Moondram Pirai

Moondram Pirai

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Balu Mahendra
Produced by G. Thyagarajan
G. Saravanan
Written by Balu Mahendra
Starring Kamal Haasan
Sridevi
Music by Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematography Balu Mahendra
Edited by D. Vasu
Production
company
Sathya Jyothi Films
Distributed by Sathya Jyothi Films
Release dates
  • 19 February 1982 (1982-02-19)
Running time
 134 minutes[1]
Country India
Language Tamil

Moondram Pirai (English: The crescent seen on the third day following new moon day) is a 1982 Indian Tamil language romantic drama film written, directed and filmed by Balu Mahendra. The film features Kamal Haasan and Sridevi in the lead roles, while Silk Smitha, Poornam Vishwanathan and Y. G. Mahendra play supporting roles. The music for the film was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics written by Kannadasan, Vairamuthu and Gangai Amaran. This was the last film that Kannadasan worked on before his death in 1981; he died when the film was under production.

Moondram Pirai is about a school teacher, R. Srinivas, who rescues a woman, Bhagyalakshmi, who is suffering from retrograde amnesia, from a brothel, and protects her in his house located in Ketti. The rest of the film shows how Bhagyalakshmi recovers her memory with Srinivas' help. Moondram Pirai is based on Balu Mahendra's brief relationship with actress Shoba, who died in 1980, shortly after their marriage. It was shot in Ketti, a small town situated close to Ooty, with further shooting also taking place in Bangalore. A total of 30 days was taken to complete the filming, using 36,000 feet of film negative. The final length of the film was 3,918 metres (12,854 ft).

Moondram Pirai was released on 19 February 1982 to positive critical reception. It was a box office success and had a theatrical run of 379 days at the Sathyam Theatre, and 200 days in other multiplexes. Haasan won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his role, while Mahendra won the National Film Award for Best Cinematography. The film also won the Best Director Award for Mahendra at the Filmfare Awards, and also won five Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, including Best Film (third prize), Best Actor (Haasan) and Best Actress (Sridevi). The film was dubbed in Telugu under the title Vasantha Kokila and was released on the same day as the original version. The film was remade the following year in Hindi as Sadma, with most of the cast and crew members from the original version reprising their roles.

Plot

Bhagyalakshmi (Sridevi) has a car accident while returning from a party and is hospitalised with severe head injuries. When she recovers, she is diagnosed with retrograde amnesia and she fails to recognise her own parents. She mentally regresses to the state of a child. While she is undergoing treatment, she is kidnapped and sold to the madam (Ganthimathi) of a brothel. Srinivas, also known as Cheenu, (Kamal Haasan) comes to Chennai to meet his old friend (Y. G. Mahendra). Together, they visit the brothel to relax. The madam sends Bhagyalakshmi, renamed Vijaya, to his room. Cheenu realises that she is mentally still a child and pities her. He learns that she is from a cultured family, and that she was kidnapped and forced into prostitution.

Cheenu returns the next day and, after paying a huge sum to the madam, takes Vijaya out, supposedly on a pleasure trip. He takes her away to Ketti, where he is working as a school teacher. He takes her to his residence, where he protects her and also pampers her like a child. Viji, as she is called by Cheenu, has completely forgotten her past and becomes very close to him. When Viji accidentally spills ink over Cheenu's documents, angering him, their relationship is threatened, but they reconcile. Later, a local woodcutter named Nataraj (Nataraj) lusts for Viji and nearly assaults her, but she manages to save herself. When she tells Cheenu about it, he becomes livid with rage and almost kills Nataraj, but is stopped by his neighbours who were informed of the incident by Viji. Meanwhile, the wife (Silk Smitha) of Cheenu's boss is attracted to Cheenu, though he does not reciprocate her feelings.

