Rani Theni (transl. Queen bee)[2] is a 1982 Tamil language film directed by G. N. Rangarajan, starring Kamal Haasan in an extended guest role. The film stars playback singer Deepan Chakravarthy, the son of Trichi Loganathan, a veteran playback singer in his first leading role. The female leads are played by Mahalakshmi / Shree and Vanitha Krishnachandran.
| Rani Theni | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | G. N. Rangarajan |
| Screenplay by | G. N. Rangarajan |
| Story by | Silakkalam Purushottaman |
| Produced by | G. N. Rangarajan |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | N. K. Viswanathan |
| Edited by | K. R. Ramalingham |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | Parameswari Enterprises |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Kamal Haasan plays a comedy role with no connection with the main story and interacts only in one scene with the main villain Sivachandran, who plays the role of a playboy and Casanova; his character is killed by the heroine. The film was a remake of the Telugu film Kukka Katuku Cheppu Debba.[citation needed]
Plot edit
Sekhar who spends time by playing guitar and flirting with girls. Parvati is daughter of his neighbor. Sekhar flirts with a girl who repairs his guitar and teaches him how to play it. He also acts as if he loves Rukmini, who is daughter of Raghavaiah. Parvati hates Sekhar and his behavior and always tries to avoid him. Selvam and his family likes Parvati and fixes engagement with her family. Out of curiosity to meet Parvati, Selvam comes to her home on some reasons but unable to directly talk to her, writes a letter requesting her to come and meet him in backyard at night if she loves him, else he will break engagement. Parvati comes to meet him, where she is seduced. This continues for second night too, but Parvati is shocked when Selvam throws torch light on her and she finds herself in arms of Sekhar. Selvam is heart broken and leaves her.
Cast edit
- Mahalakshmi as Parvathi
- Deepan Chakravarthy as Selvam
- Sivachandran as Sekar
- Vanitha Krishnachandran as Kanagam
- Charuhasan
- Thengai Srinivasan as Thulasilingum
- Kamal Haasan as Miller (Guest appearance)
- Y. G. Mahendra (Guest appearance)
- T. K. S. Natarajan[3]
Production edit
Rani Theni was produced and directed by G. N. Rangarajan. After the film was completed, many distributors refused to buy the film due to lack of star value. Kamal Haasan who learned of this suggested to Rangarajan that he will do a cameo which will appear throughout the film and completed his portions within three days. After shooting scenes with Haasan, Rangarajan was able to sell his film to distributors.[4]
Soundtrack edit
Soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.[5]
| Song | Singers | Lyrics |
|---|---|---|
| "Enna Solli Naan Ezhutha" | P. Susheela | S. N. Ravi |
| "Samy Sambo Saranam" | Malaysia Vasudevan | Gangai Amaran |
| "Ramanukke Seethai" | S. Janaki, Deepan Chakravarthy | Panchu Arunachalam |
| "Koodi Vantha Megam" | Malaysia Vasudevan | Vairamuthu |
Release and reception edit
According to Rangarajan, though Rani Theni failed at the box office, he was able to recover the investment.[4] Thiraignani of Kalki felt Mahalakshmi's acting and Deepan Chakarvarthy's characterisation could have been better but praised Charuhasan's acting and Viswanathan's cinematography and concluded saying half the story, the rest is Haasan.[6]
References edit
- ^ "ராணித்தேனீ". Dina Thanthi (in Tamil). 9 October 1982. p. 8.
- ^ Seshachalam, Bhagyalakshmi (23 March 2018). "Stars who gave up the glitter of the silver screen and embraced spirituality". Moneylife. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "'என்னடி முனியம்மா' பாடல் மூலம் பிரபலமான நடிகர் டி.கே.எஸ். நடராஜன் காலமானார்". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). 5 May 2021. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ a b "சம்பளம் வாங்காமல் நடித்தார், கமல்". Dina Thanthi (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "Rani Theni Tamil film EP Vinyl Record by Ilayaraja". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ திரைஞானி (24 October 1982). "ராணித்தேனீ". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 56. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023 – via Internet Archive.
External links edit
- Rani Theni at IMDb
