Annavin Aasai
{{short description|1966 film by Dada Mirasi}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Annavin Aasai
| image = Annavin Aasai.JPG
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Dada Mirasi
| screenplay = S. I. Peruman
| based_on = {{Based on|Chand Aur Suraj|Dulal Guha}}
| producer = Balaji
| starring = {{ubl | Gemini Ganesan | Savitri | Balaji | Vijaya}}
| cinematography = Kamal Ghosh
| editing = B. Kandasamy
| music = K. V. Mahadevan
| studio = Sujatha Cine Arts
| distributor = Gemini Studios
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|1966|3|4}}
| country = India
| language = Tamil
}}
Annavin Aasai ({{translation|The elder brother's wish}}) is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Dada Mirasi and produced by Balaji. A remake of the Hindi film Chand Aur Suraj (1965), it stars Gemini Ganesan, Savitri, Balaji and Vijaya. In the film, after a man's faked death, the lives of his family members change drastically when they receive money from an insurance company he cheated.
Annavin Aasai is the first film produced by Balaji's Sujatha Cine Arts. Its screenplay was written by S. I. Peruman, the cinematography was handled by Kamal Ghosh, and the editing by B. Kandasamy. The film was released on 4 March 1966 and was a modest commercial success.
Plot
Ramanathan and Seetha, a married couple, face difficulties after the former loses his job. Ramanathan wants to help his younger brother Ravi to pursue MBBS, and to fund his education, he takes an insurance policy for {{INRConvert|100000|year=1966}}. Ramanathan then fakes his death by using a mutilated man's corpse near a railway line, and is legally declared dead. Seetha, who is traumatised by her husband's "death", tells Ravi to pursue his education using the insurance money she receives.
Ravi eventually becomes disinterested in his education. Using the insurance money, he takes to betting on horse racing and becomes rich. He falls in love with Vijaya, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. Mohan, a family friend and lawyer, discovers that Ramanathan is still alive and shares this information with Seetha, but she chooses to keep it a secret. Ravi misunderstands Mohan's night-time visits; assuming that Seetha is having an affair with Mohan, he begins to taunt her.
Seetha later arranges Ravi's marriage with Vijaya, whose father commits suicide after having been cheated by an insurance fraud. Ravi, still unaware that Ramanathan is alive, believes he is responsible for his brother's "death", surrenders to the police and is taken to court before a judge. During Ravi's trial, Mohan asserts that Ramanathan is not dead and Ravi pleaded guilty to murdering someone who is still alive. Soon after, Ramanathan appears and tells the court the truth. Ravi is exonerated, while Ramanathan receives three years' imprisonment for committing insurance fraud.
Cast
{{Col-begin|width=75%}}
{{col-break|width=10%}}
- Gemini Ganesan as Ramanathan
- Balaji as Ravi
- Nagesh
- Manohar as Mohan
- Sarangapani as Vijaya's father
- Ashok Kumar as the judge
{{col-break|width=25%}}
- Savitri as Seetha
- Vijaya as Vijaya
- Manorama
- Baby Shakila as Seetha's daughter
- Devi Chandrika
- Madhumati
{{Col-end}}
Production
Annavin Aasai was a remake of the Dulal Guha-directed Hindi film Chand Aur Suraj (1965), and was the first production of K. Balaji's company Sujatha Cine Arts.{{Cite news |date=20 April 2012 |title=சுரேஷ் பாலாஜி நேர்முகம்! |language=ta |trans-title=Suresh Balaje interview! |work=Dinamalar |url=https://cinema.dinamalar.com/hindi-news/7120/cinema/Bollywood/Interview-with-Suresh-Balaji.htm |url-status=live |access-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190323034927/https://cinema.dinamalar.com/hindi-news/7120/cinema/Bollywood/Interview-with-Suresh-Balaji.htm |archive-date=23 March 2019}}{{Cite news |last=ஸ்ரீதர் |first=ஜெமினி |date=17 November 2017 |title=ரசிகர்களின் நண்பர்! |language=ta |trans-title=The friend of all fans! |work=Hindu Tamil Thisai |url=https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/hindu-talkies/107157-.html |url-status=live |access-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119041301/https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/hindu-talkies/107157-.html |archive-date=19 November 2019}} Dada Mirasi directed the film while the screenplay was written by S. I. Peruman. Besides producing the film, Balaji also acted as Ravi, the younger brother of Gemini Ganesan's character Ramanathan. Ashok Kumar, the lead actor of the original,{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Devesh |date=23 September 2020 |title=Best Tanuja Movies |url=https://www.filmfare.com/features/best-tanuja-movies-43747.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020001946/https://www.filmfare.com/features/best-tanuja-movies-43747.html |archive-date=20 October 2020 |access-date=10 December 2020 |website=Filmfare}} made a cameo appearance as the judge presiding over Ravi's trial, making his first appearance in a Tamil film.{{sfn|சிவரஞ்சன்|2001|p=87}} Cinematography was handled by Kamal Ghosh, editing by B. Kandasamy,{{Cite AV media |title=Annavin Aasai |type=motion picture |language=ta |publisher=Sujatha Cine Arts |year=1966 |time=2:17 |time-caption=Opening credits, at}} and the final length of the film was {{convert|4761|metres|feet}}.{{Cite magazine |date=7 May 1966 |title=Annavin Aasai (Tamil) (35 mm) |url=https://archive.org/details/in.gazette.central.w.1966-05-07.76733/page/n15/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240401124641/https://archive.org/details/in.gazette.central.w.1966-05-07.76733/page/n15/mode/2up |archive-date=1 April 2024 |access-date=1 April 2024 |magazine=The Gazette of India |page=328 |via=Internet Archive}}
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by K. V. Mahadevan, with lyrics by Kannadasan and Vaali.
