Mahanadhi (film)

Mahanadhi (transl. The Great River) is a 1994 Tamil-language Indian drama film directed by Santhana Bharathi and co-written by Kamal Haasan. The film stars Haasan and Sukanya, with S. N. Lakshmi, Tulasi, Shobana, Dinesh, Poornam Vishwanathan, Rajesh and V. M. C. Haneefa in supporting roles. It portrays the grief of a humble villager who sees his family and property being ruined.

This article is about the 1994 Tamil film. For the river in Central India, see Mahanadhi.

Mahanadhi
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySanthana Bharathi
Produced byS. A. Rajkannu
Screenplay byKamal Haasan
Ra. Ki. Rangarajan
Story byKamal Haasan
Starring
Music byIlaiyaraaja
CinematographyM. S. Prabhu
Edited byN. P. Satish
Production
company
Sree Amman Creations
Release date
  • 14 January 1994 (1994-01-14)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget₹2.5 crore

The film deals with several issues such as corruption and child trafficking. It was the first film in India to make use of Avid Technology. Mahanadhi was released in theatres on 14 January 1994, Pongal day, and was critically acclaimed, but failed commercially. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.

Plot

Krishnaswamy is a widower living happily with his mother-in-law Saraswathi Ammal, daughter Kaveri and son Bharani in a village near Kumbakonam. Dhanush, a con artist from Madras, has an eye on Krishna's prosperity and asks him to join his chit fund business. At first, Krishna is reluctant; however, when a rich friend from a foreign country visits his house, he too wants to be rich like them. Hence he agrees to Dhanush's proposal and arrives at the city. However, he is unaware of Dhanush's tricks, and when Dhanush swindles away the chit fund money, the blame is put on Krishna, and he ends up in jail.

Krishna finds that even his future father-in-law Panjapakesan is also in jail for the same reason, whose daughter is Yamuna, a nurse. He advises Krishna not to be angry if the jailor is cruel, as he might be released sooner if he is submissive in the jail. During Krishna's tenure in jail, Yamuna takes care of his family. Due to unavoidable situations, his mother-in-law dies, and his children go missing. Krishna learns this after coming out from jail suffering unnecessary hardships.

Krishna finds his son with street artists and gets him back. He later finds from Dhanush that his daughter is in Calcutta, at a red light area called Sonagachi. When Krishna was arrested, Kaveri had attained puberty, and three months later, Saraswathi became sick. Kaveri and Bharani go to Dhanush asking for financial help. Dhanush takes them to his higher boss, so that the virgin Kaveri could sleep with him to get money. Though the boss provides money to Dhanush for treatment of Saraswathi, he chases out Bharani with his dog and keeps the money for himself. Kaveri is brutally raped by the boss and is then raped by many till she ends up as a prostitute in Sonagachi.

Krishna goes to Calcutta with his father-in-law and tracks down his daughter. Unable to bear the grief, he grabs her and tries to escape, while the pimps there beat him black and blue. The elder sex-workers/madam make a truce and insist that Krishna take Kaveri, while they would work extra hours to pay the pimps for the loss of Kaveri.

After returning from Calcutta, Krishna wants to start a new life with Yamuna, but his friend in the police, Muthusamy tells him that Dhanush has planned to jail Krishna further by plotting a murder case against him, he would be arrested the next day. Also, Krishna overhears his daughter blabbering in her sleep not to rape her. He is heartbroken due to the state of his children, so he decides to curb the root of all sin and grief against Dhanush, and goes to seek revenge. He comes to know that Dhanush is just a pawn in the big game of cheating. He not only kills Dhanush, but also the main person who was behind this game; but at the cost of losing his arm.

Krishna is sentenced to 14 years of life imprisonment and comes out a contented man, to see his daughter married to Muthusamy's son and having a child, and his son being a grown-up man. The whole family moves back to their native village.