Viji's father Vedachalam (S. R. Veeraraghavan), who was searching her through the police, releases a newspaper advertisement about his lost daughter. A co-passenger who had travelled with Cheenu and Viji from Chennai to Ooty by train gives them a lead. Cheenu takes Viji to an Ayurvedic medical practitioner (Ramanamurthy) and leaves her there for treatment for a day. In his absence, the police come to his house searching for Viji. Finally, the police learn that Viji is getting treated at the doctor's place and reach there. Cheenu is unable to come as he is afraid of police action. The treatment goes through successfully. Viji regains her memory and completely forgets about the period between her accident and recovery. Vedachalam and his wife are happy and decide to leave. From the doctor, Vedachalam learns that the person who had brought her there had been taking good care of their daughter; he withdraws his police complaint and they begin their journey to Chennai with Viji.

After the police leave, Cheenu comes running after the car in which Viji is travelling. He follows them to the railway station and tries to gain the attention of Viji, but she is unable to recognise him. Cheenu acts like a dancing monkey that Viji developed a liking for, but Viji, unable to comprehend, thinks that he is insane and begging for food. Cheenu continues his futile attempts to gain her attention, and the train eventually leaves with Viji not recognising him. Cheenu, who was hurt while chasing her car and trying to get her attention, is left alone, heartbroken.

Cast

Production

Development

Moondram Pirai was produced by G. Thyagarajan and G. Saravanan under their production banner, Sathya Jyothi Films.[2] A. Ramaswamy and D. Vasu were in charge of art direction and editing respectively.[3]

In an interview with Anu Hasan in the talk show Koffee with Anu, Balu Mahendra stated that Moondram Pirai's theme – a temporary relationship between a childlike woman and a mature man, with their relationship ending abruptly and tragically – was based on his relationship with actress Shoba who committed suicide in 1980, shortly after their marriage; Shoba was 17 years old at the time of her death.[4][5][6] According to S. Shiva Kumar of The Hindu, the climax of the film was a clear allusion to how Shobha left Mahendra without warning.[7] A Kannada film, Maanasa Sarovara, with a similar theme was also made by director Puttanna Kanagal the same year.[8] In C. B. Rao's review of the film's Hindi version, Sadma (1983), the English translation of the film's title, Moondram Pirai is given as "The Third Generation." The title Moondram Pirai literally means "the crescent seen on the third day following new moon day."[9]

According to Kamal Haasan, when Mahendra narrated the story of Moondram Pirai to him, Haasan listened to Mahendra for about twenty minutes before accepting the role of Cheenu.[10] The role of Bhagyalakshmi was initially offered to Sripriya, who could not accept the role due to her prior commitments, before Sridevi was chosen for it.[11] Silk Smitha, who had done around 20 films by then and was considered only for performing item numbers, was cast as the sexually excited wife of Srinivas' school principal.[12]

Filming

Moondram Pirai was shot in Ketti, a small town situated close to Ooty. Shooting also took place in Bangalore.[8] A total of 30 days was taken to complete the filming on 36,000 feet of film negative.[8] Mahendra did not find hiring a train expensive at that time; as a result, he hired a train for the film's scene where Haasan and Sridevi depart for Ketti, and another train for the film's climax which was shot at the Ketti railway station. Although it was raining on the day the climax was shot, Mahendra decided to continue shooting the climax even though the rain was not part of the film's script.[13] In the post-production phase, Smitha's voice was dubbed by Anuradha. Mahendra supervised Anuradha's dubbing session and taught her the methods to emote the dialogues for Smitha in the film.[14]

While the film was under production the team was scoffed at for making a film about a youth falling in love with an amnesiac, and that the film would not be a box office success.[15] The film uses intense violin music in both its opening and closing credits.[16] In April 2006, Mahendra said that the inclusion of the song "Ponmeni Uruguthey" in the film was "absolutely unnecessary", stating that the sole reason for its inclusion was the presence of Smitha in the song to help promote the film.[17] The final length of the film was 3,918 metres (12,854 ft).[3]

