Sollamale

Sollamale (/soʊllɑːməleɪ/ transl. Without Saying) is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Sasi in his directorial debut. The film stars Livingston and Kausalya while Karan, Vivek, Anand, and Prakash Raj play supporting roles. It was released on 1 August 1998^[1] and became a box office success.^[2] The film was later remade in Telugu by the same director as Seenu (1999)^[3] and in Hindi as Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai (2002).^[4]

Sollamale
Poster
Directed by	Sasi
Written by	Sasi
Produced by	R. B. Choudary
Starring	Livingston Kausalya
Cinematography	Arthur A. Wilson
Edited by	V. Jaishankar
Music by	Bobby
Production company	Super Good Films
Release date	1 August 1998 (1998-08-01)
Running time	158 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Plot

Nataraj is an honest, not-too-good-looking, village artist who comes to the city to find a job. He ends up being a banner artist. Shweta is a US citizen who loves India and its culture and stays with her relatives to learn Bharatnatyam. She is a soft-natured, loving girl who loves to help people in distress but cannot stand it if anyone lies or cheats. Initially when these two meet, she mistakes Nataraj to be a mute and pities him. Shweta's occasional friendlier association with Nataraj, in the means of helping, gradually blossoms into love. By this time, it is too late for the guilt-ridden Nataraj to disclose the truth as he feared the risk of losing her. Despite all his efforts to reveal the truth, Shwetha discovers his sham by herself. However at the end, she realises Nataraj's true intentions for acting as a mute and forgives him. However at the climax, when Shwetha asks Nadaraj to speak to her, he keeps silent because he had asked a doctor to cut his tongue so that he could be the Nataraj that Swetha had come to love.

Cast

• Livingston as Nataraj
• Kausalya as Shweta
• Karan as Vikram
• Vivek as Wilson
• Anand as Riyaz
• Sakthi Kumar as Vaiyapuri
• Prakash Raj as Dr. Surya Prakash
• Dhamu as Shanmugam, painter
• Vaiyapuri as Painter
• Fathima Babu as Vikram's mother
• Mohan Ram as Vikram's father
• Lavanya as Shweta's friend
• Crane Manohar as Hairdresser
• Bava Lakshmanan
• M. J. Shriram as Advertising agency owner
• Raju Sundaram in a special appearance
• Kalyan in a special appearance
• Alphonsa in a special appearance
• Kanal Kannan as Coconut Seller (special appearance)

Production

The story of Sollamale was written by Sasi with Prabhu Deva intended for the lead role, but R. B. Chowdary successfully suggested Livingston instead.^[5]

Soundtrack

Soundtrack was composed by debutant Bobby.^[6][7]

Song	Singers
"Columbus Kaadhalaa"	Mano
"Sollathae"	Hariharan, Chitra
"Chindamaniye Vaa"	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
"Sollu Chollu"	Bobby, Chitra
"Rathirida Roundadida"	Sabesh
"Sollathae"	Hariharan

Reception

D. S. Ramanujam of The Hindu wrote, "Debutant director Sasi makes his bow in grand style with a different kind of love tale" and also lauded the performances of Livingston and Kausalya.^[8] The film became a major success and breakthrough for Livingston after years of playing supporting roles.^[9] Bobby won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director.^[10]

References

1. "Sollamale ( 1998 )". Cinesouth. Archived from the original on 23 November 2004. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
2. "Plugging the ugly". Rediff.com. 10 November 1998. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
3. Srihari, Gudipoodi. "Telugu Cinema - Past and Present". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
4. Mogk, Marja Evelyn, ed. (27 September 2013). Different Bodies: Essays on Disability in Film and Television. McFarland. p. 126. ISBN 9781476606217.
5. Darshan, Navein (6 November 2019). "Many suggested Sasi to tweak 'Sollamale' climax like 'Mundhanai Mudichu': Livingston". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
6. "Sollamale / Thambiku Thai Manasu". AVDigital. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
7. "Sollamale (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – EP". Apple Music. 25 January 1998. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
8. Ramanujam, D. S. (7 August 1998). "Film Review: Sollamalae". The Hindu. p. 27. Archived from the original on 24 April 2000. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
9. "Interview with Livingstone | Worked his way to see success". Tamil Star. Archived from the original on 15 January 2000. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
10. "Tamil Nadu state film awards announced; "Natpukkaga" bags best film award". The Hindu. 17 July 2000. Archived from the original on 30 April 2003. Retrieved 15 January 2022.

External links

• Sollamale at IMDb 
• Sollamale at Rotten Tomatoes