Kalvanin Kadhali (transl. The Thief's Lover) is a 1955 Indian Tamil-language romantic crime 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. The film was released on 13 November 1955 and completed a theatrical run of 80 days.
| Kalvanin Kadhali | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | V. S. Raghavan |
| Screenplay by | S. D. Sundharam |
| Based on | Kalvanin Kadhali by Kalki Krishnamurthy |
| Produced by | P. Rajamanickam Chettiar |
| Starring | Sivaji Ganesan P. Bhanumathi |
| Cinematography | N. C. Balakrishnan |
| Edited by | V. S. Rajan |
| Music by | G. Govindarajulu Naidu Ghantasala |
Production company | Revathi Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 190 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (October 2021) |
At the Poonkulam village, Kalyani and Muthayyan are lovers. Circumstances brand Muthayyan a dacoit, but Kalyani remains steadfast in her love. Evading the police, Muthayyan leads the life of an exile in the forest. When things come to a head, Muthayyan and Kalyani decide to run away to some far-off place and settle down to marital bliss. Muthayyan'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 Muthayyan and appraise him of the plans.
When Kalyani comes to the appointed place, she finds Muthayyan embracing another woman. Not realising that it is Kamalapathi whom Muthayyan 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 Muthayyan's whereabouts. Unthinking in her anger, Kalyani blurts out Muthayyan's location. Seeing Shastri run with his gun, Kalyani realises that he is a police officer, and runs after him. Muthayyan is shot dead by the police, and Kalyani commits suicide to reunite with him in death.
Cast
edit- Sivaji Ganesan as Muthayyan[1]
- P. Bhanumathi as Kalyani[1]
- T. R. Ramachandran as Kamalapathy
- K. Sarangapani as Inspector Saambu Shastri[2]
- T. S. Durairaj as Sangu Pillai[1]
- T. D. Kusalakumari as Abirami[1]
- D. Balasubramaniam as Kalyani's father[2]
- S. R. Janaki as Kamalapathi's mother
- K. R. Chellam as Meenakshi, Shastri's wife[2]
- P. D. Sambandam as Maniyam
- P. S. Venkatachalam as Pannaiyar Pachanatham Pillai
- T. N. Sivadhanu as Ratnam Pillai
Production
editDrawing 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.[2] In 1949, N. S. Krishnan announced a film adaptation of Kalvanin Kadhali,[3] with C. N. Annadurai as screenwriter, but the project never came to fruition.[2] The film rights to the novel were later acquired by Revathi Productions, who kickstarted the film with V. S. Raghavan as director and S. D. Sundharam as screenwriter.[2]
Soundtrack
editThe music composed by G. Govindarajulu Naidu & Ghantasala.[citation needed]
| Song | Music | Singers | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Kaalam Varugudhu Nalla Kaalam Varugudhu" | G. Govindarajulu Naidu | T. M. Soundararajan | ||
| "Thamizh Thirunaadu Thannai Petra" | M. L. Vasanthakumari & N. L. Ganasaraswathi | Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai | 02:01 | |
| "Ezhuthi Sellum Vidhiyin Kai" | T. M. Soundararajan | |||
| "Manadhil Urudhi Vendum" | T. M. Soundararajan & P. Bhanumathi | Mahakavi Bharathiyar | 02:51 | |
| "Manadhil Urudhi Vendum" | T. M. Soundararajan | 00:32 | ||
| "Nallathor Veenai Seidhe" | P. Bhanumathi | 02:30 | ||
| "Valaipugum Podhe Thalaivaangum Paambe" | T. M. Soundararajan | 03:32 | ||
| "Alli Malar Solai Inba Valli Ival Thaane" | P. Bhanumathi, A. P. Komala & K. Rani | S. D. Sundharam | 03:38 | |
| "Therkatthi Kallanadaa...." (Sadhaaram Naadagam) |
Thiruchi Loganathan, Sirkazhi Govindarajan & Shanmugasundharam | 09:21 | ||
| "Mannukkeedu Pon Kettaal" | Ghantasala | Ghantasala | 02:01 | |
| "Veyirkktera Nizhalundu" | Ghantasala & P. Bhanumathi | Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai | 02:48 | |
| "Veyirkktera Nizhalundu" | Ghantasala | 02;53 |
Release
editKalvanin Kadhali was released on 13 November 1955, Diwali day.[4] The film was released in five theatres – Gaiety, Mahalakshmi, Sayani, Rajakumari and Prabhat – and completed a theatrical run of 80 days.[5] According to historian Randor Guy, the sequences where Ganesan delivers "long-winding dialogue in high flown Tamil, filled with alliterative phrases" felt incongruous since his character was an illiterate thief.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1998) [1994]. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema. British Film Institute and Oxford University Press. p. 341. ISBN 0-19-563579-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g Guy, Randor (22 November 2008). "Kalvanin Kadhali 1954 [sic]". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ "கள்வனின் காதலி". Kalki (in Tamil). 10 April 1949. p. 8. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "'எங்கிருந்தோ வந்தாள்' இங்கிருந்து வந்தாள்!". Dinamalar (in Tamil). Nellai. 17 February 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ தீனதயாளன், பா. (1 January 2016). "பானுமதி: 4. பூங்கோதையும்... கல்யாணியும்..." Dinamani (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.