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Thamarai Nenjam

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Thamarai Nenjam
Theatrical release poster
Directed byK. Balachander
Written byK. Balachander
Produced byAnnamalai–Arunachalam
StarringGemini Ganesan
B. Saroja Devi
Vanisri
CinematographyN. Balakrishnan
Edited byN. R. Kittu
Music byM. S. Viswanathan
Production
company
Bama Films
Release date
  • 31 May 1968 (1968-05-31)
Running time
143 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Thamarai Nenjam (/θɑːməraɪ nɛŋdʒəm/ transl. Lotus Heart) is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. The film stars Gemini Ganesan, B. Saroja Devi and Vanisri, with Major Sundarrajan and Nagesh playing supporting roles. It was released on 31 May 1968, and won two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards: Best Film (Third Prize) and Best Dialogue Writer (Balachander). The film was remade in Telugu as Mooga Prema (1971), in Hindi as Haar Jeet (1972) and in Kannada as Mugila Mallige (1985) by Balachander himself.[1][2]

Plot

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Two friends Kamala and Radha fall in love with Murali. Sacrificing her own feelings, Kamala steps aside to help Radha and Murali get together. However, when Radha discovers Kamala's hidden sacrifice, guilt consumes her. She begins pushing Murali back toward Kamala, making life miserable for all three. Later, Kamala serializes their tragic love triangle as a story in a weekly magazine. Upon reading it, Radha learns the full truth, prompting a distraught Kamala to conclude that suicide is the only resolution. Does she succeed?

Cast

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Production

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C. R. Vijayakumari was offered to act in the film, but did not accept, resulting in B. Saroja Devi replacing her.[3]

Soundtrack

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The soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan and lyrics were written by Kannadasan.[4]

SongSingerLength
"Adipodi Paithiyakari"L. R. Eswari, P. Susheela3:33
"Mutrukai Porattam"L. R. Eswari, T. M. Soundararajan2:53
"Aalayam Enbathu"P. Susheela4:29
"Thithikkum Paaleduthu"3:33
"Vaanai Maranthu Nindra"3:23

Release and reception

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Thamarai Nenjam was released on 31 May 1968,[5] and favourably reviewed by Kalki, which praised K. Balachander’s direction and, in particular, Saroja Devi’s performance, noting, "From the beginning till the end, Saroja Devi has proven why she is worthy of the title 'Abhinaya Saraswati".[6] The film won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film (Third Prize), and Balachander won the award for Best Dialogue Writer.[7][8]

References

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  1. ↑ "A tribute to Swara Chakravarthy". IndiaGlitz. 8 September 2007. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Roychoudhury, Amborish (12 February 2022). "Not 'Yash Chopra Of Tamil Cinema', He's The Man Who Named Rajinikanth". Outlook. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "கே.பாலசந்தரின் "தாமரை நெஞ்சம்″ விஜயகுமாரிக்கு பதில் சரோஜாதேவி நடித்தார்". Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 25 July 2017. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Thamarai Nenjam". JioSaavn. 31 May 1992. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Thamarai Nenjam". The Indian Express. 31 May 1968. p. 3. Retrieved 26 November 2021 – via Google News Archive.
  6. ↑ "தாமரை நெஞ்சம்" (PDF). Kalki (in Tamil). 16 June 1968. pp. 39–40. Retrieved 3 April 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  7. ↑ "State film awards". The Indian Express. 1 March 1970. p. 5. Retrieved 15 May 2021 – via Google News Archive.
  8. ↑ "Tamil Nadu State Awards". History of Tamil Cinema (PDF). International Film Festival of India. 1991. pp. 111–115.
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