Gumasthavin Magal

{{More plot|date=April 2024}}

Seetha and Sarasa are sisters. Their father Ramaswami works as a clerk under a rich philanderer Mani, who is married to Vimala. Ramu is another rich man in the village. Ramu's mother wishes to get him married to Seetha. But Ramu refuses, and the desperate father gets her married to a doddering old man. The poor woman becomes a widow even before the wedding ceremony is completely over. Her father too dies in shock. Mani offers cash to Seetha and asks her to be his concubine, but Seetha rejects, having lost all faith in men, and commits suicide. Ramu feels he is responsible for her tragic end, and comes forward to arrange Sarasa's marriage with the now-reformed Mani also willing to help the family. When the bridegroom and his family walk out over an argument over dowry which Ramu is willing to give, Mani steps in to say that the family is only after money which will ruin Sarasa's life. He insists that Ramu marry Sarasa to redeem him for ruining Seetha's life as he had done by arranging this marriage.

{{Cast listing|

• Sivakumar as Ramu
• Kamal Haasan as Mani{{Cite web |date=21 February 2018 |title=Kamal Haasan's filmography: How the actor rose to superstardom |url=https://zeenews.india.com/people/kamal-haasans-filmography-how-the-actor-rose-to-superstardom-2082979.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226150136/http://zeenews.india.com/people/kamal-haasans-filmography-how-the-actor-rose-to-superstardom-2082979.html |archive-date=26 February 2018 |access-date=1 September 2020 |website=Zee News}}
• Aarathi as Seetha{{Cite news |date=2 July 2020 |title=Remembering Malaysia Vasudevan, the singer with a unique voice |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/remembering-malaysia-vasudevan-the-singer-with-a-unique-voice/article31971547.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220171008/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/remembering-malaysia-vasudevan-the-singer-with-a-unique-voice/article31971547.ece |archive-date=20 February 2021 |access-date=1 September 2020 |work=The Hindu}}
• Usha as Vimala
• Nagesh as Appusamy Josiyar
• V. S. Raghavan as Ramaswami
• Pandari Bai as Thiruppurasundari, Ramu's mother
• T. V. Kumudini as Pankajam, Seetha's mother
• T. K. Bhagavathi (Guest Appearance)
• S. Rama Rao
• Shakila
• Manorama (guest appearance)

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Gumasthavin Magal is an adaptation of play of same name, itself based on Nirupama Devi's Bengali novel Annapurnaar Mandir.{{Cite web |date=1 February 2012 |title=ஜெயலலிதாவும் கமலும் இணைந்து நடித்த ஒரே படம் |trans-title=The only film where Jayalalithaa and Kamal acted together |url=http://cinema.dinakaran.com/oldisgold-cinema-Detail.aspx?id=6247&id1=16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220073851/http://cinema.dinakaran.com/oldisgold-cinema-Detail.aspx?id=6247&id1=16 |archive-date=20 February 2018 |access-date=11 November 2022 |website=Dinakaran |language=ta}}{{Cite news |last=Vamanan |author-link=Vamanan |date=23 April 2018 |title=Tamil cinema's Bong connection |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/tamil-cinemas-bong-connection/articleshow/63873364.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180923110436/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/tamil-cinemas-bong-connection/articleshow/63873364.cms |archive-date=23 September 2018 |access-date=26 March 2019 |work=The Times of India}} It was previously filmed in Tamil as Gumasthavin Penn in 1941.{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=15 October 2009 |title=Gumasthavin Penn (1941) |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Gumasthavin-Penn-1941/article16886875.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327031242/https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Gumasthavin-Penn-1941/article16886875.ece |archive-date=27 March 2019 |access-date=26 March 2019 |work=The Hindu}} Nagarajan who acted in the play portraying female character was the director of this adaptation.{{Cite news |last=Raman |first=Mohan V. |author-link=Mohan Raman |date=20 September 2014 |title=The man who started the trend |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/k-r-ramaswamy-the-man-who-started-the-trend/article6429708.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103154151/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/k-r-ramaswamy-the-man-who-started-the-trend/article6429708.ece |archive-date=3 November 2016 |access-date=26 March 2019 |work=The Hindu}}

The music was composed by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, while the lyrics were written by "Poovai" Senguttavan and "Ulandhurpettai" Shanmugam.{{Cite web |title=Gumasthavin Magal |url=https://wynk.in/music/album/gumasthavin-magal/sa_8907210268027 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623055431/https://wynk.in/music/album/gumasthavin-magal/sa_8907210268027 |archive-date=23 June 2022 |access-date=23 June 2022 |website=Wynk Music}}

Kanthan of Kalki praised the story and cast performances.{{Cite magazine |last=காந்தன் |date=12 May 1974 |title=குமாஸ்தாவின் மகள் |url=https://kalkionline.com/kalkionline_archive/imagegallery/archiveimages/kalki/1974/may/12-05-1974/p29.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220727111503/https://kalkionline.com/kalkionline_archive/imagegallery/archiveimages/kalki/1974/may/12-05-1974/p29.jpg |archive-date=27 July 2022 |access-date=23 June 2022 |magazine=Kalki |page=29 |language=ta}}

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{{A. P. Nagarajan}}

Category:1970s Indian films

Category:1970s Tamil-language films

Category:1974 films

Category:Films based on adaptations

Category:Films based on Bengali novels

Category:Films directed by A. P. Nagarajan

Category:Films scored by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan

Category:Films with screenplays by A. P. Nagarajan

Category:Indian black-and-white films

Category:Indian films based on plays

Category:Tamil-language Indian films

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