Moondru Pillaigal

Moondru Pillaigal
Moondru Pillaigal
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nagendra Rao
Screenplay by	Veppathur Kittu
Story by	Gemini Story Depart.
Produced by	S. S. Vasan
Starring	Kannamba; Nagendra Rao; M. K. Radha; Sriram; Ganesh
Cinematography	M. Natarajan
Edited by	N. R. Krishnaswamy
Music by	P. S. Anantharaman; M. D. Parthasarathy; (Supervisor)
Production; company	Gemini Studios
Release date	11 July 1952;
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Moondru Pillaigal (transl. Three Sons) is a 1952 Indian Tamil-language drama film produced by S. S. Vasan. Based on Victor Fleming's 1927 American film The Way of All Flesh, it is about a couple and their three sons. The film was directed by Nagendra Rao and stars himself alongside Kannamba, with M. K. Radha, Gemini Ganesan and Sriram in supporting roles. It was simultaneously produced and released in Telugu under the title Mugguru Kodukulu. The film failed at the box office, which led to Vasan destroying all copies of it, thus making it a lost film.

Plot

Gunavathi and Somasekhar, a couple, have three sons. The youngest one takes responsibility for a theft allegedly committed by their his and goes to jail. The dejected Somasekhar commits suicide and Gunavathi is abandoned by the other two sons. Later, when the youngest son is released from jail, he takes care of his mother despite being jobless. However, he receives an offer from a film company to act as the main character in a film produced by them based on the Ramayana. He succeeds in his job and manages to unite the family.^[2]

Cast

Cast from the song book^[3]

Kannamba as Gunavathi
Nagendra Rao as Somasekhar
M. K. Radha as Muthu (Adult)
Sriram as Kannan (Adult)
Ganesh as Sekhar (Adult)
Kumari Vanaja as Kamala (Adult)
Sundari Bai as Pankajam
Suryaprabha as Kamini
G. Pattu Iyer as Ramadas
Narayana Rao as Film Proprietor
Chandra Babu as Music Director
Vikatam Krishnamurthi as Film Dealer
S. Krishnamoorthy as Film Production Assistant

Seetharaman as Film Production Assistant
Sethumadhavan as Muthu (Child)
Sudhakar as Kannan (Child)
Sudhindra as Sekhar (Child)
Seetha as Kamala's Friend
K. Ramaswamy as Pedagogue
Venkat as Bar-at-Law
Ramakrishna Rao as Marwari
G. V. Sharma as Amina
V. T. Kalyanam as Race Broker
Saraswathi as Susheela (Adult)
Rathna Papa as Muthu's Girl

Mohan as Muthu's Boy
Premakumari as Kamala (Child)
Vijaya Rao as Doctor
Balan as Sub Inspector
Velayutham as Old Metal Merchant
P. M. Devan as Office Proprietor
Bindu Madhavan as Film Director
Rama Narasu as Production Manager
B. S. P. Rao as Naughty Student
T. S. B. Rao as Jatka Man
Sampath Kumar as Suresh
Muthukrishna Reddy as Milkman

Production

The film was based on the 1927 American silent film The Way of All Flesh, directed by Victor Fleming. The family drama was successful in India, and was adapted into a film in Hindi titled Khazanchi (1941). The Hindi film was highly successful in Madras and ran for more than 25 weeks. Nagendra Rao, an established producer and director in Kannada cinema, was impressed by the film and decided to direct the Tamil adaptation. He approached the Tamil film producer S. S. Vasan of Gemini Studios who had earlier produced Apoorva Sagodharargal, in which Rao played a role. Although Vasan was initially reluctant he agreed to finance the film. It was simultaneously produced and released in Telugu under the title Mugguru Kodukulu.^[4] According to writer Ashokamitran, who was then associated with Gemini, novelist R. K. Narayan wrote a treatment for this film.^[5]^[6]

J. P. Chandrababu, who would later go on to become an established comedian in Tamil cinema, played a small role lasting a single sequence in the film.^[4]^[7] Savitri, who would later become an established actress in the Telugu and Tamil film industries, was to make her acting debut with this film. Ganesh (later known as Gemini Ganesan), who played a supporting role as one among the three sons in the film was also as a casting assistant with Gemini, the production company. He recommended her for a small role in the film; however, she was not selected for the role.^[8]

