Kizhakku Cheemayile (pronounced [kiɻakku tɕiːmajileː] transl. In the east border) is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja. It stars Vijayakumar, Radhika and Napoleon, while Vignesh, Pandiyan, and Vadivelu play supporting roles. The film involves a touching sentimental story between a brother and a sister. The music was scored by A. R. Rahman, marking his first of several collaborations with Bharathiraja.
| Kizhakku Cheemayile | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Bharathiraja |
| Screenplay by | Bharathiraja |
| Story by | M. Rathnakumar |
| Produced by | Kalaipuli S. Thanu |
| Starring | Vijayakumar Radhika Napoleon |
| Cinematography | B. Kannan |
| Edited by | K. Pazhanivel |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
Production company | V Creations |
Release date |
|
Running time | 147 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Kizhakku Cheemayile was released on 13 November 1993, during Diwali, and became a commercial success. The film was remade in Telugu as Palnati Pourusham (1994) and unofficially in Kannada as Gowdru (2004).
Plot
editMaayaandi Thevan is very fond of his younger sister Virumaayi. She too pours love and affection onto Maayaandi. Virumaayi is married to Sivanaandi from the neighbouring village. Sivanaandi's brother-in-law Periya Karuppu does not like Maayaandi and tries to create a rift between them. During a village festival, he creates a problem between Maayaandi and Sivanaandi, causing the family to split. Periya Karuppu's wife realizes this and commits suicide. Thinking that Maayaandi is the reason for this, Sivanaandi breaks all ties with him and forbids Virumaayi from seeing her brother. Periya Karuppu also dies soon after that.
Years rolls by and Maayaandi's son Seenu comes back to the village after studying in the city. He sees his cousin, Virumaayi's daughter Pechchi and they both rekindle their love. Sivanaandi finds out and tries to separate the couple. He arranges Pechchi's wedding with his nephew Chinna Karuppu, who is a spoiled brat and womanizer. Pechchi, with the help of her mother, escapes home and meets Seenu.
A fight ensues between the two villages, with Maayaandi and Sivanaandi accusing each other for what Pechchi and Seenu did. Chinna Karuppu fights with Seenu, and in the end Seenu wins. Chinna Karuppu says that he is not an enemy to their love but hates his uncle Sivanaandi as he did not help his father Periya Karuppu, leading to his death. At the fighting ground, Virumaayi asks Maayaandi to spare her husband's life, but Sivanaandi tries to kill Maayaandi. Virumaayi comes in between and gets wounded in the neck by Sivanaandi, much to everyone's shock. She removes the nuptial string from her neck, declaring that she does not have any more relationship with Sivanaandi. She dies in her brother Maayaandi's arms. Maayaandi carries Virumaayi while a devastated Sivanaandi looks from afar.
Cast
edit- Vijayakumar as Maayaandi Thevan
- Radhika as Virumaayi
- Napoleon as Sivanaandi
- Vignesh as Seenu
- Pandiyan as Chinna Karuppu
- Vadivelu as Ochchu
- R. V. Aswini as Pechchi
- Viji Chandrasekhar as Kaudari
- Suryakanth as Periya Karuppu
- Rajaguru Ramarajan as Kanakku Pillai
- Sujatha
- Vijaya
- Sevvalai Raju as Villager (uncredited role)
- S. J. Suryah as a bull trainer (uncredited role)
- Kalyan in a special appearance
Production
editScreenwriter M. Rathnakumar first approached Kalaipuli S. Thanu to produce this film. Thanu liked the script, worked on it with him, and then asked him to narrate it to Bharathiraja, saying he is the appropriate person to direct the film. The project became a reality after he came on board. The film was made on first copy basis by Bharathiraja for the producer at a cost of ₹80 lakhs. Originally, Rajkiran was considered for the lead role. However, when his salary expectation was too high, Vijayakumar was finally selected for the role. Vadivelu was paid a small amount for the film. However, after acting in the film in the character of Occhu, he stated that this film's success would establish his career, which it did. Thanu advertised the film using only Bharathiraja, A. R. Rahman, and Vairamuthu in the wall posters on the launch date as they were more popular than the artistes. For the first time, computerised digital designing method was used to print posters and publicity materials.[1] Radhika was initially reluctant to accept playing the female lead since she had just given birth, but when Bharathiraja persuaded her, she relented.[2] Poet Arivumathi worked as an assistant with this film.[3]
