Or Iravu
Or Iravu (transl. One Night) is a 1951 Indian Tamil-language film directed by P. Neelakantan and co-written by him and C. N. Annadurai. Produced by AVM Productions, it is based on Annadurai's play of the same name. The film stars K. R. Ramasamy, reprising his role from the play. It was released on 11 April 1951 and received well by critics, but failed commercially.
| Or Iravu | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | P. Neelakantan |
| Produced by | A. V. Meiyappan |
| Screenplay by | C. N. Annadurai P. Neelakantan |
| Based on | Or Iravu by C. N. Annadurai |
| Starring | K. R. Ramasamy Lalitha |
| Music by | R. Sudarsanam |
| Cinematography | S. Maruti Rao |
| Edited by | K. Shankar |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 160 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
A thief breaks into a rich man's house without knowing that the man is his own father who had abandoned him and his mother long ago.
Cast
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- Choreographers[2]
- Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai
- B. Hiralal
Production
Or Iravu was a stage play written by C. N. Annadurai. It was originally written for K. R. Ramasamy's Krishnan memorial drama company by Annadurai. A. V. Meiyappan of AVM Productions decided to make a film based on the play. Annadurai was paid ₹10,000 for writing the screenplay. Annadurai went to AVM studios and wrote the entire script and dialogues totalling 300 pages in a single night. The screenplay was later modified by the director and the producer of the film. This was the third film to be made based on Annadurai's plays after Velaikari (1949) and Nallathambi (1949). P. Neelakantan, who had begun working for AVM in the 1947 film Naam Iruvar as assistant director, made his directorial debut with this film.[3] Per Annadurai's recommendation, Ramasamy was hired to play the hero, reprising his role from the play. The play depicted events that happen in a single night, and older incidents were depicted using flashbacks, but in the film version, flashbacks were replaced with a linear narration. The completed film was 14,980 feet in length.[4][5][6]
Soundtrack
The music was composed by R. Sudarsanam. Lyrics were by Mahakavi Bharathiyar, Bharathidasan, T. K. Shanmugam, K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam & Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam. The song "Ayya Saami Aaoji Saami" is based on "Chico Chico from Puerto Rico" from the 1945 American film Doll Face.[7]
Songs list[8]
| No. | Song | Singers | Lyrics | Length (m:ss) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Vasandha Mullaiyum Malligaiyum" | M. S. Rajeswari | K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam | 03:20 |
| 2 | "Puvimel Maanamudan...Pennaaga Pirandhaale" | T. S. Bagavathi | Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniyam | 03:23 |
| 3 | "Kottu Murase Kottu Murase" | K. R. Ramaswamy, M. S. Rajeswari & V. J. Varma | Mahakavi Bharathiyar | 02:38 |
| 4 | "Ayyaa Saami Avoji Saami" | M. L. Vasanthakumari | K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam | 03:08 |
| 5 | "Thunbam Nergaiyil Yaazhedutthu" | M. S. Rajeswari & V. J. Varma | Bharathidasan | 03:28 |
| 6 | "Enna Ulagamadaa Idhu Ezhaikke Naragamadaa" | K. R. Ramaswamy | K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam | 04:35 |
| 7 | "Arumbu Pol Meesai...Paartthu Paartthu Kanngal Rendum" | V. J. Varma, T. S. Bagavathi & M. S. Rajeswari | K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam | 06:06 |
| 8 | "Boologam Thanai Kaana Varuveer" | M. L. Vasanthakumari & T. S. Bagavathi | T. K. Shanmugam | 05:12 |
| 9 | "Padutthurangum Podhu...Akkam Pakkam Yaarum Illai" | M. S. Rajeswari | K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam | 03:51 |
| 10 | "Azhagu Naadu...Engal Naadu Idhu Engal Naadu" | T. S. Bagavathi | T. K. Shanmugam | 03:40 |
Release and reception
Or Iravu was released on 11 April 1951.[2] The film was a box office failure, but was received well by critics and contemporary writers of Annadurai.[4] Meiyappan theorised that the film film failed either due to the modifications made to the original script or the changes the director did to adapt it for the big screen.[4]
References
- ஒர் இரவு (PDF) (song book) (in Tamil). AVM Productions. 1951.
- Film News Anandan (2004). Sadhanaigal padaitha Tamil Thiraipada Varalaaru (in Tamil). Chennai: Sivagami Publications. pp. 28:54.
- Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 165.
- ""ஓர் இரவு" படத்துக்கு ஒரே இரவில் 300 பக்க வசனம்! அண்ணா எழுதிக் கொடுத்தார்" [Annadurai wrote 300 pages of script in a single night for Or Iravu]. Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 2 October 2009. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
- Guy, Randor (23 October 2010). "Blast from the past: Ore Iravu (1951)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- Ramakrishnan, Venkatesh (1 December 2019). "Those Were The Days: That 'One night' which changed many fortunes over the years". DT Next. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- Srinivasan, Karthik (23 October 2018). "How 'Chico Chico' From The Hollywood Film Dollface Was Ripped Off in Hindi, Tamil And Bengali". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- Neelamegam, Govindasamy (2014). Thiraikalanjiyam – Part 1 (1st ed.). Chennai: Manivasagar Publishers. p. 16.
Bibliography
- Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul, eds. (1998) [1994]. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema (PDF). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-563579-5.