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''Avvai Shanmugi'' is a 1996 Indian
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
-language
screwball comedy Screwball comedy is a film subgenre of the romantic comedy genre that became popular during the Great Depression, beginning in the early 1930s and thriving until the early 1950s, that satirizes the traditional love story. It has secondary charact ...
film directed by K. S. Ravikumar and co-written by Crazy Mohan. The film stars
Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...
and
Meena Meena () is a tribe from northern and western India which is sometimes considered a sub-group of the Bhil community. It used to be claimed they speak Mina language, a Spurious languages, spurious language. Its name is also transliterated as ' ...
, with
Gemini Ganesan Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was referred as Kaadhal Mannan (King of Romance) for his romantic roles in films. G ...
,
Nagesh Nageshwaran Rao (born Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran; (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) was an Indian actor and comedian mostly remembered for his comic roles in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in ov ...
, Heera,
Manivannan Manivannan (31 July 1953 – 15 June 2013) was an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, voice artist, playback singer and social activist who worked in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning three decades, he went from being a story and ...
, Nassar,
Delhi Ganesh Ganesan Mahadevan (1 August 1944 – 9 November 2024), known by his stage name Delhi Ganesh, was an Indian actor who mostly acted in supporting roles in Tamil cinema and serials. He was well known for the versatility of roles he played during h ...
and Ann in supporting roles. Inspired by the American film '' Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993), it revolves around a divorcé who disguises as an elderly female housekeeper to be close to his daughter, whose custody is only with his ex-wife. ''Avvai Shanmughi'' was released on 10 November 1996 and became a box office success, winning two
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Cinema of Tamil Nadu, Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Governmen ...
: Best Make-up Artist (K. M. Sarathkumar) and Best Child Artist (Ann). A year later, the film was remade in
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
as ''
Chachi 420 ''Chachi 420'' () is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language comedy film, co-written, produced and directed by Kamal Haasan. The film is an official remake of the 1996 Tamil film '' Avvai Shanmughi''., which itself was an adaptation of 1993 film '' Mrs. Dou ...
'', with Haasan directing and reprising his role.


Plot

Janaki, married to Pandian against the wishes of her wealthy father Viswanathan Iyer, applies for a divorce after five years of marriage, citing various reasons. Pandian is an assistant dance choreographer with a modest income and is unable to spend much time with the family, and their house is small without many amenities that Janaki was used to. All this accumulates and Janaki is granted a divorce. She has the sole custody of their daughter Bharathi, whom Pandian can meet only once a week, his only solace. However, Bharathi loves him a lot and dislikes the arrangement. Basha, Pandian's friend, advises him to steal his daughter from Janaki. Pandian assents, but in doing so, he is discovered; now he cannot meet her at all. Pandian later learns that Viswanathan Iyer has advertised for a woman to look after his granddaughter. In a conversation with Joseph, a makeup artist, Pandian gets the idea of playing an old woman, so that he can be with Bharathi and Janaki without them knowing. Joseph agrees to this plan and the transformation is done from Pandian to "Avvai Shanmugi", a dignified, elderly Iyer woman. Shanmugi applies for the job, but is rejected as another woman had been chosen. But when Bharathi is hurt while shooting fireworks and catches fire, Shanmugi throws her into the swimming pool against the wishes of the household, who believe that wrapping ina woollen blanket is the proper way to put out a fire. When the family doctor comes to take a look at Bharathi's wound, he praises Shanmugi for administering the right treatment, which causes Vishwanathan to reject the earlier hired nanny and hire Shanmugi. Soon after that, all the family members start to become closer to Shanmugi, including Janaki and Bharathi. When Bharathi gets to properly meet Shanmugi, she recognises her father almost immediately, but agrees not to reveal his secret. Rathna is a girl who is in love with Pandian, but is constantly rebuffed. Basha takes up the role of a mute Iyer cook and is admitted into Vishwanathan's house on the recommendation of Shanmugi, after the previous cook was caught stealing. However, Basha is caught while doing his namaz by Vishwanath's secretary Sethuram Iyer, blowing his cover. Hilarious circumstances follow and slowly Shanmugi manages to convince the household of her sincerity, so much so that Vishwanathan begins to develop a liking for Shanmugi and in fact proposes to her too. Around the same time, Mudaliyar, the house-owner of the place where Pandian lives, happens to bump into Shanmugi and sympathises with her for being a widow. Eventually, Mudaliyar too begins to develop a liking for her. Meanwhile, Pandian slowly begins to realise that Janaki has not totally forgotten him. Shanmugi rebuffs Vishwanathan's proposals by saying that her husband is alive. Adding to the chaos, she tells Vishwanathan that Joseph is her husband, while Pandian tells Sethuram Iyer that Mudaliyar is Shanmugi's husband. There is much confusion after this, but it is resolved at last. Shanmugi convinces Vishwanathan that Janaki's right place is by her husband. While Viswanathan goes off to talk to his estranged son-in-law, Shanmugi reveals her true self as Pandian to Basha by removing her blouse. This is seen by Janaki, who misunderstands the scene and believes Shanmugi to be a seductress.Janaki starts and drives her car to Pandian's house. Janaki goes to Pandian's house to reclaim him, but upon seeing Rathna waiting there, and Shanmugi's clothes lying around, thinks that her husband, too, is promiscuous. Janaki leaves and drives her car to a bridge and attempts suicide by jumping into a river, but Shanmugi stops her. Shanmugi reveals her identity as Pandian. Janaki and Pandian reconcile, while Pandian "kills off" Shanmugi by attributing her "death" to drowning while attempting to save Janaki from committing suicide.


