''Darling, Darling, Darling'' is a 1982 Indian
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
-language
romantic drama
Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...
film, written and directed by
K. Bhagyaraj. The film stars him,
Poornima Jayaram
Poornima Bhagyaraj (née Jayaram) is an Indian actress in Malayalam and Tamil films. She has also done a few Hindi and Telugu films. She is best known for her leading roles from 1980 to 1985. She married actor and director K. Bhagyaraj, who ...
and
Suman. It was released on 14 November 1982. The film was remade in
Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
as ''Premi No. 1''.
Plot
In
Ooty
Ooty (; officially Udagamandalam (), Anglicisation, anglicized: Ootacamund , abbreviated as Udagai, ) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north ...
, Raja, the son of a watchman, Singaram who works in the household of a wealthy businessman Selvam. As children, Raja and Selvam's daughter Radha are inseparable friends at school. Before Radha leaves for the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, Raja makes a promise to visit her pet dog's grave daily until her return. Ten years pass, and Raja, now unemployed, is still nostalgic about Radha, constantly reminiscing about their childhood memories. His sister, Lakshmi, works at a horse ranch. When Radha returns from the US with four friends, Raja eagerly awaits her arrival at the train station, introducing himself as Singaram's son. However, Radha, having forgotten their childhood bond, treats him as a mere porter, asking him to carry their luggage. Later, Radha and her friends request a tour guide from Singaram, who assigns Raja to accompany them during their stay in Ooty.
Raja takes Radha and her friends to the dog cemetery, where he gives her flowers to pay her respects. Radha's friends find Raja's behavior peculiar, and Radha, having no memory of the dog, tells him to stop such stupid acts. Later, Lakshmi asks Raja about his love, and he falsely claims that Radha has accepted him. Singaram overhears this and is delighted. The next day, Raja visits Radha and shows her their childhood photos, hoping to jog her memory. However, Radha appears interested only in her own photos and cuts Raja out of them, leaving him disheartened. Upon returning home, Raja finds new furniture, courtesy of a loan his father took in anticipation of his marriage to Radha. Raja then drives the girls to a park, where they disrupt a karate training session. To protect Radha's friends, Raja challenges the trainees to a fight and emerges victorious, impressing the trainer and the girls. Later, on
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. ...
, the girls play a prank on Raja with a fake love letter, to which he responds with a heartfelt declaration of loyalty to his true love. Radha, unaware of Raja's true feelings, decides to help him unite with his supposed love. However, when she discusses this with Singaram, Raja's true intentions are revealed: he loves Radha and wants to marry her. Radha is taken aback, and Raja's sister overhears the conversation, learning that Radha is already engaged to Ashok, who is arriving the next day.
The next day, Ashok and his cohorts move into Radha's house. Raja observes Ashok's behavior, declaring him a suitable match for Radha. Raja begins to address Radha with respect, acknowledging his position as a servant in the household. However, Seth discovers Radha's engagement to Ashok and, realizing Singaram won't gain access to Selvam's property, removes the new furniture from Raja's home and demands the remaining debt repayment. Raja drives Ashok and Radha to a restaurant, where Radha gives him money to buy his sister a
rold-gold jewel. Instead, Raja donates the money to a needy family, which impresses Radha. At home, Ashok mistreats Raja, taking advantage of his servant status, but Raja endures it for Radha's sake. Later, Ashok forces Raja to drink alcohol against his will, but Raja still helps Ashok when he collapses from excessive drinking. Raja shares this with Lakshmi, who suggests a secret revenge plan that won't implicate him to Radha. Disguising himself as a superhero, Raja confronts Ashok's accomplices. The next day, Radha gifts Lakshmi a gold jewel, but Lakshmi refuses, citing Radha's insensitivity, which hurts Radha's feelings.
On their way back from a wedding, their car breaks down in the rain. Raja tries to fix it while Ashok grows impatient and takes Radha to a nearby guesthouse. Ashok's behavior becomes inappropriate while Radha is changing, disgusting her, and she returns to the car. Raja hesitantly agrees to Radha's demand and they set off on a bicycle towards her house. En route, Raja and Radha fall from the bicycle and Radha gets injured while her dress is stuck to the bicycle gear. Unlike Ashok, Raja shows respect and covers her with his coat. He nurses her back to health at home. Ashok, seeing old photos of Raja and Radha, falsely accuses her of infidelity. Radha begins to despise Ashok and reunites with Raja, even proposing to him. Meanwhile, Seth, who had been threatening Singaram, now asks for a loan, hoping to benefit from Raja and Radha's union. Radha travels to
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
to seek her father's approval for their marriage.
However, Selvam's company, "Radha's Chit Funds," suffers significant losses due to employee fraud. Gopi, Ashok's father and a close associate of Selvam, helps him revive the business. As a result, Selvam becomes indebted to Gopi and promises to marry Radha to Ashok, Gopi's son. Radha confides in Raja about her situation, feeling obligated to obey her father and protect his honor. One night, Ashok's father discovers Radha's diary and learns about her past relationship with Raja. Radha apologizes, but Ashok's father rebukes her for nearly betraying a loyal man who has loved her for ten years. Ultimately, Radha and Raja reunite.
Cast
Production
The film was launched at AVM Studios. Bhagyaraj differentiated ''Darling, Darling, Darling'' from his previous films, which were more on realism and less on the technical aspects, by doing the opposite. After he wrote the script, Poornima was the first actress he thought of when casting the female lead. The filming was held at
Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal () (English: ) is a municipality and hill station in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated at an altitude of in the Palani hills of the Western Ghats. Kodaikanal was established in 1845 to serve as a r ...
. Bhagyaraj almost worked on editing at the shooting location by bringing Movie Yala machine from Madras (now
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
). Bhagyaraj initially planned the climax as his character jumping off the cliff but lands on the tree in the valley; however since he could not get a location with valley he altered the climax by making his character walking on the top of hill plains.
Soundtrack
The music was composed by
Shankar–Ganesh
Shankar–Ganesh is an Indian music director duo who has worked on Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu movies for around 50 years. They also directed one movie '' Jagathalaprathapan'' in 1990
Personal life
Shankar was the younger brother of ...
.
Critical reception
Thiraignani of ''
Kalki
Kalki (), also called Kalkin, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hinduism, Hindu god Vishnu. According to Vaishnavism, Vaishnava cosmology, Kalki is destined to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga, the last of the four ages i ...
'' praised the acting of Bhagyaraj, Suman and Poornima and concluded by calling the film as slightly high-class. Balumani of ''Anna'' appreciated the acting of cast and music.
References
External links
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*
{{K. Bhagyaraj
1980s Indian films
1980s Tamil-language films
1982 films
1982 romantic drama films
Films directed by K. Bhagyaraj
Films scored by Shankar–Ganesh
Films shot in Ooty
Indian romantic drama films
Tamil films remade in other languages
Tamil-language Indian films
Tamil-language romantic drama films