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Irumbu Thirai
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Wikipedia article
'Irumbu Thirai' is a 1960 Indian Tamil-language film produced and directed by S. S. Vasan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala, K. A. Thangavelu and B. Saroja Devi, with S. V. Ranga Rao, Pandari Bai and Vasundhara Devi in supporting roles. A remake of the Hindi film 'Paigham' (1959), it revolves around the two brothers Manikam and Kondamuthu and their mill owner.
The soundtrack was composed by S. V. Venkatraman and the lyrics were written by Kothamangalam Subbu, Papanasam Sivan and Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram. The editing was done by M. Umanath while the camera was handled by P. Elappa and N. C. Bala Krishna. The film was released on 14 January 1960 and ran more than 175 days in theatres.
Plot
The story revolves around the two brothers Manikam and Kondamuthu and their mill owner.
Cast
* Sivaji Ganesan as Manickam
* Vyjayanthimala as Manju
* B. Saroja Devi as Malathi
* Pandari Bai as Parvathi
* S. V. Subbiah as Saravanan
* S. V. Ranga Rao as Mohanarangam
* Vasundhara Devi as Manju's Mother
* B. V. Radha as Malathi's Mother
* K. A. Thangavelu as Kondamuthu
* T. S. Durairaj as Nandu
* Vanaja as Challi
* D. Balasubramaniam as Sett
* Parthiban as Circle Inspector
* Mukherji as Inspector
* Seetalakshmi as Sheela
* G. V. Sharma as Jeevan
* Pushpamala as Kamala
* Master Gopi as Bhola
* Karupaiah as Kundan
* S. R. Janaki as Sett's wife
* Pattusami as Sleuth
* Azhwar Kuppusami as Prosecutor
* Kannan as Judge
Production
In 1959, S. S. Vasan, the proprietor of Gemini Studios, began working on a film built around capital-labour relations. The film, which was the Tamil remake of the Hindi film 'Paigham', was untitled, and the creative team of Gemini could not come up with a convincing title. Vasan invited his employees to suggest a title for the under-production film, and he received an abundance of entries; one office boy submitted as many as 2500 entries. After examining one by one, Vasan chose the title 'Irumbu Thirai' . He also hosted a reception to honour the boy who suggested the title and rewarded him with some prize money. Besides producing, Vasan also directed the film.
The female cast of 'Paigham' Vyjayanthimala, B. Saroja Devi and Pandari Bai returned to star in 'Irumbu Thirai', while Sivaji Ganesan reprised the role originally played by Dilip Kumar. It was a "coup of sorts" for Vasan to cast Ganesan since the latter had earlier been rejected by the former for a role in 'Chandralekha' (1948), an incident which created a permanent rift between them. K. A. Thangavelu, S. V. Ranga Rao and S. V. Subbaiah were cast in supporting roles. Vyjayanthimala's mother Vasundhara Devi played her screen mother as well. The final length of the film was 18396 feet.
Themes
'Irumbu Thirai' focuses on capital-labour relations, and the conditions of working-class people.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by S. V. Venkatraman. The album had Kothamangalam Subbu, Papanasam Sivan and Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram as the lyricists. The song "Nenjil Kudiyirukkum" is set in the carnatic raga known as Shanmukhapriya, while the classical-themed "Enna Seidhaalum" is set in Kharaharapriya.
Release
'Irumbu Thirai' was released on 14 January 1960. The film was a commercial success, running for over 175 days in theatres and thereby becoming silver jubilee film.
References
Bibliography
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