Irumbu Thirai
Encyclopedia
Irumbu Thirai is a 1960
Black-and-white
Mondo film
Tamil film written by produced and directed by S. S. Vasan
. The film stars Shivaji Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala
in the lead with K. A. Thangavelu
, Saroja Devi
, S. V. Ranga Rao
, Pandari Bai
and Vasundhara Devi
as the ensemble cast
of the film. The films music is by S. V. Venkatraman and the lyrics were penned by Kothamangalam Subbu
, Papanasam Sivan
and Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram. The editing was done by M. Umanath while the camera was handled by P. Elappa and N. C. Bala Krishna. The story revolves around the two brothers Manikam and Kondamuthu and their mill owner.
was making a Tamil film which would be a bilingual
to Hindi film Paigham
starring Dilip Kumar
and Vyjayanthimala
with theme built around capital-labour relations. The untitled film was referred as "Gemini Production .. ..", after some unsuccessful over the suggestion of the title, Vasan invited his employees to suggest a title for the under-production movie where almost 2, 500 entries was submitted to him. After examining one by one, he finally satisfied with the title Irumbu Thirai, which means Iron Curtain
, which symbolized the ideology of Marxist film theory
. He also hosted a reception to honor the boy who suggested the title and rewarded him with some price money. For the mother of the lead actress, Vasundhara Devi
the real-life mother of Vyjayanthimala
was fixed where she also reprises her role in the Hindi version
of the film, along with her all the female cast including Vyjayanthimala, B. Saroja Devi
, Pandari Bai
also reprises their roles as well.
, Meera
, Valmiki
and Panakkaari
. The hit album had Kothamangalam Subbu
, Papanasam Sivan
and Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram as the lyricists. The singers consist of T. M. Soundararajan, P. Leela
, Trichy Loganathan, L. R. Eswari
, Radha Jayalakshmi
, Sirkazhi Govindarajan
. The song Nenjil Kudiyirukkum was well received by the audience especially the line “nilamai ennavendru theriyuma,” which was made in Shanmukhapriya
raga
was also appreciated by critics alike.
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
Black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
Mondo film
Mondo film
A mondo film is an exploitation documentary film, sometimes resembling a pseudo-documentary, usually depicting sensational topics, scenes, and situations...
Tamil film written by produced and directed by S. S. Vasan
S. S. Vasan
Subramaniam Srinivasan , popularly known by his screen name S. S. Vasan, was anIndian journalist, writer, advertiser, film producer, director and business tycoon...
. The film stars Shivaji Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....
in the lead with K. A. Thangavelu
K. A. Thangavelu
K. A. Thangavelu popularly known as "Danaal Thangavelu" was a Tamil film comedian popular in the 1950s to 1970s. Not known for physical, acrobatic comedy like his contemporaries J.P.Chandrababu and Nagesh, Thangavelu's humor is recognized for his impeccable timing in verbal agility and the...
, Saroja Devi
B. Saroja Devi
B. Saroja Devi is an Indian actress. She is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award and has acted in Kannada,Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies.She is referred to as Abinaya Saraswathi by Tamil film industry and as Kannadathu Paingili by Kannada Film Industry.She ruled the roost for more than three...
, S. V. Ranga Rao
S. V. Ranga Rao
Samarla Venkata Ranga Rao Popularly Known as S.V.R. was an Indian Theater actor, Tollywood actor, director and producer...
, Pandari Bai
Pandari Bai
Pandari Bai was a prominent heroine of South Indian languages films mostly in Kannada and Tamil during the 1950s and 60s. She has the distinction of having acted as both heroine and mother to stalwarts such as Dr. Rajkumar and Sivaji Ganesan...
and Vasundhara Devi
Vasundhara Devi
Vasunthara Devi was an Indian film actress, trained Bharathanatyam dancer and carnatic singer. Vasundhara Devi is the only Indian actress to have had an audience with the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. She is the mother of popular Indian actress Vyjayanthimala.-Biography:Vasundhara was married...
as the ensemble cast
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
of the film. The films music is by S. V. Venkatraman and the lyrics were penned by Kothamangalam Subbu
Kothamangalam Subbu
Kothamangalam Subbu , a noted Padmashri-award winning poet, lyricist, writer, actor and director from Tamil Nadu who authored the cult classic of Tamil novelThillana Mohanambal, later made into an enchanted movie...
, Papanasam Sivan
Papanasam Sivan
Papanasam Sivan was a prominent composer of Carnatic music and a singer.A famous composer, Sivan was also known as Tamil Thyagayya. Using Classical South Indian as a base, Sivan created numerous hits popularised by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and M. S...
and Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram. The editing was done by M. Umanath while the camera was handled by P. Elappa and N. C. Bala Krishna. The story revolves around the two brothers Manikam and Kondamuthu and their mill owner.