Themes and influences

Moondram Pirai depicts a young woman whose mental state regresses to that of a child following an accident. Sexuality and the repression of desire are dominant motifs, similar to Balu Mahendra's previous film Moodu Pani (1980).[18] The film also explores the possibility of unresolved sexual tension between the protagonists.[19] Critic K. Jeshi compares Moondram Pirai to other films based on physical and mental disabilities like Sethu... (1999), Pithamagan (2003), Perazhagan (2004), Chandramukhi (2005), Anniyan (2005) and Ghajini (2005).[20] When asked about the reason amnesia was chosen for a disability, Mahendra said the disorder is used as a camouflage and as an excuse to portray relationships in the film.[20]

Film critic Baradwaj Rangan finds the sequence where Haasan's character, Cheenu, narrates the story of The Blue Jackal to Sridevi's character, Bhagyalakshmi, to be a distant echo of the arc negotiated by Cheenu: "He is, after all, a nobody (like the [jackal]) who, through a salubrious twist of fate, becomes the ruler of a woman's life, until he is restored, at the end, to the nobody he was, a fraudulent claimant to her emotions."[21] In his book Dispatches from the wall corner: A journey through Indian cinema, Rangan says that although Haasan is inspired by Marlon Brando, the scene where Haasan burns himself while cooking and vents his anger on Sridevi, is reminiscent of the acting style of Marcel Marceau.[22] In another book of Rangan, Conversations with Mani Ratnam, he states that in the scene where Cheenu enters Bhagyalakshmi's room in the brothel,[23] there was fumbling and embarrassment, whereas in another Haasan film Nayakan (1987), Haasan's character, Velu Nayakar, behaves as if he has visited a brothel before. Nayakan's director Mani Ratnam replied by saying that the two scenes are very different from one another and that it "can't be played the same way".[24]

Hari Narayan of The Hindu compared Moondram Pirai to another Haasan film, Guna (1991). In both narratives, the protagonist’s image of an ideal dreamgirl animate his antics. Cheenu, according to Narayan, "looks like a melange of Keats’ tragedy and Freud’s psychoanalysis." Narayan explains the idea of Cheenu keeping Bhagyalaskhmi with him not only as an act of sympathy and love, but also with the intention to preserve her like a portrait. Narayan also states that the character, Robert Ledgard's (Antonio Banderas) attraction to Vera Cruz (Elena Anaya) in Pedro Almodóvar's Spanish film The Skin I Live In (2011), is similar to Cheenu's attraction to Bhagyalakshmi. When Bhagyalakshmi recovers her memory and forgets him, Cheenu is hesitant to come back to his quiet existence, realising that in reality, dreams feel like its antithesis.[25] Behindwoods compared Sridevi's character to the title of the film, stating that she eventually "vanishes away from the hero like a Moon[d]ram Pirai."[26]

Music

The music of the film was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The soundtrack was released through the record label Agi Music.[27][28] The number "Kannae Kalaimane", which is based on the Kapi raga,[29] was written by Kannadasan in "about two minutes" time, after listening to the film's story and the situation for the song.[30] Kannadasan was present at the recording session of the song, which took place in September 1981.[31] It was the last song which Kannadasan wrote before his death in October 1981,[4][32] during the making of the film.[8] "Poongatru" was based on the Sindhu Bhairavi raga.[33]

The soundtrack received positive critical reception. "Ponmeni Uruguthey" that was picturised on Haasan and Smitha developed cult status.[34] G. Dhananjayan, in his book The Best of Tamil Cinema called the music "outstanding",[3] further saying that the songs contributed significantly to the success of the film.[8] Hari Narayan of The Hindu said, "The lullaby "Kanne Kalaimane" sees the tranquillity reach a crescendo."[25] Another critic from The Hindu, Shankar, called "Vaanengum Thanga" a "dream song".[35] On the song, "Kanne Kalaimane", Balu Mahendra said that it "stirs you to this day".[30]

Release

Do you know that Moondram Pirai got an 'A' certificate? ... So, even if I make a very simple film, chances are I might end up with an 'A' certificate. These 'A's and 'U's mean a damn to me. I make a film and that is it. I cannot talk about other filmmakers, but this rule doesn't stop me. If I want to make a film on a subject I have thought of, I will do it. Whether it gets an 'A' or a 'U', I'm least bothered. I'm not interested in its rating. I have my own code of conduct and I stick to that.

