Motor Sundaram Pillai

Last updated

Motor Sundaram Pillai
Motor Sundaram Pillai.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by S. S. Balan
Screenplay byVeppatthur Kittu
Based on Grahasti
Produced by S. S. Vasan
Starring Sivaji Ganesan
Ravichandran
Sowcar Janaki
Jayalalithaa
CinematographyP. Ellappa
Edited byM. Umanath
Music by M. S. Viswanathan
Production
company
Release date
  • 26 January 1966 (1966-01-26)
Running time
160 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Motor Sundaram Pillai is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by S. S. Balan and written by Veppathur Kittoo. A remake of the Hindi film Grahasti (1963), itself based on the American film The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959), the film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Ravichandran, Sowcar Janaki and Jayalalithaa. It revolves around a man who leads a double life, having two sets of families.

Contents

Motor Sundaram Pillai is the directorial debut of Balan, whose father Vasan produced the film under Gemini Studios. After Kittoo completed the screenplay, Ganesan was approached to star but declined; Vasan then produced Kittu's screenplay as Grahasti. When Ganesan saw this film, he offered to act if Kittu made a Tamil version, and was cast.

Motor Sundaram Pillai was released on 26 January 1966. The film was commercially successful, running for over 100 days in theatres.

Plot

Motor Sundaram Pillai, a man known for being virtuous, leads a double life, having two sets of families.

Cast

Production

The 1959 American film The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker , adapted from a play written by Liam O'Brien, which was inspired by a real life incident, was a global success, especially in Madras (now Chennai). Veppatthur Kittu of Gemini Studios wrote a screenplay based on this film (with changes made to suit regional tastes) and approached Sivaji Ganesan to act. He refused, and Gemini Studios proprietor S. S. Vasan produced Kittu's screenplay in Hindi as Grahasti (1963). When Ganesan saw this film, he offered to act if Kittu made a Tamil version. Vasan later announced the Tamil version, titled Motor Sundaram Pillai. Like Grahasti, this too featured some changes from the American film. [4] It marked the directorial debut of Vasan's son Balan. [2] [5] Cinematography was handled by P. Ellappa. [1]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album was composed by M. S. Viswanathan. The lyrics were penned by Kothamangalam Subbu and Vaali. [6] [7] In the song "Gubu Gubu Naan Engine", singer L. R. Eswari imitated engine sounds while A. L. Raghavan imitated train car sounds. [8] [9] The song "Maname Muruganin" is set in the Carnatic raga known as Hindolam. [10] Subbu initially wanted it to be in Atana, but as Viswanathan wanted it to be in Hindolam, Subbu assented. [11] The song was re-used in the Telugu film Manchi Kutumbam (1968) as "Manase Andhala Brindavanam". [12]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Kathiruntha Kangale" Vaali P. B. Sreenivas, P. Susheela 03:58
2."Kathal Endral Enna" Kothamangalam Subbu T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela07:38
3."Gubu Gubu Naan Engine"Kothamangalam Subbu A. L. Raghavan, L. R. Eswari 03:22
4."Maname Muruganin"Kothamangalam Subbu (Radha) Jayalakshmi 01:50
5."Penne Maanthartham (Penmai Endra)"Kothamangalam Subbu Sirkazhi Govindarajan 02:17
6."Thulli Thulli Vilaiyada"VaaliP. Susheela, L. R. Eswari, Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi 02:55
Total length:22:00

Release and reception

Motor Sundaram Pillai was released on 26 January 1966. [13] T. M. Ramachandran of Sport and Pastime wrote, "Though, up to the interval, it contains the usual quota of songs, dances, romantic chases of the young lovers and comedy [...] it grips the audience with a clever and logical twist in the story." [2] The film was commercially successful, running for over 100 days in theatres. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Thiruvilaiyadal</i> 1965 film A. P. Nagarajan

Thiruvilaiyadal is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language Hindu mythological film written, directed and co-produced by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Savitri, and K. B. Sundarambal, with T. S. Balaiah, R. Muthuraman, Nagesh, T. R. Mahalingam, K. Sarangapani, Devika, Manorama, and Nagarajan in supporting roles. K. V. Mahadevan composed the film's soundtrack and score, and Kannadasan and Sankaradas Swamigal wrote the song lyrics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kothamangalam Subbu</span> Indian poet and director

Kothamangalam Subbu was an Indian poet, lyricist, author, actor and film director based in Tamil Nadu. He wrote the cult classic Tamil novel Thillana Mohanambal and was awarded the Padma Shri. According to novelist Ashokamitran's memoirs, Subbu functioned as the No. 2 of the giant Gemini Studios of Chennai, South India for over three decades and was a close associate of movie mogul S. S. Vasan, who established those studios and published the popular Tamil weekly Ananda Vikatan.

