Moondrezhuthu (transl. Three letters) is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language crime film, directed by T. R. Ramanna, produced by T. K. Ramarajan and written by T. N. Balu. Music was by T. K. Ramamoorthy.[1] The film stars Ravichandran, Jayalalithaa, Srividya and Sheela. It was released on 10 May 1968.[2]

Moondrezhuthu
Theatrical release poster
Directed byT. R. Ramanna
Written byT. N. Balu
Produced byT. K. Ramarajan
StarringRavichandran
Jayalalithaa
Srividya
Sheela
CinematographyM. A. Rahman
Edited byM. S. Mani
Music byT. K. Ramamoorthy
Production
company
Sri Vinayaka Pictures
Release date
  • 10 May 1968 (1968-05-10)
Running time
176 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

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The film revolves around a chest filled with valuable items and a handful of people competing for it. One character is a greedy old man Rajarathnam Pillai, whose daughter is Selvi. A manager Meganathan is trusted with the chest which needs to be handed over to its legitimate claimants (Pankajam and her suffering family). In his efforts to deliver the box to the rightful owners, he is forced to murder and is sent to jail. His son Maran, to whom he narrates the events, buries the treasure in a village and writes down the clues to find it on three different pieces of paper, with three different Tamil letters, தி (Thi) மு (Mu) and க (Ka).

After many twists and turns, the three villains decipher that the Tamil letters are a clue to the name of the village where the box is buried and they end up going there. Now, the land is in the possession of a factory coming up in its place, and another villain Karmegam also goes after the treasure by killing the others with heavy equipment. How the hero assisted by Nagesh deals with this forms the rest of the story. At the end, the villains are exposed and the box is handed over to its rightful owners. The lovers, Selvi and Maran, are united too.

Cast

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Soundtrack

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Music was composed by T. K. Ramamoorthy and lyrics were written by Kannadasan.[3][4]

Song Singer Length
"Aadu Paarkalam Aadu" T. M. Soundararajan 03:22
"Pettiyilae Pottadaittha" T. M. Soundararajan & P. Susheela 03:34
"Iravil Vandha" T. M. Soundararajan & S. V. Ponnusamy 03:16
"Aayalottum.... Konjum Kili" T. M. Soundararajan & L. R. Eswari 04:52
"Sandai Nadapadhu.... Pachai Kili" L. R. Eswari 03:27
"Kaadhalan Vandhan" P. Susheela & S. V. Ponnusamy 03:38
"Dheivatthin Kovil" L. R. Eswari 03:08

Reception

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Kalki criticised the film for its outdated storyline and lack of originality.[5] Despite this, it became a success.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Moondrezhuthu". The Indian Express. 24 May 1968. p. 3. Retrieved 15 October 2020 – via Google News Archive.
  2. ^ "ஜெயலலிதா நடித்த திரைப்படங்களின் பட்டியல்". Dinamani (in Tamil). 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Moondrezhuthu". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Moondrezhuthu (1968)". Music India Online. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  5. ^ "மூன்றெழுத்து". Kalki (in Tamil). 26 May 1968. pp. 20–21. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ Guy, Randor (21 January 2017). "Moondrezhuthu (1968) TAMIL". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
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