Panneer Pushpangal
Panneer Pushpangal (transl. Fragrant Flowers) is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language romance film jointly directed by Santhana Bharathi and P. Vasu in their directorial debut. The film stars Pratap, Venniradai Moorthy and newcomers Suresh Kumar and Shanthi Krishna. It was released on 3 July 1981.
| Panneer Pushpangal | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Bharathi-Vasu |
| Produced by | S. Padmini |
| Screenplay by | Bharathi-Vasu |
| Story by | K. Soma Sundareswaran |
| Starring | Pratap Venniradai Moorthy Suresh Kumar Shanthi Krishna |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
| Cinematography | M. C. Sekar |
| Edited by | V. T. Vijayan |
Production company | Hemachitra Arts |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
Panneer Pushpangal is a love story between Aravind Prabhu and Uma supported by their teacher Prem.
Cast
- Pratap as Prem[1]
- Venniradai Moorthy as the hostel warden[1]
- Suresh Kumar as Aravind Prabhu[1]
- Shanthi Krishna as Uma[1]
- Jr. Manohar as Babu[1]
- Archana as Uma's mother
Production
Development
During an impromptu discussion, K. Somasundareswaran had narrated the story of two convent students coming of age to Gangai Amaran. Moved by the tale, Amaran gave the directorial opportunity to P. Vasu and Santhana Bharathi at the helm.[2] Vasu, son of make-up man Peethambaram and Santhana Bharathi, son of producer M. R. Santhanam, made their directorial debuts with this film.[3][4] According to Amaran, "The idea of the story came out of friendly banter".[5]
Casting
A photographer friend of Suresh Kumar's father opined that Suresh could make it as a lead actor and with a portfolio, Suresh approached director C. V. Sridhar to feature in his films, but his effort went in vain. He then met Bharathi and Vasu who decided to cast him in Panneer Pushpangal, while simultaneously he was cast in the lead role in Bharathiraja's Alaigal Oivathillai presenting him with a dilemma of which film to choose; he chose the former.[6] The film also marked the Tamil debut of Shanthi Krishna.[7]
Filming
The film was shot at The Laidlaw Memorial School of St. George's Homes, Ketti, in the Nilgiris.[7]
Themes
Panneer Pushpangal deals with adolescent love, a theme that was not frequently explored in 1980s Tamil cinema.[8]
Soundtrack
| Panneer Pushpangal | |
|---|---|
| Film score by | |
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
| Length | 18:58 |
| Label | Echo |
The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.
Tamil (original) version
Lyrics were written by Gangai Amaran.[9] The song "Ananda Raagam" is set in Simhendramadhyamam raga,[10][11] and "Vengaya Sambarum" is set in Shanmukhapriya.[12] Ilaiyaraja later reused "Ananda Ragam" as "Saara Yeh Aalam" in Shiva (2006).[13]
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kodai Kaala Kaatre" | Malaysia Vasudevan | 5:11 |
| 2. | "Aanandha Raagam" | Uma Ramanan | 4:26 |
| 3. | "Poonthalir Aada" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | 4:45 |
| 4. | "Vengaya Sambarum" | Deepan Chakravarthy, S. N. Surendar, T. K. S. Kalaivanan | 4:36 |
| Total length: | 22:31 | ||
Telugu (dubbed) version
This film was dubbed into Telugu as Madhura Geetham. All songs were written by Rajashri.[14]
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Navvulalona" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | 4:38 |
| 2. | "Anandha Ragam" | P. Susheela | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Kondagali Thirige" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4:31 |
| Total length: | 13:25 | ||
References
- "'பன்னீர் புஷ்பங்கள்' – 38 வயது! – இப்போதும் ஹிட்டடிக்கும் அப்பவே அப்படி கதை!". Kamadenu (in Tamil). 3 July 2019. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
- Ramesh, Deepika (8 January 2015). "K Rajeshwar Interview: Future Perfect". Silverscreen.in. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- Ashok Kumar, S.R. (16 November 2006). "This character artist's first love is direction". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- Prasad, G. (9 September 2006). "In the right direction". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- Jeshi, K. (15 August 2019). "What happens when Lenin, Santhana Bharathi and Gangai Amaren meet?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- Suresh. "Interview". Behindwoods (Interview). Interviewed by Jyothsna. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- Gopalakrishnan, Aswathy (28 February 2019). "'Write Strong Characters For Actresses My Age': In Conversation With Shanthi Krishna". Silverscreen.in. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
- Anantharam, Chitra Deepa (21 January 2017). "Fascinated by the supernatural, says Director Vasu". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- "Paneer Pushpangal Movie Songs Jukebox". YouTube. Rajshri Tamil. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
- Sundararaman 2007, p. 123.
- Mani, Charulatha (20 January 2012). "A Raga's Journey – The passionate appeal of Simhendramadhyamam". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
- Sundararaman 2007, p. 167.
- Rangan, Baradwaj (15 May 2007). "Music Review: Cheeni Kum". Baradwaj Rangan. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- "Madhura Geetham". Spotify. Retrieved 22 December 2020.