<i>Veerapandiya Kattabomman</i> (film) 1959 film by B. R. Panthulu

Veerapandiya Kattabomman is a 1959 Indian Tamil-language historical war film produced and directed by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Padmini, S. Varalakshmi, and Ragini, with V. K. Ramasamy and Javar Seetharaman in supporting roles. Its soundtrack and score were composed by G. Ramanathan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sivaji Ganesan filmography</span>

The filmography of Sivaji Ganesan (1928–2001) comprises a total of 288 movies with 275 Tamil, 9 Telugu, 2 Malayalam and 2 Hindi. He is the only actor to have played the lead role in over 250 films in Tamil cinema. Apart from these, he has acted in 17 films as honorary appearance.

<i>Pasamalar</i> 1961 film by A. Bhimsingh

Pasamalar is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan and Savitri Ganesan, with K. A. Thangavelu M. N. Nambiar and M. N. Rajam in supporting roles. It revolves around Rajasekhar and his bonding with his younger sister Radha. Radha falls in love with her brother's friend, and Rajasekhar eventually arranges for their marriage. Problems they face form the story.

<i>Paava Mannippu</i> 1961 film by A. Bhimsingh

Paava Mannippu is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed and edited by A. Bhimsingh, who co-produced it under his banner Buddha Pictures, with AVM Productions. The film features an ensemble cast of Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Savitri, Devika and M. R. Radha. M. V. Rajamma, V. Nagayya, S. V. Subbaiah and T. S. Balaiah play supporting roles. It revolves around four children who are separated from their parents in childhood, then found and raised by foster parents of different religious backgrounds.

<i>Miss Malini</i> 1947 film by Kothamangalam Subbu

Miss Malini is a 1947 Indian Tamil-language satirical film written and directed by Kothamangalam Subbu and produced by K. Ramnoth, based on a story by R. K. Narayan. Subbu also starred in the film alongside Pushpavalli and M. S. Sundari Bai. Javar Seetharaman and Gemini Ganesan made their acting debuts in the film appearing in minor supporting roles. The film focuses on Malini (Pushpavalli), an impoverished woman who joins her actress friend Sundari's theatre company Kala Mandhiram and becomes a success. Things take a turn for the worse when she befriends a charlatan named Sampath.

<i>Manchi Kutumbam</i> 1968 Indian film

Manchi Kutumbam is a 1968 Indian Telugu-language drama film co-written and directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sowcar Janaki, Kanchana, Krishna and Vijaya Nirmala, with music composed by S. P. Kodandapani. It is a remake of the Hindi film Grahasti (1963) itself based on the American film The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959). Grahasti was earlier remade into Tamil as Motor Sundaram Pillai (1966).

<i>Bale Pandiya</i> (1962 film) 1962 film by B. R. Panthulu

Bale Pandiya is a 1962 Indian Tamil-language comedy film produced and directed by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, M. R. Radha and Devika, with K. Balaji, Vasanthi and Sandhya in supporting roles. It revolves around the title character having to evade a lookalike wanting to kill him for insurance money.

<i>Kalvanin Kadhali</i> (1955 film) 1955 film by V. S. Raghavan

Kalvanin Kadhali is a 1955 Indian Tamil-language romantic crime film directed by V. S. Raghavan and written by S. D. Sundharam. Starring Sivaji Ganesan and P. Bhanumathi, it is based on the novel of the same name by Kalki Krishnamurthy. The film was released on 13 November 1955.

<i>Irumbu Thirai</i> (1960 film) 1960 Indian film

Irumbu Thirai is a 1960 Indian Tamil-language film produced and directed by S. S. Vasan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala, K. A. Thangavelu and B. Saroja Devi, with S. V. Ranga Rao, Pandari Bai and Vasundhara Devi in supporting roles. A remake of Vasan's own Hindi film Paigham (1959), it revolves around two brothers Manikam and Kondamuthu and their mill owner.

<i>Thillana Mohanambal</i> 1968 film by A. P. Nagarajan

Thillana Mohanambal is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language period musical drama film written, directed and produced by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and T. S. Balaiah, with A. V. M. Rajan, Nagesh and Manorama in supporting roles. It tells the story of Shanmugasundaram, a nadaswaram player who falls in love with Mohanambal, a Bharatanatyam dancer who reciprocates his feelings, but unfortunate circumstances and their egoistic nature prevents them from confessing their love for one another. How they overcome their self-created obstacles and those created by the people around them forms the rest of the story.

<i>Kappalottiya Thamizhan</i> 1961 film by B. R. Panthulu

Kappalottiya Thamizhan is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language historical drama film produced and directed by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan and Savitri. It is based on the 1944 book of the same name by M. P. Sivagnanam, a biography of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai who founded the Swadeshi Stream Navigation Company to break the monopoly of the British over maritime trade out of India.

