Ratha Thilagam (transl. Tilaka of Blood) is a 1963 Indian Tamil-language war romance film directed by Dada Mirasi. The film stars Sivaji and Savitri Ganesan (no relation). Based on the Sino-Indian border dispute of 1962, it was released on 14 September 1963. The film was not commercially successful.
| Ratha Thilagam | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Dada Mirasi |
| Screenplay by | Dada Mirasi |
| Produced by | Panchu Arunachalam P. V. Krishnan |
| Starring | Sivaji Ganesan Savitri Ganesan |
| Cinematography | Jagirdhar |
| Edited by | R. Devarajan |
| Music by | K. V. Mahadevan |
Production company | National Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 142 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (June 2021) |
Kumar is a graduate who decides to enlist in the Indian Army, following news of Chinese invasion in the country during the midst of the Sino-Indian War, only to find out that his love interest Kamala was working against the Indian Army.
Cast
edit- Sivaji Ganesan as Major Kumar[1]
- Savitri Ganesan as Kamala[1]
- Nagesh as Madurai[1]
- Kannappa as a Chinese doctor[1]
- Kannaiah as Military Rajarathnam
- Gundu Karuppaya as Kumar's hostel servant
- Veerasami[1]
- Shanmugasundaram as Chinese military officer[2]
- Parthiban[1]
- Pushpalatha[1]
- Manorama as Poonkuyil[1]
- Janaki[1]
- Comedy Shanmugam as Madurai Assistant
Production
editRatha Thilagam is based on the Sino-Indian border dispute of 1962. It was directed by Dada Mirasi who also wrote the screenplay. It was produced under National Movies by Panchu Arunachalam and P. V. Krishnan while Kannadasan, along with, P.C. Ganesan and Thyagan wrote the dialogue; Kannadasan also presented the film. Cinematography was handled by Jagirdhar and editing by R. Devarajan.[1][3]
Themes
editCritic Baradwaj Rangan noted Ratha Thilagam's similarities to the Bengali film Saptapadi (1961) in that both films had "the backdrop of war, the star-crossed lovers, and, of course, the staging of Othello, which, in both films, appears to have been dubbed by the same voices (Jennifer Kapoor, Utpal Dutt)."[4] Writing for The Times of India, Ganesh Krishnamoorthy felt that, as the film was set in the backdrop of the Sino-Indian War, "this scene, used as a play enacted by the characters, provides a structural unity to the main plot."[5]
Soundtrack
editThe music was composed by K. V. Mahadevan, with lyrics by Kannadasan.[6] The songs "Oru Koppaiyila" and "Pasumai Niraintha" were well received.[1]
| Song | Singers | Length |
|---|---|---|
| "Buddhan Vanthan" | T. M. Soundararajan | 02:55 |
| "Happy Birthday" | Suzi Miller | 03:22 |
| "Oru Koppaiyile" | T. M. Soundararajan | 02:33 |
| "Pani Padarntha" | T. M. Soundararajan | 06:06 |
| "Pasumai Niraintha" | T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela | 03:49 |
| "Pogathe Pogathe" | Manorama | 01:56 |
| "Thazhampoove" | T. M. Soundararajan, L. R. Eswari | 05:53 |
| "Vaadai Kaatramma" | L. R. Eswari | 03:27 |
Release and reception
editRatha Thilagam was released on 14 September 1963.[3] Kanthan of Kalki praised the film for the comedy subplot and the Othello play.[7] T. M. Ramachandran, writing for Sport and Pastime, commended Ganesan and Savitri's performances, calling their roles in the Othello play the film's pièce de résistance.[8] The film was not commercially successful.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Guy, Randor (17 October 2015). "Rattha Thilakam (1963)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Just In: Veteran actor Shanmuga Sundaram is no more". The Times of India. 15 August 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ a b "91-100". nadigarthilagam.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (12 September 2014). "Lights, Camera, Conversation... "All the world's a screen..."". Baradwaj Rangan. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Krishnamoorthy, Ganesh (9 May 2016). "All the world's a stage, Tamil Nadu too". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ "Ratha Thilagam". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ காந்தன் (6 October 1963). "இரத்த திலகம்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 29. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ Ramachandran, T. M. (5 October 1963). "A Good Effort". Sport and Pastime. Vol. 17. p. 50. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023 – via Internet Archive.