Cast


Production


Development

Jijo Punnoose wanted to make a film starring
Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...
as a man dressed as a woman, but Haasan refused as the role was an adolescent woman whereas he wanted to play an elderly woman. Haasan later desired to do a film inspired by the American films '' Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979) and ''
Tootsie ''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy film directed by Sydney Pollack from a screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal and a story by Gelbart and Don McGuire. It stars Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, D ...
'' (1982) which became ''Avvai Shanmughi''. He acknowledged the film's resemblance to another American film '' Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993), but "I guess we were both inspired from the same source" since he had the idea for ''Avvai Shanmughi'' six years before the release of ''Mrs. Doubtfire''. Haasan dedicated the film to his mentor stage actor 'Avvai'
T. K. Shanmugam Thiruvananthapuram Kannuswamy Shanmugam (1912–1973; also known as "Avvai" T. K. Shanmugam) was a Tamil theatre and film artist. He acquired the prefix "Avvai" after portraying saint-poet Avvaiyar (Sangam poet), Avvaiyar in a play. Early life T ...
, who was known for playing female roles in stage plays.


Casting

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram. Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001), better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, was an Indian actor and film producer. He was mainly active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th centur ...
was Ravikumar's initial choice for the role of Vishwanatha Iyer, which ultimately went to
Gemini Ganesan Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was referred as Kaadhal Mannan (King of Romance) for his romantic roles in films. G ...
(no relation). A debutant Sri Durga was initially chosen to play the character Rathna, but was ultimately replaced by Heera. Haasan's daughter Akshara was considered for playing the lead pair's daughter, but declined; the role went to Ann, her feature film debut. Stunt master Kanal Kannan appeared in a small role of a street rogue. Maadhu Balaji was offered to act in the film, but declined. Ramesh Aravind made a cameo appearance in a song which he did only for Haasan.


Filming and design

The song "Kadhali Kadhali" was shot in South Africa. The make-up artist Michael Westmore provided advice for the film alongside K. M. Sarathkumar. An initial photoshoot had Haasan dressed as a middle-aged woman, but it was later decided that he portray elderly woman. The padding and foundation used gave Haasan an allergic reaction beneath his eyes. The make-up took five hours to put on and lasts for only five more hours. Haasan wore a nine-yard saree in the film for the female character, with Sarika contributing to the costume designing. The dubbing for Meena was given by actress Uma Bharani.