S. Balasubramanian – Indian journalist, filmmaker, political analyst, and media personality as well as internationally famous aviculturalist and agriculturalist. He was a dominant force in Indian media over six decades having been at the helm of Ananda Vikatan magazine as editor and managing director as well as managing director of the erstwhile Gemini Studios since 1956. He was the son of media baron S. S. Vasan. He was the chairman emeritus of the Vikatan Group having retired from active involvement at the helm of the media conglomerate.

<i>Vietnam Veedu</i> 1970 film by P. Madhavan

Vietnam Veedu is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by P. Madhavan and written by Sundaram. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini, with Nagesh, K. A. Thangavelu, Srikanth, M. Bhanumathi and Rama Prabha in supporting roles. Produced by Sivaji Productions, it is based on Sundaram's play of the same name. The film was released on 11 April 1970 and became a commercial success. It won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film. The film was remade in Telugu as Vintha Samsaram (1971) and in Kannada as Shanthi Nivasa.

<i>Vilaiyattu Pillai</i> 1970 film by A. P. Nagarajan

Vilaiyattu Pillai is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by A. P. Nagarajan and produced by Gemini Studios. It is based on Kothamangalam Subbu's novel Rao Bahadur Singaram, which was serialised in the magazine Ananda Vikatan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and Kanchana. It deals with the romance between a woman who raises a bull and a man who sets out to tame it.

<i>Uyarndha Manithan</i> 1968 film by Krishnan–Panju

Uyarndha Manithan is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language drama film written by Javar Seetharaman and directed by Krishnan–Panju. The film was produced by A. V. Meiyappan, M. Saravanan, M. Kumaran and M. Murugan under AVM Productions. It stars Sivaji Ganesan and Sowcar Janaki, while S. A. Ashokan, Major Sundarrajan, Vanisri and Sivakumar play pivotal roles. The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by M. S. Viswanathan, while the lyrics for the songs were written by Vaali.

<i>Lakshmi Kalyanam</i> (1968 film) 1968 film by G. Or. Nathan

Lakshmi Kalyanam is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by G. Or. Nathan and produced by A. L. Srinivasan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Sowcar Janaki, Vennira Aadai Nirmala, K. Balaji and M. N. Nambiar. It was released on 15 November 1968. The film was remade in Telugu as Pelli Koothuru (1970).

<i>Grahasti</i> (film) 1963 film by S.S.Vasan

Grahasti also called Grihasti, is a 1963 Indian Hindi-language drama film, directed by Kishore Sahu. Produced by S. S. Vasan for Gemini Studios, its music director was Ravi and the lyrics were written by Shakeel Badayuni. Pandit Mukhram Sharma wrote the dialogues with cinematography by P. Ellappa. The film starred Ashok Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Rajshree, Nirupa Roy, Indrani Mukherjee, Bipin Gupta, Lalita Pawar and Gajanan Jagirdar.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 389.
  2. 1 2 3 Ramachandran, T. M. (19 February 1966). "Motor Sundaram Pillai". Sport and Pastime . Vol. 20. p. 42. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023– via Internet Archive.
  3. ↑ Vamanan (27 October 2017). "Sachu long journey". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  4. ↑ Guy, Randor (10 July 2009). "Motor Sundaram Pillai 1966". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "இயக்குநரானார் முரசொலி மாறன்!" [Murasoli Maran became a director!]. Dinakaran (in Tamil). 15 July 2011. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "Motor Sundaram Pillai (1966)". Raaga.com . Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  7. ↑ Neelamegam, G. (November 2016). Thiraikalanjiyam – Part 2 (in Tamil) (1st ed.). Chennai: Manivasagar Publishers. p. 261.
  8. ↑ Weidman, Amanda (15 June 2021). Brought to Life by the Voice: Playback Singing and Cultural Politics in South India. University of California Press. p. 108. ISBN   9780520976399.
  9. ↑ Rangaraj, R (23 June 2020). "Man who rocked Tamil pop, yodelling into hearts". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  10. ↑ Saravanan, T. (20 September 2013). "Ragas hit a high". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  11. ↑ Krishnamachari, Suganthy (5 March 2020). "Tamil fuelled Subbu's creativity – in all forms". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  12. ↑ Mani, Charulatha (19 August 2011). "A Raga's Journey – Hindolam Highlights". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  13. ↑ "1966 – மோட்டார் சுந்தரம்பிள்ளை – ஜெமினி பிக்" [1966 – Motor Sundaram Pillai – Gemini Pic.]. Lakshman Sruthi (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  14. ↑ Ganesan, Sivaji; Narayana Swamy, T.S. (2007) [2002]. Autobiography of an Actor: Sivaji Ganesan, October 1928 – July 2001. Sivaji Prabhu Charities Trust. p. 241. OCLC   297212002.

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.