Moondru Pillaigal
Moondru Pillaigal (transl. Three Sons) is a 1952 Tamil-language drama film produced by S. S. Vasan. Based on Victor Fleming's 1927 American film The Way of All Flesh, it is about a couple and their three sons. The film was directed by R. Nagendra Rao and stars himself alongside P. Kannamba with M. K. Radha, Gemini Ganesan and Sriram in supporting roles. It was simultaneously produced and released in Telugu under the title Mugguru Kodukulu. The film failed at the box office, which led to Vasan destroying all copies of it, thus making it a lost film.
| Moondru Pillaigal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Nagendra Rao |
| Produced by | S. S. Vasan |
| Screenplay by | Veppathur Kittu |
| Story by | Gemini Story Depart. |
| Based on | The Way of All Flesh |
| Starring | Kannamba Nagendra Rao M. K. Radha |
| Music by | P. S. Anantharaman M. D. Parthasarathy (Supervisor) |
| Cinematography | M. Natarajan |
| Edited by | N. R. Krishnaswamy |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Gemini Studios |
Release date |
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| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
A couple has three sons. The youngest one takes responsibility for a theft allegedly committed by their father and goes to jail. The dejected father commits suicide and the mother is abandoned by the other two sons. Later, when the youngest son is released from jail, he takes care of his mother despite being jobless. However, he receives an offer from a film company to act as the main character in a film produced by them based on the Ramayana. He succeeds in his job and manages to unite the family.[2]
Cast
Cast from the song book[3]
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Production
The film was based on the 1927 American silent film The Way of All Flesh, directed by Victor Fleming. The family drama was successful in India, and was adapted into a film in Hindi titled Khazanchi (1941). The Hindi film was highly successful in Madras and ran for more than 25 weeks. R. Nagendra Rao, an established producer and director in Kannada cinema, was impressed by the film and decided to direct the Tamil adaptation. He approached the Tamil film producer S. S. Vasan who had earlier produced Apoorva Sagodharargal, in which Rao played a role. Although Vasan was initially reluctant he agreed to finance the film. It was simultaneously produced and released in Telugu under the title Mugguru Kodukulu.[4] According to writer Ashokamitran, who was then associated with Gemini, novelist R. K. Narayan wrote a treatment for this film.[5][6]
J. P. Chandrababu, who would later go on to become an established comedian in Tamil cinema, played a small role lasting a single sequence in the film.[4][7] Savitri, who would later become an established actress in the Telugu and Tamil film industries, was to make her acting debut with this film. Gemini Ganesan, who played a supporting role as one among the three sons in the film was also as a casting assistant with Gemini Studios, the production company. He recommended her for a small role in the film; however, she was not selected for the role.[8]
Table of Moondru Pillaigal and Mugguru Kodukulu Casts
| Moondru Pillaigal (Tamil) | Mugguru Kodukulu (Telugu)[9] |
|---|---|
| Gunavathi (Kannamba) | Gouri (Kannamba) |
| Somasekhar (Nagendra Rao) | Somasekhar (Nagendra Rao) |
| Muthu (Adult) (M. K. Radha) | Prakasam (Adult) (M. K. Radha) |
| Kannan (Adult) (Sriram) | Ram (Adult) (Sriram) |
| Sekhar (Adult) (Ganesh) | Gopal (Adult) (Ganesh) |
| Kamala (Adult) (Kumari Vanaja) | Kamala (Adult) (Janaki) |
| Pankajam (Sundari Bai) | Kantham (Sundari Bai) |
| Kamini (Suryaprabha) | Chaya (Suryaprabha) |
| Ramadas (G. Pattu Iyer) | Ramadas (Pandit Rao) |
| Film Proprietor (Narayana Rao) | Film Producer (Narayana Rao) |
| Music Director (Chandra Babu) | Music Director (Chandrababu) |
| Film Dealer (Vikatam Krishnamoorthi) | Deaf Man (Maddala Krishnamoorthi) |
| Film Production Assistants (S. Krishnamoorthy, Seetharaman) | Assistants (H. Krishnamoorthy, Seetharaman) |
| Muthu (Child) (Sethumadhavan) | Prakasam (Child) (Sethumadhavan) |
| Kannan (Child) (Sudhakar) | Ram (Child) (Sudhakar) |
| Sekhar (Child) (Sudhindra) | Gopal (Child) (Sudhindra) |
| Kamala's Friend (Seetha) | Kamala's Friend (P. Seetha) |
| Pedagogue (K. Ramaswami) | Master (Ramachandra Shastri) |
| Bar-at-Law (Venkat) | Bar-at-Law (Venkat) |
| Marwari (Ramakrishna Rao) | Marwadi (B. Ramakrishna Rao) |
