''Palum Pazhamum'' (; ) is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language film directed by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Gan ...

and B. Saroja Devi. It was released on 9 September 1961. The film was remade in

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

as '' Beratha Jeeva'', and in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

as '' Saathi''.

Plot

Ravi is a doctor searching for a

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

cure. Shanthi is Ravi's nurse who assists him in his research. Ravi offers to marry her after her father's death. After putting in enormous efforts, Ravi emerges successful in formulating a new drug but Shanthi is diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

. Ravi begins to neglect his duties as a doctor, focusing on Shanthi's health. Shanthi flees on a train as she does not wish to divert him from his research. The train crashes and Shanthi is believed to be dead. Ravi is heartbroken but vows to complete his research. Ravi's family forces him to marry Nalini, but they do not have a happy home life, as he is more oriented towards his research than his family. Nalini and Ravi fight, and in one of these fights Ravi loses his eyesight. Meanwhile, Shanthi escapes the train crash and goes to Switzerland to cure her tuberculosis. Shanthi returns from Switzerland to find that her husband has lost his eyesight. She offers to nurse Ravi; Ravi finds her voice familiar but does not recognise her, and confides in her that he is still fond of his ex-wife. Nalini overhears this, and complains to her parents. Shanthi faces criticism from the womenfolk of the house for her intimacy with Ravi. Ravi's brother Sekar grows fond of Shanthi and tells Ravi so. Ravi suggests they marry. Shanthi is upset and reveals her identity to Ravi's family. Ravi's sight is restored by an operation. He recognises Shanti and rushes to the marriage hall to find that Shanthi's sister is married to his brother. Ravi reunites with Shanti while Nalini joins the Red Cross and flies to Switzerland. The movie ends with Ravi and Shanthi working together to benefit mankind.

Cast

as Dr. Ravi * B. Saroja Devi as Shanthi & Neela * Sowcar Janaki as Nalini * M. R. Radha as Mama * T. S. Balaiah as Chinnavar *

S. V. Subbaiah S. V. Subbaiah (1920-1980) was an Indian actor who featured mainly in Tamil-language plays and films. He featured mostly in character roles that communicated emotional feelings. Early life Subbaiah hails from Sengottai in Tirunelveli distri ...

as Periyavar * M. S. Sundari Bai as Gomathi *

A. Karunanidhi A. Karunanidhi ( Tamil : கருணாநிதி) was an Indian actor and comedian who featured mainly in Tamil-language films. He was active in the field from 1948 till 1978. Though he was a comedian, the roles he played in some of the film ...

as Sanjeevi * Manorama as Mayilvahanam * C. T. Rajakantham as Maruthayee *K. Sairam as Devangu *S. A. Kannan as Shanthi Ungel *T. Thangaraj * V. Nagayya as Doctor (Guest Appearance) *

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 7 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the history of Indi ...

as Sekar *

K. D. Santhanam K. D. Santhanam was an Indian actor, writer and lyricist who worked mainly in Tamil films. Career He was a teacher at Madurai Sri Mangala Bala Gana Sabha training young boys in dramatics. He was known as a strict disciplinarian. He punished ...

as Bai

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy (a duo consisting of M. S. Viswanathan and

T. K. Ramamoorthy Trichirappalli Krishnasamy Ramamoorthy (15 May 1922 – 17 April 2013) was an Indian Tamil music composer and violinist. Ramamoorthy was known as ''Mellisai Mannar'' ( ta, மெல்லிசை மன்னர்; "The King of Light Music") ...

) with lyrics by

Kannadasan Kannadasan (; 24 June 1927 – 17 October 1981) was an Indian philosopher, poet, film song lyricist, producer, actor, script-writer, editor, philanthropist, and is heralded as one of the greatest and most important lyricists in India. Freq ...

. The song "Ennai Yaarendru" is based on

Sindhu Bhairavi The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

raga, "Indha Nadagam" is based on Shubhapantuvarali, "Kadhal Siragai" is based on Kapi, and "Paalum Pazhamum" is based on Natabhairavi. The song "Naan Pesa Ninaippathellam" was written by Kannadasan to showcase his friendship with Viswanathan.

Release and reception

''Palum Pazhamum'' was released on 9 September 1961, and distributed by Sivaji Films. '' Kumudam'' praised the film for Saroja Devi's performance. Kanthan of ''

Kalki Kalki ( sa, कल्कि), also called Kalkin or Karki, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of exis ...

'' criticised the film title's lack of relevance to the story, but called the film an entertainer. The film ran for over 100 days in theatres.

In popular culture

The film's title also became the name for a collection of silk saris.

References

External links

* {{A. Bhimsingh 1960s Tamil-language films 1961 films Films directed by A. Bhimsingh Films scored by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy Tamil films remade in other languages