Nizhal Nijamagiradhu
{{short description|1978 film by K. Balachander}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Nizhal Nijamagiradhu
| image = Nizhal Nijamagiradhu DVD cover.jpg
| caption = DVD cover
| director = K. Balachander
| screenplay = K. Balachander
| story = Pamman
| producer = P. R. Govindarajan
J. Duraisamy
| starring = Kamal Haasan
Sumithra
Shoba
Sarath Babu
| cinematography = B. S. Lokanath
| editing = N. R. Kittu
| music = M. S. Viswanathan
| studio = Kalakendra Movies
| released = {{film date|df=y|1978|3|24|ref1=}}
| country = India
| language = Tamil
}}
Nizhal Nijamagiradhu ({{IPA|ta|n̪iɻal n̪idʑamaːɡiraðu}} {{translation|Illusion becomes reality}}) is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by K. Balachander,{{Cite news |date=26 March 2009 |title=From theatre to the big screen |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/article50659.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517052903/http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/article50659.ece |archive-date=17 May 2015 |access-date=26 February 2018 |work=The New Indian Express}} starring Kamal Haasan, Sarath Babu, Sumithra and Hanumanthu, and introduced Shoba to Tamil cinema. It is a remake of the Malayalam film Adimakal.{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Mohit |date=22 October 2021 |title=From Adimakal to Nizhal Nijamagiradhu: The Taming of the Shrew, reimagined |url=https://www.ottplay.com/news/from-adimakal-to-nizhal-nijamagiradhu-the-taming-of-the-shrew-reimagined/6535f24af5433 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230530080637/https://www.ottplay.com/news/from-adimakal-to-nizhal-nijamagiradhu-the-taming-of-the-shrew-reimagined/6535f24af5433 |archive-date=30 May 2023 |access-date=31 May 2023 |website=OTTPlay}} The film was released on 24 March 1978.{{Cite web |title=Nizhal Nijamagiradhu (1978) |url=https://screen4screen.com/movies/nizhal-nijamagiradhu |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117165722/https://screen4screen.com/movies/nizhal-nijamagiradhu |archive-date=17 November 2023 |access-date=17 November 2023 |website=Screen 4 Screen}}
Plot
{{more plot|date=June 2022}}
Venkatachalam and Indumathi are siblings. Indumathi hates men and she is adamant that she will never get married. Sanjeevi is a friend of Venkatachalam and often visits his house. Sanjeevi likes Indumathi's attitude and starts teasing her many times, they often quarrel as well. Though Indumathi too starts liking him, she is too egotistical to show her romantic side to Sanjeevi as she doesn't want to remove her stubborn attitude "mask".
Thilagam (Sobha) is a young girl from the village who comes to work as a servant in Venkatachalam's house. Her innocence draws Venkatachalam towards her and they get intimate. She becomes pregnant, but Venkatachalam refuses her. Thilagam is driven out of Venkatachalam's house and gets support from Sanjeevi and Kasi, a man who is hard of hearing, who also worked at Venkatachalam's house and has affection towards Thilagam. Sanjeevi provides Thilagam with lodging and requests Kasi to stay with her and look after her. Thilagam delivers a child.
Months later, after Sanjeevi and Kasi appealed to his conscience, Venkatachalam repents and is ready to accept Thilagam, but she decides to live her life with Kasi, who took care of her during her pregnancy. Indumathi, meanwhile, throws away her "stubborn" mask and asks Sanjeevi to accept her. Sanjeevi accepts her love.