Soundtrack

The music was composed by
Deva Deva may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Deva, List of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition monsters, an ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition monster * Deva, in the 2023 Indian film ''Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefir ...
and the lyrics were written by Vaali. The song "Rukku Rukku" is based on the
Carnatic raga A Carnatic raga refers to ''ragas'' used in Carnatic music. It has several components: a primordial sound (''nāda''), tonal system (''swara''), pitch (''śruti''), scale, ornaments ('' gamaka''), and important tones. Origins and history Carnati ...
Sahana. The song "Velai Velai" is inspired from "
Workaholic A workaholic is a person who works Compulsive behavior, compulsively. A workaholic experiences an inability to limit the amount of time they spend on work despite negative consequences such as damage to their relationships or health. There is no ...
" by 2 Unlimited. The song "Kadhala Kadhala" was reused as "Gham Hai Kyon" in the
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
film '' Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai'' (2000), with change of instrumentation. "Velai Velai" was reused as "Super Darshini" in the
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
film ''Baithare Baithare''. The film was dubbed in Telugu as Bhamane Satyabhamane


Release and reception

''Avvai Shanmughi'' was released on 10 November 1996, and performed well at the box office. The film was dubbed into Telugu as ''Bhamane Satyabhamane'' (1997). ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' praised the film, claiming it "turns out to be entertainer, mouthful from start to finish". The reviewer praised Haasan's portrayal of a woman by claiming that "few peers to Kamal Hassan who can do the female role with such perfection". ''
Ananda Vikatan ''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India. History ''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 was not publishe ...
'' gave the film a score of 44 out of 100. However R. P. R. of ''
Kalki Kalki (), also called Kalkin, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hinduism, Hindu god Vishnu. According to Vaishnavism, Vaishnava cosmology, Kalki is destined to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga, the last of the four ages i ...
'' gave a negative review who felt Haasan's make-up as an old woman does not match and his face struggles to show emotions due to make-up while also panning the humour and dialogues as vulgar and concluded saying this film may gain profits but it is a good example that even great artistes like Haasan can go contaminated for the sake of commercial purposes. The film won two
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Cinema of Tamil Nadu, Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Governmen ...
: Best Make-up Artist (K. M. Sarathkumar) and Best Child Artist (Ann).


Legacy

''Avvai Shanmughi'' became a "textbook example" in
Tamil cinema Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Ch ...
for
slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...
humour. A year later, the film was remade in
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
as ''
Chachi 420 ''Chachi 420'' () is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language comedy film, co-written, produced and directed by Kamal Haasan. The film is an official remake of the 1996 Tamil film '' Avvai Shanmughi''., which itself was an adaptation of 1993 film '' Mrs. Dou ...
'', with Haasan directing and reprising his role. The background music and the scene where Pandiyan fights goons in an elderly woman getup were recreated by
Jagathy Sreekumar Sreekumar Achary (born 5 January 1951), better known by his stage name Jagathy Sreekumar or simply Jagathy, is an Indian actor, director and playback singer, who has appeared in over 1500 Malayalam films in a career spanning almost four deca ...
in the Malayalam film '' Hitler Brothers'' (1997). The scene where Pandiyan looks for a sign board to think of a name for his elderly woman getup is recreated in ''
Remo Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and drum hardware, hardware, and various percussio ...
'' (2016) where
Sivakarthikeyan Sivakarthikeyan Doss (born 17 February 1985), also known by the initialism SK, is an Indian actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer and television presenter, who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. In 2021, he won the Kalaimamani Awar ...
's character looks at a sign board for his nurse getup.


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* * {{K. S. Ravikumar 1990s Indian films 1990s screwball comedy films 1990s Tamil-language films 1996 films Cross-dressing in Indian films Fiction about child care occupations Films about divorce Films about dysfunctional families Films about father–daughter relationships Films about nannies Films based on adaptations Films based on British novels Films directed by K. S. Ravikumar Films scored by Deva (composer) Films shot in South Africa Films with screenplays by Crazy Mohan Films with screenplays by K. S. Ravikumar Indian courtroom films Indian remakes of American films Indian screwball comedy films Indian slapstick comedy films Tamil films remade in other languages Tamil-language comedy films Tamil-language Indian films