Niram Maaratha Pookkal
Niram Maaratha Pookkal (transl. Flowers that do not change colours) is a 1979 Tamil-language Indian film directed by P. Bharathiraja. It stars Sudhakar, Raadhika and Vijayan in the lead roles with Rati Agnihotri in a supporting role and was released on 31 August 1979.
| Niram Maaratha Pookkal | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | P. Bharathiraja |
| Written by | Panchu Arunachalam (dialogues) |
| Screenplay by | P. Bharathiraja |
| Story by | K. Bhagyaraj |
| Starring | Sudhakar Raadhika Vijayan Rati Agnihotri |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
| Cinematography | P. S. Nivas |
| Edited by | R. Bhaskaran |
Production company | Lena Productions |
Release date | 31 August 1979 |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
Sudhakar (Sudhakar) is a poor man desperately looking for work. One day he has a skirmish with Radhika (Raadhika), a rich girl and lone daughter of a businessman Selladurai, in a telephone booth. Radhika finds out that Sudhakar is searching for a job from his diary that he leaves at the booth. She employs him in her father's firm as a manager and soon they mutually fall in love. Radhika's class-conscious father initially opposes but later reluctantly agrees to have them married. However things take a turn when his business friend Sivaraman, to whom he owes a lot of favours, visits him and reminds him of his old promise to get Radhika married to Sivaraman's son Vijayan. And soon after Sudhakar goes missing with five lakhs of the office cash on his way to Bombay and is presumed to have absconded. Radhika is heart-broken and her father takes her to Sivaraman's estate in Ooty to relax for a while.
In Ooty, Radhika and her father are introduced to Sivaraman's son Vijayan who shockingly seems to be a severely despondent alcoholic. He is often seen standing near the shore of the river listening to his tape recorder playing a lone melodious song, sung by a woman. After a few days in the estate and several interactions, Vijayan and Radhika get acquainted and friendly with each other and he opens up about his erstwhile lover Rathi (Rati Agnihotri). Vijayan had fallen in love with the beautiful Rathi at first sight and pursues her relentlessly till she finally reciprocates. Rathi often playfully cheats Vijayan about not knowing stuff like horse riding and car driving when she actually could. And on an April Fool's Day when she claims she doesn't know how to swim, Vijayan thinks she's fooling him again and playfully pushes her into the river but to his horror she drowns and dies. The incident left Vijayan as a suicidal wreck who carries poison in his coat but doesn't consume it just for his father's sake. Rather he has chosen the slow poison of alcohol. When Vijayan learns Radhika too has a past forlorn love affair, he feels closer to her since they both seem to be in the same boat.
As days move on, Vijayan and Radhika get closer to each other and eventually agree to get married, much to the delight of their fathers but then on an eventful day Radhika encounters Sudhakar working as a gardener in the estate. Radhika angrily admonishes him for having deserted her and walks away but Vijayan is determined to find out the truth. It turns out that Sudhakar was coerced and forced to decamp by Radhika's father himself so he could get her married to Vijayan. On the day of their supposed marriage, Vijayan gets Radhika united with Sudhakar and they leave town together. Later, Vijayan who had promised to Radhika to give up alcohol, instead consumes the poison he carried in his pocket and walks into the river that had once consumed his beloved Rathi. Before dying Vijayan makes a statement to God, "They say love is blind, but You have been blind to my love, so I am leaving my glasses for You".
Cast
- Sudhakar as Sudhakar
- Radhika as Radhika
- Vijayan as Vijayan (Voice Dubbed by P. Bharathiraja)
- Rati Agnihotri as Rathi
Production
After Panchu Arunachalam wrote the screenplay for the film that would become Niram Maaratha Pookkal, P. Bharathiraja approached K. Bhagyaraj for advice; Bhagyaraj rewrote the screenplay. When Panchu learned of this, after reading Bhagyaraj's rewritten version, he recommended that it be made into a film.[1] Sudhakar, Raadhika, Vijayan and Rati Agnihotri were cast as the lead characters, with their characters being named after themselves.[2] Ravi, who later debuted with Bharathiraja's Nizhalgal (1980) was asked to audition as a dubbing artist for Vijayan's character. However, since Bharathiraaja himself decided to dub for the character, Ravi was dropped.[3]
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.[4]
| No. | Song | Singers | Lyrics | Length (m:ss) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Aayiram Malargalae" | Malaysia Vasudevan, S. P. Sailaja, Jency | Kannadasan | 5:13 |
| 2 | "Iru Paravaigal" | Jency | Kannadasan | 4:24 |
| 3 | "Muthal Muthalaga" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | Kannadasan | 4:15 |
| 4 | "Niram Mara Pookale" (title song) | Jency | Kannadasan | 2:48 |
| 5 | "Iru Paravaigal" (Sad) | Jency | Kannadasan | 2.00 |
References
- Srinivasan, Sudhir (26 March 2016). "The man who made Rajinikanth". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- Ramji, V. (16 June 2018). "கமல் பேரு கமல்; ரஜினி பேரு ரஜினி! கேரக்டர்களுக்கும் அவங்க பெயர்!" [Kamal's name was Kamal; Rajini's name was Rajini! Characters had the same names!]. Kamadenu. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- M. R. (11 May 2001). "They are in the fray too..." The Hindu. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- "Niram Maratha Pookkal (1979)". Raaga.com. Retrieved 1 October 2013.