Poomalai

Poomalai (transl. Garland of Flowers) is 1965 Indian Tamil-language woman's film, directed by P. Neelakantan and written by M. Karunanidhi. The film was produced by Murasoli Maran under Karunanidhi's production company Meghala Pictures, which also distributed the film. It stars S. S. Rajendran, C. R. Vijayakumari and Anjali Devi, with S. A. Ashokan, Nagesh and Manorama in supporting roles. The film focuses on the title character, a happy-go-lucky girl whose life changes for the worse when she is raped. It was released on 23 October 1965.

Poomalai
Theatrical release poster
Directed byP. Neelakantan
Produced byMurasoli Maran
Written byM. Karunanidhi
StarringS. S. Rajendran
C. R. Vijayakumari
Anjali Devi
Music byR. Sudharsanam
CinematographyAmirtham
Edited byR. Devarajan
Production
company
Meghala Pictures
Distributed byMeghala Pictures
Release date
  • 23 October 1965 (1965-10-23)
Running time
150 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

Poomalai is a happy-go-lucky girl living with her father and elder brother. Her life changes for the worse when she is raped.

Cast

Production

Poomalai was directed by P. Neelakantan, written by M. Karunanidhi and produced by Murasoli Maran under Meghala Pictures. Art direction was handled by B. Nagarajan, cinematography by Amirtham and editing by R. Devarajan.[3] Karunanidhi appeared as himself onscreen, giving the film's opening monologue.[4] Although Karunanidhi was the owner of Meghala Pictures,[5] he was not credited as the film's producer.[3]

Themes

Historian R. Kannan said that Karunanidhi used to ingeniously weave contemporary politics into the dialogues he wrote for films, and named a dialogue in Poomalai where the sister speaks highly of her brother and threatens to shoot anyone speaking ill of him as an example.[6]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by R. Sudharsanam.[7] The lyrics were written by Mayavanathan, Seetharaman, Kavi Rajagopal, Kumaradevan and M. Karunanidhi.[8]

No.SongsLyricistSingersLength
1Badhamgeer....Rani Diamond SeetharamanS. C. Krishnan, L. R. Eswari03:53
2Kannam Kannam M. KarunanidhiL. R. Eswari03:48
3Kattai Viral KumaradevanP. Susheela04:19
4Penne Un Gathi MayavanathanC. S. Jayaraman03:09
8Ulagame Ethirthaalum MayavanathanC. S. Jayaraman02:52
7Un Ennathai Kavi RajagopalT. M. Soundararajan P. Susheela03:45

Release and reception

Poomalai was released on 23 October 1965,[9] during that year's Diwali day.[10] Meghala Pictures distributed the film themselves in Madras, while other distributors did so in other districts of Tamil Nadu.[11] The Indian Express wrote on 30 October, "An otherwise loose screenplay is propped up by the beautiful dialogues by M. Karunanidhi and fine portrayals by Rajendran (the hero), R. Vijayakumari (the heroine), veteran Anjali Devi (the widowed sister of the hero) and comedian Nagesh. Neelakantan's direction is nothing to write home about, but with the material at his disposal, he has made it into a good tear-jerker, appealing to family audiences, especially women."[1] Writing in Sport and Pastime, T. M. Ramachandran lauded the performances of Rajendran, Vijayakumari and appreciated the performances of Nagesh, Anjali Devi, Manorama, Ravi, Asokan, Muthiah and Rajsri. He added that Karunanidhi's screenplay and dialogues were the film's "saving graces", but criticised Neelakantan's direction for succumbing to "trivialities and box-office considerations".[12] According to historian Vamanan, the film landed Karunanidhi in deep debt.[13]

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References
  1. "Poomalai is a good family entertainer". The Indian Express. 30 October 1965. p. 3.
  2. Sankaran, Keerthana (8 August 2018). "How Kalaignar's movie scripts show a subtle blend of Dravidian politics, mythology and women-centric stories". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  3. Poomalai (motion picture) (in Tamil). Meghala Pictures. 1965. Opening credits, from 0:00 to 4:12.
  4. Swathi (4 September 2018). "கலைஞர் என்னும் கலைஞன் - 17 : பூமாலை" [Kalaignar alias the artist – 17: Poomalai]. Valai Tamil. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  5. Rathnagiri, R. (2007). Time capsule of Kalaignar. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. p. 63.
  6. Kannan, R. (2010). Anna: The Life and Times of C.N. Annadurai. New Delhi: Penguin Books. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-670-08328-2.
  7. "Poomaalai". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  8. "Poomalai | Tamil Movie Audio Jukebox". YouTube. Saregama. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  9. "திரையுலகில் கலைஞர்" [Artist in the world of films]. Dinamalar (in Tamil). 27 July 2018. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  10. Dheenadhayalan, P. (3 March 2016). "அஞ்சலி தேவி: 5. சத்ய சாயீ!". Dinamani (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  11. "Poomalai". The Indian Express. 23 October 1965. p. 3.
  12. Ramachandran, T. M. (4 December 1965). "Poomalai". Sport and Pastime. Vol. 19. p. 51.
  13. Vamanan (31 August 2018). "Rare scenes: When party lines blurred for Karuna". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
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