Cast
- Kamal Haasan as Sanjeevi
- Sumithra as Indumathi
- Shoba as Thilagam
- Sarath Babu as Venkatachalam
- Hanumanthu as Kasi
- T. S. B. K. Moulee as Manmatha Naidu{{Cite news |date=12 July 2018 |title=The Mouli-KB bond |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/the-mouli-kb-bond/article24399114.ece |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210707090709/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/the-mouli-kb-bond/article24399114.ece |archive-date=7 July 2021 |access-date=7 July 2021 |work=The Hindu}}
- Oru Viral Krishna Rao as Kalimuthu
- M. S. Sundari Bai as Ponnamma
- K. Natraj as Ayyavu
Production
Sarath Babu was given a role in the film, after Balachander saw him at a function. His first shot was at Hyderabad.{{Cite news |last=Ashok Kumar |first=S.R. |date=5 October 2006 |title=I am a director's actor, says Sarath Babu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/i-am-a-directors-actor-says-sarath-babu/article3056847.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228163730/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/i-am-a-directors-actor-says-sarath-babu/article3056847.ece |archive-date=28 December 2013 |access-date=26 February 2018 |work=The Hindu}} Balachandar cast Malayalam actress Shoba in a pivotal role in the film, but the delayed release of the film meant that Karaikkudi Narayanan's Achaani (1978) marked Shoba's debut as a lead actress in Tamil. Balachander gave T. S. B. K. Moulee, who had directed films under Balachander's banner, the role of a "women-obsessed local tattler".{{Cite news |date=18 July 2010 |title=Reflections of a matinee maverick |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/article184201.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428081649/http://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/article184201.ece |archive-date=28 April 2015 |access-date=26 February 2018 |work=The New Indian Express}} Balachander, who used to watch Moulee's plays, liked his style of writing and wanted him to write a comedy track for the film. Mouli said that he was given the liberty by Balachander to insert comedy sequences wherever he wanted and that he wrote 16 scenes for the film.{{Cite news |last=Saravanan |first=T. |date=12 June 2014 |title=Mouli and the moolah |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Mouli-and-the-moolah/article11643358.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125184118/https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Mouli-and-the-moolah/article11643358.ece |archive-date=25 January 2020 |access-date=26 February 2018 |work=The Hindu}} For the role of Kasi, Balachander chose stage actor Hanumanthu after he was impressed with his performance in the play Sampoorna Ramayanam.{{Cite magazine |date=6 March 1983 |title=அனுமந்துவின் அனுபவங்கள் |trans-title=Hanumanthu's experiences |url=https://archive.org/details/kalki1983-03-06/page/n57/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230417150327/https://archive.org/details/kalki1983-03-06/page/n57/mode/2up |archive-date=17 April 2023 |access-date=17 April 2023 |magazine=Kalki |page=58 |language=Ta |via=Internet Archive}}
Balachander stated that he had an egotistical girl (Sumitra) fall for the macho antics of the hero (Kamal Hassan) "to lend credence and strength to the plot" and felt she was in juxtaposition to the innocent victim character played by Shoba.{{Cite news |last=Ilangovan |first=R. |date=2 October 2013 |title=The KB school |url=http://www.frontline.in/arts-and-culture/cinema/the-kb-school/article5184972.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214094529/http://www.frontline.in/arts-and-culture/cinema/the-kb-school/article5184972.ece |archive-date=14 December 2013 |access-date=26 February 2018 |work=Frontline}} The final length of the film was {{Convert|3981.30|metres|feet}}.{{Cite magazine |date=16 September 1978 |title='Nizhal Nijamakirathu' (Tamil) (35mm) (B&W) India. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.gazette.1978.438/page/n9/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230530074048/https://archive.org/details/in.gazette.1978.438/page/n9/mode/2up |archive-date=30 May 2023 |access-date=30 May 2023 |magazine=The Gazette of India |page=1508 |via=Internet Archive}}
Soundtrack
The music was composed by M. S. Viswanathan.{{Cite web |title=Nizhal Nijammagiradhu |url=https://avdigital.in/products/nizhal-nijammagiradhu-emi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531080152/https://avdigital.in/products/nizhal-nijammagiradhu-emi |archive-date=31 May 2023 |access-date=31 May 2023 |website=AVDigital}} The song "Ilakkanam Marudho" is set to the Hindustani raga Brindavani Sarang and "Kamban Emandhan" is set to the Carnatic raga Mohanam.{{Cite web |title=ஏழிசை எம்எஸ்வி {{!}} பயோகிராபி |url=https://cinema.dinamalar.com/msv/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626130400/https://cinema.dinamalar.com/msv/ |archive-date=26 June 2020 |access-date=7 July 2024 |website=Dinamalar |language=Ta}}
{{Track listing
| all_lyrics = Kannadasan
| headline = Track listing
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| title1 = Kamban Emandhaan
| length1 = 4:25
| extra1 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
| title2 = Ilakanam Maarudho
| length2 = 4:27
| extra2 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jairam
| total_length = 8:52
}}
Legacy
Actor Maadhu Balaji said, "I must have watched Nizhal Nijamagiradhu 40 to 50 times".{{Cite news |last=Balaji |first=Maadhu |author-link=Maadhu Balaji |date=25 July 2008 |title=Why I like... Dasavathaaram |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/why-i-like-dasavathaaram/article3023142.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228163728/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/why-i-like-dasavathaaram/article3023142.ece |archive-date=28 December 2013 |access-date=26 February 2018 |work=The Hindu}} In 2008, actor and TV host Bosskey named Nizhal Nijamagiradhu among his three most favourite films.{{Cite news |last=Bosskey |author-link=Bosskey |date=27 June 2008 |title=Why I like... Johnny |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/why-i-like-johnny/article3023046.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530055950/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/why-i-like-johnny/article3023046.ece |archive-date=30 May 2023 |access-date=30 May 2023 |work=The Hindu}} In 2005, Kamal Haasan stated that Nizhal Nijamagirathu was far superior to Maro Charitra, another Balachander film he was also part of.{{Cite news |last=Shivkumar |first=S. |date=25 August 2005 |title=Set to score a perfect ten |url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/08/25/stories/2005082501070100.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515114858/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/08/25/stories/2005082501070100.htm |archive-date=15 May 2006 |access-date=26 February 2018 |work=The Hindu}}
References
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