Karuthamma was released on 3 November 1994 and became a commercial success. Besides being the blockbuster of that year, the film won three National Film Awards, four Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil. The film brought widespread attention to the practice of female infanticide and compelled the government at national and state levels to enact various laws to curb this practice.
Mokkatha, the wife of Mokkaiyan, a farmer in Pottalpetti village, is in labour. They already have two daughters and are keen to have a son; two daughters born earlier were killed soon after birth by feeding them with poisonous cactus extract. Unable to pay hefty dowries for their daughters' marriages, the villagers consider female infanticide acceptable. A new school teacher, Soosai, feels sad on learning about this practice. When Mokkatha delivers a girl again, Mokkaiyan orders the village midwife Mooli to kill the baby. Mooli reluctantly tries to feed the cactus extract to the baby at a secluded place. Soosai notices this, meets her, and requests to hand over the infant so that he can raise her. She hands over the infant, and he moves away from the village.
Years later, Stephen, a veterinarian, comes to the village. Mokkaiyan's first daughter Ponnatha is married to Thavasi, the son of Mokkaiyan's nefarious sister Kaliamma. The second daughter, Karuthamma, takes care of the family. After getting into some tiff with Stephen, Karuthamma falls in love with him.
Ponnatha has two daughters and is pregnant for the third time. As a girl is born again, Kaliamma orders to kill it. To save her child, Ponnatha escapes with her baby and is chased by Thavasi, who beats her to death; the child also dies. He and Kaliamma lie that Ponnatha committed suicide as her third child was also a girl. Karuthamma, devastated by the death of her sister, does not believe this story. Ponnatha had earlier expressed her fear to her that if she delivered a girl again, Kaliamma would kill her.
When Karuthamma is giving a ceremonial bath to Ponnatha's body, she notices bloodstains on her abdomen. Concluding that she was murdered, Karuthamma stops the funeral and rushes to tell the police. The village chairman Chellamuthu, who is close to Thavasi, asks the police not to intervene, and they comply. Karuthamma refuses to leave the station. Stephen, who was passing by, threatens action against the police if they do not act on her complaint, as he is also a government employee. With no option, the police takes Ponnatha's body away and arrests Thavasi and Kaliamma.
Rosy, a doctor, comes to meet her close relative Stephen. Her presence and closeness with Stephen are misunderstood by Karuthamma. Rosy loves Stephen, but he only likes her. Kaliamma's husband celebrates her arrest by drinking with Mokkaiyan, who is not used to liquor. Mokkaiyan suffers a paralytic attack and loses control of his limbs. Rosy tends to him, and in the process gets attached to Mokkaiyan and Karuthamma.
A few weeks later, when Thavasi and Kaliamma get bail, they come to attack Karuthamma, but Stephen saves her. Chellamuthu manipulates the villagers into accepting Thavasi's proposal that Karuthamma must marry Thavasi to take care of Ponnatha's daughters (by which the police case will also be closed). Chellamuthu, who has lent money to Mokkaiyan, threatens and seeks immediate repayment if he does not accept this proposal.
Thavasi's father realises that his son is using the young children as bait and takes away the children with him one night. However, he is caught by Thavasi, who, motivated by Chellamuthu, burns his father to death. Thavasi takes the children away and forces Karuthamma to come with him to their village to marry him. Shocked with all this, Mokkaiyan consumes poison and is on his deathbed.
When Rosy expresses her love to Stephen, he gets surprised and states that he loves Karuthamma. Rosy is shocked as she was keen to marry him and decides to move away from the village. When the villagers ask her to treat Mokkaiyan, who is fighting for his life, she does not as she is keen to leave. When her father Soosai arrives, Mooli realises that he is the same person who took Mokkiayan's third daughter. Mooli reveals to Rosy that Mokkaiyan is her real father, and Soosai also confirms it. Rosy treats Mokkaiyan, who now realises his mistake of killing female infants without realising their worth.
