Suryagandhi

Suryagandhi (transl. Sunflower) is a 1973 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by Muktha Srinivasan. It stars Jayalalithaa and Muthuraman, with Savithri, Cho Ramaswamy, Moulee, CID Shakuntala and Manorama in supporting roles. The film was released on 27 July 1973. The film was remade in Malayalam as Priyamvada, in Telugu as Moguda Pellama and in Kannada as Hennu Samsarada Kannu.^[1] Kamal Haasan worked under Thangappan as his dance assistant in this film.^[2]

Suryagandhi
DVD cover
Directed by	Muktha Srinivasan
Written by	A. S. Prakasam
Screenplay by	A. S. Prakasam
Story by	Basumani
Produced by	M. Venu Gopal
Starring	R. Muthuraman Jayalalithaa
Cinematography	V. Selvaraj
Edited by	L. Balu
Music by	M. S. Viswanathan
Production company	Vidhya Movies
Release date	27 July 1973 (1973-07-27)
Running time	152 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Plot

Mohan is the eldest son in a middle-class family, having a superiority complex that he should be the first in everything. He and Radha fall in love and they get married. Mohan works in a low wage job despite being a graduate, which is insufficient for the family. So, Radha decides to join as a sales officer and starts working in a company. Her hard work earns her a good name and a promotion. So, her respect in the family rises as it improves the economic status of the family and she is able to fulfill the needs and wants of the family. Mohan is intolerant of Radha's respect growing, and he starts hating her.

Mohan's ego wants him to earn more than Radha and in the process he quits his job with the hope of finding a better one. Meantime, he also does modelling for liquor ads much against his family's wishes. Radha, with the help of her boss, recommends a high paying job for Mohan. But she does not inform this to Mohan as he might not take up the job if he knows that Radha was responsible for it. Mohan quits modelling after he gets the new job and mocks Radha, as he is paid more than her now. Mohan wants Radha to quit her job, but Radha does not agree to that.

Mohan's sister Suseela falls in love with a guy and becomes pregnant. Radha finds this out and arranges for the wedding to be as soon as possible, so that her pre-marital pregnancy is not known to others. Mohan misunderstands that Radha is overpowering him in family decisions and sends Radha out from his home and plans for a divorce. On the day of Suseela's marriage, the groom's father (M. R. R. Vasu) informs the truth to Mohan, which makes him realise his mistakes. Mohan understands that Radha preferred going to the job so that she can pay the dowry demanded by Suseela's in-laws. Mohan also finds out that his job was recommended with the help of Radha. Mohan transforms into a good man and decides to lead a happy life with Radha.

Cast

• Muthuraman as Mohan
• Jayalalitha as Radha
• Cho Ramaswamy as Mahabali
• Manorama as Annam
• T. S. B. K. Moulee as Sama
• Major Sundararajan as Ekammbaram, Mohan's father
• Savitri as Sivakami, Mohan's mother
• M. R. R. Vasu as Sadhasivam Mudaliar (Colony owner)
• Gandhimathi as Kamakshi Sadhasivam Mudaliar's wife
• S. N. Parvathy as Parvathi, Radha's mother
• Sasikumar as Sundaram, Sadhasivam's son
• Senthamarai as Sriram
• Kathadi Ramamurthy as Ulagesan
• A. Sakunthala as Usha, Mahabali's wife
• Kannadasan as Song's Player Role
• Rangammal (special appearance in the song "Paramasivan Kazhuthil")

Award

1973 Tamil Nadu State Film Award^[3]

• won Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress - Jayalalithaa
• Won Filmfare awards best actress—Tamil
• Won Madras Filmfans Association Award for Best Actress.^[4]

Soundtrack

The music was composed by M. S. Viswanathan.^[5][6]

Song	Singers	Lyrics	Length
"Naan Endral Adhu Avalum"	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Jayalalithaa	Vaali	04:34
"Paramasivan Kazhuthil"	T. M. Soundararajan	Kannadasan	04:23
"O Meri Dilruba"	T. M. Soundararajan, Jayalalithaa	Vaali	04:39
"Theriyaatho Nokku"	Manorama		04:22

Reception

Kanthan of Kalki praised the story for being innovative, avoiding the path often taken by Tamil films.^[7]

Re-release

A digitally restored version of the film was released on 16 September 2016.^[8][9][10] Baradwaj Rangan of The Hindu compared it to "a YouTube video stretched over the big screen".^[11]

References

1. Menon, Ajay (3 December 2010). "Old is Gold: Tamil Movies made in Malayalam". Old is Gold. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
2. Shilpa (13 May 2020). "DID YOU KNOW KAMAL HAASAN HAD CHOREOGRAPHED FOR JAYALALITHAA?". Behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
3. Anandan, Film News (2004). Sadhanaigal Padaitha Thamizh Thiraipada Varalaru [Tamil Film History and Its Achievements]. Sivagami Publications. p. 738.
4. "Ten films to remember Jayalalithaa". Mint. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
5. "Suryakanthi (1973)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
6. "Suriyakanthi Tamil Film EP Vinyl Record by M S Viswanathan". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
7. காந்தன் (9 September 1973). "சூரியகாந்தி". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 51. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
8. "'Jayalalithaa lived the role'". The Hindu. 10 September 2016. Archived from the original on 13 December 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
9. Narayanan, Sujatha (19 September 2016). "Old classics find newage fans". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
10. "Friday Fury-September 16". Sify. 16 September 2016. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
11. Rangan, Baradwaj (24 September 2016). "Screening Room: Memories in movies". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.

External links

• Suryagandhi at IMDb