 – Balu Mahendra on the certification of his film, in an interview with M. Suganth of The Times of India in January 2014.[36]

Moondram Pirai was given an "A" (adults only) certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification.[37] The film was released on 19 February 1982.[3] The film was a box office success and had a theatrical run of 379 days at Sathyam Theatre, and 200 days in other multiplexes.[8] According to its production company, Sathya Jyothi Films, Moondram Pirai received its highest distributor share in Chennai and Coimbatore.[38] The film premiered at FILCA, a Film Festival held at Thiruvananthapuram in September 2014.[39] Moondram Pirai was dubbed into Telugu under the title Vasantha Kokila and was released on the same day as the original version. The Hindi remake Sadma was released in 1983, with most of the cast and crew members from the original version reprising their roles.[8]

Critical reception

Moondram Pirai received mostly positive reviews, with praise directed at the performances of the lead pair. Ananda Vikatan, in its original review of the film, dated 7 March 1982, said, "The film gives an impression of reading a full novel in one go... The lead actors Kamal and Sridevi have lived their roles and brought in the effect desired by the director and they are the best couple in Tamil Cinema... Ilaiyaraaja's background score and songs and Balu Mahendra's photography have to be applauded" and gave the film 53 marks out of 100.[8]

Writing for The Hindu, Baradwaj Rangan called Moondram Pirai "The apotheosis of [Balu Mahendra's] art",[40] while also opining that the film was "a superb example of how the presence of a commercially viable plot and the participation of commercially viable actors and technicians can result in art."[41] Another critic from The Hindu, Hari Narayan, wrote, "Throughout the narrative, a sense of uncertainty lurks in the viewer’s mind, the exact kind of uncertainty we get while dreaming. The knowledge that the spell would break any time. That Cheenu would be thrown back into his solitude. And that the fall from this ethereal tranquillity would be brutal, maybe even fatal."[25] Malathi Rangarajan described Haasan's performance in the climax scene at the railway station as "sterling".[42]

Rediff considered the film to be a "beautiful and tragic love story".[43] Behindwoods called the film "a beautiful and whimsical tale".[44] In February 2013, Kaanchan Prashanth, writing for the magazine Galatta Cinema said, "Balumahendra’s Moondram Pirai is a tragedy nevertheless, and that too one that had most of us bawling our eyes out." He further stated that the scenes featuring the lead pair were "beautifully presented", and concluded that "Sridevi and Kamal just outdid themselves in this one."[45]

In contrast, the magazine Aside called the film "a neon moon" and said, "There was at one time a brooding, premonitory quality about Balu Mahendra's movies ... but (he) has now gone into the trade of picture postcards and pani puri." And after a brief word of praise for Haasan's performance in the climax ("darkly luminescent, like a rain drenched monsoon night") added, "Kamal makes a very amusing monkey, but should he not rather be playing a human character?"[46]

Accolades

Award Ceremony Category Nominee(s) Outcome Ref.
National Film Awards 30th National Film Awards Best Actor Kamal Haasan Won [47]
Best Cinematography Balu Mahendra Won
Filmfare Awards South 28th Filmfare Awards South Best Director – Tamil Balu Mahendra Won [48]
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State film Awards – 1982 Best Film (third prize) Balu Mahendra Won [8]
Best Actor Kamal Haasan Won
Best Actress Sridevi Won
Best Male Playback K. J. Yesudas Won
Best Female Playback S, Janaki Won

Legacy

The climax scene of the film became popular and was referred and parodied in many films.