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman and lyrics written by Vairamuthu.[4][5] Kizhakku Cheemayile was the first of five films in which Bharathiraja and Rahman worked together.[6] The songs gained Rahman notice for composing folk music, contrary to his reputation for composing westernised music.[7]
| Song | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|
| "Maanooththu Manthaiyile" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sasirekha | 5:15 |
| "Aathangara Marame" | Mano, Sujatha Mohan | 4:54 |
| "Edhukku Pondatti" | Shahul Hameed, T. K. Kala, Sunanda | 4:13 |
| "Then Kizhakku Cheemayile I" | K. S. Chithra, Malaysia Vasudevan | 5:41 |
| "Kathaazha Kaattu Vazhi" | S. Janaki, P. Jayachandran | 4:33 |
| "Then Kizhakku Cheemayile II" | K. S. Chithra, Malaysia Vasudevan | 1:41 |
Release and reception
editKizhakku Cheemayile was released on 13 November 1993, Diwali day.[8][9] Malini Mannath of The Indian Express wrote, "With some sterling performances [..] and some emotion-charged scenes that move the viewer, Kizhakku Cheemayile may not be the classic Bharatiraja film, but it is a good film that makes you forget its flaws."[10] Seetha Ravi of Kalki gave a more mixed review, saying the happiness in the stills was not present in the film.[11]
Accolades
edit| Event | Category | Recipient | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards | Best Actor (Special Prize) | Vijayakumar | [12] [13] [14] |
| Best Male Playback Singer | Jayachandran (for "Kathaazha Kaattu Vazhi") | ||
| 14th Cinema Express Awards | Best Film | Kalaipuli S. Thanu | [15] |
| Best Director | Bharathiraja | ||
| Best Actress | Radhika | ||
| Best Villain | Napoleon | ||
| Best Comedy Actor | Vadivelu |
Remakes
editKizhakku Cheemayile was remade in Telugu as Palnati Pourusham (1994)[16] and unofficially in Kannada as Gowdru (2004).[17]
References
edit- ^ Dhananjayan 2011, pp. 155–157.
- ^ "The Accidental Actress: Inside the life of TV queen Radikaa Sarathkumar". The News Minute. 15 February 2016. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ Saravanan, T. (9 October 2014). "Man of his word". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ "Kizhakku Cheemayile". JioSaavn. 16 November 2016. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ "Kizhakku Cheemayile Tamil Film Audio Cassette by A R Rahman". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ "The moments that defined A.R. Rahman's musical journey". The Hindu. 6 January 2017. slide 5. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Yamunan, Sruthisagar (22 September 2018). "Audio master: AR Rahman's 1990 masterwork 'Thiruda Thiruda' is still stealing hearts". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ "Kizhakku Cheemayile". The Indian Express. 13 November 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 17 November 2020 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ கிச்சா (14 November 1993). "எந்தக் குதிரை, ரேஸில் ஜெயிக்கும்?" [Which horse will win the race?] (PDF). Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 2–5. Retrieved 23 May 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Mannath, Malini (26 November 1993). "Bharatiraja stamp missing". The Indian Express. p. 6. Retrieved 9 January 2019 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ ரவி, சீதா (12 December 1993). "கிழக்கு சீமையிலே". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 1. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ Dhananjayan 2011, p. 158.
- ^ Parayath, Chitra (21 October 2003). "Jayachandran, The Magic Is Back!". Lokvani. Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ^ Ajith Kumar, P.K. (20 June 2008). "Melodic journey". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ "Kizhakku Cheemayile adjudged best film". The Indian Express. Express News Service. 13 March 1994. p. 3. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2021 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Trilok 2018, pp. 132–133.
- ^ "Shruti, Murali bag Karnataka film awards". The Times of India. 22 September 2005. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
Bibliography
edit- Dhananjayan, G. (2011). The Best of Tamil Cinema, 1931 to 2010: 1977–2010. Galatta Media. OCLC 733724281.
- Trilok, Krishna (18 September 2018). Notes of a Dream: The Authorized Biography of A.R. Rahman. India: Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-9353051969.
External links
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