who come together; he played a t ...
'' (1966). 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 ...
(in his 100th film),
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 ...
and
Sowcar Janaki Sankaramanchi Janaki (born T. Janaki; 12 December 1931), popularly known as Sowcar Janaki (Tamil) or Shavukaru Janaki (Telugu) or Sahukar Janaki (Kannada), is an Indian actress who has appeared in over 300, films, predominantly in Tamil, Telug ...
, with S. A. Ashokan,
Manohar Manohar is a surname and given name. Notable people with the name include: ;given name * Manohar Ajgaonkar, Indian politician * Manohar Das, 17th century Indian Hindu painter * Manohar Joshi, politician * Manohar Lal Chibber, soldier * Manohar L ...
,
Cho Cho or CHO may refer to: People * Chief Happiness Officer Surnames * Cho (Korean surname), one romanization of the common Korean surname * Zhuo (), romanized Cho in Wade–Giles, Chinese surname * Cho, a Minnan romanization of the Chinese sur ...
and
V. S. Raghavan V S Raghavan (18 February 1925 – 24 January 2015) was an Indian actor, who has acted both in Tamil films as well as television. He started his career as a dramatist and stage actor and went on to act as a character actor in films, starting ...
in supporting roles. It was released on 20 September 1968, and was one of the most successful Tamil films of the year, and became a turning point in Ramachandran's career.


Plot

Muthu is a career criminal who works for Master Jambu along with his girlfriend Geetha. Who becomes friends with Kadri, another petty thief. Due to his repetitive crimes, the court orders him to stay in a small town for six months. But, two days before his release, he escapes. Master Jambu gives him another job to rob a safe full of gold from the rich. When a plague empties Maanggudi of its inhabitants; Muthu takes the opportunity to burgle a house. He finds nothing except Shanti. A widowed daughter-in-law which the cruel relatives left her to die. Pannaiyar Paramsivam, his wife, and their son, Somu. Shanti has married off when she was four years old to a boy of five years old. But the boy dies soon after. Muthu brings a local village doctor, Kannaiyah, and nurses her back to health. When her relatives return, they are not pleased to find her alive. And even less pleased to discover that someone has tried to rob them. Shanti gets the blame and a beating as they suspect her of having an affair with thief, Muthu. Somu, Pannaiyar Paramasivam's other son, tries to rape Shanti. Muthu saves her from this and the pair flee, with help of Kadri, who treats Shanti as her sister. They set up home in Muthu's house. Much to the displeasure of the respectable neighbours, who are all too ready to think the worst. Shanti's relatives feel dismayed when a lawyer arrives to announce that Shanti's uncle, has left a legacy for 500,000 rupees. They hatch a plot to get her back. By making false police report that Muthu kidnapped Shanti and stole their gold. This is overheard by the Kannaiyah who happens to pass by to visit Shanti and Muthu. Muthu approaches Master Jambu to borrow money. Yet, Jambu sedates him. Geetha assists with hesitation, Master Jambu. Fearing that they may lose Muthu. Then, Kannaiyah steals the gold from Pannaiyar Paramasivam, which Kadhri learns of. Meanwhile, Shanti appears as a local prostitute by the local neighbours. Which enrages Muthu, culminating in an assault by him on one of the neighbours. Shanti pacifies Muthu and Muthu reforms to be a good man. One day, Somu notices Muthu with Geetha. Somu, with the help of police, chase both of them but they escape. Somu meets the commissioner and both of them then go to see Muthu and Shanti. But, Kadri, disguised as Shanti, saves them. Shanti persuades both Kadri and Muthu to reform. Master Jambu learns that Muthu reforms through Shanti. He persuades Muthu to steal a diamond necklace worth 2 million. Muthu, with hesitation, agrees that the robbery will be his last in exchange for his freedom. Master Jambu reveals that about three years ago, while he was committing a bank robbery, Muthu tried to stop them and saw the robbery. Yet, he cannot prove this to the court due to his past criminal history. Muthu came out after one year from his jail sentence. He works with the commissioner to nab the real culprits, but is foolen by Master Jambu. Master Jambu then traps Muthu into his gang, by playing drama. Geetha, through accident, kills Master Jambu gang member Rathnam to save Muthu. Yet, Rathnam is still alive and both Muthu and Geetha believe that Rathnam is dead. The rest of the story follows how Muthu escapes from Master Jambu's gang, and Shanti and Geetha's fate.


