Unmaiye Un Vilai Enna?

Unmaiye Un Vilai Enna? (transl. Truth, what is your price?) is a 1976 Indian Tamil-language satirical film written and directed by Cho Ramaswamy. It is based on his stage play of the same name. Cho also stars, alongside R. Muthuraman, Padmapriya and S. A. Ashokan. The film revolves around a priest's efforts to save a young man from conviction for murder. It was released on 30 April 1976.

Unmaiye Un Vilai Enna?
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCho Ramaswamy
Written byCho Ramasamy
Based onUnmaiye Un Vilai Enna
by Cho Ramaswamy
Produced by
  • D.A.B.
  • Rana
StarringR. Muthuraman
Padmapriya
S. A. Ashokan
Cho Ramaswamy
CinematographySampath
Edited byE. V. Shanmugham
Music byM. S. Viswanathan
Production
company
Mohind Movies
Release date
  • 30 April 1976 (1976-04-30)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

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A priest takes all possible steps to save a young man from conviction for a murder he committed to save a married woman from a womaniser. The priest stands up to his call as a minister of God and keeps to himself what the accused told him in private confession. He even hides that man from the police until he collects the necessary evidence to disclose the circumstances that led to the murder. He succeeds in his endeavour, risking his reputation, even his job and eventually his life.[1][2]

Cast

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Production

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Unmaiye Un Vilai Enna? was a popular play staged by Cho Ramaswamy through his Viveka Fine Arts Club.[3][4] The play, which also starred Neelu,[5] was critically acclaimed,[6] and Cho adapted it into a film under the same name, serving as director, writer and even as actor.[7] The film adaptation was produced by D.A.B. and Rana under Mohind Movies.[8][9] Cinematography was handled by Sampath, and the editing by E. V. Shanmugham.[8] The film was shot at Bangalore.[10][11] Its final length was 3,948.22 metres (12,953.5 ft).[12]

Themes

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According to the 1983 book Cinema as Medium of Communication in Tamil Nadu by C. R. W. David, the point of Unmaiye Un Vilai Enna? is to illustrate that "Movies have sharpened God-consciousness by emphasizing the neighbour-consciousness."[13]

Soundtrack

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The soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan, with lyrics by Kannadasan.[14]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Ethanai Maandharukku"M. S. Viswanathan 
2."Kaaranathai Vilakkava"L. R. Eswari 
3."Paavam Seiyungal"B. S. Sasirekha, Vani Jairam 

Release and reception

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Unmaiye Un Vilai Enna? was released on 30 April 1976.[15] Kanthan of Kalki lauded the film, particularly for Muthuraman's performance and Cho's writing.[16]

References

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  1. ^ David 1983, p. 60.
  2. ^ Sridhar-Chaamaa (7 May 1993). "Farewell to plays". Frontline. Vol. 10, no. 1–9. Kasturi & Sons. p. 94. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  3. ^ Shankar's Weekly. Vol. 27, Part 2. 1974. p. 342. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  4. ^ Vamanan (8 December 2016). "Cho's pungent scripts satirised society, politics". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  5. ^ Sekhar, Arunkumar (11 May 2018). "Veteran actor R Neelakantan passes away". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  6. ^ Mukherjee, Bimal; Kothari, Sunil; Lal, Ananda; Dasgupta, Chidananda (1995). Rasa: Theatre and cinema. Anamika Kala Sangam. p. 196. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  7. ^ Vamanan (26 December 2016). "கலைமாமணி வாமனனின் 'நிழலல்ல நிஜம்' – 56 | திரை வடிவம் பெற்ற சோவின் மேடை நாடகங்கள்!". Dinamalar (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ a b Unmaye Un Vilai Enna (motion picture) (in Tamil). Mohind Movies. 1976. Opening credits, from 0:00 to 12:25.
  9. ^ "1976-ல் வெளியான படப்பட்டியல் - தயாரிப்பாளர்கள்". Lakshman Sruthi (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  10. ^ சோ (6 June 1976). "உண்மைக்கு போராடியவர் உயிர்துறக்கத்தான் வேண்டுமா?". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 3. Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  11. ^ Cho (1976). Kamarajaic cantitten : Transcript of the author's interview with Kamaraj, 1903–1975, Indian statesman; previously published in the form of articles, in Tuklak, Tamil fortnightly (in Tamil). p. 46. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Unmaiye Un Vilai Enna ? (Celluloid)". Central Board of Film Certification. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  13. ^ David 1983, p. 76.
  14. ^ "Unmaiye Un Vilai Enna (EMI) [1976-EPRip-WAV]". TamilFLAC.Com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Unmaye Un Vilai Enna (1976)". Screen 4 Screen. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  16. ^ காந்தன் (16 May 1976). "உன்மையே உன் விலை என்ன?". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 23. Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.

Bibliography

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  • David, C. R. W. (1983). Cinema as Medium of Communication in Tamil Nadu. Christian Literature Society. OCLC 10443988.
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