Azhagan
| Azhagan | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | K. Balachander |
| Written by | K. Balachander |
| Produced by | Kovai Chezhiyan |
| Starring | Mammootty Bhanupriya Geetha Madhoo Babloo Prithiveeraj |
| Cinematography | R. Raghunatha Reddy |
| Edited by | Ganesh–Kumar |
| Music by | Maragathamani |
Production company | K. C. Film Combines |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Azhagan () (transl. Handsome) is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by K. Balachander and produced by Kovai Chezhiyan. It stars Mammootty in the lead role with an ensemble supporting cast, including Bhanupriya, Geetha, Madhoo (in her Tamil debut), and Babloo Prithiveeraj. The film, released on 25 August 1991,[1] was critically and commercially successful.
Plot
[edit]Azhagappan, a successful hotelier and father of four small children, has lost his wife (whose face is not shown in the photo) in an accident. College student Swapna plays pranks on him and also falls in love with him, but Azhagappan refuses her love considering the age difference between them. After passing the matriculation exam, Azhagappan enrols in a tutorial centre where his teacher, Kanmani, is smitten by him, but Azhagappan, is not interested in her. Classical dancers Priya Ranjan and Azhagappan though, fall in love. After egos and differences crop up between them, Driver Santhanam blurts out the truth that the four children are orphans adopted by him. In the end, Swapna understands the situation and would love to call him "Daddy." With the help of Kanmani and Swapna, the four children devise a plan and play mediator between Azhagan and Priya by making them speak on the phone. In the end, both reveal their love through the phone and get united.
Cast
[edit]- Mammootty as Azhagappan
- Bhanupriya as Priya Ranjan
- Geetha as Kanmani
- Madhoo as Swapna
- Babloo Prithiveeraj as Kumaresan Azhagappan's servant
- Sowcar Janaki as Doctor Janaki
- K. S. Jayalakshmi as Swapna's teacher
- Sujitha as Baby (Azhagappan's daughter)
- Robert as Anand (Azhagappan's son)
- Vikranth as Azhagappan's son
- Tinku as Durai (Azhagappan's son)
- Charle as Television Anchor
- Peeli Sivam as Inspector Selvaraj
- Suresh Chakravarthi as Agarapattanam Sokku
- Sonia as Kanmani's sister
- Kavithalaya Krishnan as Doctor
- R. Sundaramoorthy as Manoharan
- Yuvarani as Swapna's college Friend
- Gowtham Sundararajan as dancer in song "Kozhi Koovum"
- Ramya Krishnan in cameo appearance
- Veera Raghavan as Priya Ranjan's Father
- "Saathappan" Nandhakumar as Auditorium ticket checker
Production
[edit]Madhoo, the niece of actress Hema Malini, made her acting debut with this film.[2] The song "Kozhi Koovum" was choreographed by Kala and was picturised within two days.[3]
Soundtrack
[edit]The music was scored by Maragathamani.[4][5] The song "Thathithom" is set in Dharmavati raga,[6] "Sangeetha Swarangal" is set in Kharaharapriya,[7] and "Jaadhi Malli" is set in Maand.[8] The last portions of the song "Thathithom" were inspired from "Liberian Girl" by Michael Jackson.[9]
All lyrics are written by Pulamaipithan
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Avan Thaan Azhagan" | Minmini | 2:24 |
| 2. | "Kozhi Koovum Neram" | Malaysia Vasudevan, K. S. Chithra, Seerkazhi Sivachidambaram, | 5:02 |
| 3. | "Thudikirathe Nenjam" | K. S. Chithra, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Thathithom" | K. S. Chithra | 5:11 |
| 5. | "Sangeetha Swarangal" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sandhya | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Sathi Malli Poocharame" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4:14 |
| 7. | "Mazhaiyum Neeye" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 2:24 |
| 8. | "Nenjamadi Nenjam" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 2:37 |
| Total length: | 29:13 | ||
Reception
[edit]The Indian Express wrote, "Balachander, while charting out a script bristles with very lifelike characters acting out their hopes and fears with much credibility, does not miss out on smaller details."[10] The film was both a critical and commercial success.[11] At the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Maragathamani won the award for Best Music Director, while Raghunatha Reddy won for Best Cinematographer.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "அழகன் / Azhagan (1991)". Screen 4 Screen. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ Rao, Subha (29 March 2014). "The Roja girl's back". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ Umashanker, Sudha (6 October 2003). "In her footsteps". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Azhagan". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ "Azhagan Tamil Film LP Vinyl Record by Maragathamani". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ Mani, Charulatha (9 November 2012). "Twice as nice". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ Mani, Charulatha (13 April 2012). "A Raga's journey — Kinetic Kharaharapriya". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ Mani, Charulatha (22 June 2012). "Mesmeric Maand". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ S, Karthik. "Tamil [Other Composers]". ItwoFS. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ Krishnaswamy, N. (30 August 1991). "Azhagan". The Indian Express. p. 7. Retrieved 8 January 2019 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "5 Tamil hits of Mammootty as you await 'Peranbu'". Onmanorama. 18 July 2018. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- ^ "Chinnathambi bags six awards". The Indian Express. 30 October 1992. p. 3. Retrieved 28 October 2021 – via Google News Archive.
External links
[edit]- Azhagan at IMDb
- Azhagan at Rotten Tomatoes
