Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai
Encyclopedia
Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai (translation: From six to sixty) is a 1979 Tamil
film directed by SP. Muthuraman
, starring Rajinikanth. It was produced by Meena. The cast also included Thilak, Cho, Thangai Seenivasan
, T.K.Bakavathi, Jayalakshmi
, Sangeetha, Jaya and Mallika.
The music was composed by Ilayaraja. The songs were sung by S. P. Balasubramaniam, S. P. Sailaja, Jayachandran
and S. Janaki
. The lyrics were penned by Panchu Arunachalam.
The success of Rajnikanth's previous movie, Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri encouraged the director, SP. Muthuraman
, to cast Rajnikanth in a melodramatic, sacrificial role in Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai. While making the film, Rajinikanth had misgivings whether the audience would accept him in such a melodrama since he had been an entertainer till then. However, the box-office success of the film made him popular among women audiences and is considered a turning point in his career.
The film was screened for 25 weeks in the Midland theatre, Chennai
.
Due to his extreme poverty, his lover in the office (Sangeetha
) ditches him for a rich person and he ends up marrying Lakshmi (Jayalakshmi
), a poor girl. Being extremely poor, they could not even feed their children, let alone live comfortably. He keeps getting money from his friend (Cho Ramaswamy) for almost everything. His younger brothers, having studied and become rich, refuse to help him. His younger sister (Jaya
), for whom Santhanam had spent all his money in order to conduct her marriage, treats him very badly whenever he goes to visit her. He is even fired from his job by his old employer's son who took over the press when the former becomes paralyzed after an accident.
Eventually, Santhanam leaves his house as he didn't have money to pay the rent even after selling everything they had and he and his family move to a slum. Here he begins to write stories for a magazine in order to earn money. His wife dies due to a fire in the slum. Slowly he becomes rich as his stories were very popular. The movie ends with Santhanam becoming a famous author, his children being sent abroad for higher education and his younger siblings beginning to treat him with respect.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
film directed by SP. Muthuraman
SP. Muthuraman
SP. Muthuraman is an Indian film director who works in the Tamil film industry. He has directed nearly 75 films in Tamil and Telugu. He was one of the most successful commercial directors in Tamil cinema. Initially he worked mainly with Sivaji Ganesan, Jaishankar and Kamal Haasan...
, starring Rajinikanth. It was produced by Meena. The cast also included Thilak, Cho, Thangai Seenivasan
Thengai Srinivasan
Thengai Srinivasan was a Tamil film comedian popular in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been given the title Thengai after he acted as a coconut-seller in the drama Kal Manam, staged by actor K. Kannan. Though basically a comedian, he proved himself an all-rounder by excelling in roles other than...
, T.K.Bakavathi, Jayalakshmi
Phataphat Jayalaxmi
Phataphat Jayalaxmi or Fatafat Jayalakshmi was an actress in Telugu and Tamil films. She was born in Andhra Pradesh. Her notable films include Aval Oru Thodar Kathai, Anthuleni Katha, Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai and Mullum Malarum. She was married to the nephew of M.G.R. She committed suicide in...
, Sangeetha, Jaya and Mallika.
The music was composed by Ilayaraja. The songs were sung by S. P. Balasubramaniam, S. P. Sailaja, Jayachandran
Jayachandran
Paliyath Jayachandran, popularly known as P. Jayachandran is an Indian playback singer. He has won one National Award, four Kerala State Awards and four Tamil Nadu State Awards. He has recorded songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi languages...
and S. Janaki
S. Janaki
S. Janaki is an Indian female playback singer. Renowned for her voice modulation abilities, she has sung in many Indian languages, most frequently in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. Throughout a career spanning more than five decades, she has won four National Film Awards and 35...
. The lyrics were penned by Panchu Arunachalam.
The success of Rajnikanth's previous movie, Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri encouraged the director, SP. Muthuraman
SP. Muthuraman
SP. Muthuraman is an Indian film director who works in the Tamil film industry. He has directed nearly 75 films in Tamil and Telugu. He was one of the most successful commercial directors in Tamil cinema. Initially he worked mainly with Sivaji Ganesan, Jaishankar and Kamal Haasan...
, to cast Rajnikanth in a melodramatic, sacrificial role in Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai. While making the film, Rajinikanth had misgivings whether the audience would accept him in such a melodrama since he had been an entertainer till then. However, the box-office success of the film made him popular among women audiences and is considered a turning point in his career.
The film was screened for 25 weeks in the Midland theatre, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
.
Plot
The story begins with a young boy, the eldest son of a poor widow barely able to make ends meet, doing odd jobs along with working at a printing press to provide income to his family and to provide education to his 2 younger brothers and younger sister, sacrificing his own education. He grows up to become Santhanam (Rajinikanth).Due to his extreme poverty, his lover in the office (Sangeetha
Sangeetha
Sangeetha Arvind-Krish is an Indian film actress. Making her acting debut in the mid-90s, she is probably best known for her performances in the films Khadgam, Pithamagan, Uyir and Dhanam.-Early life:...
) ditches him for a rich person and he ends up marrying Lakshmi (Jayalakshmi
Phataphat Jayalaxmi
Phataphat Jayalaxmi or Fatafat Jayalakshmi was an actress in Telugu and Tamil films. She was born in Andhra Pradesh. Her notable films include Aval Oru Thodar Kathai, Anthuleni Katha, Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai and Mullum Malarum. She was married to the nephew of M.G.R. She committed suicide in...
), a poor girl. Being extremely poor, they could not even feed their children, let alone live comfortably. He keeps getting money from his friend (Cho Ramaswamy) for almost everything. His younger brothers, having studied and become rich, refuse to help him. His younger sister (Jaya
Jaya
Jaya is a Filipino soul music, singer, rapper, dancer, record producer, TV host, and actress of mixed Filipino and African American descent...
), for whom Santhanam had spent all his money in order to conduct her marriage, treats him very badly whenever he goes to visit her. He is even fired from his job by his old employer's son who took over the press when the former becomes paralyzed after an accident.
Eventually, Santhanam leaves his house as he didn't have money to pay the rent even after selling everything they had and he and his family move to a slum. Here he begins to write stories for a magazine in order to earn money. His wife dies due to a fire in the slum. Slowly he becomes rich as his stories were very popular. The movie ends with Santhanam becoming a famous author, his children being sent abroad for higher education and his younger siblings beginning to treat him with respect.