Nenjil Or Aalayam

Nenjil Or Aalayam

Theatrical release poster
Directed by C. V. Sridhar
Produced by C. V. Sridhar
Written by C. V. Sridhar
Starring Kalyan Kumar
Devika
R. Muthuraman
Music by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy
Cinematography A. Vincent
Edited by N. M. Shankar
Production
company
Chitralaya Pictures
Distributed by Chitralaya Pictures
Release dates
  • 26 January 1962 (1962-01-26)
Running time
 152–164 minutes[lower-alpha 1]
Country India
Language Tamil

Nenjil Or Aalayam (English: A Temple in the Heart) is a 1962 Indian Tamil-language romantic-drama film, written and directed by C. V. Sridhar, who produced it under the banner of Chitralaya Pictures. The film features Kalyan Kumar, Devika and R. Muthuraman in the lead roles. Nagesh, Manorama and Kutty Padmini also play supporting roles. The original soundtrack album and background score were composed by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy, while the lyrics for the songs were written by Kannadasan.

The film revolves around a young woman named Seetha, her husband Venu and Dr. Murali, who was Seetha's lover. Due to his tenure overseas, Seetha's parents force her to marry another person. A few years later, Venu contracts cancer and Seetha brings him to Chennai to meet a cancer specialist who, to her dismay, turns out to be Murali. Realising that something is worrying Seetha, Venu gives her the freedom to marry Murali after his death. The remainder of the film shows how Murali sacrifices his love for the sake of the couple's happiness and cures Venu.

Nenjil Or Aalayam was released on 26 January 1962, coinciding with Republic Day in India. The film received positive critical feedback and went on to become a commercial success. The songs "Sonnathu Neethaana" and "Engirundhaalum Vaazhga" remain popular today among the Tamil diaspora. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil and the President's Award for Sridhar at the 10th National Film Awards. It also won the Cinema Express Award for Best Film.

The film became a trendsetter for both fast-paced filmmaking and triangular love stories with sacrifice as the theme. Sridhar remade the film in Hindi as Dil Ek Mandir (1963) and in Telugu as Manase Mandiram (1966). It was also remade in Malayalam as Hridayam Oru Kshethram (1976), and in Kannada as Kumkuma Rakshe (1977). The former was directed by P. Subramaniam while the latter was by S. K. A. Chari.

Plot

Murali (Kalyan Kumar) goes abroad to pursue higher studies in medicine. Unfortunately, during his tenure overseas, his girlfriend Seetha (Devika) is forced by her parents to marry another person. Devastated upon hearing the news, Murali swears a vow of lifelong celibacy and devotes himself to saving people suffering from cancer. A few years later, Venu (R. Muthuraman) happens to be critically ill with cancer and has to be operated upon. The treatment for Venu progresses well until Murali meets Venu's wife, who happens to be Seetha. When Seetha comes to know that the doctor treating Venu is Murali, whom she had left, she becomes upset.

Though Murali does his best to cure Venu, Seetha is worried that Murali might take revenge on her by not providing proper treatment to Venu, who in the meantime, comes to know of Murali and Seetha's love. Venu requests Murali to marry Seetha in case the operation is unsuccessful as he does not wish for his wife to become a widow. Seetha becomes infuriated when she discovers Venu's request and tells Murali that if Venu dies, she would die as well. Murali promises Seetha that he will save Venu even if he has to risk his own life on the line.

Murali works hard to save Venu so as not to create a misconception that he killed Venu to be with Seetha. With great difficulty, Murali manages to successfully cure Venu's cancer. However, when Murali reads the results of the operation, he becomes so overjoyed at its success that he unexpectedly dies of high blood pressure due to his over-excitement. Venu and Seetha realise that Murali had sacrificed his life for their happiness and remains in their hearts.

Woven into the story is a sub-plot following a girl (Kutty Padmini), who is in the same hospital Murali works in, and undergoes treatment for the same disease that Venu contracted. Sadly, her fate is contrary.

Cast

Lead actors
Male supporting actors
Female supporting actors

Production

The song "Sonnathu Neethaana" was filmed with 60 different angles being used by the film's cinematographer A. Vincent.

