One of the biggest box-office hits of 1963, Dharmam Thalai Kaakkum was produced by ‘Sandow’ M.M.A. Chinnappa Thevar under his banner Devar Films. It was written by S. Ayya Pillai. The film was a success and it ran for 100 days.
In the film, MGR plays doctor Chandran, a do-gooder who believes in serving society. He also exposes the corrupt. The film’s an investigative thriller which begins with Chadran witnessing a crime. He sees a gang of masked men murdering an innocent man. He tries to nab them but they escape. When he returns to spot after calling on the police, he discovers that the body has been moved. Meanwhile, Mani (Ashokan) is appointed as cashier in a finance company owned by a rich man (V.K. Ramasami.). Another gang attacks another rich man (M.R. Radha) and V.K. Ramasami travelling in a car carrying cash. Chandran helps them and he identifies the gangster who was involved in the earlier killing. It is revealed that Mani (Ashokan) is staging a drama to steal money from M.R. Radha.
Later, Chandran falls in love with Sivagami (Saroja Devi, M.R. Radha’s daughter). However, Radha arranges Sivagami’s marriage with Mani against her wishes. More issues follow when a young woman (Chandra), planted by Mani, tries to blackmail Radha with photos of Radha and Chandra in a compromising position.
But Sivagami vehemently refuses to marry Mani. In the climax, Mani tries to kill Sivagami. Chandran saves her after a long fight and when he unmasks the killer, he finds to his surprise that he is none other than Mani himself. The main reason behind the success of the film is the music composed by K.V. Mahadevan. The film has seven songs written by Kavignar Kannadasan and sung by T.M. Soundararajan and P. Susheela. The title song, ‘Dharmam Thalai Kaakkum’ was rendered by Soundararajan. Another song, a duet filmed on the lovers over the telephone, ‘Hello Hello Sugama’ (T.M. Soundararajan and P. Susheela), became a hit. Dharmam Thalai Kaakkum was one of the most memorable movies during the early years of MGR’s career.
Remembered for:
The music of K.V. Mahadevan, the lyrics and the telephone duet song. Also for the impressive performances of MGR, Saroja Devi, M.V. Rajamma as the affectionate mother, M.R. Radha and Ashokan as the villain.
