Thangamalai Ragasiyam
About Thangamalai Ragasiyam
Prince Gajendran (Sivaji Ganesan) is taken from his parents as a small child by his father's enemy and grows up as a violent man living in a cave. Amutha (Jamuna) turns him by kindness. The two set out to uncover the secret of Thangamalai, the golden mountain, and to find his parents. T. R. Rajakumari plays Nandini, M. N. Nambiar plays Adithan, and P. S. Veerappa plays Mahendran in the intrigue around them.
Cast & crew
More about Thangamalai Ragasiyam
B. R. Panthulu produced it at Padmini Pictures. P. Neelakantan, who wrote the dialogue, started as director and left after shooting a large part of the film; Panthulu finished it. The story is by Chinna Annamalai and Ve. Lakshmanan, with a screenplay by Chithra Krishnaswami. Meena Movies distributed. It was made at the same time in Kannada as Rathnagiri Rahasya.
Themes
Making
Neelakantan had already directed a large share of the footage when he left, and Panthulu took the director credit on the finished film.
Reviews
Kalki carried a review on 7 July 1957, a week after the 29 June release. The magazine piece is in Tamil and is the contemporary notice Wikipedia cites.
Audiences
The film was a commercial success.
Look
G. K. Ramu shot the black-and-white footage. W. R. Subba Rao shot the Gevacolor sequences.
Technique
Color is limited to selected sequences in Gevacolor inside an otherwise black-and-white film.
Music
T. G. Lingappa composed. P. Susheela's 'Amudhai Pozhiyum Nilave' is the number that took at least 20 takes. Other singers include T. M. Soundararajan, P. Leela, Jikki, and Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi.
Preservation
A copy is on Wikimedia Commons as Thangamalai Ragasiyam (1957).webm.
Notes
- The Tamil title translates as Secret of the Golden Mountain. The Kannada twin is Rathnagiri Rahasya.
- Most of the film is black and white. Some sequences are in Gevacolor, shot by W. R. Subba Rao, while G. K. Ramu shot the black-and-white.
- 'Amudhai Pozhiyum Nilave,' in the raga Pahadi and sung by P. Susheela, took at least 20 takes. The same tune was used in the Malayalam film Mariakutty (1958) as 'Karalil Kaniyum Rasamey.'
- B. Saroja Devi plays Young Mohini. P. Susheela is also credited on screen as Beautiful Mohini, separate from her singing.
- C. L. Anandan dances, uncredited, in 'Veeradhi Veeran Sooraadhi Sooran.'
- Kalki reviewed it on 7 July 1957.
- R. Devarajan edited. T. G. Lingappa composed, with most lyrics by Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam.
Scenes
- Gajendran, living as a ferocious cave-dweller, is turned by Amutha.
- The pair leave to search Thangamalai for his parents.
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (Thangamalai Ragasiyam (1957).webm)