Karuthamma, on the eve of her wedding, demands to see the children taken away earlier by Thavasi's father. However, Thavasi is unable to show his children (as they were taken by Chellamuthu to use them as bait to force himself on Karuthamma). That night, Chellamuthu makes Thavasi drunk and asks him to spare Karuthamma for that night. Thavasi agrees in a drunken state, which is overheard by Karuthamma, who also learns that Thavasi had killed his own father. When Chellamuthu goes to meet Karuthamma, she is well prepared to meet him. She murders him and then Thavasi. After saving Ponnatha's children, who were locked inside a box, she returns to her village. Realising that Rosy is her own sister, Karuthamma asks her to look after the children and their father and leaves with the police. Stephen decides to wait for her.
The film was titled after Bharathiraja's mother.[5] The story was based on a real-life incident in a village, and the script was written by Bharathiraja's relative M. Rathnakumar.[6]Periyar Dasan, who worked as a professor in Pachaiyappa's College, made his acting debut with this film, as did Rajashree and Maheswari;[7] Rajashree's voice was dubbed by Radhika.[8] Kamala Sekhar, the film's art director, also portrayed the village chairman Chellamuthu.[9] Initially, Bharathiraja wanted to cast Vijayakumar's second daughter Anita as Rosy but Vijayakumar and her mother Manjula Vijayakumar refused because Anita wanted to study medicine; the role went to Maheswari.[10]
Music
The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Vairamuthu.[11] The film marked Rahman's second collaboration with Bharathiraja after Kizhakku Cheemayile. As with Kizhakku Cheemayile, the songs in Karuthamma gained Rahman notice for composing folk music, contrary to his reputation for composing westernised music.[12] The song "Poraale Ponnuthayi" is based on Mohanam raga.[13]
The music of "Poraale Ponnuthayi" was reused for "Gurus of Peace" in the album Vande Mataram.[3]
Karuthamma was released on 3 November 1994.[4] The film received critical acclaim[14] and became a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres.[15]
Reception
Ananda Vikatan mentioned in its review dated 4 December 1994, "Though the subject taken up was delicate, instead of making a documentary, the director has narrated the film, through visuals, which should be appreciated. Bharathiraja must be congratulated for making a heart– wrenching film on a delicate subject without lecturing us on the theme". The film was given 45 marks.[15] Malini Mannath of The Indian Express wrote, "Karuthamma is a film that will move many a human heart."[9] K. Vijiyan of New Straits Times wrote, "Bharathiraja returns to do what he is best at— telling stories about ordinary village people [...] And in Karuthamma he has a winner". He also praised the film's humour, a rare feature in Bharathiraja's films.[16] Prince of Kalki lauded Bharathiraja for daring to depict such an atrocious social problem onscreen.[17]
The first film to bring to light the menace of female infanticide on screen, Karuthamma forced the government at national and state levels to act against this practice and bring in suitable laws to curb it. It became a catalyst for this change in the society,[15] and was instrumental in "making way for the ban on prenatal sexual identification".[20]
In other films
The theme of Karuthamma found place in other Tamil films, especially in the form of comic scenes or comedy films. In Kadhal Sadugudu (2003), a character played by Theni Kunjarammal tries to kill a female child with poisoned milk. Super Subbu (Vivek), who sees this, comically remarks that he has been seeing this from the days of Karuthamma.[21] Scenes from Karuthamma have also been parodied in Thamizh Padam (2010), in which the theme of female infanticide has been replaced with that of male infanticide. Periyar Dasan reprises his role from the original film.[22][23]
Related Research Articles
Bharathiraja is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with 16 Vayathinile, he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. As of 2017, he has won six National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South, six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and a Nandi Award. He has also directed films in Telugu and Hindi. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri award, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2004 for his contribution to the film industry. In 2005, he was conferred with the Doctor of Letters from Sathyabama University.
Muthal Mariyathai is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film produced, directed and co-written by Bharathiraja. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Radha, with Vadivukkarasi, newcomers Deepan and Ranjini, Janagaraj, Sathyaraj, Aruna, Veerasami and Ramanathan in supporting roles. It revolves around the relationship between an unhappily married village chief and a young boatwoman.
Vedham Pudhithu is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed and co-written by Bharathiraja. It is based on the play Saadhigal Illaiyadi Papa by K. Kannan, who wrote the film adaptation's dialogues and became known as Vedham Pudhithu Kannan. The film stars Sathyaraj, Saritha and Amala, with Raja, Charuhasan, Nizhalgal Ravi, Janagaraj and Master Dasarathi in supporting roles. It revolves around an atheist whose son falls in love with a Brahmin woman in the same village, leading to catastrophic consequences.