Nenjil Or Aalayam was the third film to be directed by C. V. Sridhar after Kalyana Parisu (1958) and Then Nilavu (1961).[1] Sridhar, who produced the film under the banner of Chitralaya Pictures in addition to writing the screenplay and dialogues, had originally planned to cast Gemini Ganesan and Savitri in the lead roles, however both of them opted out of the film due to scheduling conflicts. As a result, Sridhar replaced them with R. Muthuraman and Devika respectively.[3] Sridhar was impressed with Muthuraman's performance in the stage play Vadivel Vathiyar in which he played an antagonistic role, and subsequently selected him for the role of Venu.[3] Nenjil Or Aalayam was Muthuraman's first film as a lead actor as he had performed mainly supporting roles prior to Nenjil Or Aalayam.[4] The film marked the debut of Kannada actor Kalyan Kumar and Kutty Padmini, who played the roles of Murali and the dying child respectively.[3] Manorama,[5] V. S. Raghavan,[6] and Santha Kumari were cast in supporting roles.[7]

Nagesh stayed with actor K. Balaji during his early days as an upcoming comedian for three years. Balaji introduced Nagesh to Sridhar, who offered him a role on Balaji's recommendation.[3][8] In a 2006 interview, Nagesh revealed that he was initially to play the role of a country bumpkin, but was chosen by Sridhar to play the role that was supposed to be portrayed by S. Rama Rao.[3][9] The screenplay and dialogues for Nagesh's portions were written by Chitralaya Gopu.[10]

Principal photography was conducted on the ninth floor of Chennai's Vijaya Vauhini Studios, where the hospital set was erected by the film's art director, Ganga.[3] For the song "Sonnathu Neethaana", the shot where the camera pans beneath Muthuraman's bed and rising out was captured using a camera dolly. The song was filmed with 60 different angles being used by the film's cinematographer A. Vincent.[3][11] Nenjil Or Aalayam was the first Tamil film to be shot entirely on a set.[3][11] Filming was completed in less than 30 days.[lower-alpha 2] The final length of the film's prints were 4,514 m (14,810 ft) long.[4]

Music

Nenjil Or Aalayam
Soundtrack album by
Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy
Genre Soundtrack
Language Tamil
Label Saregama
Producer
  • M. S. Viswanathan
  • T. K. Ramamoorthy

The original soundtrack album and background score for Nenjil Or Aalayam were composed by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy (a duo consisting of M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy), while the lyrics were written by Kannadasan.[3] The soundtrack album was released under the label of Saregama.[17] Initially Sridhar decided not to have any songs in the film but later changed his decision.[lower-alpha 3]

The inspiration for the opening line of the song "Engirundhalum Vaazhga" came to Kannadasan when he happened to hear the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, C. N. Annadurai's speech on actor Sivaji Ganesan at a film function.[lower-alpha 4] When Annadurai heard of Ganesan joining the Indian National Congress, he wished the latter success by saying, "Sivaji ... nee engirundhalum vaazhga ..."[3] The idea for the tune of the song "Muthana Muthallavo" came to Viswanathan during a car journey with Kannadasan, who wrote the lyrics for the song within three minutes.[3] "Muthana Muthallavo" was recorded in 20 minutes.[18] The lyrics for the song "Sonnathu Neethaana", which is based on the Jaunpuri raga,[19] was coined by Kannadasan when he came to know that Viswanathan commented negatively on his drinking habit.[3] Portions of the song "Ninaipadhellam" are based on the Keeravani raga.[20]

The album received positive reviews from critics.[18] Film producer and writer G. Dhananjayan mentions in his book Pride of Tamil Cinema - 1931 to 2013 that the songs were "evergreen" and contributed to the film's success.[18] Film historian and columnist Randor Guy approved of the music, considering "Ninaipadhellam" to have "excellent background orchestration".[5] Film critic Baradwaj Rangan, writing for The New Indian Express, opined that "Engirundhaalum Vaazhga" had set "the precedent for several generations of jilted lovers".[11] On "Sonnathu Neethaana", singer Charulatha Mani wrote, "The subtle pathos that P. Susheela imparts when she sings 'sol sol..en uyire' is notable."[19] P. K. Ajith Kumar of The Hindu stated, "Just as [Susheela] does not need to know the language to sing a song perfectly, we need not know Tamil to enjoy her songs like ... Sonnathu neethanaa... ( Nenjil Oru Aalayam )".[21] Following Viswanathan's death in July 2015, the news agency, Press Trust of India wrote that "Ninaipadhellam" was "memorable for the deep sense of solace it offered to wounded hearts."[22]

Tracklist[17]
No. TitleSinger(s) Length
1. "Engirundhaalum Vaazhga"  A. L. Raghavan 03:16
2. "Enna Ninaithu"  P. Susheela 03:30
3. "Muthana Muthallavo"  P. Susheela 03:35
4. "Ninaipadhellam"  P. B. Sreenivas 03:28
5. "Oruvar Vaazhum Aalaiyam"  T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela 03:18
6. "Sonnathu Neethaana"  P. Susheela 03:35
Total length:
 20:42