Cast

* M. G. R as Muthu *
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 ...
as Geetha *
Sowcar Janaki Sankaramanchi Janaki (born T. Janaki; 12 December 1931), popularly known as Sowcar Janaki (Tamil) or Shavukaru Janaki (Telugu) or Sahukar Janaki (Kannada), is an Indian actress who has appeared in over 300, films, predominantly in Tamil, Telug ...
as Shanti * Ashokan as Master Jambu *
Cho Cho or CHO may refer to: People * Chief Happiness Officer Surnames * Cho (Korean surname), one romanization of the common Korean surname * Zhuo (), romanized Cho in Wade–Giles, Chinese surname * Cho, a Minnan romanization of the Chinese sur ...
as Kadhri *
Manohar Manohar is a surname and given name. Notable people with the name include: ;given name * Manohar Ajgaonkar, Indian politician * Manohar Das, 17th century Indian Hindu painter * Manohar Joshi, politician * Manohar Lal Chibber, soldier * Manohar L ...
as Maari * Rama Rao as Pannaiyar Paramasivan *
V. S. Raghavan V S Raghavan (18 February 1925 – 24 January 2015) was an Indian actor, who has acted both in Tamil films as well as television. He started his career as a dramatist and stage actor and went on to act as a character actor in films, starting ...
as the commissioner *
Kallapart Natarajan Kallapart Natarajan was an Indian actor who works in Tamil-language films. He received the moniker 'Kallapart' from his role as a thief (Kallapart) in stage dramas. Selected Filmography *'' Marumagal'' (1953) *'' Nalla Idathu Sammandham'' (1958) ...
as Somu *
Thengai Srinivasan Thengai Srinivasan (21 October 1937 – 9 November 1987) was an Indian actor who appeared in Tamil language, Tamil-language films and plays from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was given the prefix ''Thengai'' (coconut) after his role as a coco ...
as Kaveri's father *
Ganthimathi Ganthimathi (30 August 1940 – 9 September 2011) was a Tamil stage and film actress. She acted in over 500 films. Early life Kanthimathi was born in Manamadurai in the then Ramanathapuram district of India. She started acting in dramas and ...
as Kaveri Additionally,
A. Sakunthala Arunachalam. Sakunthala (C. I. D. Sakunthala) is an Indian actress. She has filled roles as a Heroine, Item number Dancer, and Villainess in over 600 Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films. The first movie in which she performed as an act ...
appears uncredited as a dancer in the song "Whistlings, Sips and Drunkenness".


Production

''Oli Vilakku'' was directed by
Tapi Chanakya Tapi Chanakya (1925–1973), professionally known as Chanakya, was an Indian film director and writer. He is son of the famous writer Tapi Dharma Rao Naidu. He has worked as Radio Telegraphist for the Indian Army. Filmography # Palletoori Pill ...
and produced by
S. S. Vasan Subramaniam Srinivasan (4 January 1904 – 26 August 1969), popularly known by his screen name S. S. Vasan, was an Indian journalist, writer, advertiser, film producer, director and business tycoon. He is the founder of the Tamil-language maga ...
under
Gemini Studios Gemini Studios was an Indian film studio based in Madras, Tamil Nadu. It was launched when S. S. Vasan, a businessman of many ventures (including the ownership of Ananda Vikatan) bought Motion Picture Producers' Combines from Krishnaswamy Subr ...
; Vasan was not credited onscreen as producer. The film was
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 ...
's 100th as an actor, and a remake of the
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 de ...
-language film ''
Phool Aur Patthar ''Phool Aur Patthar'' () is a 1966 Indian film, directed and produced by O. P. Ralhan and written by Ralhan with Akhtar ul Iman and Ahsan Rizvi. It starred Meena Kumari and Dharmendra as contrasting characters who come together; he played a t ...
'' (1966). Ramachandran agreed to act in the film only after long sessions of negotiations with Vasan, who assented to the conditions laid down by Ramachandran regarding to the choice of costume and the characterisation of the male lead. It was Gemini' first colour film, being colourised through
Eastmancolor Eastmancolor is a trade name used by Eastman Kodak for a number of related film and processing technologies associated with color motion picture production and referring to George Eastman, founder of Kodak. Eastmancolor, introduced in 1950, was on ...
, and was
V. S. Raghavan V S Raghavan (18 February 1925 – 24 January 2015) was an Indian actor, who has acted both in Tamil films as well as television. He started his career as a dramatist and stage actor and went on to act as a character actor in films, starting ...
's first collaboration with Ramachandran. While
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 ...
was chosen to reprise the role originally played by
Shashikala Shashikala Saigal (née Jawalkar; 4 August 1932 – 4 April 2021), better known by her first name, was an Indian film and television actress, who played supporting roles in hundreds of Bollywood films beginning in the 1940s. Early years Shash ...
,
Sowcar Janaki Sankaramanchi Janaki (born T. Janaki; 12 December 1931), popularly known as Sowcar Janaki (Tamil) or Shavukaru Janaki (Telugu) or Sahukar Janaki (Kannada), is an Indian actress who has appeared in over 300, films, predominantly in Tamil, Telug ...
asked Ramachandran if she could reprise
Meena Kumari Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as ''The Tragedy Queen'', she was active between 1939 and 1972. Kumari is widely considered one of ...
's role; he accepted. This was the second time after ''
Shavukaru ''Shavukaru'' () is a 1950 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by L. V. Prasad. The film was produced by Nagireddy and Chakrapani under the Vijaya Productions banner as their maiden production. It stars N. T. Rama Rao in his first leadin ...
'' (1950) that Janaki asked for a role. The dialogues were written by Sornam, art direction was handled by A. K. Sekhar, cinematography was handled by U. Rajagopal and the editing by M. Umanath. While Janaki was initially billed as the first female actress in the opening credits, Jayalalithaa demanded she be billed first as she considered herself more popular; her request was granted. During the film's
Kodaikanal Kodaikanal () is a hill station which is located in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Its name in the Tamil language means "The Gift of the Forest". Kodaikanal is referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" and has a long ...
shooting schedule, Ramachandran cancelled a day's shoot because of the cold weather and ensured that all the crew members received a blanket. Unlike the original, where the male lead (
Dharmendra Dharam Singh Deol (born 8 December 1935), also known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer and politician who is known for his work in Hindi films. Known as the first " He-Man" of Bollywood, Dharmendra has worked in over 301 ...
) marries the widow (Kumari), the climax was changed for ''Oli Vilakku'' at Ramachandran's suggestion; it ends with the male lead (Ramachandran) marrying the unmarried woman (Jayalalithaa) while the widow (Janaki) dies.


