Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal
Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal (transl. Some people at some moments) is a 1977 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by A. Bhimsingh, based on the novel of the same title, by Jayakanthan. It stars Lakshmi, Srikanth and Nagesh. The soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan. The film was released on 1 April 1976 with a length of 3570 meters and was critically acclaimed. Lakshmi won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the lead character Ganga.[2] The film was remade into the 2011 Malayalam television series Chila Nerangalil Chila Manushyar in Amrita TV.[3]
| Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Directed by | A. Bhimsingh |
| Produced by | B. Hrudayanath |
| Screenplay by | Jayakanthan |
| Based on | Sila Nerangalil Sila Manthiragal by Jayakanthan |
| Starring | Lakshmi |
| Music by | M. S. Viswanathan |
| Cinematography | G. Vittal Rao |
| Edited by | A. Paul Duraisingam |
Production company | A. B. S. Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 130 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
Ganga, a college student from an "orthodox" Tamil Brahmin family, has a sexual encounter with a stranger who offers her a lift on a rainy day. Ganga is uncertain about her participation in the event. She, overcome by guilt and self-loathing, construes the event as rape. Her disillusioned face forces out a "confession" to her mother about what happened earlier. Overhearing this, Ganga's brother, who's the "breadwinner" of the family, disowns and evicts her from the house (in Sri Rangam). She then moves in with her uncle—mother's elder brother in Madras—who assures full support in continuing her education. After successful graduation, she gets employed in a private firm and grows to take the top managerial position. Ganga, until then lives a single life resisting the pressure to lie about the "incident" (which, presumably, would ruin her life with another man). Her assumed status as a "spoilt" woman also implicitly encourages her lecherous uncle to make sexual advances.
It is during this time she chances up on the "stranger", Prabhu. She musters up the courage to introduce herself as who "she really is" and get Prabhu to discuss "that" fateful evening. She then realizes that she probably showed as much interest in the sex as did Prabhu. The revelation brings Ganga closer to Prabhu as friends. They find their characteristics agreeable and the friendship matures into love. But unable to transcend the society's norms, Prabhu advises her to marry someone else. When all attempts to convince Prabhu fail, Ganga is forced to part ways with him. The film ends with a note of appreciation for her "purity" and self-induced monogamous relationship with Prabhu.
Cast
- Lakshmi as Ganga[4]
- Srikanth as Prabhu
- Nagesh as Viswanatha Sarma[5]
- Y. G. Parthasarathy as Venkatarama Iyer
- Sundari Bai as Ganga's mother
- R. Neelakantan as Ganesan - Ganga's brother
- Sukumari as Ganesan's wife
- Rajasulochana as Padma
- Jayageetha as Manju
- Bhuvanadevi as Mrs. Immanuel
Soundtrack
| # | Song Title | Lyrics | Singers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Veru Idam Thedi" | Jayakanthan | Vani Jairam |
| 2 | Kandathai Sollugiren Ungal | Jayakanthan/Vaali | M. S. Viswanathan |
Production
Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal is based on the novel of same name, by Jayakanthan which was a detailed version of his short story Agni Pravesam.[6] Bhimsingh decided to adapt the novel into a feature film. Jayakanthan wrote the screenplay for the film discarding the traditional commercial elements.[6] Lakshmi was chosen as the female lead under the recommendation of K. Balachander. Since the film took considerable days of time to complete, Lakshmi did not co-operate during the time and she did not dub entirely for the film instead other actress who appeared as Anglo-Indian women in the film had dubbed her voice.[6]
Reception
In a review dated 17 April 1977, Ananda Vikatan was positive towards the film, particularly Lakshmi's performance.[7]
References
- "சில நேரங்களில் சில மனிதர்கள்' - அப்பவே அப்படி கதை". Hindu Tamil Thisai. 1 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- "Bezwada Wilson, K.T. Gatti among winners". The Hindu. 31 October 2016. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- "Chila Nerangalil Chila Manushyar comes alive on Amrita TV". Afaqs. 14 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- National Film Archive of India [@NFAIOfficial] (13 December 2017). "Born #OnThisDay: LAKSHMI Acclaimed for Chattakkari (1974) & its Hindi remake Julie (1975). Her performance as an unmarried mother in this unconventional film was widely acclaimed. She won the National Award for portrayal of Ganga in Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal (1976)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ""Nagaichuvai Mannan" Nagesh: Monarch of Humorous Actors in Tamil Movies". dbsjeyaraj.com. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- Dhananjayan 2014, p. 239.
- "சில நேரங்களில் சில மனிதர்கள்". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). 17 April 1977.
External links
Bibliography
- Dhananjayan, G. (2014). Pride of Tamil Cinema: 1931 to 2013. Blue Ocean Publishers. ISBN 978-93-84301-05-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)