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| title1 = Kovililae Veedu Katti
| lyrics1 = Kannadasan
| extra1 = T. M. Soundararajan, A. L. Raghavan, P. Susheela
| length1 =
| title2 = Pooppol Malara Mottu Vaiththan
| lyrics2 = Vaali
| extra2 = P. Susheela
| length2 =
| title3 = Paateluthattum Paruvam
| lyrics3 = Vaali
| extra3 = P. B. Sreenivas, P. Susheela
| length3 =
| title4 = Inbamenbathu
| lyrics4 = Kannadasan
| extra4 = T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela
| length4 =
| title5 = Thunbam Enpathu Enna
| lyrics5 = Kannadasan
| extra5 = P. Susheela
| length5 =
}}
Release and reception
Annavin Aasai was released on 4 March 1966, and distributed by Gemini Studios.{{Cite news |date=4 March 1966 |title=Annavin Asai |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19660304&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=12 March 2018 |work=The Indian Express |pages=3 |via=Google News Archive}}{{cbignore}} The following week, on 12 March, The Indian Express said, "Dynamic performance by all the artistes – [Savitri] particularly – and a couple of good tunes by K. V. Mahadevan attempt to revive our sagging hopes. But they are only partly fulfilled."{{Cite news |date=12 March 1966 |title=Hopes partly fulfilled |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19660312&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=12 March 2018 |work=The Indian Express |pages=3 |via=Google News Archive}}{{cbignore}} T. M. Ramachandran of Sport and Pastime said the "treatment by director Dada Mirasi is so pedestrian that the film fails to sustain interest completely." He praised the performances of Ganesan, Savitri, Balaji and Vijaya, but criticised the comedy subplot featuring Nagesh. Kalki said the film could be watched for Balaji, Ganesan, Savitri and Vijaya.{{Cite magazine |date=20 March 1966 |title=அண்ணாவின் ஆசை |url=https://kalkionline.com/kalkionline_archive/imagegallery/archiveimages/kalki/1966/mar/20-03-1966/p29.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220801101746/https://kalkionline.com/kalkionline_archive/imagegallery/archiveimages/kalki/1966/mar/20-03-1966/p29.jpg |archive-date=1 August 2022 |access-date=26 October 2021 |magazine=Kalki |page=29 |language=ta}} According to historian Randor Guy, it was not a major success but "good enough to boost the morale of [Balaji] to stick to the new role" of a producer.{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=15 May 2009 |title=A void on the film firmament |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/A-void-on-the-film-firmament/article15938335.ece |url-status=live |access-date=15 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315104322/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/A-void-on-the-film-firmament/article15938335.ece |archive-date=15 March 2018}}
References
{{reflist|refs=
{{Cite book |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7JevgDCLbuNZFY5c05LTzhuR1k/view |title=அண்ணாவின் ஆசை |publisher=Sujatha Cine Arts |year=1966 |language=ta |type=song book |access-date=16 March 2018 |url-access=subscription}}{{cbignore}}
{{Cite magazine |last=Ramachandran |first=T. M. |date=2 April 1966 |title=Some Recent Releases |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.20950/page/n725/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230203073154/https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.20950/page/n725/mode/2up |archive-date=3 February 2023 |access-date=3 February 2023 |magazine=Sport and Pastime |page=52 |via=Internet Archive |volume=20}}
{{Cite web |title=1966 – அண்ணாவின் ஆசை – சுஜாதா சினி ஆர்ட்ஸ் |trans-title=1966 – Annavin Aasai – Sujatha Cine Arts |url=http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/cineprofiles/1966-cinedetails1.asp |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180312080220/http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/cineprofiles/1966-cinedetails1.asp |archive-date=12 March 2018 |access-date=12 March 2018 |website=Lakshman Sruthi |language=Tamil}}
{{Cite news |date=3 October 2015 |title=Annavin Aasai (1966) |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/annavin-aasai-1966-tamil-film/article7719684.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180312080507/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/annavin-aasai-1966-tamil-film/article7719684.ece |archive-date=12 March 2018 |access-date=12 March 2018 |work=The Hindu}}
}}
Bibliography
- {{Cite book |last=சிவரஞ்சன் |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uHlEHAyzYJQC&q=%22%E0%AE%85%E0%AE%A3%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A3%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D+%E0%AE%86%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%88%22&pg=PP93 |title=சுராவின் சுவையான சினிமா துணுக்குகள் |publisher=Sura Books |year=2001 |isbn=817478246X |language=ta |trans-title=Sura's delicious cinematic snippets}}