Major Chandrakanth (play)

Last updated

Major Chandrakanth
Written by K. Balachander
Date premiered1963
Original languageTamil
GenreDrama

Major Chandrakanth is a Tamil-language play written by K. Balachander and staged in the 1960s. It was adapted into a Hindi film titled Oonche Log in 1965, a Tamil namesake film in 1966, a Telugu film titled Sukha Dukhalu in 1968, a Malayalam film titled Karthavyam in 1982, and a Kannada film titled Karune Illada Kanoonu in 1983.

Contents

Plot

Chandrakanth, a morally upright blind major, gives asylum to a man who is a fugitive, having committed murder. The murdered man was Rajinikanth, the lover of the fugitive's sister; he had cheated her on promise of marriage, leading her to commit suicide since she was unable to bear the shame. Chandrakanth's elder son Srikanth, a police officer, is tasked with finding the murderer. It is later revealed that Rajinikanth was Chandrakanth's younger son, and that both Chandrakanth and the fugitive were unaware of each other's identity the whole time. Srikanth arrests the fugitive and his father for having given shelter to a criminal. [1]

Cast

Production

When working in the Accountant general's office in Madras (now Chennai), K. Balachander wrote and starred as a blind major in a play titled Courage of Conviction. Since the new Accountant general was a Bengali, Balachander decided the play had to be in English so that the Accountant general would understand it. [1] [2] This was unlike his other plays, which were written in Tamil. [3] He later decided to expand the play into a full-length script for his friend P. R. Govindarajan's troupe Ragini Recreations, this time in Tamil and with the title Major Chandrakanth due to the limited scope for English plays in Madras. [1] [4] In the Tamil play, Sundarrajan portrayed Chandrakanth (he would later be known as Major Sundarrajan for this portrayal) and Venky portrayed his elder son Srikanth (he would later be known as Srikanth for this portrayal). [1]

Reception

The play was first staged in 1963. [5] It received critical acclaim, [6] and was staged over a hundred times. [7]

Adaptations

Major Chandrakanth was adapted into a Hindi film titled Oonche Log in 1965, [8] a Tamil namesake film in 1966, [9] a Telugu film titled Sukha Dukhalu in 1968, [10] a Malayalam film titled Karthavyam in 1982, [11] and a Kannada film titled Karune Illada Kanoonu in 1983.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. Balachander</span> Indian film director (born 1930)

Kailasam Balachander was an Indian filmmaker and playwright who worked mainly in the Tamil cinema. He was well known for his distinct film-making style, and the Indian film industry knew him as a master of unconventional themes and hard-hitting contemporary subject matter. Balachander's films are well known for their portrayal of women as bold personalities and central characters. Popularly referred to as Iyakkunar Sigaram, his films are usually centred on unusual or complicated interpersonal relationships and social themes. He started his film career in 1964 as a screenwriter and graduated to a director with Neerkumizhi (1965).

<i>Apoorva Raagangal</i> 1975 Indian Tamil-language film by K. Balachander

Apoorva Raagangal is a 1975 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. It stars Kamal Haasan, Sundarrajan, Srividya and Jayasudha, while Nagesh and Rajinikanth, in his feature film debut, play supporting roles. The film revolves around Prasanna (Haasan) who falls in love with the much older Bhairavi (Srividya) while Bhairavi's daughter Ranjani (Jayasudha) is drawn to Prasanna's father Mahendran (Sundarrajan).

<i>Avargal</i> 1977 film by K. Balachander

Avargal is a 1977 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. The film stars Sujatha, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth and Ravikumar. A triangular love story, it revolves around a woman who is caught between the man she fell in love with and her former sadistic husband who is supposedly reformed and wants to rejoin her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamal Haasan filmography</span>

Kamal Haasan is an Indian actor, screenwriter, film director, film producer, and dance choreographer who works primarily in Tamil cinema. At the age of 05, he debuted as a child actor in the 1960 Tamil film Kalathur Kannamma, directed by A. Bhimsingh, which won him the President's Gold Medal. Since then, he has acted in over 230 films in Tamil and other languages including Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Bengali. After a few projects as a child artist, he took a break to continue his education. He later concentrated on dance choreography and worked as an assistant choreographer. During this time, he made uncredited appearances in a few films which he worked on.

<i>Server Sundaram</i> 1964 film by Krishnan–Panju

Server Sundaram is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by Krishnan–Panju and produced by A. V. Meiyappan. The film stars Nagesh as the title character. Muthuraman and K. R. Vijaya play the other lead roles while Major Sundarrajan, S. N. Lakshmi and Manorama play supporting roles. It focuses on a hotel waiter who strives to reach greater heights after he becomes an actor to attain the love of his restaurateur's daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major Sundarrajan</span> Indian actor

Srinivasan Sundarrajan, popularly known as Major Sundarrajan, was an Indian actor and director who performed predominantly in Tamil language films and plays. He was well known for his sophisticated and urbane way of delivering dialogues, often mixing English and Tamil sentences.

<i>Edhir Neechal</i> (1968 film) 1968 film by K. Balachander

Edhir Neechal is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. The film has an ensemble cast including Nagesh, Muthuraman, Sundarrajan, Srikanth, M. R. R. Vasu, Sowcar Janaki and Jayanthi. It is based on Balachander's play of the same name, itself inspired by Sombhu Mitra's play Kanchanranga. The film was released on 12 December 1968, and became a commercial success, with Balachander winning the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer. It was remade in Telugu as Sambarala Rambabu (1970) and in Hindi as Lakhon Me Ek (1971).

