Vaidehi Kathirunthal
Vaidehi Kathirunthal (transl. Vaidehi was waiting) is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by R. Sundarrajan. The film stars Vijayakanth and Revathi as two villagers, Vellaisamy and Vaidehi, whose lives undergo a drastic turn when they meet. They discover that they must join forces to save a young couple from the wrath of the other villagers.
Vaidehi Kathirunthal | |
---|---|
![]() Poster | |
Directed by | R. Sundarrajan |
Produced by | Thooyavan Panchu Arunachalam (presenter) |
Written by | R. Sundarrajan |
Starring | Vijayakanth Revathi |
Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Cinematography | Raja Rajan |
Edited by | M. Shrinivasan B. Krishnakumar |
Production company | Appu Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
Vaidehi Kaathirundhal's story was developed based on songs that Ilaiyaraaja had composed, hoping to use them in potential film. The film was released on 23 October 1984, became a huge commercial success and emerged a breakthrough in Vijayakanth's career. It was remade in Telugu as Manchi Manasulu (1986), and in Kannada as Preethi Nee Illade Naa Hegirali (2004).
Plot
Vellaisamy is an unkempt derelict who lives by the village temple doing menial jobs to survive but has an impressive singing ability. Vaidehi is a young widow who lives in the village with her sorrowing, alcoholic father. Minutes after Vaidehi's marriage, the groom and his parents died in a boat accident. This led to the village ostracising her and not letting her practice dance, which she was talented in. Her father, though rich, took to drinking upon seeing his daughter's fate.
One day when some villagers spot Vellaisamy scribbling Vaidehi's name on the temple walls, rumours about them start circling. When a distressed Vaidehi approaches and questions Vellaisamy why he has been writing her name of walls, he reveals his tragic past and how he lost the woman of his affection, also named Vaidehi.
Vellaisamy and his widowed mother lived in another village. His cousin Vaidehi, who was also brought up with him, had high hopes of marrying Vellaisamy. Despite being in love with Vaidehi, Vellaisamy neglected her for fun. After buying wedding jewels for Vaidehi, he played a final prank on her, by telling her that he has been engaged with someone else. Distraught, Vaidehi ate poisonous seeds, and died in Vellaisamy's arms. Within weeks, Vellaisamy's mother also died. Vellaisamy gave his properties to poor people, and moved to his present village for closure.
Vellaisamy and Vaidehi now share a mutual respect for each other's melancholic lives but soon realise they need to work together to unite Nataraj and Sengamalam, a young couple in love, against the wrath of the whole village, particularly Sengamalam's ruthless brother Vellikizhamai Ramasamy. Vellaisamy is killed by Ramasamy's goons in the melee, and the young lovers are united, while Vaidehi is left alone.
Cast
- Vijayakanth as Vellaisamy[1]
- Revathi as Vaidehi, the widow[1]
- Goundamani as All in All Azhaguraja
- Senthil as Komuti Thalaiya[2]
- Kokila as Sengamalam[1]
- Parimalam as Vaidehi, Vellaisamy's past lover[3]
- Sivankumar as Nataraj[4]
- T. S. Raghavendar as the widow Vaidehi's father[1]
- Radha Ravi as Vellikizhamai Ramasamy[1]
Production
After music director Ilaiyaraaja finished composing the songs of Kaakki Sattai (1985) in half-a-day, well before the three-day schedule, he started to compose other songs since he was free at that time; he ended up composing six songs, hoping to use them in a potential film. Producer-lyricist Panchu Arunachalam, who used to listen to Ilaiyaraaja's unused songs and pick any of them he liked for future projects, wanted one of the six tunes for the film that would become Vaidehi Kathirunthal. But Ilaiyaraaja insisted that he listen to all six tunes; the producer did so, and the storyline of Vaidehi Kathirunthal was developed based on them.[5][6] The film was written and directed by R. Sundarrajan, and produced by Thooyavan under the banner Appu Movies, while Arunachalam was credited as presenter. Cinematography was handled by Raja Rajan, and editing by M. Shrinivasan and B. Krishnakumar.[4] Vijayakanth agreed to play a "soft role" at a time when he starred in many action films and was branded an action hero.[7] This was the Tamil debut of Kannada actress Pramila Joshai (credited as Parimalam),[8] and the feature film debut of T. S. Raghavendra (credited as Raghavendar) and Sivankumar.[1] Shooting took place predominantly at the banks of Kanchima River.[9]
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.[10] The song "Kaathirunthu" is set in the Carnatic raga known as Shivaranjani,[11] "Azhagu Malaraada" is set in Chandrakauns,[12] and "Inraiku Yen Indha" is set in Abhogi.[13] The song "Rasathi Unna" is inspired from the song "Singara Punnagai" from the film Mahadhevi (1957) composed by M. S. Viswanathan.[14] For every day the film played at a theatre in Cumbum, "Rasathi Unna" attracted the attention of wild elephants which came near the theatre and remained till the song ended before returning to the forest. P. Jayachandran, the singer of this song, "Kaathirunthu" and "Inraiku Yen Indha", said all three songs were recorded within a day.[15]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Performer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rasathi Unnai" | Vaali | P. Jayachandran | 5:36 |
2. | "Azhagu Malaraada" | Vaali | S. Janaki, T. S. Raghavendra | 5:31 |
3. | "Kaathirunthu" | Vaali | P. Jayachandran | 4:23 |
4. | "Megam Karukayilae" | Panchu Arunachalam | Ilaiyaraaja, Uma Ramanan | 4:28 |
5. | "Inraiku Yen Indha" | Gangai Amaran | P. Jayachandran, Vani Jairam | 4:29 |
6. | "Raasavae Unnai" | Vaali | P. Susheela | 3:25 |
Release and reception