Cast
- Shivaji Ganesan as Manikam
- VyjayanthimalaVyjayanthimalaVyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....
as Manju - K. A. ThangaveluK. A. ThangaveluK. A. Thangavelu popularly known as "Danaal Thangavelu" was a Tamil film comedian popular in the 1950s to 1970s. Not known for physical, acrobatic comedy like his contemporaries J.P.Chandrababu and Nagesh, Thangavelu's humor is recognized for his impeccable timing in verbal agility and the...
as Kondamuthu - Saroja DeviB. Saroja DeviB. Saroja Devi is an Indian actress. She is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award and has acted in Kannada,Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies.She is referred to as Abinaya Saraswathi by Tamil film industry and as Kannadathu Paingili by Kannada Film Industry.She ruled the roost for more than three...
as Malathi - S. V. Ranga RaoS. V. Ranga RaoSamarla Venkata Ranga Rao Popularly Known as S.V.R. was an Indian Theater actor, Tollywood actor, director and producer...
- Pandari BaiPandari BaiPandari Bai was a prominent heroine of South Indian languages films mostly in Kannada and Tamil during the 1950s and 60s. She has the distinction of having acted as both heroine and mother to stalwarts such as Dr. Rajkumar and Sivaji Ganesan...
- Vasundhara DeviVasundhara DeviVasunthara Devi was an Indian film actress, trained Bharathanatyam dancer and carnatic singer. Vasundhara Devi is the only Indian actress to have had an audience with the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. She is the mother of popular Indian actress Vyjayanthimala.-Biography:Vasundhara was married...
Production
In 1959, S. S. VasanS. S. Vasan
Subramaniam Srinivasan , popularly known by his screen name S. S. Vasan, was anIndian journalist, writer, advertiser, film producer, director and business tycoon...
was making a Tamil film which would be a bilingual
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
to Hindi film Paigham
Paigham
Paigham is a 1959 Hindi movie produced and directed by S S Vassan. The film stars Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Raaj Kumar, Saroja Devi, Motilal and Johnny Walker. The films music is by C. Ramachandra. This was the first time Dilip and Raaj Kumar appeared in a film together. They later appeared...
starring Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar , is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament.He lives in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai, India. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray....
and Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....
with theme built around capital-labour relations. The untitled film was referred as "Gemini Production .. ..", after some unsuccessful over the suggestion of the title, Vasan invited his employees to suggest a title for the under-production movie where almost 2, 500 entries was submitted to him. After examining one by one, he finally satisfied with the title Irumbu Thirai, which means Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
, which symbolized the ideology of Marxist film theory
Marxist film theory
Marxist film theory is one of the oldest forms of film theory.Sergei Eisenstein and many other Soviet filmmakers in the 1920s expressed ideas of Marxism through film...
. He also hosted a reception to honor the boy who suggested the title and rewarded him with some price money. For the mother of the lead actress, Vasundhara Devi
Vasundhara Devi
Vasunthara Devi was an Indian film actress, trained Bharathanatyam dancer and carnatic singer. Vasundhara Devi is the only Indian actress to have had an audience with the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. She is the mother of popular Indian actress Vyjayanthimala.-Biography:Vasundhara was married...
the real-life mother of Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....
was fixed where she also reprises her role in the Hindi version
Paigham
Paigham is a 1959 Hindi movie produced and directed by S S Vassan. The film stars Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Raaj Kumar, Saroja Devi, Motilal and Johnny Walker. The films music is by C. Ramachandra. This was the first time Dilip and Raaj Kumar appeared in a film together. They later appeared...
of the film, along with her all the female cast including Vyjayanthimala, B. Saroja Devi
B. Saroja Devi
B. Saroja Devi is an Indian actress. She is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award and has acted in Kannada,Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies.She is referred to as Abinaya Saraswathi by Tamil film industry and as Kannadathu Paingili by Kannada Film Industry.She ruled the roost for more than three...
, Pandari Bai
Pandari Bai
Pandari Bai was a prominent heroine of South Indian languages films mostly in Kannada and Tamil during the 1950s and 60s. She has the distinction of having acted as both heroine and mother to stalwarts such as Dr. Rajkumar and Sivaji Ganesan...
also reprises their roles as well.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by S. V. Venkatraman who earlier had many hit number through BhookailasBhookailas (1940 film)
Bhookailas is a 1940 Telugu film produced by A. V. Meiyappan and directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni. The film is starring M. V. Subbaiah Naidu, R. Nagendra Rao. It was the first hit film for the establishment of AVM Productions....
, Meera
Meera (1945 film)
Meera is a 1945 Tamil-language film starring M. S. Subbulakshmi, Kumari Kamala, T. S. Baliah and Chittoor V. Nagaiah based on the life of the devotional singer and dancer Meera. The film was directed by American film director Ellis R. Dungan.-Plot:...