Cast

Production

Kamal Haasan's domestic help plotted to kidnap his daughters for a ransom, but he discovered their plan. This incident laid the foundation for Mahanadhi. According to Haasan, when he started to write the script, "the script wrote itself ....maybe assisted by my fear, apprehension and paranoia."[7] Haasan wrote the story, screenplay and co-wrote the dialogues with Ra. Ki. Rangarajan.[8][9] His then-wife Sarika designed the costumes and was also an audiographer.[10] Cheran worked as an associate director, but left the project midway due to "creative differences" with Haasan.[11][12]

The film marked the debut of singer Shobana (who did not act in any other film since then), Dinesh and Sivasankar, who all got the film's title, "Mahanadhi", added to their names as a prefix.[2] Mahanadhi was the first film in India to make use of Avid Technology,[13] and one of the first digitally edited films outside of US.[14] Haasan later said that the film was influenced by Les Misérables.[15] Principal photography was to have begun in May 1993, but began only in September.[8]

Themes

Mahanadhi deals with several issues such as corruption and child trafficking.[4] Baradwaj Rangan said: "Mahanadhi is one of the saddest films ever made, grim north to Singin' in the Rain's blithe south, but it has an extraordinary musical moment in "Peygala Nambaadhey", which Kamal Haasan's character sings, during a power cut, to his children who are scared of the dark. This multifunctional song is (a) a father's moral instruction to his children ("face your fears"), (b) a bit of levity, (c) a sweet stretch showcasing this family's dynamics, and (d) a hint that bad things can come at you from everywhere, whether from the television set (featuring terrifyingly distorted musical performers) or even a doting grandmother (who, jokingly, fashions herself into a demon goddess). That's where the film is headed, into a zone where nothing and no one can be trusted, and this song shapes these themes in a casually understated manner".[16]

Poet Puviarasu stated: "Don't go after the mystic deer, was Kamal's message in the movie Mahanadhi". In the film, Krishna relocates to the city to earn more money, own a Benz and educate his daughter at Church Park Convent. And he faces the consequences of his actions."[17] Many of the characters are named after major Indian rivers like Krishna (Krishnaswamy), Yamuna, Kaveri, Thamirabarani (Bharani) and Narmada (Krishnaswamy's late wife).[18]

Soundtrack
Mahanadi
Soundtrack album by
Ilaiyaraaja
Released1994
GenreFeature film soundtrack
LanguageTamil
External audio
Audio Jukebox (Tamil) on YouTube
Audio Jukebox (Telugu) on YouTube

The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, and lyrics were written by Vaali. Shobana sang the song "Sri Ranga Ranganathanin",[19] which is set in Hamsadhvani raga.[20]

Original version (Tamil)
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Anbana Thayai"VaaliS. P. Balasubrahmanyam 
2."Engeyo Thikkudesai"VaaliKamal Haasan 
3."Peigala Bhoodhama"VaaliKamal Haasan, Shanmugasundari 
4."Pongalo Pongal"VaaliK. S. Chithra 
5."Solladha Raagangal"VaaliS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki 
6."Sri Ranga Ranganathanin"VaaliS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Uma Ramanan, Shobana 
7."Thanmanam Ulla Nenjum"VaaliKamal Haasan 
8."Pirar Vaada" (Poem)BharathiyarKamal Haasan 
Telugu version
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Ganga Sankasha Kaveri"VennelakantiS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra & Shobana 
2."Vethakani Deduraithe"VennelakantiS. P. Balasubrahmanyam 
3."Doorala Thiraala"VennelakantiS. P. Balasubrahmanyam & Chorus 
4."Aha Kathakramam, Dayana Bhothamma"VennelakantiS. P. Balasubrahmanyam & Ramalu 
5."Tarataraala" (Dialogue)VennelakantiS. P. Balasubrahmanyam 
6."Sankranthi"VennelakantiK. S. Chithra & Chorus 

Release

Mahanadi was released in theatres on 14 January 1994, Pongal day,[21] and opened up against other Pongal releases such as Sethupathi IPS, Amaidhi Padai, Rajakumaran, Veetla Visheshanga, Siragadikka Aasai and Sindhu Nathi Poo.[22] Made on a budget of ₹2.5 crore (equivalent to ₹13 crore or US$1.9 million in 2019), it was commercially unsuccessful, losing the studio up to ₹1 crore (equivalent to ₹5.3 crore or US$740,000 in 2019).[23] The film was screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam six years after its release.[24]