Vaidehi Kaathirundhal was released on 23 October 1984,[16] Diwali day.[17] The Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan, in its issue dated 2 December 1984, carried the reviews of multiple people who had seen the film. The review board of the magazine gave the film a rating of 44 out of 100 based on these reviews, with the consensus being favourable towards Ilaiyaraaja's music and critical towards the multiple storylines stitched together.[18] Despite facing competition from other Diwali releases such as Nallavanukku Nallavan and the Tamil-dubbed version of the Malayalam-language My Dear Kuttichathan,[17] the film was a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres.[16]
Remakes
Vaidehi Kaathirundhal was remade in Telugu as Manchi Manasulu (1986),[19] and in Kannada as Preethi Nee Illade Naa Hegirali (2004).[20]
Legacy
Vaidehi Kaathirundhal emerged a breakthrough in Vijayakanth's career.[21] According to film journalist Sreedhar Pillai, it was one of the films that made him the "Raja of B and C stations"[22] The waterfalls where the film was shot was renamed Vaideki Falls after the film.[23] The quote "Petromax lightey venuma" (transl. Do you want only the Petromax light?) spoken by Goundamani's character became a popular phrase in Tamil Nadu and refers to someone wanting and persisting on something particular.[24] The quote also inspired a song of the same name in Aranmanai (2014).[25] The Chennai-based brand Dude Thamizha prints T-shirts that carry the dialogue which are their best-sellers too.[26][27][28] The character name of Goundamani, All in All Azhagu Raja, was also used as the title a 2013 film,[29][30] while the 2019 film Petromax derives its title from All in All Azhagu Raja's dialogue.[31]
References
- ராம்ஜி, வி. (25 August 2018). "வைதேகி காத்திருந்தாள் – அப்பவே அப்படி கதை!". Kamadenu (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- நியூட்டன், ஷாலினி (14 February 2020). "நான்...செந்தில்" [I...Senthil]. Kungumam. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- "நடிகை மேக்னாராஜ் திருமணம்: கிறிஸ்தவ, இந்து முறைப்படி நடந்தது" [Actress Meghana Raj marriage: Happened as per Christian and Hindu practices]. Dinamalar. 3 May 2018. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- Vaidehi Kathirunthal (motion picture) (in Tamil). Appu Movies. 1984. Opening credits, from 0:00 to 2:44.
- Ramanujam, Srinivasa (31 May 2018). "The Ilaiyaraaja interview: 'Why should filmmakers know about music creation?'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- "கற்பனையால் ரசிகர்களை வியக்க வைப்பதே வெற்றி; எல்லாவற்றையும் தாண்டிய இசை ஒன்று இருக்கிறது!: இசைஞானி இளையராஜா சிறப்பு நேர்காணல்" [It's a huge gamble to attract fans by imagination; there is a music beyond it: Ilaiyaraaja interview]. The Hindu (Tamil). 2 June 2018. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- Umashanker, Sudha (13 October 2000). "Settled in an invincible slot". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- வினோத், இரா. (6 October 2020). "மறைந்த கணவரின் 'கட் அவுட்'டுடன் வளைகாப்பு: கண்ணீரில் நனைந்த நடிகை மேக்னா ராஜ் குடும்பத்தார்". Hindu Tamil Thisai. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- "வைதேசி காத்திருந்தாள்... வைதேகி நீர்வீழ்ச்சி...!". Newstm (in Tamil). 19 January 2019. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- "Vaidhegi Kaathirunthal (1984)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- Sundararaman 2007, p. 138.
- Mani, Charulatha (8 November 2013). "Of love and longing". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- Mani, Charulatha (2 March 2012). "A Raga's Journey – Arresting Abhogi". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- Jayagopal. திரையும் இசையும் [Screen and music] (interview) (in Tamil). Chennai: Doordarshan. Event occurs at 2:40. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
- "Ilaiyaraaja's song attracts elephants to a theatre". The Times of India. 2 June 2020. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- "சிவாஜி, கமல், ரஜினி படங்களுக்கு வசனம் எழுதிய தூயவன்" [Thooyavan, who wrote the dialogues for Sivaji, Kamal and Rajini's films]. Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 17 July 2017. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- Menon, Vishal (12 November 2018). "My Dear Kuttichathan: The Unforgettable Story of India's First 3D Film". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- "சினிமா விமர்சனம்: வைதேகி காத்திருந்தாள்" [Movie Review: Vaidehi Kaathirundhal]. Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). 2 December 1984. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- Atluri, Sri (16 September 2005). "Mohan Gandhi – Interview". TeluguCinema.Com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- "Preethi Nee Illade Naa Hegirali (ಪ್ರೀತಿ ನೀ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ನಾ ಹೇಗಿರಲಿ)" [O Love, How can I live without you]. Chiloka. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- "Captain comes under attack". IndiaGlitz. 29 December 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- Pillai, Sreedhar (30 October 2002). "Still the `Captain'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 August 2003. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- "Top 4 Places to Visit in Coimbatore with Family". Lemon Tree Hotels. 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- "Filmi dialogues used in everyday lingo". The Times of India. 17 August 2013. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- M, Serena Josephine (30 July 2016). "Light goes out of petromax lamps". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- Vijayan, Naveena (26 August 2013). "Flaunt the Tamizhan in you". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- Parthasarathy, Anusha (16 March 2012). "A 'Tee' kadai!". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- Krishnakumar, Anupama (5 May 2012). "A Melange of Inspiring Measures". Spark. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- "Cracker of a Diwali". Bangalore Mirror. 29 October 2013. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- "City Times – Comic caper". Khaleej Times. 31 October 2013. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- "Tamannaah's next with Athe Kangal-fame Rohin Venkatesan titled Petromax; Title look revealed". Cinema Express. 3 July 2019. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.