Table of Moondru Pillaigal and Mugguru Kodukulu Casts

Moondru Pillaigal (Tamil)	Mugguru Kodukulu (Telugu)^[9]
Gunavathi (Kannamba)	Gouri (Kannamba)
Somasekhar (Nagendra Rao)	Somasekhar (Nagendra Rao)
Muthu (Adult) (M. K. Radha)	Prakasam (Adult) (M. K. Radha)
Kannan (Adult) (Sriram)	Ram (Adult) (Sriram)
Sekhar (Adult) (Ganesh)	Gopal (Adult) (Ganesh)
Kamala (Adult) (Kumari Vanaja)	Kamala (Adult) (Janaki)
Pankajam (Sundari Bai)	Kantham (Sundari Bai)
Kamini (Suryaprabha)	Chaya (Suryaprabha)
Ramadas (G. Pattu Iyer)	Ramadas (Pandit Rao)
Film Proprietor (Narayana Rao)	Film Producer (Narayana Rao)
Music Director (Chandra Babu)	Music Director (Chandrababu)
Film Dealer (Vikatam Krishnamoorthi)	Deaf Man (Maddala Krishnamoorthi)
Film Production Assistants (S. Krishnamoorthy, Seetharaman)	Assistants (H. Krishnamoorthy, Seetharaman)
Muthu (Child) (Sethumadhavan)	Prakasam (Child) (Sethumadhavan)
Kannan (Child) (Sudhakar)	Ram (Child) (Sudhakar)
Sekhar (Child) (Sudhindra)	Gopal (Child) (Sudhindra)
Kamala's Friend (Seetha)	Kamala's Friend (P. Seetha)
Pedagogue (K. Ramaswami)	Master (Ramachandra Shastri)
Bar-at-Law (Venkat)	Bar-at-Law (Venkat)
Marwari (Ramakrishna Rao)	Marwadi (B. Ramakrishna Rao)
Amina (G. V. Sharma)	Amina (Krishnappa)
Race Broker (V. T. Kalyanam)	Racing Tout (V. T. Kalyanam)
Susheela (Adult) (Saraswathi)	Susheela (Adult) (Saraswathi)
Muthu's Girl (Rathna Papa)	Prakasam's Daughter (Rathnapapa)
Muthu's Boy (Mohan)	Prakasam's Son (Mohan)
Kamala (Child) (Premakumari)	Kamala (Child) (Premakumari)
Doctor (Vijaya Rao)	Doctor (B. H. Vijaya Rao)
Sub Inspector (Balan)	Police-Sub-Inspector (Balan)
Old Metal Merchant (Velayutham)	Old Metal Merchant (Velayutham)
Office Proprietor (P. M. Devan)	Office Proprietor (Indrasen)
Film Director (Bindu Madhavan)	Film Director (Bindu Madhavan)
Production Manager (Rama Narasu)	Production Manager (Ramanarasu)
Naughty Student (B. S. P. Rao)	Rowdy Student (Padmanabha Rao)
Jatka Man (T. S. B. Rao)	Jatka Driver (T. S. B. Rao)
Suresh (Sampath Kumar)	Suresh (Sampath Kumar)
Milkman (Muthukrishna Reddy)	Milkman (Muthukrishna Reddy)
	Police Constable (V. P. Balaraman)

Soundtrack

Music was composed by P. S. Anantharaman and supervised by M. D. Parthasarathy.^[3]^[10]^[11] The song "Antha Rama Sowndharyam" is set in the Carnatic raga known as Kedaragaula.^[12]

Song	Singer/s	Lyricist	Duration
"Vaazhvadhum Thaazhvadhum Panathale"	A. M. Rajah	Kothamangalam Subbu	02:39
"Unnarul Maraven Aiya"	N. L. Ganasaraswathi
"Inbam Enna Solluven"	Jikki		02:40
"Maalai Tharitha Maharaasi"	(Radha) Jayalakshmi & P. Leela		02:43
"Kaalamenbadhu Anuhoolamaahil"	A. M. Rajah		02:22
"Indu Desa Pugazh Paaduvom"	T. A. Mothi		01:54
"Poorana Chandirane, Paripoorana Chandirane"	P. Leela		03:22
"Naan Konda Karuvinai"	M. S. Anuradha		03:22
"Antha Rama Sowndharyam"	M. L. Vasanthakumari & A. P. Komala	Arunasala Kavirayar (Rama Nadaga Keerthanai)	03:25
"Yaaridam Solluven"	P. Leela	V. Seetharaman	02:45

