Rosappu Ravikkaikari

Rosappu Ravikkaikari (transl. The girl with the rose-coloured blouse) is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language romance film directed by Devaraj–Mohan and produced by Thirupur Mani. A remake of the 1978 Kannada film Parasangada Gendethimma, itself adapted from Srikrishna Alanahalli's novella of the same name, the film stars Sivakumar, Deepa and Sivachandran. Set in British-ruled India, it revolves around a modern woman who cannot tolerate her rustic husband and her mother-in-law, and engages in an extramarital affair.

Rosappu Ravikkaikari
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDevaraj–Mohan
Produced byThirupur Mani
Screenplay byKrishna
Based onParasangada Gendethimma
StarringSivakumar
Deepa
Sivachandran
Music byIlaiyaraaja
CinematographyR. N. K. Prasad
Edited byT. P. Sekar
Production
company
Release date
  • 18 May 1979 (1979-05-18)
Running time
124 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Rosappu Ravikkaikari is Sivakumar's 100th film as an actor. The film was the debut of screenwriter Vijay Krishnaraj, and Vinu Chakravarthy as an actor in Tamil cinema. It was released on 18 May 1979 and became a critical and commercial success. For his performance, Sivakumar won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.

Plot

In British-ruled India, Sembattayan, a naive and illiterate villager, is the sole breadwinner of his family in Vandicholai. He makes a living by selling betel leaves, covering fast distances by foot. His mother gets him married to Nandhini, an educated and modern woman from a neighbouring village. The villagers are surprised that Sembattayan has such a wife and start suspecting her character for stooping down to the level of marrying Sembattayan, who is a complete mismatch for her. Nandhini finds it difficult to live in their home which lacks all the facilities she is used to.

Sembattayan's mother harasses Nandhini and abuses her for her lifestyle and neglecting domestic duties. Unable to tolerate it, Sembattayan establishes a separate home with Nandhini and she is pleased. She concentrates more on grooming herself and her demands keep rising. Sembattayan futilely tries to make her realise that inner beauty is more important than outer beauty which is just skin deep. Manickam, an agent of the British, comes to Vandicholai for recruiting workers and seeks Sembattayan's help for the same. Sembattayan obliges him, Manickam keeps visiting the village on this work and also learns about Nandhini's longings.

When Nandhini's father invites Sembattayan and Nandhini for a village festival, Sembattayan innocently sends Nandhini on Manickam's motorcycle. Nandhini and Manickam, smitten by each other, get into a physical relationship on the way. Manickam keeps visiting Nandhini regularly without Sembattayan's knowledge. When villagers start to gossip about this extramarital affair, Sembattayan is saddened, but he still trusts Nandhini. He soon learns about Nandhini's pregnancy and is overjoyed, unaware that he is not the father of her child.

The villagers accuse Sembattayan of spoiling the women of Vandicholai by selling fancy items to please his wife and thus imposing city culture on them. One day, he reaches his home before his usual time and hears a man's voice. Through the window, he sees Nandhini and Manickam in a compromising position. Devastated, he remembers his mother's warning that if Nandhini is not controlled, she would be responsible for his destruction, and leaves to commit suicide in a pond, while Nandhini too contemplates suicide out of guilt. When Sembattayan’s corpse is retrieved from the pond, the villages speculate about the reason for his death differently.

Cast

Production

Vandichakkaram, written by Vinu Chakravarthy, was originally intended to be the 100th film for Sivakumar as an actor; however, after Chakravarthy, director K. Vijayan and producer Thirupur Mani saw the 1978 Kannada film Parasangada Gendethimma,[4] an adaptation of the novella of the same name by Srikrishna Alanahalli,[5] they told Sivakumar that a remake of this film would be a better fit as his 100th film.[4] The remake, titled Rosappu Ravikkaikari, was directed by the duo Devaraj–Mohan and produced by Mani under Vivekananda Pictures.[6] Chakravarthy made his debut as an actor in Tamil with this film. He worked on the Kannada original and it was Alanahalli who recommended him for the remake.[7] The screenplay was written by Vijay Krishnaraj (credited simply as Krishna), making his cinematic debut.[8] T. P. Sekar and R. N. K. Prasad worked as editor and cinematographer respectively.[9]

Themes

In his book Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's Other Film Industry, Selvaraj Velayutham writes that films portraying adulterous heroines basically attempt to explore the complexities of womanhood and sexuality, citing Rosappu Ravikkaikari as an example.[10]