Critical reception

Malini Mannath of The Indian Express wrote, "Mahanadhi is a melancholic film with scenes that linger long after the film is over."[25] K. Vijiyin of New Straits Times wrote, "This movie is quite long [...] and I was warned the story was a bit "slow" but I did not really feel the time passing. If you like Kamal, you will like Mahanadhi, which should earn another acting award for him".[26] The Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan wrote that it is surprising to see such a soft, intense and different film in Tamil, and also praised Haasan's acting, stating that one will forget Haasan and see only the character Krishnaswamy and empathise with him.[27]

Accolades
Event Category Awardee(s) Ref.
41st National Film Awards Best Feature Film in Tamil S. A. Rajkannu [28]
Best Audiography H. Sridhar, K. M. Surya Narayan
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Special Prize (Best Film) S. A. Rajkannu [29]
Best Stunt Coordinator Vikram Dharma

Legacy

Mahanadhi has often been cited as one of the saddest and most depressing films from Tamil cinema.[30][31] On the centenary of Indian cinema in April 2013, Forbes India included Hassan's performance in the film on its list, "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema".[32]

References
  1. "Ms. Representation: Silver linings". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  2. "மகாநதிக்கு இன்றோடு 25 வயது". Hindu Tamil Thisai. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Rajendran, Sowmya (14 January 2019). "25 years of 'Mahanadi': Kamal Haasan's gripping drama moves us even today". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  5. "'Mahanadhi', the 1994 Pongal Release, Is Not Just A Tear-Jerker But A Story Written Around Philosophical Questions". Film Companion. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  6. "மகாநதி- மகாநதி சங்கர்". Kungumam (in Tamil). 8 November 2019. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  7. Haasan, Kamal. "Bollywood blockbuster to Kollywood classic: Kamal Haasan picks his 70 favourite movies". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  8. Ashok Kummar, S. R. (13 May 1994). "Team effort does the trick". The Hindu. p. 31. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  9. Kolappan, B. (19 August 2012). "Ra.Ki. Rangarajan passes away". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  10. "Star maker does it again". The Hindu. 21 July 2000. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  11. "Best of 1997". Indolink. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  12. "'Leaving Mahanadhi was a big mistake..'- Bigg Boss fame's EXCLUSIVE statement". Behindwoods. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  13. "Digitizing Films". The Times of India. 10 April 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  14. "A first for Sathyam". The Hindu. 7 August 2009. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  15. "Writing for celluloid". The Hindu. 28 May 2009. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  16. "What a glorious feeling". The Hindu. 14 July 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  17. "The fine art of cinema". The Hindu. 21 August 2006. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  18. "Celebrating 25 years of Kamal Haasan's Mahanadi". The Indian Express. 14 January 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  19. "Music to your ears". The Hindu. 27 September 2004. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  20. Mani, Charulatha (1 March 2013). "A bright start". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  21. "Mahanadhi". The Indian Express. 14 January 1994. p. 10.
  22. ராம்ஜி, வி. (17 January 2020). "94-ல், பொங்கலுக்கு கமல், விஜயகாந்த், சத்யராஜ், பிரபு, பாக்யராஜ்; 'மகாநதி', 'அமைதிப்படை', 'சேதுபதி ஐபிஎஸ்' செம ஹிட்டு!". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  23. Menon, Vishal (21 September 2017). "An actor by chance". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  24. Shiva Kumar, S (15 March 2001). "'The future? I may not act at all!'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  25. Mannath, Malini (21 January 1994). "Sensitive stuff not for mass". The Indian Express. p. 6. Archived from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  26. Vijiyin, K. (29 January 1994). "Award-winning performance by Kamalhassan". New Straits Times. p. 29.
  27. Vikatan Review Board (30 January 1994). "சினிமா விமர்சனம்: மகாநதி". Ananda Vikatan. pp. 2–4. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  28. "Directorate of Film Festival" (PDF). Iffi.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  29. Dhananjayan 2014, p. 330.
  30. "Why I hate... Mahanadhi". The Hindu. 24 October 2008. Archived from the original on 27 October 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  31. Rangarajan, Malathi (12 February 2012). "Admirable line and length". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  32. Prasad, Shishir; Ramnath, N. S.; Mitter, Sohini (27 April 2013). "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema". Forbes India. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2015.

Bibliography
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