''Avalum Penn Thaane'' () is a 1974 Indian
Tamil-language film written and directed by
Durai in his directorial debut. The film stars
Sumithra
Sumitra ( sa, सुमित्रा, IAST: Sumitrā) is a princess of Kashi in Hindu mythology. The wise Sumitra is the third queen consort of Dasharatha, the king of Kosala, who ruled from Ayodhya. She is the mother of the twins Lakshman ...
,
R. Muthuraman and
M. R. R. Vasu. It received critical acclaim and became a commercial success.
Plot
Cast
*
Sumithra
Sumitra ( sa, सुमित्रा, IAST: Sumitrā) is a princess of Kashi in Hindu mythology. The wise Sumitra is the third queen consort of Dasharatha, the king of Kosala, who ruled from Ayodhya. She is the mother of the twins Lakshman ...
as Sita
*
R. Muthuraman as Muthu
*
M. R. R. Vasu as Seetha's
pimp
Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has still ...
*
S. V. Sahasranamam as Uma's father
*
Pandari Bai as Muthu's mother
*
Thengai Srinivasan
Thengai Srinivasan (21 October 1937 – 9 November 1987) was an Indian actor who appeared in Tamil language, Tamil-language films and plays from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was given the prefix ''Thengai'' (coconut) after his role as a coco ...
*
V. K. Ramasamy
*
K. R. Indira Devi as Ruku
*
Manorama
*
S. V. Ramadas
*
M. N. Rajam
( ; ; pl. ; ; 1512, from Middle French , literally "my lord") is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. It has now become the customary French title of resp ...
as Subbu
*
Mynavathi
*
Rama Prabha as Uma
*
Gandhimathi as Ponnamma
Production
''Avalum Penn Thaane'' is the directorial debut of
Durai who also wrote the screenplay.
It was produced by
Pandari Bai, under the banner Sri Panduranga Productions. She also acted in the film as the mother of
R. Muthuraman's character.
Sumithra
Sumitra ( sa, सुमित्रा, IAST: Sumitrā) is a princess of Kashi in Hindu mythology. The wise Sumitra is the third queen consort of Dasharatha, the king of Kosala, who ruled from Ayodhya. She is the mother of the twins Lakshman ...
made her acting debut in this film, portraying a prostitute.
The film had cinematography by Manohar, and it was edited by M. Umanath. Shooting took place at Vikram and Vasu Studios.
The inspiration for the concept came when Durai who during his days as an assistant director was in a shoot at Mysore where he witnessed a group of prostitutes looking at the crew scouting for a chance to which Durai felt sympathy for them and this formed a basis for ''Avalum Penn Thaane''. Despite Durai wanting to end the film in a light manner, distributors were adamant that by having the conclusion of a girl starting a new life afresh after marriage would be rejected by audience so Durai unwillingly ended the film in a tragic manner.
Music
The music was composed by
V. Kumar, and the lyrics were written by
Vaali. The playback singers were
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam,
P. Susheela and
K. Jamuna Rani.
There were only two songs in the film.
Reception
''Avalum Penn Thaane'' was a critical and commercial success.
Kanthan of ''
Kalki'' praised the performances of Muthuraman, Sumithra, M. R. R. Vasu and noted that hundred marks should be given to the dialogues written by Durai, he called the film as daringly fabricated picture and concluded that this
A certified film is given A one certificate by fans due to the support of acting and direction.
References
External links
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{{Durai (director)
1970s Tamil-language films
1974 directorial debut films
1974 films
Films about prostitution in India
Films about women in India
Films directed by Durai
Films scored by V. Kumar