Ilaiyaraaja’s trendsetter Tamil movie ‘Annakili’ turns 50

Annakili, the Tamil movie released successful the twelvemonth 1976, was a trendsetter successful galore ways. Rooted successful a agrarian backdrop, the movie revolved astir Annam, a singular pistillate who ekes retired a surviving arsenic a midwife and finds solace amid sorrow, played memorably by Sujatha. The movie besides showcased the phenomenal endowment of Ilaiyaraaja and his brothers, who would aboriginal spell connected to predominate the satellite of movie music. As May 14 marks the film’s 50^th anniversary, histrion Sivakumar, the film’s leader Thyagarajan, shared his memories with this correspondent.

The 50-day solemnisation of Uravu Solla Oruvan was held astatine Shanmuga Theatre connected September 6, 1975. The formed included R. Muthuraman, Sujatha, Padmapriya, and me. Poet Kannadasan, who attended the evening show, praised the film. He was the uncle of the precocious shaper and writer Panchu Arunachalam.

A uncommon consciousness of brotherhood

It was past that communicative writer Panchu Arunachalam asked america to find a suitable determination for Annakili. In those days, heroes, producers, and directors worked unneurotic and shared a uncommon consciousness of brotherhood. I did not deliberation my occupation ended with acting alone. As portion of our program to circuit Coimbatore district, I took directors Devaraj–Mohan, manager Subbu, his member Lakshmanan, and writer Chitra Lakshmanan to my village.

Chitra Lakshmanan and shaper Subbu stayed for a nighttime and past left. The others came to my house, had tiffin, and we headed northwards — to Bhavanisagar Dam, Karachikorai, Thottapalayam, Sathyamangalam, Kemmanayakanpalayam, Vaniputhur, and Vinobha Nagar. We inspected the locations, took photographs, and stayed overnight successful Coimbatore.

The adjacent day, we travelled to Perur, Mathampatti, Karadimadai, Mathiyapalayam, Thondamuthur, Narasipuram, Chemmedu, and Siruvani — villages nestled astatine the foothills of the Western Ghats — and photographed those locations arsenic well. On the 3rd day, we went to Pollachi and travelled southwards to Angalakurichi, Aliyar, Anaimalai, Vettaikaranpudur, Sethumadai, and Topslip. After photographing the locations, we returned to Chennai. However, the locations were inactive not finalised, arsenic we were not afloat satisfied.

A serene backdrop

Suddenly, the film’s creation director, Babu, said helium had discovered a place. “Where is it?” I asked. “Thengumarahada”.

The sanction sounded unfamiliar, and I asked wherever it was located. He explained that from the colony of Karachikorai, astir 7 kilometres from Bhavanisagar Dam, 1 could question different 22 kilometres done hilly roads to scope Thengumarahada. Elephants, deer, and peacocks roamed freely there.

Thengumarahada virtually means a spot thickly populated with coconut trees. Around 180 acres of onshore determination were cultivated by astir 20 families and they practised cooperative farming. Every day, a autobus would travel to the colony from Mettupalayam. The villagers had nary nexus with the extracurricular world. Only a fewer had watched movies; others did not adjacent cognize what cinema was. Only I was known to them. They thought we had travel determination for immoderate enactment and watched the shooting with large curiosity.

Sujatha, Jayalakshmi, M.N. Rajam, S.V. Subbaiah, Thengai Srinivasan, Senthamarai, Srikanth, and each of america went determination for the shoot. There were lone astir 10 to 20 farmers’ houses successful the village, and the residents vacated them for america to stay.

The actresses stayed successful the houses that had toilet facilities. The remainder of america would spell to the riverbank aboriginal successful the greeting to be to nature’s call. Devaraj and Mohan completed 70 per cent of the shooting successful 20 days astatine Thengumarahada. All the songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja — “Machana Paartheengala,” “Annakili Unnai Theduthe,” “Sontham Illai Bandham Illai,” and “Sutha Samba Pachanellu” — became immense hits. Fifty per cent of the recognition for the film’s occurrence should spell to Ilaiyaraaja’s music.

One of the astir unforgettable figures during the full shooting docket was Mathampatti Sivakumar, who became my friend. He near a jeep astatine the disposal of the crew. One day, helium arrived with mutton biryani, chickenhearted kurma, and boiled eggs for 100 radical by noon. We could not judge our eyes. He indispensable person prepared everything the erstwhile evening, due to the fact that helium could person reached the shooting spot from Mathampatti lone if helium had started by 8 a.m. We devoured the feast, arsenic we had gone astir 15 days without due food. A younker accompanied Mathampatti Sivakumar and it was histrion Sathyaraj.

One of the memorable scenes successful the movie is erstwhile the leader and heroine clasp each other. Annam realises her presumption and mildly wriggles herself retired of the situation. “Men tin explicit emotion. The satellite cannot carnivore it if a pistillate becomes emotional.”

Annakili was released connected May 14, 1976. We celebrated the 58^th time of its tally astatine Idhaya Theatre. A cake-cutting ceremonial marked the 100th-day solemnisation astatine Prasad Studios connected August 21, 1976. A.L.S. Kannadasan, K. Balachander, Arangannal, AVM Murugan, AVM Saravanan, and S.P. Muthuraman participated successful the metallic jubilee celebrations connected November 27, 1976. We celebrated the film’s 200th time successful Madurai successful 1977.

There had been nary movie similar it successful those days. A black-and-white movie moving successfully for 200 days was remarkable, and overmuch of that accomplishment was owed to the songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja.