Netrikkan

{{more plot|date=April 2023}}

Chakravarthy is a successful textile businessman in Coimbatore. He is also a womaniser and picks up any woman he wants. Meenakshi is his wife, Santosh his son, and Sangeetha his daughter. It doesn't take long for Santosh to find his father's provocative behaviour and tries to mend his father's ways. Radha gets introduced as a candidate for the PRO (Public Relations Officer) interview and eventually gets selected and is sent to Hong Kong for training. Chakravarthy, unable to tolerate his son's growing menace, sets off to Hong Kong for a holiday. Here he meets Radha and at one point ends up raping her. Chakravarthy flies back to India where he is met with a number of changes which all point out to the new general manager. This person turns out to be Radha who has joined with Santosh to teach Chakravarthy a lesson for life. How the duo succeeds in changing Chakravarthy's behaviour forms the crux of the story.

{{cast listing|

• Rajinikanth as Chakravarthy and Santhosh{{Cite news |last=Surendran |first=Anusha |date=13 April 2016 |title=Tamil cinema's enduring romance with the double-role |url=http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/Tamil-cinema%E2%80%99s-enduring-romance-with-the-double-role/article14244072.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214203519/http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/Tamil-cinema%E2%80%99s-enduring-romance-with-the-double-role/article14244072.ece |archive-date=14 December 2016 |access-date=30 March 2018 |work=The Hindu}}
• Lakshmi as Meenakshi
• Saritha as Radha{{sfn|Ramachandran|2014|p=120}}
• Menaka as Menaka
• Vijayashanti as Sangeetha
• Goundamani as Singaram
• Sarath Babu as Yuvaraja (guest appearance)
• Thengai Srinivasan (guest appearance)
• Neelu as a doctor

}}

Netrikann is the inaugural production of K. Balachander's Kavithalayaa Productions.{{Cite web |title=Films |url=https://kavithalayaa.in/films/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213255/https://kavithalayaa.in/films/ |archive-date=2 June 2021 |access-date=13 April 2023 |website=kavithalayaa.in}} It had Rajinikanth playing the roles of father and son. Unlike other Tamil films where the father's character is portrayed as a clean person and the son has vices, in this film it is the opposite. Balachander produced the film as he felt that the concept had a lot of scope for Rajinikanth to perform.{{Cite web |last=Muthuraman |first=S P |author-link=S. P. Muthuraman |date=22 December 1999 |title=Rajini acts in front of the camera, never behind it |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/1999/dec/22muthu.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107121339/http://www.rediff.com/movies/1999/dec/22muthu.htm |archive-date=7 January 2017 |access-date=29 December 2014 |website=Rediff.com}} Muthuraman was initially hesitant to direct the film but Balachander encouraged him to do so.{{Cite web |last=முத்துராமன் |first=எஸ்.பி. |author-link=S. P. Muthuraman |title=ரஜினியின் சாதனைகள் |url=http://rajinifans.com/celebrity/spm.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028164247/http://rajinifans.com/celebrity/spm.php |archive-date=28 October 2014 |access-date=29 December 2014 |website=Rajini 125 |publisher=New Filmalaya |language=ta}} Cameraman Babu introduced the mask shots through this film, the film had 90 mask shots.{{Cite web |last=Sivakumar |first=B. |date=4 September 2005 |title=He has shot many a memorable scene |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2005/09/04/stories/2005090413450200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141229120608/http://www.thehindu.com/2005/09/04/stories/2005090413450200.htm |archive-date=29 December 2014 |access-date=2 February 2022 |website=The Hindu}}

The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics by Kannadasan.{{Cite web |title=Nettrikan Tamil Film EP Vinyl Record by Ilayaraja |url=https://mossymart.com/product/nettrikan-tamil-film-ep-vinyl-record-by-ilayaraja/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413090841/https://mossymart.com/product/nettrikan-tamil-film-ep-vinyl-record-by-ilayaraja/ |archive-date=13 April 2023 |access-date=13 April 2023 |website=Mossymart}}{{Cite web |date=31 December 1980 |title=Netrikkann (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/netrikkann-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1410101583 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413090824/https://music.apple.com/us/album/netrikkann-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1410101583 |archive-date=13 April 2023 |access-date=13 April 2023 |website=Apple Music}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Track listing

| extra_column = Singer(s)

| title1 = Raja Rani

| length1 = 4:09

| extra1 = Malaysia Vasudevan, S. P. Sailaja

| title2 = Theeratha

| length2 = 4:13

| extra2 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam

| title3 = Ramanin Mohanam

| length3 = 4:13

| extra3 = K. J. Yesudas, S. Janaki

| title4 = Mappillaikku

| length4 = 4:15

| extra4 = Malaysia Vasudevan, P. Susheela

| total_length = 16:50

}}

Netrikkan was released on 15 August 1981.{{Cite web |title=சூப்பர் ஸ்டார் ரஜினிகாந்த் - ஒரு சரித்திரம் {{!}} சூப்பர் ஸ்டாரின் திரைக்காவியங்களின் பட்டியல்கள் |url=http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/globalmusic/rajini02.asp |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220629103609/http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/globalmusic/rajini02.asp |archive-date=29 June 2022 |access-date=14 April 2023 |website=Lakshman Sruthi |language=ta}} Sindhu-Jeeva of Kalki criticised the film for boring visuals, overdose of glamour dance, unintelligible dialogues, lengthy climax chase but praised Rajinikanth's acting and Chalam's art direction.{{Cite magazine |last=சிந்து-ஜீவா |date=6 September 1981 |title=நெற்றிக்கண் |url=https://archive.org/details/kalki1981-09-06/page/44/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230410135043/https://archive.org/details/kalki1981-09-06/page/44/mode/2up |archive-date=10 April 2023 |access-date=10 April 2023 |magazine=Kalki |page=44 |language=Ta |via=Internet Archive}} In 1999, the film was screened at a 12-day film festival celebrating Rajinikanth's 25th year in cinema.{{sfn|Ramachandran|2014|p=176}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite book |last=Ramachandran |first=Naman |author-link=Naman Ramachandran |title=Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography |title-link=Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-14-342111-5 |location=New Delhi |orig-date=2012}}

• {{IMDb title}}

{{Kavithalaya Productions}}

{{K. Balachander}}

{{S. P. Muthuraman}}

Category:1980s Indian films

Category:1980s Tamil-language films

Category:1981 drama films

Category:1981 films

Category:Films about adultery in India

Category:Films directed by S. P. Muthuraman

Category:Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja

Category:Films with screenplays by K. Balachander

Category:Indian drama films

Category:Tamil films remade in other languages

Category:Tamil-language drama films

Category:Tamil-language Indian films