Viduthalai (1954 film)

Viduthalai (lit. 'Freedom') is a 1954 Tamil-language crime drama film directed and produced by K. Ramnoth. It was adapted from the play The First and the Last by John Galsworthy. The film stars V. Nagaiah and R. S. Manohar in the lead roles. It was released on 12 February 1954 and failed at the box office.

For the 1986 film, see Viduthalai (1986 film).

Viduthalai
Poster
Directed by	K. Ramnoth
Produced by	K. Ramnoth
Written by	A. K. Velan
Screenplay by	K. Ramnoth
Story by	K. Ramnoth
Based on	The First and the Last by John Galsworthy
Starring	V. Nagaiah R. S. Manohar Krishna Kumari Javar Seetharaman T. V. Kumudhini
Music by	Lakshman Raghunath
Cinematography	Babulnath Walke
Edited by	Paul G. Yadav
Production company	New Era Productions
Distributed by	Subbu & Co.
Release date	12 February 1954
Running time	170 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Plot

Periaswamy, a crooked lawyer, tries to get his brother Chellaiah off a murder charge by framing Murugan, a horse carriage driver. Overcome with guilt, Chellaiah donates the money he wins in a lottery to Murugan and confesses to his crime in a letter before committing suicide. Periaswamy burns the letter, believing it will affect his chances of being promoted to judge, but the police arrest him, thinking he committed double murder.[1][2]

Cast

• Chittoor V. Nagaiah as Periaswamy[1]
• R. S. Manohar as Chellaiah[1]
• Krishna Kumari
• Javar Seetharaman
• T. V. Kumudhini as Chellaiah's wife[2]
• Peer Mohammed as Murugan[1]
• Nott Annaji Rao as the judge[2]

Production

Viduthalai was adapted from the play The First and the Last by John Galsworthy,[2] and was the inaugural production of New Era Productions.[3] Cinematography was handled by Babulnath Walke, and the editing by Paul G. Yadav. K. Ramnoth directed the film, which was produced by G. Ramakrishnan.[1][4]

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Lakshman Raghunath, and the lyrics were written by Subbu Arumugam, Velavan and Kothamangalam Subbu.[4]

No	Song	Singer	Length
1	Anbodu Inbamagaa	P. B. Srinivas	02:58
2	Inidhaagave Thendral	Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi	03:58

Release and reception

Viduthalai was released on 12 February 1954,[4] and was distributed by Subbu & Co.[3] The film failed commercially,[5] jeopardising Ramnoth in the process.[6]

References

1. Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1998) [1994]. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema (PDF). Oxford University Press. p. 339. ISBN 019-563579-5.
2. Guy, Randor (9 October 2010). "Viduthalai 1954". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
3. "Viduthalai". The Indian Express. 12 February 1954. p. 3.
4. Film News Anandan (2004). Sadhanaigal Padaitha Thamizh Thiraipada Varalaru [Tamil film history and its achievements] (in Tamil). Chennai: Sivagami Publishers. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
5. Guy, Randor (31 May 2014). "Kathanayaki (1955)". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
6. Baskaran, S. Theodore (1996). The Eye of the Serpent: An introduction to Tamil cinema. East West Books. p. 197. OCLC 243920437.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

External links

• Viduthalai on IMDb