DMK leader M. Karunanidhi, a successful story and dialogue writer, had once said that Thillana Mohanambal was his favourite film, and he had watched it innumerable times. Even half a century after it was released, the film remains one of the rare instances of a novel being successfully converted into a film.
“The combination of Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini and their extraordinary acting aside, director A.P. Nagarajan’s ability to capture the nuances of the world of nagaswaram and music made it a masterpiece,” said film director Gnana Rajasekaran, who made T. Janakiraman’s novel Mohamul into a film.
He said minute attention was paid to creating the characters of dancers, their mothers and teachers, nagaswaram and thavil players, pimps, and even the artistes who just played otthu and jalra ( thalam ).
Though the film, released in 1968, culminated in the marriage of the hero and the heroine, the two-volume novel, serialised in Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan , actually ended in tragedy.
“I had the opportunity to spend a day with Kothamangalam Subbu, the author of the novel. He had delved deep into the world of musicians, dancers and feudal lords of the composite Thanjavur district,” said Mr. Rajasekaran.
A.P. Nagarajan had taken liberties with the content of the novel to adapt it for film-making, without losing its spirit.
His knowledge of music is explained by French film-maker Louis Malle’s documentary on Chennai. In it, Nagarajan could be seen singing and teaching the stanzas of Bharathiyar’s song Chinnanchiru Kiliye to Sivaji Ganesan and other lead actors, though the song did not find a place in the film.
“The film has aspects and layers of cultural significance, and the audience could immediately relate to the world that unfolds in the film,” said Venkatesh Chakravarthy, Dean, Ramanaidu Film School, Hyderabad. He said the film had portrayed the human side of the artistes, exemplified by Shanmugasundaram’s cry after he was stabbed.
