''Ithaya Geetham'' is a 1950 Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

-language

historical romance Historical romance is a broad category of mass-market fiction focusing on romantic relationships in historical periods, which Walter Scott helped popularize in the early 19th century. Varieties Viking These books feature Vikings during the D ...

film written, directed and produced by Joseph Thaliath Jr. The film stars T.R. Mahalingam and

T. R. Rajakumari Thanjavur Radhakrishnan Rajayee (5 May 1922 – 20 September 1999), known by her screen name T. R. Rajakumari, was an Indian actress, Carnatic singer and dancer. She has been called the first "dream girl" of Tamil cinema. Film career Ra ...

Plot

A king is on his deathbed. He requests his friend to take care of the queen (Rajalakshmi) and their daughter (Rajakumari). The friend has two sons. While the elder son (Veerappa) goes to fight a battle, the younger son (Mahalingam) and the princess fall in love with each other. The elder son returns victoriously and claims the hand of the princess. The princess vacillates. So the younger brother goes to another battle. But he gets injured. The princess realises her folly and helps in the treatment of the younger brother. The two brothers decide to settle on a duel. The younger brother wins and marries the princess.

Cast

Credits adapted from '' The Hindu'' review article and from the song book. ;Male cast * T. R. Mahalingam as Jeevan * P. S. Veerappa as Prathaban *

K. Sarangapani Kumbakonam Sarangapani (1904-1984) was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. Though primarily a comedian, he occasionally played roles of hero and villain. Family Sarangapani was born in 1904 in Kumbakonam, Tanjore district. His ...

as Lala * M. G. Chakrapani as Minister * C. V. Nayagam as Udaya Singh * C. V. V. Panthulu as Ananda Singh * K. P. Kamakshi as Dhathan * Thirupathi as Ananda Singh's minister * Stunt Somu & Battling Swaminathan ;Female cast *

as Thara *

T. P. Rajalakshmi Thiruvaiyaru Panchapakesa Rajalakshmi (11 November 1911 – 1964) fondly called as 'Cinema Rani T.P.R' was an Indian actress, first female director of South India, filmmaker, singer, producer & social reformist. She is the first Tamil and Telugu ...

as Thara's mother * V. Susheela as Ragini * T. S. Jaya as Leela ;Dance * Lalitha & Padmini

Production

Filming took place mostly at Citadel Studios in

Kilpauk Kilpauk is a semi residential area located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The distance from Chennai's city to Kilpauk is about 6 km. The region is situated off the Poonamallee High Road in the west. Adjacent areas of Kilpauk include Chet ...

. The film was later dubbed into Hindi under the title ''Jeevan Tara''.

Soundtrack

Music was composed by

S. V. Venkatraman Sozhavanthan Varadharajan Venkatraman (Tamil: சோழவந்தான் வரதராஜன் வெங்கட்ராமன்) (25 April 1911 – 7 April 1998), also known as SVV, was an Indian actor, singer, and music director, wh ...

while the lyrics were penned by

Kambadasan Kambadasan (1916–1973) was an Indian writer, poet and film lyricist who worked mainly in Tamil-language films. Early life Kambadasan was born as Appaavu a.k.a. Rajappa at Ulagapuram, a village near Tindivanam in the then South Arcot District ...

and K. P. Kamatchisundaram. Two songs "Vaanulaavum Tharai Nee en Ithaya Geethame" and "Odi Vaa Venmugil Poley", both sung by T. R. Mahalingam and T. R. Rajakumarai, became popular.

Reception

Film historian

Randor Guy Madabhushi Rangadorai (born 8 November 1937), better known by his pen name Randor Guy, is an Indian lawyer, columnist and film and legal historian associated with the English language newspaper '' The Hindu''. He is also the official editor of ...

opines that the film "did not prove to be a box office success as expected", although he praised the "impressive production values, tuneful music and the stunning Rajakumari."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title 1950 films 1950 romantic drama films 1950s historical drama films 1950s historical romance films 1950s Tamil-language films Films directed by Joseph Thaliath Jr. Indian black-and-white films Indian historical romance films Indian romantic drama films