, Valmiki
Valmiki (1946 film)
Valmiki was a 1946 Tamil-language film starring Honnappa Bhagavathar, U. R. Jeevarathnam, N. C. Vasanthakokilam, T. R. Rajakumari and T. S. Balaiah. It was directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni.- Pre-production :...
and Panakkaari
Panakkaari
Panakkaari is a Tamil language film starring M. G. Ramachandran in the lead role. The film was released in 1954....
. The hit album had Kothamangalam Subbu
Kothamangalam Subbu
Kothamangalam Subbu , a noted Padmashri-award winning poet, lyricist, writer, actor and director from Tamil Nadu who authored the cult classic of Tamil novelThillana Mohanambal, later made into an enchanted movie...
, Papanasam Sivan
Papanasam Sivan
Papanasam Sivan was a prominent composer of Carnatic music and a singer.A famous composer, Sivan was also known as Tamil Thyagayya. Using Classical South Indian as a base, Sivan created numerous hits popularised by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and M. S...
and Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram as the lyricists. The singers consist of T. M. Soundararajan, P. Leela
P. Leela
Porayathu Leela better known as P. Leela was a popular Indian playback singer. She was awarded Padma Bhushan posthumously in 2006.-Early life:...
, Trichy Loganathan, L. R. Eswari
L. R. Eswari
L. R. Eswari is a Veteran playback singer of the Tamil movie industry. She also sang in other languages like Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tulu, and English.-Early Life:...
, Radha Jayalakshmi
Radha Jayalakshmi
Radha and Jayalakshmi popularly known as Radha Jayalakshmi , were Indian Carnatic music vocalist duo as well as playback singers in films in 1940s and 1950s, before they became music teachers. The person who does the playback singing is Jayalakshmi but was named as Radha Jayalakshmi in the cine field...
, Sirkazhi Govindarajan
Sirkazhi Govindarajan
Sirkazhi Govindarajan was a leading vocalist in Carnatic Music.Govindarajan, born in Sirkali in Madras Presidency) and started performing at the age of eight in Tirupurasundari Temple. His son Sirkazhi G. Sivachidambaram is also a Carnatic singer....
. The song Nenjil Kudiyirukkum was well received by the audience especially the line “nilamai ennavendru theriyuma,” which was made in Shanmukhapriya
Shanmukhapriya
Shanmukhapriya is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is the 56th melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Chāmaram in Muthuswami Dikshitar school of Carnatic music.Raganidhi by P. Subba Rao, Pub...
raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
was also appreciated by critics alike.
- Nenjil Kudiyirukkum ; Singers:T. M. Soundararajan, P. LeelaP. LeelaPorayathu Leela better known as P. Leela was a popular Indian playback singer. She was awarded Padma Bhushan posthumously in 2006.-Early life:...
; Lyricist: Pattukottai Kalyanasundram - Pottukitta Renduperum ; Singers:Trichy Loganathan, L. R. EswariL. R. EswariL. R. Eswari is a Veteran playback singer of the Tamil movie industry. She also sang in other languages like Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tulu, and English.-Early Life:...
; Lyricist: Pattukottai Kalyanasundram - Aasai Konda Nenju ; Singer: P. LeelaP. LeelaPorayathu Leela better known as P. Leela was a popular Indian playback singer. She was awarded Padma Bhushan posthumously in 2006.-Early life:...
; Lyricist: Pattukottai Kalyanasundram - Dabba Dabba
- Enna Seidhaalum ; Singers: Radha JayalakshmiRadha JayalakshmiRadha and Jayalakshmi popularly known as Radha Jayalakshmi , were Indian Carnatic music vocalist duo as well as playback singers in films in 1940s and 1950s, before they became music teachers. The person who does the playback singing is Jayalakshmi but was named as Radha Jayalakshmi in the cine field...
; Lyricist: Papanasam SivanPapanasam SivanPapanasam Sivan was a prominent composer of Carnatic music and a singer.A famous composer, Sivan was also known as Tamil Thyagayya. Using Classical South Indian as a base, Sivan created numerous hits popularised by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and M. S... - Kaiyile Vaanginen Paiyile Podalai ; Singer: Trichy Loganathan ; Lyricist: Pattukottai Kalyanasundram
- Manidharai Manidhar Arindhide ; Singer: Sirkazhi GovindarajanSirkazhi GovindarajanSirkazhi Govindarajan was a leading vocalist in Carnatic Music.Govindarajan, born in Sirkali in Madras Presidency) and started performing at the age of eight in Tirupurasundari Temple. His son Sirkazhi G. Sivachidambaram is also a Carnatic singer....
; Lyricist: Pattukottai Kalyanasundram - Nandri Ketta Manitha
- Nikkatuma
- Yerai Pidithavanum