Kalvanin Kadhali (1955 film)
Kalvanin Kadhali (transl. The Thief's Lover) is a 1955 Indian Tamil-language romance film directed by V. S. Raghavan and written by S. D. Sundharam. Starring Sivaji Ganesan and P. Bhanumathi, it is based on the novel of the same name by Kalki Krishnamurthy.[1][2] The film was released on 13 November 1955.
| Kalvanin Kadhali | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | V. S. Raghavan |
| Produced by | P. Rajamanickam Chettiar |
| Screenplay by | S. D. Sundharam |
| Based on | Kalvanin Kadhali by Kalki Krishnamurthy |
| Starring | Sivaji Ganesan P. Bhanumathi |
| Music by | G. Govindarajulu Naidu Ghantasala |
| Cinematography | N. C. Balakrishnan |
| Edited by | V. S. Rajan |
Production company | Revathi Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 128 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
At the Poonkulam village, Kalyani and Muththaiyan are lovers. Circumstances brand Muththaiyan a dacoit, but Kalyani remains steadfast in her love. Evading the police, Muthaiyan leads the life of an exile in the forest. When things come to a head, Muththaiyan and Kalyani decide to run away to some far-off place and settle down to marital bliss. Muththaiyan's loyal friend Kamalapathi, a stage actor, makes all arrangements for their escape. In order to hoodwink the vigilant police inspector Shastri, Kamalapathi disguises himself as a woman and goes to the forest to meet Muthaiyan and appraise him of the plans. When Kalyani comes to the appointed place, she finds Muthaiyan embracing another woman. Not realizing that it is Kamalapathi whom Muththaiyan is expressing his heartfelt thanks to, she suspects her lover's loyalty and runs away in a rage. Inspector Shastri, who is also in disguise, meets Kalyani at this juncture and enquires Muthaiyan's whereabouts. Unthinking in her anger, Kalyani blurts out Muththaiyan's location. Seeing Shastri run with his gun, Kalyani realizes that he is a police officer, and runs after him. Muthaiyan is shot dead by the police, and Kalyani commits suicide to reunite with him in death.
Cast
- Sivaji Ganesan as Muthaiyan
- P. Bhanumathi as Kalyani
- T. R. Ramachandran as Kamalapathy
- K. Sarangapani as Inspector Shastri
- T. S. Durairaj as Sanka Pillai
- T. D. Kusalakumari as Abirami
- D. Balasubramaniam as Kalyani's father
- S. R. Janaki
- K. R. Chellam
Production
Drawing inspiration from a dacoit in Thanjavur, Kalki Krishnamurthy wrote a story titled Kalvanin Kadhali with the intention of making it a film. Unable to attract investors, he instead published the screenplay as a serial novel in the magazine Ananda Vikatan upon advice from S. S. Vasan, and it became a success. The complete story was later published as a paperback and adapted for the stage by TKS Brothers, achieving success at both times. In 1949, after Nallathambi (1949), N. S. Krishnan announced that a film version of Kalvanin Kadhali would be his next project, with C. N. Annadurai as writer, but the film never came to fruition. The film rights to the novel were later acquired by Revathi Productions, who launched the film with V. S. Raghavan as director and S. D. Sundharam as writer.[1]
Soundtrack
The music composed by G. Govindarajulu Naidu & Ghantasala. Lyrics by Mahakavi Bharathiyar, Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai and S. D. Sundharam.
| No. | Song | Singers | Lyrics | Length | Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Kaalam Varugudhu Nalla Kaalam Varugudhu" | T. M. Soundararajan | G. Govindarajulu Naidu | ||
| 2 | "Thamizh Thirunaadu Thannai Petra" | M. L. Vasanthakumari & N. L. Ganasaraswathi | Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai | 02:01 | |
| 3 | "Ezhuthi Sellum Vidhiyin Kai" | T. M. Soundararajan | |||
| 4 | "Manadhil Urudhi Vendum" | T. M. Soundararajan & P. Bhanumathi | Mahakavi Bharathiyar | 02:51 | |
| 5 | "Manadhil Urudhi Vendum" | T. M. Soundararajan | Mahakavi Bharathiyar | 00:32 | |
| 6 | "Nallathor Veenai Seidhe" | P. Bhanumathi | Mahakavi Bharathiyar | 02:30 | |
| 7 | "Valaipugum Podhe Thalaivaangum Paambe" | T. M. Soundararajan | 03:32 | ||
| 8 | "Alli Malar Solai Inba Valli Ival Thaane" P. Bhanumathi | ||||
| 9 | "Therkatthi Kallanadaa...." (Sadhaaram Naadagam) | Thiruchi Loganathan, Seerkazhi Govindarajan & Shanmugasundharam | 09:21 | ||
| 10 | "Mannukkeedu Pon Kettaal" | Ghantasala | 02:01 | Ghantasala | |
| 11 | "Veyirkktera Nizhalundu" | Ghantasala & P. Bhanumathi | Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai | 02:48 | |
| 12 | "Veyirkktera Nizhalundu" | Ghantasala | Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai | 02;53 |
Reception
According to historian Randor Guy, the sequences where Ganesan delivers "long-winding dialogue in high flown Tamil, filled with alliterative phrases" felt inappropriate since his character was an illiterate thief.[1]
References
- Guy, Randor (22 November 2008). "Kalvanin Kadhali 1955". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul, eds. (1998) [1994]. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema (PDF). Oxford University Press. p. 341. ISBN 0-19-563579-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)