Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal

Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal
Poster
Directed byK. Balachander
Written byK. Balachander
Produced byRajam Balachander
Pushpa Kandaswamy
StarringRaghu
Geetha
CinematographyR. Raghunatha Reddy
Edited byGanesh Kumar
Music byIlaiyaraaja
Production
company
Release date
  • 28 October 1989 (1989-10-28)
Running time
150 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal (transl. New Meanings)[1] is a 1989 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film, written and directed by K. Balachander. The film stars Rahman (credited as Raghu) and Geetha, with Sowcar Janaki, Jayachitra, Janagaraj and Sithara (in her Tamil cinema debut) in supporting roles. It was released on 28 October 1989. The film won a Filmfare Award South, and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

Plot

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Manibharati is a successful playback singer who lives with his possessive wife Gowri. Tricked into marriage by his conniving mother-in-law, what really irks Bharati is his wife's inability to deal with his rabid female fans, having been one herself. Tensions escalate until Bharati leaves home after a fight. He meets Jyoti on the way, who’s also escaping her abusive husband that forced her into club dancing and prostitution. Bharati and Jyoti end up travelling to Goa together, where they find themselves with no money and decide to make themselves a living working as servers at a restaurant.

Bharati gets a call from his PA back home that Gowri is ill. Unbeknownst to him, his PA was forced to call Bharati and lie to bring him home; when he visits with Jyoti, Gowri calls her profanities and doesn’t let her in. Bharati gets so angry at this treatment of his friend that he leaves, claiming that he loves Jyoti. Gowri files for a divorce and informs news reporters about Jyoti, and starts dating Guru, a popular cricket player that had been in love with Gowri in the past. Guru accepts Gowri’s proposal and abandons his girlfriend Yamuna, who commits suicide at their wedding hall. Gowri’s mother and her PA feel that she is mentally unstable now from the trauma she’s suffered, and they beg Bharati to go and see her in the hospital. Bharati takes Jyoti with him to visit Gowri, and Jyoti sees that Bharati and Gowri belong with each other. As she leaves the hospital, she sees her husband tracked her down to apologise, and goes home with him. Bharati is shows to go to his next music recording, finally happy, and looking after his wife in the hospital.

Cast

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Cameo appearances

Production

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Malayalam actress Sithara was introduced in Tamil through this film.[5] It also marked the acting debut of Chi. Guru Dutt.[6] Balachander chose Kala as the lead dance choreographer after being impressed with her work in his previous directorial venture Punnagai Mannan (1986).[7] The dubbing voice for Rahman was provided by Nizhalgal Ravi.[8]

Themes and influences

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According to T. A. Narasimhan of Hindu Tamil Thisai, the film is said to be based on the stage play Kaaranam Kettu Vaadi by Chithralaya Gopu.[9]

Soundtrack

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The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja and the lyrics were written by Vaali.[10][11] This was the final collaboration between Ilaiyaraaja and Balachander.[12][13] According to journalist Kamini Mathai, Ilaiyaraaja could not commit to re-recording as there was a strike; Balachander decided to use background scores from his older films to fill the unfinished portions, angering Ilaiyaraaja and leading to the end of his alliance with Balachander.[14] The song "Kalyana Maalai" is set in the Carnatic raga known as Sindhu Bhairavi,[15] "Eduthu Naan Vidava" is set in Bageshri,[16] and "Guruvayurappa" is set in Abheri.[17] "Keladi Kanmani" was later adapted in Hindi as "Chandni Raat Hai", composed by Anand–Milind for Baaghi (1990).[18]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Eduthu Naan Vidava"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Ilaiyaraaja4:45
2."Ellorum Mavatta"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. P. Sailaja4:34
3."Guruvayurappa"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra2:12
4."Kalyaana Maalai"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam5:57
5."Kalyaana Maalai" (version 2)S. P. Balasubrahmanyam4:40
6."Keladi Kanmani"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam4:35
Total length:26:43

Release and reception

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Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal was released on 28 October 1989, Diwali day.[19] P. S. S. of Kalki opined that Balachander, despite having done so many films, did not have the courage to give a different result.[20]

Accolades

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Event Category Recipient Ref.
Filmfare Awards South Best Director – Tamil K. Balachander [21]
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Second Best Film Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal [22]
Best Director K. Balachander

Impact

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Rahman considered Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal to be "the biggest milestone in [his] career" in Tamil, saying, "It helped me set my two legs permanently in [Tamil cinema]".[23] The song "Keladi Kanmani" inspired the title of a 1990 film.[24] A Hindi remake of Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal entered production with Rahul Roy starring, but the film never had a theatrical release.[25]

References

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  1. ^ Narwekar 1994, p. 25.
  2. ^ a b c Surendran, Anusha; Venkatraman, Janane (4 July 2017). "Tamil films are getting more modern, and more misogynistic". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal | Cast and Crew". Moviefone. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  4. ^ Shekar, Anjana (17 April 2021). "'Take diversion': 13 unforgettable comedy scenes from Vivek". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  5. ^ Ajith Kumar, P.K.; Praveen, S.R. (21 June 2015). "An eventful career". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  6. ^ Variety Cinema Directory: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi Information on Cinema & Video Industry. India: Best Media Associates. 1999. p. 161. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Cinema Rendezvous – Come lets date- Kala Master & All That Jazz". Time Out. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  8. ^ M. R. (11 May 2001). "They are in the fray too..." The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  9. ^ நரசிம்மன், டி.ஏ. (10 August 2018). "சி(ரி)த்ராலயா 30: சிவாஜி கொடுத்த விரு(ந்)து!". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal (1989)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  11. ^ "Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal Tamil Film LP Vinyl Record by Ilayaraja". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  12. ^ Niyappa, Plum (30 January 2018). "Ilaiyaraaja Is Dalit; There's No Need To Shy Away From Stating It". Silverscreen India. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  13. ^ "பாலச்சந்தர் - இளையராஜா வெற்றிக்கூட்டணி" [Balachander and Ilaiyaraaja's successful alliance]. Dinamalar (in Tamil). 25 December 2014. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  14. ^ Mathai 2009, pp. 65–66.
  15. ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 135.
  16. ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 127.
  17. ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 131.
  18. ^ "What Tiger's Baaghi has in common with Salman's!". Rediff.com. 5 April 2016. Archived from the original on 23 February 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  19. ^ ராம்ஜி, வி. (28 October 2022). "'புதுப்புது அர்த்தங்கள்' சொன்ன 'இன்னிக்கி செத்தா நாளைக்கி பால்!'". Kamadenu (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  20. ^ பி.எஸ்.எஸ். (19 November 1989). "புதுப்புது அர்த்தங்கள்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 49. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  21. ^ "Double honour for Kamal". The Indian Express. Express News Service. 14 June 1990. p. 3. Retrieved 13 May 2021 – via Google News Archive.
  22. ^ "State film awards". The Indian Express. Express News Service. 21 November 1990. p. 5. Retrieved 13 May 2021 – via Google News Archive.
  23. ^ Vijayan, Naveena (6 October 2015). "Rahman ready to experiment". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  24. ^ கணேஷ், எஸ். (19 March 2016). "பாடகர் எஸ்.பி.பி. கதையின் நாயகனாக நடித்த முதல் படம்!" [The first film where singer SPB played the protagonist!]. Dinamalar (in Tamil). Nellai. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  25. ^ "20 years of Ajith's Amarkkalam". The Times of India. 13 August 2019. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2021.

Bibliography

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