Release

Nenjil Or Aalayam was released on 26 January 1962, coinciding with the Republic Day of India.[4] Sridhar had to release the film on his own since no distributors were willing to buy it.[3] The film received critical acclaim and was also commercially successful upon release; it ran for 25 weeks in theatres, becoming a silver jubilee film.[3][lower-alpha 5] The film is hailed as a landmark for portraying a triangular love story in an innovative manner.[18] The film's successful outing at the box office led Sridhar to give salary again to all the cast and crew members involved with the film.[18]

Sridhar remade the film in Hindi as Dil Ek Mandir (1963) and in Telugu as Manase Mandiram (1966).[3][23] It was also remade in Malayalam as Hridayam Oru Kshethram and in Kannada as Kumkuma Rakshe (1977).[3][24] California-based Indian filmmaker Jag Mundhra was keen on remaking Dil Ek Mandir in English and Hindi, effecting some marginal changes in the film treatment. Mundhra met Sridhar to ask for the rights to the film's script only to learn that Sridhar had assigned it to a film financier for a paltry sum, for eternity. The financier demanded an exorbitant fee for giving up the rights. The fee amounted to 75% of Mundhra's budget.[5]

Critical reception

Nenjil Or Aalayam received positive feedback from critics.[18] Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan appreciated the film and mentioned, "It is an innovative film made like Hollywood films and a sincere attempt to improve the taste of filmgoers for quality films".[25] Film historian Randor Guy wrote, "Sridhar proved that movies could be made with new faces, limited sets and low budgets if one had an interesting, emotionally rich story, tautly narrated on screen with pleasing music". Guy concluded his review by stating that the film would be "remembered for its excellent music and impressive performances by Muthuraman, Devika, Kalyankumar [sic], Nagesh, Manorama and child artiste Padmini."[5] D. Meera Chithirappaavai of Behindwoods wrote, "Sridhar's Nenjil Oor Aalayam [sic] reminded every viewer of their lost love."[26]

Following Devika's demise in 2002, S. R. Ashok Kumar of The Hindu wrote, "If the song "Sonnathu needhana" [sic] attained immortality, thanks to the lyrical richness Kannadasan bestowed on it, the credit for making it visually poignant goes to Devika, who rendered it in the film."[27] Another journalist from The Hindu, T. Ramakrishnan noted, "Caught between her former lover and her husband who was battling for life, Devika strongly displayed the plight that any woman in such situations could face."[28] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu said, "Decades may pass but the comedy element even in a serious story remains unforgettable. Nagesh's fun fare in the film with Manorama, juxtaposed with the staid and sedate performances of Devika, Muthuraman and Kalyan Kumar, weren't just a comic relief but an evergreen treat".[29]

K. S. Sivakumaran of Daily News Sri Lanka described the film's plot as a "hackneyed theme" and compared it to a soap opera, but appreciated Muthuraman's performance, Kannadasan's lyrics and Vincent's cinematography.[13] Writing for The Times of India, Deepauk Murugesan said, "There is no clear choice between options and while the audience is entirely aware of the right moral decision even our minds are clouded by our affections for both Dr Murali and Venu."[30] K. Hariharan, director of the L. V. Prasad Film and Television Academy in Chennai, noted, "The only film that could stake claim [in the 1960s] to an individual 'love story' was probably Sridhar's powerful Nenjil [Or] Aalayam! And even here 'sacrifice' takes the upper hand!"[31]

Accolades

Nenjil Or Aalayam won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil and the President's Award for Sridhar at the 10th National Film Awards.[14][32] It also won the Cinema Express Award for Best Film.[18]

Legacy

Whether Sridhar made a comedy or a tragedy, love was his basic theme. It may look clichéd now, that (as in Nenjil Or Aalayam) a woman's former lover would turn out to be the very doctor who has to operate on her husband. But at that time, it was totally off the beaten track. He has been an inspiration to all future filmmakers, including myself.

