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Amara Deepam (1956 film)

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Amara Deepam
Theatrical release poster
Directed byT. Prakash Rao
Screenplay byT. Prakash Rao
Story byC. V. Sridhar
Produced byS. Krishnamoorthy
T. Govindarajan
C. V. Sridhar
StarringSivaji Ganesan
Savitri
Padmini
CinematographyKamal Ghosh
A. Vincent
Edited byN. M. Sankar
Music byT. Chalapathi Rao
G. Ramanathan
G. N. Balasubramaniam
Production
company
Venus Pictures
Distributed bySivaji Films[1]
Release date
  • 29 June 1956 (1956-06-29)
Running time
162 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Amara Deepam (transl. The Eternal Lamp) is a 1956 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by T. Prakash Rao. A remake of the 1942 American film Random Harvest, it stars Sivaji Ganesan, Savitri and Padmini. The film, produced by Venus Pictures, was released on 29 June 1956. It was remade in Hindi as Amardeep (1958).[2][3]

Plot

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Aruna is a girl from a wealthy family. Her parents want her to marry her cousin Sukumar. She, however, does not like him because of his dictatorial behaviour. He even breaks her radio, which convinces Aruna that he is certainly not the person for her. She leaves the house one night without informing anyone to escape from the marriage. She ends up being chased by some goons, and gets saved by a bypasser Ashok. Suddenly, somebody hits Ashok on the head, which causes him to lose his memory. Later, he meets a woman in a gypsy camp called Rupa and falls for her. Aruna, however, cannot forget him and never ceases her search for him. She finally meets him at a show with Rupa. Whether he regains his memory and what eventually happens forms the climax.

Cast

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Main cast
Guest artiste
Supporting cast
  • M. R. Santhanam, M. M. Venkatachalam Pillai, Jayasakthivel, Nambirajan, Kottapuli Jayaraman, V. P. Balaraman, K. S. Durai, C. V. Velappa, Baby Saroja, and Baby Kasthuri.

Soundtrack

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The music was composed by T. Chalapathi Rao.[4] G. Ramanathan composed the music for one song "Nadodikkottam Nannga Thiillelelo" and Carnatic musician G. N. Balasubramaniam composed the music for "Enge Maraindhanayo".[5] This song was tuned in the Carnatic raga Shubhapantuvarali.[6] The song "Jalilo Jimkana" became popular among children of the decade.[7][8]

Song Singers Lyrics Length
"Nanaayam Manushanukku" T. M. Soundararajan K. S. Gopalakrishnan 02:43
"Jalilo Jimkana" Jikki Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass 03:51
"Thenunnum Vandu Maamalarai Kandu" A. M. Rajah & P. Susheela K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam 03:34
"Ellorum Koodi Aadi Paadi" Jikki M. K. Aathmanathan 03:56
"Nadodikkottam Nannga Thiillelelo" T. M. Soundararajan, A. P. Komala, Sirkazhi Govindarajan & T. V. Rathnam Udumalai Narayana Kavi 05:41
"Pachchai Kilipaadudhu" Jikki A. Maruthakasi 03:13
"Kondaikatti Kaavikatti" S. C. Krishnan & A. P. Komala K. S. Gopalakrishnan 03:37
"Thumbam Soozhum Neram" Jikki K. S. Gopalakrishnan 02:11
"Enge Maraindhanayo" M. L. Vasanthakumari K. S. Gopalakrishnan 03:09

Release and reception

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Amara Deepam was released on 29 June 1956.[9] The Hindu wrote, "Interesting melodrama, packed with cleverly-contrived situations." The Mail wrote, "Savithri as Aruna and Padmini as Rupa are striking in their trying roles, and their actions are moving. Sivaji Ganesan, as Ashok, gives a talk on labour rights, which arrests one's attention." Screen wrote, "Amara Deepam produced essentially as an entertainer, has achieved its purpose to a great extent".[10] Kanthan of Kalki appreciated the film for various aspects, including Sridhar's writing, the songs and the cast performances.[11] The Indian Express wrote, "This is a picture of which the Tamil film world could be legitimately be proud – such is the vivid portrayal on the screen of gripping theme."[12] The film was a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Amara Deepam". The Indian Express. 23 June 1956. p. 1. Retrieved 30 August 2021 – via Google News Archive.
  2. ^ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 344.
  3. ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (1 September 2006). "And now... scaling heights in Delhi". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Amara Deepam (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Apple Music. December 1956. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  5. ^ Krishnamachari, Suganthy (9 April 2024). "What made Sivaji Ganesan an actor nonpareil?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  6. ^ Venkataraman, Shankar (28 June 2018). "M.L. Vasanthakumari's impeccable style gave us many evergreen hits". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  7. ^ Anumaggie (17 March 2022). "BEAST: 'JALILO JIMKANA' FOR 60S KIDS AND IT IS 'JOLLY O GYMKHANA' FOR 90S AND 2K KIDS!". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  8. ^ Narayanan, Sujatha (7 April 2022). "What makes a song memorable?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Amara Deepam". The Indian Express. 29 June 1956. p. 10. Retrieved 5 May 2022 – via Google News Archive.
  10. ^ "Amara Deepam". The Hindu. 17 August 1956. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  11. ^ காந்தன் (15 July 1956). "அமரதீபம்". Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 30–31. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  12. ^ "Amaradeepam". The Indian Express. 2 July 1956. p. 3. Retrieved 30 October 2022 – via Google News Archive.
  13. ^ Guy, Randor (26 September 2015). "Amara Deepam (1956)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2021.

Bibliography

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