Poomalai
1965 film by P. Neelakantan
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Poomalai (pronounced [puːmaːlaɪ] 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 by | P. Neelakantan |
| Written by | M. Karunanidhi |
| Produced by | Murasoli Maran |
| Starring | S. S. Rajendran C. R. Vijayakumari Anjali Devi |
| Cinematography | Amirtham |
| Edited by | R. Devarajan |
| Music by | R. Sudarsanam |
Production company | Meghala Pictures |
| Distributed by | Meghala Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 150 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
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
- S. S. Rajendran as Sundaram
- C. R. Vijayakumari as Poomalai[1]
- Anjali Devi as Maragatham
- Nagesh as Chittu
- Manorama as Myna
- S. A. Ashokan as Anand
- Rajasree as Nalina
- T. S. Muthaiah as Poomalai and Anand's father
- V. R. Thilakam as Leela
- M. S. Bhakkyam as Subbhamma
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.[2] Karunanidhi appeared as himself onscreen, giving the film's opening monologue.[3] Although Karunanidhi was the owner of Meghala Pictures,[4] he was not credited as the film's producer.[2]
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.[5]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by R. Sudarsanam.[6][7]
| Songs | Lyricist | Singers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Badhamgeer...Rani Diamond" | Seetharaman | S. C. Krishnan, L. R. Eswari | 03:53 |
| "Kannam Kannam" | M. Karunanidhi | L. R. Eswari | 03:48 |
| "Kattai Viral" | Kumaradevan | P. Susheela | 04:19 |
| "Penne Un Gathi" | Mayavanathan | C. S. Jayaraman | 03:09 |
| "Ulagame Ethirthaalum" | Mayavanathan | C. S. Jayaraman | 02:52 |
| "Un Ennathai" | Kavi Rajagopal | T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela | 03:45 |
Release
Reception
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".[12] 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".[13] Kalki praised the film for Vijayakumari's performance and Neelakanta's direction.[14]