<i>Bama Vijayam</i> (1967 film) 1967 Indian film by K. Balachander

Bama Vijayam is a 1967 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by K. Balachander. The film features an ensemble cast including Sowcar Janaki, Rajasree, Kanchana, Jayanthi, Sachu, R. Muthuraman, Nagesh, Major Sundarrajan, Srikanth and T. S. Balaiah. It revolves around a man's three daughters-in-law who go to absurd lengths to impress an actress who becomes their neighbour.

Srikanth was an Indian actor who has performed in around 200 Tamil films since his debut in 1965. He is also referred to as Venniradai Srikanth. He has played the lead hero in around 50 films between 1965 and 1979 and has also played supporting roles in films with actors Sivaji Ganesan, Muthuraman, Ravichandran and Jaishankar in the lead roles. In the late seventies to early nineties, he appeared as a villain opposite actors including Sivakumar, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.

<i>Neerkumizhi</i> 1965 film by K. Balachander

Neerkumizhi is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language film directed by K. Balachander in his directorial debut. It portrayed the stories of patients and staff in a hospital setting. The film is based on Balachander's play of the same name. It was released on 23 October 1965. The film was remade in Telugu as Chiranjeevi (1969), and in Malayalam as Aaradimanninte Janmi (1972).

<i>Major Chandrakanth</i> (1966 film) 1966 film by K. Balachander

Major Chandrakanth is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. Based on his play of the same name, the film stars Major Sundarrajan, Nagesh, R. Muthuraman, A. V. M. Rajan and Jayalalithaa. Produced by A. V. Meiyappan of AVM Productions, it revolves around a retired and blind major who gives asylum to a fugitive wanted for committing murder, unaware that the victim was his younger son.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. V. Sahasranamam</span> Indian actor

Singanallur Venkataramana Iyer Sahasranamam, also known as S. V. S., was an Indian actor and director. Primarily a theatre actor, he also worked in over 200 films, mainly in Tamil cinema.

Karthavyam is a 1982 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Joshiy and produced by Jagan Appachan. The film stars Madhu, Jagathy Sreekumar, Sankaradi and M. G. Soman. It is an adaptation of K. Balachander's play Major Chandrakanth.

Karune Illada Kanoonu is a 1983 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by K. S. L. Swamy (Ravee) and produced by Girija. The film stars Lokesh, Tiger Prabhakar, Sripriya and Ashok. The film has musical score by Shankar–Ganesh. The film was an adaptation of K. Balachander's play Major Chandrakanth.

Girija Lokesh is an Indian theatre and film actress and occasional film producer who works in Kannada cinema. She is wife of actor Lokesh, and is the mother of actor and television presenter Srujan Lokesh. In recognition of her contribution towards Kannada cinema, she was honoured with Rajyotsava Award by the Government of Karnataka in 2013.

<i>Navagraham</i> 1970 film by K. Balachander

Navagraham is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. The film stars Nagesh, Srikanth, R. Muthuraman and Lakshmi, with Ragini, Sivakumar, Rama Prabha, Y. G. Mahendran, V. Gopalakrishnan and G. Sakunthala in supporting roles. It was released on 3 September 1970.

<i>Sukha Dukhalu</i> 1968 Indian film

Sukha Dukhalu (transl. Bittersweet) is a 1968 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by I. N. Murthy. It is an adaptation of K. Balachander's Tamil play Major Chandrakanth. The film stars Vanisri, Jayalalitha, Ramkrishna and Chandra Mohan, with S. V. Ranga Rao and Haranath in supporting roles. It was released on 4 January 1968.

<i>Kaviya Thalaivi</i> 1970 film by K. Balachander

Kaviya Thalaivi is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language film, written and directed by K. Balachander and produced by Sowcar Janaki. It is a remake of the 1963 Bengali film Uttar Falguni. Janaki also stars alongside Gemini Ganesan and M. R. R. Vasu. The film was released on 29 October 1970, Diwali day, and became a success. For his performance, Ganesan won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor.

<i>Bhale Kodallu</i> 1968 Indian film

Bhale Kodallu is a 1968 Telugu-language comedy film written and directed by K. Balachander. It was simultaneously filmed in Tamil as Bama Vijayam, despite being released more than a year after that. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of S. V. Ranga Rao, Sowcar Janaki, Kanchana, Jayanthi, Nagabhushanam, Ramakrishna, Chalam, Rajasree and Saraswathi.

<i>Oru Veedu Oru Ulagam</i> 1978 film by Durai

Oru Veedu Oru Ulagam is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed and written by Durai from a story by G. Lalitha. The film stars Srikanth and Shoba, with Major Sundarrajan, Delhi Ganesh, Suruli Rajan, Pandari Bai and Vijay Babu in supporting roles. It was released on 1 December 1978, and Durai won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bhatt, Karthik (13 April 2017). "Major Chandrakanth : From Stage to Celluloid". The Cinema Resource Centre. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  2. ↑ Sivakumar, S. (24 June 2011). "Quality recreation". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  3. ↑ "KB: The Man, The Philosophy". Brew. 18 October 2013. p. 40.
  4. ↑ Guy, Randor (3 May 2011). "The KB school". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  5. ↑ Kolappan, B. (23 December 2014). "He took Tamil cinema beyond hero-centric creations". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "K Balachander gets Dadasaheb Phalke award". Rediff.com . 29 April 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  7. ↑ Mukherjee, Bimal; Kothari, Sunil; Lal, Ananda; Dasgupta, Chidananda (1995). Rasa: Theatre and cinema. Anamika Kala Sangam. p. 196.
  8. ↑ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 386.
  9. ↑ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 388.
  10. ↑ Srinivasan, S. (11 July 2011). "K. Balachander: The Middle-Class Maestro". Forbes India . Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  11. ↑ "தமிழ் டூ மலையாளம் உண்டல்லோ?". Puthiya Thalaimurai (in Tamil). 16 July 2015. p. 12.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.