Moondru Pillaigal () is a 1952 Indian Tamil-language drama film produced by S. S. Vasan. Based on Victor Fleming's 1927 American film The Way of All Flesh, it is about a couple and their three sons. The film was directed by Nagendra Rao and stars himself alongside Kannamba, with M. K. Radha, Gemini Ganesan and Sriram in supporting roles. It was simultaneously produced and released in Telugu under the title Mugguru Kodukulu. The film failed at the box office, which led to Vasan destroying all copies of it, thus making it a lost film.
Plot
Gunavathi and Somasekhar have three sons together. The youngest one takes responsibility for a theft allegedly committed by his other two brothers and goes to jail. A dejected Somasekhar commits suicide and Gunavathi is abandoned by their other two sons. Later, when the youngest son is released from jail, he takes care of his mother despite being jobless. However, he receives an offer from a film company to act as the main character in their film which is based on the Ramayana. He succeeds in his job and manages to unite the family.
Cast Adapted from the respective song books:
+ Cast (Tamil) Cast (Telugu) Role (Tamil) Role (Telugu) Kannamba Gunavathi Nagendra Rao Somasekhar M. K. Radha Muthu (adult) Prakasam (adult) Sriram Kannan (adult) Ram (adult) Ganesh Sekhar (adult) Gopal (adult) Kumari Vanaja Janaki Kamala (Adult) Sundari Bai Pankajam Kantham Suryaprabha Kamini Chaya G. Pattu Iyer Pandit Rao Ramadas Narayana Rao Film Producer Chandra Babu Music Director Vikatam Krishnamoorthi Maddala Krishnamoorthi Deaf Film Dealer S. Krishnamoorthy Film Production Assistants Seetharaman Sethumadhavan Muthu (child) Prakasam (child) Sudhakar Kannan (child) Ram (child) Sudhindra Sekhar (child) Gopal (child) P. Seetha Kamala's friend K. Ramaswamy Ramachandra Shastri Master Venkat Bar-at-Law B. Ramakrishna Rao Marwari G. V. Sharma Krishnappa Amina V. T. Kalyanam Race Broker Saraswathi Susheela (adult) Rathna Papa Muthu's daughter Prakasam's daughter Mohan Muthu's son Prakasam's son Premakumari Kamala (child) B. H. Vijaya Rao Doctor Balan Sub-Inspector Velayutham Old Metal Merchant P. M. Devan Indrasen Office Proprietor Bindu Madhavan Film Director Ramanarasu Production Manager B. S. Padmanabha Rao Naughty Student T. S. B. Rao Jhatka Driver Sampath Kumar Suresh Muthukrishna Reddy Milkman— V. P. Balaraman Police Constable
Production The film was based on the 1927 American silent film The Way of All Flesh, directed by Victor Fleming. The family drama was successful in India, and was adapted into a film in Hindi titled Khazanchi (1941). The Hindi film was highly successful in Madras and ran for more than 25 weeks. Nagendra Rao, an established producer and director in Kannada cinema, was impressed by the film and decided to direct the Tamil adaptation. He approached the Tamil film producer S. S. Vasan of Gemini Studios who had earlier produced Apoorva Sagodharargal, in which Rao played a role. Although Vasan was initially reluctant he agreed to finance the film. It was simultaneously produced and released in Telugu under the title Mugguru Kodukulu. According to writer Ashokamitran, who was then associated with Gemini, novelist R. K. Narayan wrote a treatment for this film.
J. P. Chandrababu, who would later go on to become an established comedian in Tamil cinema, played a small role lasting a single sequence in the film. Savitri, who would later become an established actress in the Telugu and Tamil film industries, was to make her acting debut with this film. Ganesh (later known as Gemini Ganesan), who played a supporting role as one among the three sons in the film was also as a casting assistant with Gemini, the production company. He recommended her for a small role in the film; however, she was not selected for the role.
Soundtrack Tamil version Music was composed by P. S. Anantharaman and supervised by M. D. Parthasarathy. The song "Antha Rama Sowndharyam" is set in the Carnatic raga known as Kedaragaula.
Song Singer/s Lyricist Duration "Vaazhvadhum Thaazhvadhum Panathale" A. M. Rajah Kothamangalam Subbu 02:39 "Unnarul Maraven Aiya" N. L. Ganasaraswathi "Inbam Enna Solluven" Jikki 02:40 "Maalai Tharitha Maharaasi" (Radha) Jayalakshmi & P. Leela 02:43 "Kaalamenbadhu Anuhoolamaahil" A. M. Rajah 02:22 "Indu Desa Pugazh Paaduvom" T. A. Mothi 01:54 "Poorana Chandirane, Paripoorana Chandirane" P. Leela 03:22 "Naan Konda Karuvinai" M. S. Anuradha 03:22 "Antha Rama Sowndharyam" M. L. Vasanthakumari & A. P. Komala Arunasala Kavirayar (Rama Nadaga Keerthanai) 03:25 "Yaaridam Solluven" P. Leela V. Seetharaman 02:45
Reception Moondru Pillaigal failed at the box-office, which led to Vasan destroying all copies of it, thus making it a lost film. Ashokamitran said there was nothing "seriously wrong" with the film, but felt that "the audience just couldn't take another film about a family torn asunder in the fourth reel and reunited in the last."
See also List of Tamil films of 1952
References
Bibliography
External links