| Amina (G. V. Sharma) | Amina (Krishnappa) |
| Race Broker (V. T. Kalyanam) | Racing Tout (V. T. Kalyanam) |
| Susheela (Adult) (Saraswathi) | Susheela (Adult) (Saraswathi) |
| Muthu's Girl (Rathna Papa) | Prakasam's Daughter (Rathnapapa) |
| Muthu's Boy (Mohan) | Prakasam's Son (Mohan) |
| Kamala (Child) (Premakumari) | Kamala (Child) (Premakumari) |
| Doctor (Vijaya Rao) | Doctor (B. H. Vijaya Rao) |
| Sub Inspector (Balan) | Police-Sub-Inspector (Balan) |
| Old Metal Merchant (Velayutham) | Old Metal Merchant (Velayutham) |
| Office Proprietor (P. M. Devan) | Office Proprietor (Indrasen) |
| Film Director (Bindu Madhavan) | Film Director (Bindu Madhavan) |
| Production Manager (Rama Narasu) | Production Manager (Ramanarasu) |
| Naughty Student (B. S. P. Rao) | Rowdy Student (Padmanabha Rao) |
| Jatka Man (T. S. B. Rao) | Jatka Driver (T. S. B. Rao) |
| Suresh (Sampath Kumar) | Suresh (Sampath Kumar) |
| Milkman (Muthukrishna Reddy) | Milkman (Muthukrishna Reddy) |
| Police Constable (V. P. Balaraman) |
Reception
Moondru Pillaigal failed at the box-office,[10] which led to Vasan destroying all copies of it, thus making it a lost film.[2] Ashokamitran said there was nothing "seriously wrong" with the film, but felt that "the audience just couldn't take another film about a family torn asunder in the fourth reel and reunited in the last."[11]
Soundtrack
Music was composed by P. S. Anantharaman and supervised by M. D. Parthasarathy[3] while the lyrics were penned by Kothamangalam Subbu and V. Seetharaman. Playback singers are A. M. Rajah, T. A. Mothi, M. L. Vasanthakumari, P. Leela, N. L. Ganasaraswathi, (Radha) Jayalakshmi, Jikki, A. P. Komala and M. S. Anuradha.[12][13] The song "Antha Rama Sowndharyam" is set in the carnatic raga known as Kedaragaula.[14]
| S/N | Song | Singer/s | Lyricist | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaazhvadhum Thaazhvadhum Panathale | A. M. Rajah | Kothamangalam Subbu | 02:39 |
| 2 | Unnarul Maraven Aiya | N. L. Ganasaraswathi | ||
| 3 | Inbam Enna Solluven | Jikki | 02:40 | |
| 4 | Maalai Tharitha Maharaasi | (Radha) Jayalakshmi & P. Leela | 02:43 | |
| 5 | Kaalamenbadhu Anuhoolamaahil | A. M. Rajah | 02:22 | |
| 6 | Indu Desa Pugazh Paaduvom | T. A. Mothi | 01:54 | |
| 7 | Poorana Chandirane, Paripoorana Chandirane | P. Leela | 03:22 | |
| 8 | Naan Konda Karuvinai | M. S. Anuradha | 03:22 | |
| 9 | Antha Rama Sowndharyam | M. L. Vasanthakumari & A. P. Komala | Arunasala Kavirayar (Rama Nadaga Keerthanai) | 03:25 |
| 10 | Yaaridam Solluven | P. Leela | V. Seetharaman | 02:45 |
See also
References
- Film News Anandan (23 October 2004). Sadhanaigal Padaitha Thamizh Thiraipada Varalaru [History of Landmark Tamil Films] (in Tamil). Chennai: Sivakami Publishers. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017.
- "தற்கொலைக் கலைஞன்" [Suicide Artiste]. Kungumam (in Tamil). 2 June 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017.
- மூன்று பிள்ளைகள் (song book) (in Tamil). Gemini Studios. 1952.
- Guy, Randor (22 January 2011). "Moondru Pillaigal 1952". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017.
- Ashokamitran 2016, p. 42.
- Guy, Randor (26 July 2001). "A flood of fond memories". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
- லெனின், கோவி. "வரலாறு படைத்த தமிழ்க் கலைஞர்கள்: கட்டுரை 12 கதாநாயகர்களுக்கு இணையான கலகலப்பு நாயகர்கள்!". Nakkeeran (in Tamil). Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- "காலங்களில் அவள் வசந்தம்: செல்லுலாய்ட் பெண்கள்". Dinakaran (in Tamil). 27 February 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ముగ్గురు కొడుకులు (song book) (in Telugu). Gemini Studios. 1952.
- Guy, Randor (25 March 2005). "Suave, sophisticated, romantic". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- Ashokamitran 2016, p. 43.
- G. Neelamegam. Thiraikalanjiyam - Part 1 (in Tamil). Manivasagar Publishers, Chennai 108 (Ph:044 25361039). First edition December 2014. pp. 42–43.
- Ramachandran, Lakshmi (September 2016). Kothamangalam Subbu Thiraiyisai Paadalgal [Kothamangalam Subbu Film Songs] (in Tamil) (1st ed.). Chennai 108 (Ph:044 25361039): Manivasagar Publishers. pp. 30, 77, 91, 96, 104, 121, 170.CS1 maint: location (link)
- Venkataraman, Shankar (28 June 2018). "M.L. Vasanthakumari's impeccable style gave us many evergreen hits". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
Bibliography
- Ashokamitran (2016). Fourteen Years with Boss. India: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-342329-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)