Moondram Pirai attained cult status in Tamil cinema and was praised for bringing out human emotions, unconditional love and sacrifice. The film had a significant impact among the audience for its style of filmmaking, performances of the lead cast and for Ilaiyaraaja's music.[3] The climax scene where Haasan's character, Cheenu, runs after Sridevi's character, Bhagyalakshmi, who has recovered her memory but forgets the incidents that occur between her accident and recovery completely, and Cheenu trying desperately to make Bhagyalakshmi remember the time he spend with him, to no effect, became popular and was parodied many times.[49][50] A. P. Thiruvadi, in his obituary of Balu Mahendra, called him "The Moondram Pirai of Indian cinema".[51] Moondram Pirai is also the name of a drama written by Tamil poet Puviarasu.[52] When S. Shiva Kumar of The Hindu suggested to Balu Mahendra that the film's ending lacked logic, Mahendra said, "Believe me there’s no logic in life."[53]

In March 2005, Sneha, in an interview with Rediff, listed Moondram Pirai among her favourite films.[54] In July 2007, S. R. Ashok Kumar of The Hindu asked eight Tamil film directors to list their all-time favourite Tamil films; two of them – Mani Ratnam and Ameer – named Moondram Pirai.[55] In September 2009, singer Harini, in an interview with The Hindu, said that her favourite song is "Kanne Kalaimane".[56] In February 2010, director R. Balki, in an interview with Forbes India, called Moondram Pirai as his favourite film.[57] In October 2010, actor Vijay said he prefers to watch films like Moondram Pirai and Mahanadi (1994).[58] In February 2015, Moondram Pirai topped Indumathy Sukanya of The New Indian Express' list of "Top 5 Tamil Romances".[59]

In July 2011, Janani Iyer said she considered a role like Sridevi's character, Bhagyalakshmi, as "really challenging."[60] Behindwoods included Moondram Pirai in its list of "Top 20 best love stories in Tamil".[61] In March 2013, S. Shiva Kumar of The Hindu compared the climax of Sethu... (1999) to the climax in Moondram Pirai.[62] In November 2013, S. Saraswathi of Rediff included Moondram Pirai in her list of the "10 best Films of Kamal Haasan".[63] In February 2014, Arundhati said she "would love to play a role like Sridevi’s in Moondram Pirai".[64] Sridevi's performance in the film was included in The Times of India's 2015 list, "Sridevi: 5 times the actress bowled us with her performance".[65] Although no print of Moondram Pirai has survived,[66] the film is still available on home video.[67]

In popular culture

Balu Mahendra's Telugu film Nireekshana (1982) was dubbed and released in Tamil as Kanne Kalaimane.[68] In Pasamulla Pandiyare (1997), Vadivelu and Senthil see Kovai Sarala, who suffers from retrograde amnesia, aboard a bus bound for another town. They try to make her remember the time they spent with her, but to no avail as she no longer remembers them. This leaves the two of them heartbroken and they sing the song "Aval Paranthu Ponale" from Paar Magaley Paar (1963) to express their sadness.[69]

In Manadhai Thirudivittai (2001), Valayapathi (Vivek) pretends to have lost both his hands. His lover then promises to take care of him. The song "Kanne Kalaimane" is heard as the background music for the scene.[70] In a comedy scene from Run (2002), Mohan (Vivek) imitates Haasan's mannerisms from the climax scene in Moondram Pirai to make his friend Shiva (R. Madhavan) recognise him but fails.[71] Behindwoods, in its review of the film, Deepavali (2007), said, "Deepavali is especially for those who did not like the sad climax of the Kamal starrer Moondram Pirai."[72]

Malathi Rangarajan, in her review of Deiva Thirumagal (2011) said, "Probably because the scene of action is Ooty, the main character is mentally challenged, and the story-telling sequence with Vikram and the kid is familiar, at times [Deiva Thirumagal] reminds you of Balu Mahendra's inimitable Moondraam Pirai."[73] Baradwaj Rangan compares a scene in Barfi! (2012), where Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor) goes after Shruti (Ileana D'Cruz) and stumbles, to that of Moondram Pirai's climax scene.[74] Balu Mahendra's defunct blog is also titled Moondram Pirai..., named after the film.[75]

