Athisaya Penn was a glamorous production with major stars of the day, and it was produced, directed and edited by M. V. Raman. An auditor by profession, he got interested in film making after working in the AVM unit with stalwarts like A. T. Krishnaswami. Later, with financial support from Tarachand, a wealthy jewellery brand from Bombay, he entered into film production in a big way and made Athisaya Penn in Gevacolor, with parts of it in Technicolour. The film was made in Hindi as well, titled Aasha. The film was all about Muthuraja (played by Sarangapani), a rich man and a carnatic music lover, who fails to manage his estate. His son Manivannan (ANR), who spends time with poor boys, also has no interest in the family business. It is left to Muthuraja’s sister Maragatham (M.S. Draupathi) to look after the business affairs. Her son Raju (Manohar), who lives in Madras, is a wastrel. Maragatham sends Manivannan to Madras so he can be educated by Raju. While in the process of booking a room at a hotel in Madras, Manivannan comes across Lally (Madhuri Devi) who is unable to clear her hotel bill. He takes pity on her and clears the bill. Raju, in charge of training for Manivannan, doesn’t quite care about him and lets him do as he wishes. One day, Manivannan goes to watch a dance drama in a college hostel and ends up meeting a young dancer, Nirmala (Vyjayanthimala), with whom he falls in love. Complications result when Manivannan is charged with a murder in a forest, while Raju is the real killer. How truth prevails and how the lovers are united forms the rest of the film.
Vyjayanthimala, the glamour girl of Indian cinema and a talented and trained classical dancer, played the female lead in both versions. Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR), a South Indian star, played the hero in Tamil. In the Hindi version, the hero was played by singer-actor Kishore Kumar.
Story and dialogue were written by ‘Javert’ Seetharaman, a lawyer by qualification, who began his movie innings at Gemini Studios playing a supporting role in the classic Miss Malini . Lyrics were by V. Seetharaman and Subbu Arumugham.
The film’s director of photography was S. Hardip (even the Technicolor parts). Dances were choreographed by masters K.N. Dhandayuthapani Pillai, Hiralal and Sohanlal, with music by S.M. Subbaiah Naidu, who was famous during that period. The music was a success, with one particular song, the rock ‘n’ roll number ‘Eeena meena deega’, becoming a superhit.
In Hindi too, the song, rendered by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhonsle, became a major hit.
Remembered for : the captivating music, especially ‘Eeena meena deega….’
