''Palum Pazhamum'' ( ) is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language film directed by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram. Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001), better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, was an Indian actor and film producer. He was mainly active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th centur ...

and B. Saroja Devi. It was released on 9 September 1961. 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 '' Beratha Jeeva'', and in

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

as '' Saathi,'' the latter was remade in Turkish as ' (1970).

Plot

Ravi is a doctor searching for a

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

cure. Shanthi is Ravi's nurse who assists him in his research. Ravi offers to marry her after her father's death. After putting in enormous efforts, Ravi emerges successful in formulating a new drug but Shanthi is diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. Ravi begins to neglect his duties as a doctor, focusing on Shanthi's health. Shanthi flees on a train as she does not wish to divert him from his research. The train crashes and Shanthi is believed to be dead. Ravi is heartbroken but vows to complete his research. Ravi's family forces him to marry Nalini, but they do not have a happy home life, as he is more oriented towards his research than his family. Nalini and Ravi fight, and in one of these fights Ravi loses his eyesight. Meanwhile, Shanthi escapes the train crash and goes to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

to cure her tuberculosis. Shanthi returns from Switzerland to find that her husband has lost his eyesight. She offers to nurse Ravi; Ravi finds her voice familiar but does not recognise her, and confides in her that he is still fond of his ex-wife. Nalini overhears this, and complains to her parents. Shanthi faces criticism from the womenfolk of the house for her intimacy with Ravi. Ravi's brother Sekar grows fond of Shanthi and tells Ravi so. Ravi suggests they marry. Shanthi is upset and reveals her identity to Ravi's family. Ravi's sight is restored by an operation. He recognises Shanti and rushes to the marriage hall to find that Shanthi's sister is married to his brother. Ravi reunites with Shanti while Nalini joins the Red Cross and flies to Switzerland. The movie ends with Ravi and Shanthi working together to benefit mankind.

Cast

as Dr. Ravi * B. Saroja Devi as Shanthi & Neela * Sowcar Janaki as Nalini * M. R. Radha as Mama * T. S. Balaiah as Chinnavar * S. V. Subbaiah as Periyavar * M. S. Sundari Bai as Gomathi * A. Karunanidhi as Sanjeevi * Manorama as Mayilvahanam * C. T. Rajakantham as Maruthayee *K. Sairam as Devangu *S. A. Kannan as Shanthi Ungel *T. Thangaraj * V. Nagayya as Doctor (Guest Appearance) *

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 6 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading man, leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the hist ...

as Sekar * K. D. Santhanam as Bai

Production

The song "Thendral Varum" which was picturised on Sowcar Janaki was removed from the film due to length issues.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy (a duo consisting of M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy) with lyrics by Kannadasan. The song "Ennai Yaarendru" is based on Sindhu Bhairavi raga, "Indha Nadagam" is based on Shubhapantuvarali, "Kadhal Siragai" is based on Kapi, and "Paalum Pazhamum" is based on Natabhairavi. The song "Naan Pesa Ninaippathellam" was written by Kannadasan to showcase his friendship with Viswanathan.

Release and reception

''Palum Pazhamum'' was released on 9 September 1961, and distributed by Sivaji Films. '' Kumudam'' praised the film for Saroja Devi's performance. Kanthan 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 ...

'' criticised the film title's lack of relevance to the story, but called the film an entertainer. The film ran for over 100 days in theatres.

In popular culture

The film's title also became the name for a collection of silk saris.

References

External links

* * {{A. Bhimsingh 1960s Indian films 1960s musical drama films 1960s romantic musical films 1960s Tamil-language films 1961 films 1961 romantic drama films Films about adultery in India Films about blind people in India Films about marriage Films about nurses Films about scientists Films about surgeons Films about tuberculosis Films directed by A. Bhimsingh Films scored by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy Films set in hospitals Films set in Switzerland Indian Council of Medical Research in fiction Indian films about cancer Indian musical drama films Indian romantic drama films Indian romantic musical films Rail transport films Tamil films remade in other languages Tamil-language Indian films Tamil-language romantic drama films