Sarada (1962 film)

Sarada is a 1962 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by K. S. Gopalakrishnan in his directorial debut. The film was produced by A. L. Srinivasan under ALS Productions and stars S. S. Rajendran and C. R. Vijayakumari, while M. R. Radha, S. V. Ranga Rao and S. A. Ashokan play supporting roles. The music was composed by K. V. Mahadevan, while the lyrics for the songs were written by Kannadasan. Karnan and R. Devarajan handled cinematography and editing respectively.

Sarada
Theatrical release poster
Directed byK. S. Gopalakrishnan
Written byK. S. Gopalakrishnan
Produced byA. L. Srinivasan
Starring
CinematographyM. Karnan
Edited byR. Devarajan
Music byK. V. Mahadevan
Production
company
ALS Productions
Distributed byALS Productions
Release date
  • 16 March 1962 (1962-03-16)
Running time
147 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Sarada was released on 16 March 1962. Srinivasan had to distribute the film himself after distributors backed out. Despite this, it became successful at the box office established Gopalakrishnan as a popular director. The film was remade in Hindi as Suhagan (1964), in Telugu as Sumangali (1965) and in Kannada as Sothu Geddavalu (1971).

Plot

Cast

Production

K. S. Gopalakrishnan—who earlier worked as a screenwriter for films like Deivapiravi and Padikkadha Medhai—made his directorial debut with Sarada. He approached A. L. Srinivasan to produce the film based on the concept of the protagonist's sexual potency. Srinivasan liked the script and agreed to produce despite being warned by friends not to produce a film with such a bold concept.[1]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by K. V. Mahadevan and lyrics were written by Kannadasan and Panchu Arunachalam.[2][3][4] The songs "Manamagale Marumagale" and "Oruthi Oruvanai" were well received.[1] The former is Arunachalam's first song as a lyricist.[5]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Manamakale Marumakale"Soolamangalam Jayalakshmi, Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi, L. R. Eswari, Anjali3:20
2."Koonthalukku"T. M. Soundarajan3:08
3."Mella Mella"T. M. Soundarajan3:18
4."Oruthi Oruvanai"P. B. Srinivas, P. Susheela4:12
5."Thattu Thadumari"Seerkazhi Govindarajan, L. R. Eswari3:45
6."Kannaanaal Naan Imaiyaaven"T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela4:23
Total length:22:06

Release

Sarada was released on 16 March 1962.[6] Film distributors expressed their doubts over the film after watching it and sought refund of their advances. Srinivasan returned the advance and released the film on his own and became successful. The film was successful even its second release.[1]

Reception

The film was praised by critics for Gopalakrishnan's writing, the cast performances (particularly Vijayakumari's) and music.[7] Ananda Vikatan appreciated the film stating that "the film had several interesting elements and innovations.. It is a must watch film and make us all proud that Tamil films are progressing well".[8] Kanthan of Kalki wrote that though the film reminded him of Nenjil Or Aalayam (1962), the innovative screenplay made it worth watching.[9] The film received National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil – Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film.[10][11]

Plagiarism allegations

Many reviewers noted Sarada had similarities to Snehidhi, a novel by Akilan. Subsequently, he filed a lawsuit against Srinivasan, alleging plagiarism. Writer Jayalakshmi also sued Srinivasan, claiming the film plagiarised one of her short stories. However, as historian A. R. Venkatachalapathy noted, "the legal intricacies of copyright, it appears, were beyond both the writer's and his lawyer's grasp", leading to Akilan losing the case while Jayalakshmi won. She was compensated by being "awarded more damages than claimed", and the scenes she took offense to were deleted.[12]

Legacy

Sarada established Gopalakrishnan as a popular director and he went on to direct several films with the theme of family drama.[13] It was remade in Hindi as Suhagan (1964),[14] in Telugu as Sumangali (1965) and in Kannada as Sothu Geddavalu (1971).[1]

References
  1. Dhananjayan 2014, p. 163.
  2. "Saradha". JioSaavn. 31 December 1962. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  3. "Saaradha , Vaanampadi Tamil Film LP Vinyl Record by KV Mahadevan". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  4. Neelamegam, G. (November 2016). Thiraikalanjiyam – Part 2 (in Tamil) (1st ed.). Chennai: Manivasagar Publishers. p. 60.
  5. Subramanian, Anupama (10 August 2016). "Celebrated film-maker Panchu Arunchalam passes away". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  6. "1962 – சாரதா – எ.எல்.எஸ்.புரொடக். (தெ-இ)" [1962 – Sarada – A.L.S.Produc. (te-hi)]. Lakshman Sruthi (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  7. "கே.எஸ்.கோபாலகிருஷ்ணன் டைரக்ட் செய்த முதல் படம் - சாரதா". Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 9 October 2018. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  8. Dhananjayan 2014, p. 164.
  9. காந்தன் (8 April 1962). "சாரதா". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 45. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  10. "State Awards for Films". International Film Festival of India. 20 April 1963. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  11. "Award for Tamil film". The Indian Express. 25 March 1963. p. 7. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  12. Venkatachalapathy, A. R. (30 July 2021). "Vetrimaaran and Suriya's 'Vaadivaasal' sets a new benchmark". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  13. Kolappan, B. (15 November 2015). "Film director K.S. Gopalakrishnan dead". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  14. Vamanan (14 April 2017). "When Guru Dutt found catharsis in mushy southern remakes". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2018.

Bibliography
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