Reception

Moondru Pillaigal failed at the box-office,^[13] which led to Vasan destroying all copies of it, thus making it a lost film.^[2] Ashokamitran said there was nothing "seriously wrong" with the film, but felt that "the audience just couldn't take another film about a family torn asunder in the fourth reel and reunited in the last."^[14]

References

^ "1952 – மூன்று பிள்ளைகள் - ஜெமினி ஸ்டுடியோ – முக்குரு கொடுகுலு (தெ)". Lakshman Sruthi (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
^ ^a ^b "தற்கொலைக் கலைஞன்" [Suicide Artiste]. Kungumam (in Tamil). 2 June 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
^ ^a ^b மூன்று பிள்ளைகள் (song book) (in Tamil). Gemini Studios. 1952.
^ ^a ^b Guy, Randor (22 January 2011). "Moondru Pillaigal 1952". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
^ Ashokamitran 2016, p. 42.
^ Guy, Randor (26 July 2001). "A flood of fond memories". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
^ லெனின், கோவி. "வரலாறு படைத்த தமிழ்க் கலைஞர்கள்: கட்டுரை 12 கதாநாயகர்களுக்கு இணையான கலகலப்பு நாயகர்கள்!". Nakkheeran (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
^ "காலங்களில் அவள் வசந்தம்: செல்லுலாய்ட் பெண்கள்". Dinakaran (in Tamil). 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
^ ముగ్గురు కొడుకులు (PDF) (song book) (in Telugu). Gemini Studios. 1952. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
^ Neelamegam, G. (2014). Thiraikalanjiyam – Part 1 (in Tamil). Chennai: Manivasagar Publishers. pp. 42–43.
^ Ramachandran, Lakshmi (September 2016). கொத்தமங்கலம் சுப்பு திரையிசை பாடல்கள் [Kothamangalam Subbu Film Songs] (in Tamil) (1st ed.). Chennai: Manivasagar Publishers. pp. 30, 77, 91, 96, 104, 121, 170.
^ Venkataraman, Shankar (28 June 2018). "M.L. Vasanthakumari's impeccable style gave us many evergreen hits". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ Guy, Randor (25 March 2005). "Suave, sophisticated, romantic". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
^ Ashokamitran 2016, p. 43.

Bibliography

Ashokamitran (2016). Fourteen Years with Boss. India: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-342329-4.

External links

Moondru Pillaigal at IMDb

[lakshmansruthi-1] "1952 – மூன்று பிள்ளைகள் - ஜெமினி ஸ்டுடியோ – முக்குரு கொடுகுலு (தெ)". Lakshman Sruthi (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.

[kunkumam-2] "தற்கொலைக் கலைஞன்" [Suicide Artiste]. Kungumam (in Tamil). 2 June 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.

[Tamilsongbook-3] மூன்று பிள்ளைகள் (song book) (in Tamil). Gemini Studios. 1952.

[hindu-4] Guy, Randor (22 January 2011). "Moondru Pillaigal 1952". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2021.

[FOOTNOTEAshokamitran201642-5] Ashokamitran 2016, p. 42.

[6] Guy, Randor (26 July 2001). "A flood of fond memories". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.

[7] லெனின், கோவி. "வரலாறு படைத்த தமிழ்க் கலைஞர்கள்: கட்டுரை 12 கதாநாயகர்களுக்கு இணையான கலகலப்பு நாயகர்கள்!". Nakkheeran (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.

[8] "காலங்களில் அவள் வசந்தம்: செல்லுலாய்ட் பெண்கள்". Dinakaran (in Tamil). 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.

[Telugusongbook-9] ముగ్గురు కొడుకులు (PDF) (song book) (in Telugu). Gemini Studios. 1952. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.

[10] Neelamegam, G. (2014). Thiraikalanjiyam – Part 1 (in Tamil). Chennai: Manivasagar Publishers. pp. 42–43.

[11] Ramachandran, Lakshmi (September 2016). கொத்தமங்கலம் சுப்பு திரையிசை பாடல்கள் [Kothamangalam Subbu Film Songs] (in Tamil) (1st ed.). Chennai: Manivasagar Publishers. pp. 30, 77, 91, 96, 104, 121, 170.

[12] Venkataraman, Shankar (28 June 2018). "M.L. Vasanthakumari's impeccable style gave us many evergreen hits". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[13] Guy, Randor (25 March 2005). "Suave, sophisticated, romantic". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.

[FOOTNOTEAshokamitran201643-14] Ashokamitran 2016, p. 43.

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