Kizhakke Pogum Rail
| Kizhakke Pogum Rail | |
|---|---|
| File:Kizhake Pogum Rail.jpg Poster | |
| Directed by | P. Bharathiraja |
| Screenplay by | P. Bharathiraja |
| Story by | R. Selvaraj |
| Produced by | S. A. Rajkannu |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | P. S. Nivas |
| Edited by | T. Thirunavukkarasu |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | Sri Amman Creations |
Release date |
|
Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Kizhakke Pogum Rail (transl. Eastbound Train) is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by P. Bharathiraja, starring newcomers Betha Sudhakar and Raadhika in lead roles. The film had musical score by Ilaiyaraaja and was released on 10 August 1978. The film ran for over 365 days in theatres.[2] It was remade in Telugu as Toorpu Velle Railu (1979),[3] and in Hindi as Saveray Wali Gaadi (1986).[4]
Plot
The film starts with the young woman Panchali (Raadhika) getting off the train named 'Kizhakke Pogum Rail' and lands in the village Thamaraikulam which follows strict rules. There, Panchali is accommodated by her sister Karuthamma (Gandhimathi) and her brother-in-law Ramaiah (Goundamani), Panchali informs her that their mother died a couple of days ago. Ramaiah starts to have an eye on Panchali.
Paranjothi (Betha Sudhakar) is an unemployed graduate and a big fan of the poet Subramania Bharati who lives his father Maruthu (G. Srinivasan) and his sister Kanniyamma. His father Maruthu is a barber and considers Paranjothi as a good-for-nothing like all the villagers. After getting married, Kanniyamma leaves her birth home to live with her husband's family.
Panchali and Paranjothi slowly fall in love with each other. One day, the villagers spot Paranjothi running behind Panchali. At the gram panchayat (village court), the panchayat members blame Paranjothi for trying to misbehave toward the young woman. Only the retired military man Pattalathaar (Vijayan) and the farmer Ponnandi (K. Bhagyaraj) support him, but the panchayat members overlook them, and they punish him. Maruthu shaved off the hair of his son and Paranjothi parades on a donkey in the streets of the village whereas Ramaiah forces his wife Karuthamma to burn Panchali's arm with a piece of wood.
After the humiliation, Maruthu commits suicide in the village's lake, Paranjothi decides to leave the town, and he promises Panchali that he will come back to marry her. He also informs her that he will write a message on the last compartment of the 'Kizhakke Pogum Rail' train. In the city, after several interviews, he finally finds a decent job. In the meantime, at the village court, Ramaiah complains that Karuthamma is a barren woman and he expresses his wish to marry Panchali. A few days later, the village is battered by heavy rains. To stop the rain, the villagers contrive the way to stop it, executing an ancient belief: one virgin woman has to walk naked around the village at sunrise. Unexpectedly, Panchali is chosen to be that woman.
The day of the ritual, Paranjothi gladly returns at his village, and he sees Panchali completely naked. Even though Paranjothi was devastated, he covers Panchali with his Dhoti and they both run away from the angry villagers. Pattalathaar helps the couple by stalling the villagers, and he is killed in the process. The lovers manage to catch the running train 'Kizhakke Pogum Rail' under the eyes of the villagers.
Cast
- Betha Sudhakar as Paranjothi
- Raadhika as Panchali
- Goundamani as Ramaiah
- Gandhimathi as Karuthamma, Panchali's sister
- Vijayan as Pattalathaar
- G. Srinivasan as Maruthu
- K. Bhagyaraj as Ponnandi (cameo)
- Janagaraj as Iyer (Panchayat member)
- K. K. Soundar as Panchayat member
- Krishnamoorthy as Panchayat member
- P. Bharathiraja as Station Master (cameo)
Production
Kizhakke Pogum Rail was Raadhika's debut film. She contemplated leaving the film throughout the shoot, but was "offered chocolates" to complete the film.[5] It was also the Tamil debut for Vijayan.[6] The producer offered K. Bhagyaraj to direct, but he declined as he wanted to "complete at least a couple of more films as an assistant". Bhagyaraj remained as an assistant director.[7]
Soundtrack
| Kizhake Pogum Rail | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 1978 |
| Recorded | 1978 |
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
| Length | 18:05 |
| Producer | Ilaiyaraaja |
The film score and the soundtrack were composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics written by Kannadasan, Muthulingam, Gangai Amaran and K. Bhagyaraj.[8] The song "Malargale" is set to the carnatic raga known as Hamsadhvani,[9] and "Kovil Mani Osai" is set to Shuddha Saveri.[10]
| Track | Song | Singer(s) | Lyrics | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Kovil Mani Osai" | Malaysia Vasudevan, S. Janaki | Kannadasan | 4:39 |
| 2 | "Mancholai Kilithano" | Jayachandran | Muthulingam | 4:40 |
| 3 | "Poovarasam Poo" | S. Janaki | Gangai Amaran | 4:42 |
| 4 | "Malargale" | Malaysia Vasudevan, S. Janaki | Sirpi Balasubramaniam | 4:04 |
Reception
Kizhakke Pogum Rail was a major commercial success completing 365-day run at the box office, and Raadhika became popularly known by the sobriquet "Rayil Radhika".[11]
References
- ^ "கிழக்கே போகும் ரயில்". Vellitthirai.com (in Tamil). Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ Selvaraj, N. (20 March 2017). "வெள்ளி விழா கண்ட தமிழ் திரைப்படங்கள்". Thinnai (in Tamil). Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ Ashok Kumar, S. R. (28 December 2007). "Back to acting, again!". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1998) [1994]. Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema (PDF). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 60. ISBN 0-19-563579-5.
- ^ "Radhikaa was offered chocolates to complete film". The Times of India. 8 May 2014. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ Ajith Kumar, P. K. (23 September 2007). "Shunned by Malayalam, but saved by Tamil in reel life". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ Ramakrishnan, M. (28 January 2017). "Young guns". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "kizhakae Pogum Rayil Songs". Raaga.com. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ Mani, Charulatha (1 March 2013). "A bright start". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ Mani, Charulatha (3 August 2012). "Joyful Suddha Saveri". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ Varma, M. Dinesh; Kolappan, B. (2 January 2014). "Kollywood's romance with trains unstoppable". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 September 2017.