Idhayakkani (transl. The Fruit of the Heart) is a 1975 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by A. Jagannathan and produced by R. M. Veerappan, starring M. G. Ramachandran in the lead role, with Pandari Bai, R. S. Manohar and Radha Saluja among others enacting supporting roles. It was released on 22 August 1975 and became a major success. Idhayakkani was notably the only Indian film to be screened at the Tashkent International Film Festival in 1978.[1]
| Idhayakkani | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | A. Jagannathan |
| Screenplay by | R. M. Veerappan |
| Story by | Poovai Krishnan |
| Produced by | R. M. Veerappan |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | N. Balakrishnan |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | M. S. Viswanathan |
Production company | Sathya Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 160 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editMohan is a kind-hearted man whose theory of life is equality. He puts it into practice by sharing equally the income of his estate with his labourers. He has another passion – he wants to serve the country – and for that, he has joined the police force as an officer. He meets a needy, innocent, uneducated, village girl, Lakshmi, and on the advice of an elderly domestic help, he permits her to stay in his house.
Tongues start wagging, rumours spread and to remove the stigma now associated with her name, Mohan decides to marry the girl with her and his mother's consent. He joins duty. However, his happiness is short-lived. He is surprised when he discovers his wife's photo in the file of the case he is assigned to investigate which involves the murder of a leading scientist, as the main suspect. He is shocked but decides to do his duty and begins to investigate by first checking if his wife is really as innocent as she looks. He then takes the battle to other side by infiltrating the gang and in the end, finds the truth.
Cast
edit- M. G. Ramachandran as Mohan (Red)[1][2]
- Radha Saluja as Lakshmi, alias Mala[1]
- Manohar as Albert
- Thengai Srinivasan as Rangarajan (Julie)
- C. R. Parthiban as Inspector
- K. Kannan as Kannan
- V. Gopalakrishnan as Madhavarao
- S. V. Ramdas as Dass, a hired man
- Isari Velan as Isari, Mohan's personal secretary
- Vennira Aadai Nirmala as a female singer in Hello lover', Thotta idam
- Pandari Bai as Mohan's mother
- Rajasulochana as Lily
- Shanmugasundari as Mohan's relative
- Shamugasundaram as Nattamai's son
- Karikol Raju as Panchayat leader
- Peeli Sivam as Hotel manager
- Usilai Mani as Astrologer
- Ennathe Kannaiah as Tour guide
- T. K. S. Natarajan as Iyer
- Trichy Soundararajan as C.I.D officer
- Guest appearances
- S. V. Subbaiah as Ponnuswamy
- P. S. Veerappa as Uncle John
- V. S. Raghavan as The judge
- Shakti Prasad as Dharma Prakash, an atomic power scientist
- Rathna as Kamala, a picker from Mohan's Sathiya Coffee Estate Mohan, Neega Nallairukkanu
Production
editIdhayakkani is the debut of Bollywood actress Radha Saluja in Tamil.[3]
Soundtrack
editThe music was composed by M. S. Viswanathan.[4] The songs "Inbame Undhan Per" and "Neenga Nalla Irukkanum" became chartbusters. Vijay Antony remixed the former song for the film Mariyadhai (2009).[5]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Neenga Nalla Irukkanam (Thenagamam Inbath thirunattil)" | Pulamaipithan | Seerkazhi Govindarajan, T. M. Soundararajan & S. Janaki | 06:21 |
| 2. | "Inbame Undhan Per" | Pulamaipithan | T. M. Soundararajan & P. Susheela | 04:56 |
| 3. | "Ondrum Ariyatha (Punnaigaiyl Kodi)" | Vaali | T. M. Soundararajan | 04:39 |
| 4. | "Hello Lover Mister Right" | Randor Guy[1] | Usha Uthup | 04:42 |
| 5. | "Ithazhe Ithazhe" | Vaali | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam & Ramola | 04:31 |
| 6. | "Thotta Idam Ellam (Azhagai Vallarpom)" | Na. Kamarasan[6] | T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela & Sai Baba | 04:42 |
| Total length: | 29:51 | |||
Release and reception
editIdhayakkani was released on 22 August 1975.[7] Ananda Vikatan praised the film for depicting Mercara's greenery and the horror of the Pichavaram backwaters, along with the music and colour cinematography.[8] Kanthan of Kalki praised the writing by Veerappan, and the direction of Jagannathan.[9] The film became a major success, and a breakthrough for Jagannathan.[10][11][12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Guy, Randor (16 April 2016). "Idhayakkani (1975)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "Did You Know, Ajith's popular on-screen name in 'Red' has a connection with MGR's on-screen name?". The Times of India. 8 March 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ Sri Kantha, Sachi (27 December 2019). "MGR Remembered – Part 54 | An Overview of the Final 31 movies of 1970s". Ilankai Tamil Sangam. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Idhaykkani (1975)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ "Vijayakanth grooves for MGR song!". IndiaGlitz. 6 March 2009. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ "கவியரசு நா. காமராசன் நேர்காணல்". Nakkheeran (in Tamil). 1 September 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
- ^ "எம்.ஜி.ஆர். நடித்த படங்களின் பட்டியல்". Ithayakkani (in Tamil). 2 April 2011. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ "இதயக்கனி – விகடன் விமர்சனம்". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). September 1975.
- ^ காந்தன் (21 September 1975). "இதயக்கனி". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 41. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ "Man who shored up MGR's film career is no more". The Times of India. 8 October 2012. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ "Veteran film director passes away". The Hindu. 8 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ "'Audience taste keeps changing'". The Hindu. 8 May 2008. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
External links
edit- Idhayakkani at IMDb