 – Director K. Balachander on Sridhar.[11]

Nenjil Or Aalayam became a trendsetter for both fast-paced filmmaking and triangular love stories with sacrifice as the theme.[33] Films that followed the trend of having these traits include Annakili (1976), Antha Ezhu Naatkal (1981) and Kadhal Virus (2002).[18] The film became a major breakthrough in Nagesh's career,[5][18] and the film critic S. Theodore Baskaran believed that his role as a ward boy "established his position".[34]

In July 2007, S. R. Ashok Kumar of The Hindu asked eight acclaimed directors were asked to list ten films they liked most. Directors J. Mahendran, Balu Mahendra and K. S. Ravikumar listed the film among their favourite films. Ravikumar was quoted saying, "Sridhar's Nenjil Or Aalayam depicts the supremacy of love."[35] Encouraged by the film's success, Sridhar wished to screen the film at the Cannes Film Festival, thus the screenplay was translated into French in time for the festival. Sridhar sent Sarma, one of his administrative managers, to France to attend the screening of the film on his behalf.[12] It was one of the films featured in artist V. Jeevananthan's book Thiraiseelai, a compilation of articles on cinema which won a Special Mention certificate award at the 58th National Film Awards.[36]

Notes

  1. ↑ G. Dhananjayan's book The Best of Tamil Cinema gives the runtime as 152 minutes,[1] while Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema by Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen gives it as 164 minutes.[2]
  2. ↑ While film historian Randor Guy and K. S. Sivakumaran of Daily News Sri Lanka state that the film was completed in four weeks,[12][13] Ramya Kannan of The Hindu, and G. Dhananjayan state the completion time to be 22 and 25 days respectively.[3][14] According to Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema by Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, the film was shot in 15 days,[15] while Bhama Devi Ravi of The Times of India states it was shot in two weeks.[16]
  3. ↑ Dhananjayan does not mention why.[3]
  4. ↑ Dhananjayan does not mention the name of the film.[3]
  5. ↑ A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary.

References

  1. 1 2 Dhananjayan 2011, p. 206.
  2. ↑ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 2014, pp. 373-374.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 160.
  4. 1 2 3 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 159.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Guy, Randor (8 December 2012). "Blast from the Past: Nenjil Ore Alayam (1962)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Vamanan (2 February 2016). "Uptight to comic: Big daddy of Tamil films". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Narasimham, M. L. (20 October 2000). "Unforgettable screen mother". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  8. ↑ Rangarajan, Malathi (22 June 2007). "Of versatility that's timeless". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Rangarajan, Malathi (19 May 2006). "In a realm of ecstasy and emotion". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  10. ↑ Rangarajan, Malathi (20 February 2009). "Saga of success". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Rangan, Baradwaj (2 November 2008). "A breath of fresh air". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  12. 1 2 Guy, Randor (31 October 2008). "Trend-setter". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  13. 1 2 Sivakumaran, K. S. (4 July 2012). "Tamil film with a difference in the 1960s". Daily News Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  14. 1 2 Kannan, Ramya (27 June 2003). "Film vote". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  15. ↑ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 2014, p. 374.
  16. ↑ Ravi, Bhama Devi (21 October 2008). "Man who 'moved' Kollywood is no more". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Nenjil Or Aalayam Tracklist". Saregama. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 161.
  19. 1 2 Mani, Charulatha (11 May 2012). "A Raga's Journey — Jaunty Jonpuri". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  20. ↑ Sundaresan 1988, p. 50.
  21. ↑ Kumar, P. K. Ajith (13 November 2015). "Ode to a Southern nightingale". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  22. ↑ "MS Viswanathan: The face of an unparalleled era of music". Daily News and Analysis. Press Trust of India. 14 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  23. ↑ Mahaan, Deepak (29 January 2010). "Dil Ek Mandir (1963)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  24. ↑ Vijayakumar, B. (22 June 2014). "Old is Gold — Hrudayam Oru Kshethram: 1976". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  25. ↑ Dhananjayan 2011, p. 207.
  26. ↑ Chithirappaavai, D. Meera (19 June 2015). "Do Not Forget Our Native Heroes!". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  27. ↑ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (10 May 2002). "Blend of grace and charm". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  28. ↑ Ramakrishnan, T. (6 August 2002). "The day of the heroine?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  29. ↑ Rangarajan, Malathi (24 October 2008). "Sridhar will live on ...". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  30. ↑ Murugesan, Deepauk (23 April 2011). "Trois". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  31. ↑ Hariharan, K. (14 April 2011). "Match Point". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  32. ↑ "10th National Film Awards". International Film Festival of India. 20 April 1963. pp. 6, 21. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  33. ↑ Mahmood 1974, p. 45; Dhananjayan 2014, p. 161.
  34. ↑ Baskaran, S. Theodore (February 2009). "Tragic comedian". Frontline. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  35. ↑ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (13 July 2007). "Filmmakers' favourites". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  36. ↑ Jeshi, K. (27 May 2011). "Cinema chronicles". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2014.

Bibliography

External links

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