References

  1. ↑ Dhananjayan 2014, p. 272.
  2. ↑ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (15 September 2006). "A saga of success". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Dhananjayan 2011, p. 72.
  4. 1 2 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 273.
  5. ↑ Gayathri, Jayaraman (30 September 2011). "Silk Route". Livemint. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Srinivasan, Lata (23 June 2012). "Kollywood turns to suicide". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Kumar, S. Shiva (6 February 2014). "More than meaning". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Dhananjayan 2011, p. 73.
  9. ↑ Asiaweek 1984, p. 156.
  10. ↑ Haasan, Kamal (14 February 2014). "Kamal Haasan's tribute to Balu Mahendra". The Hindu Business Line. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  11. ↑ Sampath, Janani (25 January 2014). "Eighties Flavour Keen to Leave Imprint". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  12. ↑ Bobb, Dilip; Pillai, Sreedhar (15 July 2013). "Smitha: The silken touch". India Today. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  13. ↑ Varma, K. Dinesh (2 January 2014). "Kollywood’s romance with trains unstoppable". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  14. ↑ Padmanabhan, Geeta (7 August 2014). "When voices do the acting". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  15. ↑ "Stalwarts to zoom in on creative, commercial secrets of celluloid". The Hindu. 3 October 2012. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  16. ↑ Rangan, Baradwaj (21 February 2014). "Marketplace art". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  17. ↑ Kamath, Sudhish (25 April 2006). "'Don't let the fire die out'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  18. ↑ K. Hariharan (15 February 2014). "The uncompromising spirit". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  19. ↑ Srinivasan, Sudhir (25 November 2014). "A collage from a movie critic’s scrapbook". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  20. 1 2 Jeshi, K. (11 February 2006). "In an imperfect world". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 September 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  21. ↑ Rangan, Baradwaj (9 March 2012). "Lights, Camera, Conversation... — The awakening of unconsciousness". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  22. ↑ Rangan 2014, pp. 251–252.
  23. ↑ Moondram Pirai (DVD). 22 August 2014. Tamil Matinee. Sathya Jyothi Films. Scene from 13:30 to 22:16.
  24. ↑ Rangan 2012, pp. 50–51.
  25. 1 2 3 Narayan, Hari (17 February 2014). "La Belle Dame sans Merci". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  26. ↑ "Best title - 8: Moonram Pirai". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  27. ↑ "Moondram Pirai – (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  28. ↑ "HC restrains firms from selling Ilayaraja's songs". The Times of India. 17 October 2014. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  29. ↑ Mani, Charulatha (7 December 2012). "Notes that intrigue". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 November 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  30. 1 2 Rangarajan, Malathi (1 July 2005). "Of a poet unsurpassed". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  31. ↑ V. Raman, Mohan (13 September 2009). "Mohan's musings – Kavignar Kannadasan". mohanramanmuses.blogspot.in. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  32. ↑ Kantha, Sachi Sri (11 October 2011). "Remembering Poet Kannadasan (1927-1981) On his 30th death anniversary". Ilankai Tamil Sangam. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  33. ↑ T. Saravanan (20 September 2013). "Ragas hit a high". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  34. ↑ Warrier, Shobha (4 March 2003). "'Julie Ganapathy was a big risk'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  35. ↑ Shankar (14 February 2014). "பாலு மகேந்திரா: கனவைக் காட்சிப்படுத்திய கலைஞன் (Balu Mahendra: The man who captured dreams)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  36. ↑ M. Suganth (13 January 2014). "It is immaterial whether you are working with a star or a non-star". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  37. ↑ "‘Don’t judge a film by its Censor certificate’". The New Indian Express. 16 October 2012. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  38. ↑ Pillai, Sreedhar (26 March 2016). "Chennai: Cinema-crazy city". