CINEMA PLUS » COLUMNS
CHENNAI, August 24, 2013
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Vidivelli (1960)
RANDOR GUY
Sivaji Ganesan, B. Saroja Devi, S.V. Ranga Rao, M.N. Rajam, K. Balajee, T.R. Ramachandran, Shanthakumari, Padmini Priyadarshini, M.R. Santhanam
A familiar theme in Tamil cinema is about a brother’s undying love for his sister and the extent to which he will go to make her life happy as a married woman. Such films are known as ‘sister sentiment’ movies. One such film was Vidivelli, written and directed by iconic filmmaker Sridhar who made many movies in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, including several hits.
The film was an in-house production of the Sivaji Ganesan family under the banner PrabhuRam Pictures (no prizes for guessing who they are!). Sivaji Ganesan played the role of the loving brother who will stoop to even theft for his sister.
Chandru (Sivaji Ganesan) has a sister (Rajam) who is married to a handsome Ravi (Balaji). But her in-laws insist on a diamond necklace, without which she cannot join her husband. So, Chandru steals a diamond necklace with a locket and then his sister joins her husband. He and his mother (Shanthakumari) move to Madras where he finds a job in a company owned by a wealthy man (Ranga Rao). He falls in love with his daughter (Saroja Devi). One day, the necklace falls down and the locket opens, revealing a photograph of a young man. The husband and the others at home want to know who the person is. She says she has never seen him. But suspecting the worst, she is sent back to her parental home.
Meanwhile, Chandru saves his boss from a huge loss and, the boss, in appreciation, gives him a handsome sum. Chandru buys another necklace with that money and the sister goes back to her husband. However, his boss dismisses him later to keep him off his daughter. The brother goes to the police station and surrenders himself for the theft. There’s surprise when he comes to know that the necklace belongs to his sweetheart, and the person in the locket is her brother who died in the war. However, the father denies he ever had a son. How the puzzle is solved forms the rest of the film.
Sivaji Ganesan gives an excellent performance, ably supported by Ranga Rao, Rajam and Saroja Devi. A.M. Raja, the popular singer, composed the music with lyrics by Kannadasan, Marudhakasi and Ku.Ma. Balasubramaniam for songs sung by Raja, P. Susheela, Jikki, P.B. Sreenivos and Trichy Loganathan. Some of the songs, including ‘Koduthu Paar’ became popular.
Cinematography was by Aloysius Vincent, who was assisted by P.N. Sundaram. In spite of the star-studded cast, fine acting, excellent cinematography, taut direction and pleasing music, the film did not do well at the box-office.
Remembered For The brilliant performances, the narration, direction, and impressive camerawork.
Originally Posted by Gopal,S.
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