| Agal Vilakku | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Directed by | R. Selvaraj |
| Written by | R. Selvaraj |
| Produced by | R. C. Ashok |
| Starring | Shoba Vijayakanth |
| Cinematography | K. Vasudevan |
| Edited by | T. R. Natarajan |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | Sunil Pictures |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Agal Vilakku (transl. Clay lamp) is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by R. Selvaraj. The film stars Shoba and Vijayakanth. It was released on 7 December 1979.[1]
Plot
Navaneetham is an orphan living with her cruel aunt and hapless uncle. She sells idlis at the local hospital to support herself and her family. The doctor, Jayalakshmi, puts the wellbeing of her patients above all else. Jayalakshmi's fiancé proves himself to be a suspicious coward and she calls off the wedding to focus on her patients. Dhanushkodi is admitted to the hospital after he is beaten up for standing up for workers' rights. He and Navaneetham quickly fall in love and marry though her aunt and his entire family disapprove. Dhanushkodi does not have a regular job as he is more interested in righting societal wrongs than his household.
Navaneetham returns to selling idlis to make ends meet and gets hurt. This spurs Dhanushkodi to run for office and he becomes the mayor. Their financial situation improves and he can now make meaningful positive changes to society. Dhanushkodi's family see this as an opportunity to get rich by accepting bribes using his name. They do this but connive to make Navaneetham look like the culprit. When Dhanushkodi learns of the corruption, he resigns his post and separates from his wife. Navaneetham and Jayalakshmi work together to uncover the truth.
Cast
- Shoba as Navaneetham
- Vijayakanth as Dhanushkodi
- Srilekha Rajendran as Jayalakshmi
Production
Agal Vilakku is Vijayakanth's second film as actor, and first in a leading role.[1]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The song "Ottukettu", written by Pavalar Varadharajan and sung by Ilaiyaraaja only appears on the film's LP records.[2][3] The song "Yedho Ninaivugal" was adapted from "Bhanu Bhoomiya", which Ilaiyaraaja had composed for the Kannada film Maathu Tappada Maga (1978).[4] The song is based on Sumanesa Ranjani raga.[5][6]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ellorum Porandhome" | Gangai Amaran | Malaysia Vasudevan, Saibaba and Chorus | 4:19 |
| 2. | "Maalai Nera Kaatre" | Muthulingam | S. Janaki | 4:29 |
| 3. | "Nee Kannil Vaazhum" | M. G. Vallabhan | B. S. Saisrekha | 4:51 |
| 4. | "Yedho Ninaivugal" | Gangai Amaran | K. J. Yesudas, S. P. Sailaja | 4:19 |
| Total length: | 17:58 | |||
Reception
Kalki negatively reviewed the film, particularly for the story.[7]
References
- 1 2 ரிஷி (25 August 2020). "விஜயகாந்த் பிறந்த நாள்: ஏழைகளின் இதயத்தில் வீற்றிருக்கும் மதுரை சூரன்!". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ↑ "Agal Vilakku". JioSaavn. 1 January 1979. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ↑ "Agal Vilakku Tamil Film EP Vinyl Record by Ilaiyaraja". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ↑ "Nostalgic Tamil Song 101: Classic Edho Ninaivugal By Ilaiyaraaja 1979". bjthoughts.com. 2 September 2020. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ↑ Manigandan, K. R. (8 March 2012). "Shot Cuts: Blessing in disguise". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
- ↑ ராமானுஜன், டாக்டர் ஆர். (10 August 2018). "ராகயாத்திரை 17: மாலையில் யாரோ மனதோடு பேச..." Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ↑ "அகல் விலக்கு". Kalki (in Tamil). 23 December 1979. p. 62. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
External links
- Agal Vilakku at IMDb