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  39. ↑ Cheerath, Bhawani (18 September 2014). "A toast to fine cinema". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  40. ↑ Rangan, Baradwaj (14 February 2014). "Naturalism was his signature". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  41. ↑ Rangan, Baradwaj (24 February 2014). "A blend of the commercial and artistic". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  42. ↑ Rangarajan, Malathi (20 April 2001). "Suited to every sequence". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  43. ↑ S Saraswathi (7 November 2014). "Birthday Special: Kamal Haasan's 60 years of excellence". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  44. ↑ "Mental illness in Tamil cinema – Moondram Pirai". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  45. ↑ Love's Labour Lost. Galatta Cinema. February 2013. pp. 98–99.
  46. ↑ Lakshmi 2004, p. 46.
  47. ↑ "30th National Film Festival (1983)" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. pp. 8–11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  48. ↑ Collections. Update Video Publication. 1991. p. 394.
  49. ↑ Srinivasan, Pavithra (20 May 2008). "The best of Kamal Haasan – Moondram Pirai (1982)". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  50. ↑ "Balu Mahendra's best work". Hindustan Times. 13 February 2014. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  51. ↑ A. P. Thiruvadi (15 February 2014). "Complete film-maker". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  52. ↑ G. Satyamurty (11 January 2010). "‘Younger generation has social consciousness but no pace’". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  53. ↑ Kumar, S. Shiva (21 February 2014). "In restless search". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  54. ↑ Warrier, Shobha (3 March 2005). "'I have not changed!'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  55. ↑ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (13 July 2007). "Filmmakers’ favourites". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  56. ↑ "Star fall on Friday night". The Hindu. 7 September 2009. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  57. ↑ "Songs Differentiate Indian Cinema". Forbes India. 19 February 2010. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  58. ↑ George, Vijay (29 October 2010). "Star bright". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  59. ↑ Sukanya, Indumathy (12 February 2015). "Top 5 Tamil Romances". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  60. ↑ Raghavan, Nikhil (23 July 2011). "Itsy Bitsy – Well begun is...". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  61. ↑ Murali, Divya. "Top 20 best love stories in Tamil – Moondram Pirai". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  62. ↑ Kumar, S. Shiva (21 March 2013). "A ray of hope". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  63. ↑ "The 10 BEST Films of Kamal Haasan". Rediff.com. 7 November 2013. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  64. ↑ Gupta, Rinku (3 February 2014). "I've Already Got my Dream Role, Says Arundhati". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  65. ↑ "Sridevi: 5 times the actress bowled us with her performance - 01". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  66. ↑ Subramanian, Kathik (7 December 2013). "Aayirathil Oruvan gets digitally enhanced". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  67. ↑ "Moondram Pirai (DVD)". 22 August 2014. Tamil Matinee. Sathya Jyothi Films.
  68. ↑ "Kanne Kalai Mane". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  69. ↑ Pasamulla Pandiyare (DVD). 25 March 2014. Meenakshi Arts. Scene from 1:42:19 to 1:46:29.
  70. ↑ Manathai Thirudivittai (DVD). 21 July 2015. K. R. G. Movies International. Scene from 1:45:55 to 1:47:25.
  71. ↑ Run (DVD). 14 June 2014. Sri Surya Movies. Scene from 1:27:49 to 1:28:19.
  72. ↑ "Deepavali, an early festival for the crew". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  73. ↑ Rangarajan, Malathi (16 July 2011). "Deiva Thirumagal: a sensitive poem on celluloid". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  74. ↑ Rangan, Baradwaj (16 September 2012). "“Barfi!”... Sweet memories". baradwajrangan.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  75. ↑ Mahendra, Balu (11 June 2013). "மூன்றாம் பிறை...". filmmakerbalumahendra.blogspot.in. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.

Bibliography

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, April 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.