Soundtrack
Rosappu Ravikkaikari
Soundtrack album by
Ilaiyaraaja
Released1979
GenreSoundtrack
Length17:56
LanguageTamil
LabelEMI Records
ProducerIlaiyaraaja

The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja,[11][12] while the lyrics were written by Pulamaipithan and Gangai Amaran.[9][1] The song "Maaman Oru Naal" is set in the Carnatic raga known as Harikambhoji (also known as Hari Kambhodhi),[13][14] while "Yennullil Yengo" is set in the Madhuvanti raga.[15][16]

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Vethala Vethala"Gangai AmaranMalaysia Vasudevan, Sivakumar4:21
2."Maaman Oru Naal"Gangai AmaranS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. P. Sailaja4:39
3."Uchi Vanguntheduthu"PulamaipithanS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. P. Sailaja4:40
4."Yennullil Yengo"Gangai AmaranVani Jairam4:16
Total length:17:56

Release and reception

Rosappu Ravikkaikari was released on 18 May 1979.[17] The film received an "A" (adults only) certificate after three cuts.[18] It received critical acclaim,[19] and became a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres.[6][20] The Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan, in a review dated 27 May 1979, rated the film 50 out of 100, praising Sivakumar's performance and the background score by Ilaiyaraaja.[21] Sivakumar won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.[22]

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References
  1. Guy, Randor (23 July 2016). "Blast from the past: Rosapoo Ravikaikari (1979)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  2. "ரோசாப்பூ ரவிக்கைக்காரி - ஒரு மீள்பார்வை" [Rosappu Ravikkaikari: An Overview]. Keetru (in Tamil). 19 February 2010. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  3. Peter, Petlee (17 September 2012). "Tamil comedian 'Loose' Mohan passes away". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  4. Kumar, S. R. Ashok (28 May 2020). "Landmark films, golden memories". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  5. Vamanan (3 May 2017). "From 'Silk' to sensitive tales, Vinu left his imprints behind". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  6. "பிளாஷ்பேக்: சமூக புரட்சியை ஏற்படுத்திய ரோசாப்பூ ரவிக்கைக்காரி" [Flashback: Rosappu Ravikkaikari created social waves]. Dinamalar (in Tamil). 8 February 2017. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  7. "Profile of Vinu Chakravarthy". Lakshman Sruthi. Archived from the original on 5 May 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  8. "நல்ல பெயர் கெடைச்சிருக்கு!" [I've earned a good name!]. Dinamalar (in Tamil). 10 February 2019. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  9. Rosappu Ravikkaikari [The girl with the rose-coloured blouse] (motion picture) (in Tamil). Vivekananda Pictures. 1979. Opening credits, from 0:27 to 2:50.
  10. Velayutham, Selvaraj (2008). Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's Other Film Industry. Routledge. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-203-93037-3.
  11. "Rosapoo Ravikaikari (1979)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  12. Ilaiyaraaja (1979). Rosapoo Ravikkaikkari (liner notes) (in Tamil). EMI Records. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  13. Sundararaman 2007, p. 141.
  14. Mani, Charulatha (6 December 2013). "Positively tranquil". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  15. Mani, Charulatha (9 November 2012). "Twice as nice". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  16. Sundararaman 2007, p. 130.
  17. Kumar, K. Naresh (23 May 2020). "Suriya's father's 100th film was adults only!". The Hans India. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  18. "Rosappu Ravikkaikari (Tamil)". The Gazette of India. No. 419. 16 February 1980. p. 986.
  19. Srinivasan, Sheilu; Amar, Swati (June 2014). "Throw the Past into Garbage. What are You Now?" (PDF). Dignity Dialogue. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  20. "சிவகுமாரின் 100-வது படம் ரோசாப்பூ ரவிக்கைக்காரி" [Sivakumar's 100th film Rosappu Ravikkaikari]. Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 30 April 2016. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  21. "ரோசாப்பூ ரவிக்கைக்காரி" [The girl with the rose-coloured blouse]. Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). 27 May 1979. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  22. The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who's who. Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. 1984. p. 234.

Bibliography
  • Sundararaman (2007) [2005]. Raga Chintamani: A Guide to Carnatic Ragas Through Tamil Film Music (2nd ed.). Pichhamal Chintamani.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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