Neerkumizhi

Neerkumizhi (transl. Water bubble) is a 1965 Tamil-language film directed by K. Balachander in his directorial debut. It portrayed the stories of patients and staff in a hospital setting. The film was based on a play by the director. It was remade in Telugu in 1969 as Chiranjeevi.[2]

Neerkumizhi
Theatrical release poster
Directed byK. Balachander
Produced byA. K. Velan[1]
Screenplay byK. Balachander
Based onNeerkumizhi
by K. Balachander
StarringNagesh
Sowcar Janaki
V. Gopalakrishnan
Major Sundarrajan
Jayanthi
Music byV. Kumar
CinematographyNimay Ghosh
Edited byV. B. Natarajan
Production
company
Thirumalai Films
Release date
  • 23 October 1965 (1965-10-23)
Running time
129 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

Sethu, an orphan is a patient who is constantly playing pranks on the other hospital patients, the nurse in-charge and the doctors. A romantic bond develops between a young doctor, Indra and another patient, a football player, Arun much to the chagrin of her father, the senior-most doctor in the hospital. The football player has a greedy brother who tries to arrange for his sibling to be killed. How Sethu, on learning that he is terminally ill cherishes the short time he has to live and takes it upon himself to unite the lovers forms the rest of the story.

Cast

Production

Neerkumizhi marked the directorial debut of K. Balachander who earlier worked as a screenwriter and it was based on his stage play of the same name. Sowcar Janaki, Nagesh, 'Major' Sundararajan and V. Gopalakrishnan, who were part of the play, returned to the film adaptation.[3][4] Balachander said that he was advised by friends and relatives to change the title but he was adamant and kept the title.[5] The film was produced by A. K. Velan under Thirumalai Films. Cinematography was handled by Nimay Ghosh, and the art direction by Ranganna.[6]

Soundtrack

The music was composed by V. Kumar, in his debut.[7] Balachander wanted Sirkazhi Govindarajan to sing the song "Aadi Adangum" as he felt that "his emphasis on certain words and letters always produced the effect required."[8] The title song is based on "The Green Leaves of Summer".[9]

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Aadi Adangum Vazhkkaiyada"SurathaSirkazhi Govindarajan3:16
2."Kanni Nadhiyoram"Alangudi SomuT. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela3:13
3."Neeril Neendhidum"Alangudi SomuP. Susheela3:26

Release and reception

Neerkumizhi was released on 23 October 1965,[1] during Diwali day.[7] Ananda Vikatan, in a review dated 14 November 1965, said that despite its few flaws, the film could be watched once for Nagesh.[10] Writing in Sport and Pastime, T. M. Ramachandran named it his favourite Diwali release of the year because "it blazes a new trail in screen entertainment", while calling it better than the original play.[7]

References
  1. Film News Anandan (2004). Sadhanaigal Padaitha Thamizh Thiraipada Varalaru [Tamil film history and its achievements] (in Tamil). Chennai: Sivagami Publishers. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  2. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (4 August 2018). "The sweet and sour real life romance of reel actors Savitri and Gemini". Daily FT. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  3. Guy, Randor (3 May 2011). "The KB school". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  4. Kolappan, B. (23 December 2014). "He took Tamil cinema beyond hero-centric creations". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  5. Balasubramanian, V. (18 February 2011). "Director felicitated". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  6. "Neerkumizhi". The Indian Express. 23 October 1965. p. 3.
  7. Ramachandran, T. M. (4 December 1965). "A Basket of Mixed Fruits". Sport and Pastime. Vol. 19. p. 51.
  8. Krishnamachari, Suganthy (19 December 2013). "Temple bell timbre". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  9. Krishnaswamy, S. (2 October 1966). "Madras Film Letter". The Illustrated Weekly of India. Vol. 87. p. 43.
  10. சேகர்; சந்தர் (14 November 1965). "சினிமா விமர்சனம்: நீர்க்குமிழி". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
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