''Dhakam'' ( ) is an 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

romantic drama Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

film directed by

Babu Nanthankode Babu Nanthankode is a South Indian film director who works mainly in the Malayalam film industry. Born in Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kera ...

in his debut. He co-wrote the story with T. Vaiyadurai, who handled the cinematography.Operative camera man P. S. Nivas The film stars

R. Muthuraman Muthuraman Radhakrishnan (4 July 1929 – 16 October 1981) was an Indian actor who predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. He was a leading actor during the 1960s and 1970s and was known as Navarasa Thilagam. He paired with all the lead ...

and

Nanditha Bose Nanditha Bose is an Indian actress in Malayalam movies. She was a prominent lead actress during the 1970s in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi and Bengali films. She was well noted for her performance in the Malayalam movies '' Achaani'' (1973), '' Pan ...

. Filmed in 1972, it did not see a theatrical release, but has been screened at many film festivals.

Plot

Sharada, an orphan, lives with other orphans in an

ashram An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, but city life is too much for them and they return to the ashram. Sharada dies, having donated her eyes to a blind person.

Cast

as Sekhar *

as Sharada Other supporting roles are played by

Major Sundarrajan Srinivasan Sundarrajan (17 March 1935 – 28 February 2003), popularly known as Major Sundarrajan, was an Indian actor and film director who performed predominantly in Tamil language films and plays. He was well known for his sophisticated ...

Pandari Bai Pandari Bai (18 September 1928 – 29 January 2003) was an Indian actress who worked in South Indian cinema, mostly in Kannada cinema during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. She is considered Kannada cinema's first successful heroine. She has acted ...

Rajakokila Rajakokila/Rajkokila was an Indian actress. She was a prominent lead actress during the 1970s in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu films. She was well noted for her glamorous roles. She is married to Crossbelt Mani. The actress Meena ...

, Renuka Parvathi and Jayaseelam.

Production

''Dhakam'', the directorial debut of

, was conceived by him and T. Vaiyadurai while they were working at the staff of the

Madras Film Institute The M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute, popularly known earlier as Madras Film Institute, is Asia's first-ever film and television training institute. Established in 1945 as Adyar Film Institute, it is one of the pioneer f ...

. It was produced by Janakiraman under the banner Kavya Chitra. The screenplay was written by K. K. Raman, based on the story of Nanthankode and Vaiyadurai; the latter also handled the cinematography. Shooting took place in 1972, primarily at

Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu Gandhigram is a census town in Dindigul district along the National Highway 44 in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Demographics India census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recordi ...

. The final cut of the film measured 144 minutes.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by

M. B. Sreenivasan Manamadurai Balakrishnan Sreenivasan (19 September 1925 – 9 March 1988), or MBS, was a South Indian music director who worked mainly in the Malayalam and Tamil film industries. He was born to an orthodox Tamil Brahmin family on 19 Sept ...

, while Bharati and Poovai Senguttuvan were the lyricists. The songs "Vanam Namadhu Thanthai" and "Bharata Samudayam" attained popularity.

Release and reception

''Dhakam'' did not have a theatrical release, but has been screened at many film festivals. Kanthan 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 ...

'' appreciated the film for eschewing stylish costumes, makeup for the lead actors, and elaborate sets.

Legacy

''Dhakam'' was influential in establishing the

art film An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...

scenario 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 ...

Ashish Rajadhyaksha Ashish Vithal Rajadhyaksha (born 12 March 1957) is an Indian film scholar, art curator and cultural theorist. He was a Senior Fellow at the Bangalore-based Centre for the Study of Culture and Society. Early life Ashish Vithal Rajadhyaksha ...

and

Paul Willemen Paul Willemen (17 August 1944 – 13 May 2012) was a Belgian-born British professor, author and essayist. According to the British Film Institute, he was regarded as "a pioneering figure in the revolution in thinking about the cinema that b ...

, in their book ''Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema'', say the film served as an inspiration for ''

Aval Appadithan ''Aval Appadithan'' () is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by C. Rudraiah in his directorial debut, and co-written by him with Somasundareshwar. The film was produced by Rudhraiya in association with the M.G.R. Government Fil ...

'' (1978).

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0315485 1970s Indian films 1972 romantic drama films 1970s Tamil-language films Films directed by Babu Nanthankode Films scored by M. B. Sreenivasan Indian romantic drama films Tamil-language Indian films Unreleased Tamil-language films