Azhagi is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Thangar Bachan in his directoral debut, based on his short story "Kalvettugal". The film stars Parthiban, Nandita Das and Devayani. It was released on 14 January 2002 and won the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil. The film was remade in Telugu as Letha Manasulu in 2004.
Aanandham (transl. Joy) is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language drama film co-written and directed by N. Lingusamy in his directoral debut and produced by R. B. Choudary. The film features an ensemble cast including Mammootty, Murali, Abbas, Devayani, Rambha, Sneha, Delhi Ganesh and Srividya. Arthur A. Wilson handled cinematography, while S. A. Rajkumar composed the film's score and soundtrack. The film was released on 25 May 2001 to positive reviews, and became one of the highest grossing Tamil films of the year. It was remade in Telugu as Sankranti (2005).
Thavasi is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by K. R. Udayasankar starring Vijayakanth in dual lead roles as father and son, with Soundarya, Vadivelu, Jayasudha, Prathyusha, Nassar and Sriman playing other pivotal roles. The film was released on 14 November 2001, and received mixed reviews from critics but was a hit at the box office. The film was remade in Kannada as Mallikarjuna.
Chinna Gounder is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by R. V. Udayakumar, starring Vijayakanth, Sukanya, Manorama, Salim Ghouse, Sathyapriya, Goundamani, Senthil and Vadivelu. It was released on 15 January 1992, during Pongal. The film was remade in Telugu as Chinarayudu, and in Kannada as Chikkejamanru.
Anthimanthaarai is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language historical drama film directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars Vijayakumar and Jayasudha. It is produced by Chandraleela Bharathiraja and Thilaka Ganesh. The film won the National Award for the Best Feature Film in Tamil. The music for the film is scored by A. R. Rahman, marking his third collaboration with Bharathiraja after Kizhakku Cheemayile and Karuthamma.
Alaigal Oivathillai is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age romantic drama film written and directed by Bharathiraja, from a story by Manivannan. The film stars Karthik and Radha, in their acting debut. Thiagarajan, Silk Smitha and Kamala Kamesh appear in supporting roles. The story follows a Hindu boy who falls in love with a Christian girl. How the lovers unite braving all the obstacles, forms the crux of the story.
Nizhalgal is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language drama film co-written and directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars primarily newcomers such as S. Rajasekar, Raadhu, Ravi, Chandrasekhar and Suvitha. It revolves around a group of youngsters and their struggles to overcome the challenges faced by them in society.
Kizhakku Cheemayile is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja. It stars Vijayakumar, Radhika and Napoleon, while Vignesh, Pandiyan, and Vadivelu play supporting roles. The film involves a touching sentimental story between a brother and a sister. The music was scored by A. R. Rahman, marking his first of several collaborations with Bharathiraja.
Ponvannan is an Indian actor and director who has worked in Tamil cinema and television. After beginning his career as an artist (painter), Ponvannan apprenticed as a director and writer under Bharathiraja. He subsequently made his directorial debut with Annai Vayal (1992), before making the critically acclaimed venture, Nadhi Karaiyinile (2003). He has since appeared as a supporting actor in films, winning acclaim for his role in films including Paruthiveeran (2007), Ayan (2009) and Kaaviya Thalaivan (2014). In October 2015, he was elected as the Vice President of the Nadigar Sangam alongside Karunas.
Kizhakke Pogum Rail is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Bharathiraja, starring newcomers Sudhakar and M. R. Radhika. It was released on 10 August 1978 and ran for over 365 days in theatres. The film was remade in Telugu as Toorpu Velle Railu (1979) by Bapu, and in Hindi by Bharathiraja himself as Saveray Wali Gaadi (1985).
Puthiya Vaarpugal is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film co-written, produced and directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars K. Bhagyaraj and Rati Agnihotri, with G. Srinivasan, Goundamani, K. K. Soundar and Usharani in supporting roles. It revolves around a school teacher who falls in love with a woman in his village, their relationship is threatened by the lecherous village chief.
Eera Nilam (transl. Wetland) is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Bharathiraja, starring his son Manoj and Nanditha. It was released on 8 August 2003, and won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film while Thenmozhi won for Best Dialogue Writer.
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