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Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan

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Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJayakanthan
Written byJayakanthan
Based onYaarukkaga Azhudhaan
by Jayakanthan
Produced byJayakanthan
Starring
CinematographyNemai Ghosh
Music byS. V. Ramanan
Production
company
Asia Jothi Films
Release date
  • 22 July 1966 (1966-07-22)
Running time
111 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan (transl. For whom did he cry?) is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language thriller drama film written, produced and directed by Jayakanthan. It is based on his novel of the same name. The film stars Nagesh, K. R. Vijaya, T. S. Balaiah, S. V. Sahasranamam and Wahab Kashmiri. It deals with a mentally retarded servant boy who is wrongly accused of theft in the lodge he works at.

Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan was released on 22 July 1966. Although the film received critical praise for its content and technique, it failed commercially, and Jayakanthan did not direct any film afterwards.

Plot

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Joseph is a mentally retarded servant boy working at a lodge in Madras. An inebriated Sait, who arrives at the lodge to stay, gives his cash to the lodge owner for safekeeping. The next morning, the Sait has forgotten to whom he gave the cash, so he accuses Joseph. The owner exploits this situation and keeps the money. When interrogated, Joseph remains taciturn. A woman lodger who was deserted by her lover, tries to help, but only the return of the head cook Naidu, who was previously on vacation, discovers the truth and clears Joseph's name.[2][3]

Cast

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Production

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Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan was produced and directed by novelist Jayakanthan under his own banner Asia Jothi Films. It was his second directorial venture after Unnaipol Oruvan (1965), and based on his own novel of the same name.[3] The original producer, G. N. Velumani, wanted Sivaji Ganesan and Savitri to star, with C. V. Sridhar as director;[4] after principal photography began, Velumani backed out due to differences with Jayakanthan who took over as producer, with Nagesh and K. R. Vijaya cast instead.[5][6] While primarily a melodrama, the film also included overtones of the thriller genre.[7] Nagesh, then known primarily as a comedian,[8] was cast against type in a serious role as the male lead Joseph.[9] Since he was busy doing many films at that time, most of the shoot took place only at night.[10] The cinematography was handled by Nemai Ghosh.[8] The film had no dance sequences,[8] and the music was composed by S. V. Ramanan.[5] The film's final cut measured 4,813 metres (15,791 ft).[5] Jayakanthan did not direct any further films after this, but did collaborate on the production of Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal (1977) and Oru Nadigai Natakam Parkiral and (1978), both adapted from his novels.[11]

Release and reception

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Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan was released on 22 July 1966.[12] Though the experimental film received praise for its content and technique, it was a commercial failure.[13] Kalki lauded the film for eschewing Tamil cinema conventions such as fights and song sequences, and Nagesh's performance.[14]

Legacy

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Writing for Madras Musings, Randor Guy praised the film for making a "strong socially relevant statement".[15] Film historian S. Theodore Baskaran wrote that it brought a "whole new dimension" of Nagesh's acting ability, and that though film did not get much notice during its theatrical run, he was "lucky to catch it in its first few days in Chennai".[3] He described the film as "very realistic natural cinema",[16] praised Nagesh for "emoting more through body language than dialogue" and the cinematography by Ghosh, adding that the dialogues were "written so as to not divert the focus of the film."[8]

References

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  1. ^ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 389.
  2. ^ a b c d e Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 390.
  3. ^ a b c Baskaran, S. Theodore (14–27 February 2009). "Tragic comedian". Frontline. Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  4. ^ ஸ்ரீதர், டைரக்டர் (23 February 1992). "ஆறுமாதம் காக்க வைத்த அருமையான டியூன்!" [Waited six months for this tune!]. Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 58–59. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ a b c "1966 – யாருக்காக அழுதான் ஆசியஜோதி பிலிம்ஸ் (நாவல்)" [1966 – Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan Asia Jothi Films (novel)]. Lakshman Sruthi (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  6. ^ "இயக்குநரானார் முரசொலி மாறன்!" [Murasoli Maran turned director!]. Dinakaran (in Tamil). 15 July 2011. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  7. ^ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, pp. 389–390.
  8. ^ a b c d Baskaran, S. Theodore (13 July 2013). "Master Takes". Tehelka. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Nagesh, a stellar comedian". Sify. 1 February 2009. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  10. ^ நாகேஷ் (11 July 2004). "ஜே. கே!" [J. K.!] (PDF). Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 65–67. Retrieved 3 April 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  11. ^ Raghavendra, M. K., ed. (2017). Beyond Bollywood: The Cinemas of South India. India: HarperCollins. p. 46. ISBN 978-93-5264-569-5.
  12. ^ "Yarukkaga Azhuthan?". The Indian Express. 22 July 1966. p. 3. Retrieved 18 January 2021 – via Google News Archive.
  13. ^ Viswanathan, S. (1976). "Wanted: a licence to produce!". Industrial Economist. Vol. 9. p. 10. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  14. ^ "யாருக்காக அழுதான்?" [For whom did he cry?]. Kalki (in Tamil). 7 August 1966. p. 37. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  15. ^ Guy, Randor (16–31 May 2005). "The stormy petrel of Tamil Literature" (PDF). Madras Musings. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Now, a Tamil Section at the MLS". Madras Musings. 1–15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.

Bibliography

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