Mudhalali

Vasanthan goes to the United States to further his education. During his absence, his widowed mother Karpagam manages their glass factory in Salem with the help of manager Balu, who has a relationship with Vasanthan's cousin Kokilam. Since Vasanthan's mother does not understand how to manage the factory, Balu brings everything under his control and swindles the company by various means. Vasanthan returns to India several years later. He lands at Bombay en route to Madras in order to reach Salem. While there, he meets a hotel boy, Poongavanam, who causes Vasanthan to realise the need to understand the life of a worker before becoming a factory owner. He informs his mother that he has to go on another tour and will arrive in Salem in two months, but lands in Salem as a worker under the pseudonym Varadhan. He joins the factory with the help of Valli, who works in the factory with her father.

Slowly, Vasanthan comes to understand the misdeeds of Balu in managing the factory, and learns of his niece Kokilam's relationship with Balu. Meanwhile, Vasanthan and Valli fall in love. Vasanthan's mother becomes desperate to find her son and starts spending money to trace him. Vasanthan decides to reveal his true identity and goes out of town. Balu has an eye on Valli, and when she does not accept his lecherous advances, he throws her and her father out of the factory quarters. They leave in search of Varadhan, who has left Salem. When Vasanthan returns, his mother becomes happy. He meets the workers and promises changes since he now understands the misdeeds of the manager. Gradually, he starts addressing all the workers' issues. Manager Balu is kept in his place and brought under control. Unable to accept his reduced status, and being under excessive control, Balu starts spreading rumours that Vasanthan is not the real owner, but an imposter. Varadhan has come as Vasanthan. Even Vasanthan's mother starts doubting this, since Vasanthan (who was found of Kokilam before going abroad) is not behaving as before with her. Vasanthan proves that he is the real owner and exposes all of Balu's misdeeds. With the help of a Cycle — rickshaw puller, he traces Valli in Madras (who had gone there search of him) brings her back, and marries her.

• S. S. Rajendran as Vasanthan/Varathan
• Devika as Valli
• M. N. Rajam as Kokilam (Vasanthan's Cousin)
• T. K. Ramachandran as Balu (Kokilam's fiancé)
• S. S. Sivasooryan as Murugesan
• C. T. Rajakantham as Karpagam (Vasanthan's Mother)
• T. P. Muthulakshmi as Senthamarai, (Vasanthan's house maid)
• Lakshmi Rajyam as Cameo Appearance
• R. Pakkirisamy as Poongavanam (Valli's Brother)
• Ennatha Kannaiya as Gopal

M. A. Venu who produced Sampoorna Ramayanam at the same time, had only 10 days in a month to shoot that film, since many artists involved were busy with other commitments. To make use of the remaining 20 days, Venu bought the rights for the stage play Mudhalali and chose Srinivasan to make his directorial debut.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=121}} Unlike most films, this film's production was completed in four months and two days within the budget of ₹2 lakh (worth ₹11 crore in 2021 prices).{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=121}}{{Cite news |date=15 April 2007 |title=A celebrated veteran of the south Indian film industry |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/A-celebrated-veteran-of-the-south-Indian-film-industry/article14749955.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018102644/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/A-celebrated-veteran-of-the-south-Indian-film-industry/article14749955.ece |archive-date=18 October 2021 |access-date=18 October 2021 |work=The Hindu}} Pramila, who was given the screen name Devika, made her acting debut.{{Cite web |title=Blend of grace and charm |url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2002/05/10/stories/2002051000830500.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020621133928/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2002/05/10/stories/2002051000830500.htm |archive-date=21 June 2002 |access-date=9 September 2015 |website=The Hindu}} Rajendran was paid ₹7,000 while both Devika and Srinivasan were paid ₹5,000.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=121}} The film returned 900 per cent on investment in opening week.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=121}}

The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by K. V. Mahadevan, while the lyrics for the songs were written by Ka. Mu. Sheriff.{{Cite web |title=Mudalali |url=https://www.saregama.com/album/mudalali_101613 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018102644/https://www.saregama.com/album/mudalali_101613 |archive-date=18 October 2021 |access-date=18 October 2021 |website=Saregama}} The song "Yeri Karaiyin Mele" is set in Arabhi raga.{{Cite news |date=12 April 2013 |title=Valour and worship |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/valour-and-worship/article4609821.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141012050335/http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/valour-and-worship/article4609821.ece |archive-date=12 October 2014 |access-date=28 January 2017 |work=The Hindu}}{{Cite book |last=Neelamegam |first=G. |title=Thiraikalanjiyam — Part 1 |publisher=Manivasagar Publishers |year=2014 |location=Chennai |pages=133–134 |language=ta}}

The film received a certificate from the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil (Best regional language film) for the year.{{Cite web |date=16 April 1958 |title=State Awards for Films |url=http://dff.nic.in/2011/5th_nff.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103222703/http://dff.nic.in/2011/5th_nff.pdf |archive-date=3 November 2013 |access-date=2 September 2011 |publisher=Directorate of Film Festivals}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite book |last=Dhananjayan |first=G. |author-link=G. Dhananjayan |title=Pride of Tamil Cinema: 1931–2013 |title-link=Pride of Tamil Cinema |publisher=Blue Ocean Publishers |year=2014 |oclc=898765509}}

• {{IMDb title}}

{{National Film Award Best Feature Film Tamil}}

{{Muktha Srinivasan}}

Category:1950s Indian films

Category:1950s Tamil-language films

Category:1957 directorial debut films

Category:1957 drama films

Category:1957 films

Category:Films directed by Muktha Srinivasan

Category:Films scored by K. V. Mahadevan

Category:Indian black-and-white films

Category:Indian drama films

Category:Indian films based on plays

Category:Tamil films remade in other languages

Category:Tamil-language drama films

Category:Tamil-language Indian films