Soundtrack

The music was composed by
M. S. Viswanathan Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan (24 June 1928 – 14 July 2015), also known as M.S.V., was an Indian music director, singer and actor who predominantly worked in Tamil film industry. He was popularly known as ''Mellisai Mannar''. He compose ...
and lyrics were written by Vaali. One sequence required Ramachandran to act drunk and mouth a song. Ramachandran, who generally avoided smoking or drinking in films, was stuck in a dilemma, and approached Vaali who presented a solution: Ramachandran's character would be drunk, but his conscience would emerge as four different beings to criticise his acting in the song. Ramachandran then asked Vaali for the ''
pallavi A pallavi has multiple connotations in carnatic music. It is the first part of any formal composition (Krithi) which has three segments - Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam (which can be one or more). Pallavi is usually also an abbreviation of R ...
'', and Vaali wrote the lines "Dhayiriamaaga sol nee manidhan thaanaa, Nee thaan oru mirugam, Indha madhuvil vizhum neram" (Tell me bravely, are you a human? You are a beast when you fall into this alcohol), which impressed Ramachandran. The song "Aandavane Un" is set in
Shivaranjani Shivaranjani or Sivaranjani is a musical scale used in Indian classical music. There are two scales, one in Hindustani music and one in Carnatic music. The Hindustani rāga is a pentatonic scale, as is the Carnatic scale categorized as Audava ...
raga. "Naan Kanda Kanavil" is based on "Zindagi Mein Pyar Karna" from the Hindi original, and the
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
song "Andorinha Preta". The instrumental piece "Whistlings, Sips and Drunkenness" is not included in the soundtrack.


Release and reception

''Oli Vilakku'' was released on 20 September 1968, and distributed by Jothi Pictures. Two days later, the reviewer from ''
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 betw ...
'' derided the film, saying it "lapses into mediocrity thanks to inept handling of the theme and unconvincing performances." The reviewer criticised the performances of Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, but praised that of Janaki. On 6 October 1968, the magazine ''
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 ...
'' published a review jointly conducted by many people, most of whom positively commented on the film. ''Oli Vilakku'' was Ramachandran's eleventh turning point in his career. According to historian Randor Guy, the film was "one of the biggest hits of 1968", and performed well even in Sri Lanka. At Zainstan Cinema Hall at Colombo, it ran for over 150 days.


Legacy

When Ramachandran was hospitalised in 1984 at Brooklyn Hospital, New York, footage showing a tearful Janaki lip syncing to "Aandavane Un" prefaced film screenings across cinema halls in Tamil Nadu.


References


Bibliography

* *


External links

* {{Gemini Studios 1960s action films 1960s Tamil-language films 1968 films Films directed by Tapi Chanakya Films scored by M. S. Viswanathan Gemini Studios films Indian action films Tamil remakes of Hindi films