| Pookkari | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Krishnan–Panju |
| Written by | T. N. Balu |
| Starring | M. K. Muthu Manjula Nirmala |
| Cinematography | Amritham |
| Edited by | Panju |
| Music by | M. S. Viswanathan |
| Production company | Anjugam Pictures |
| Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Pookkari (/puːkkɑːri/ transl. Flower Selling Girl) is a 1973 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Krishnan–Panju and produced by Anjugam Pictures. The film stars M. K. Muthu, Manjula and Nirmala, with Jayachitra, Jayakumari, V. K. Ramasamy, S. V. Subbaiah and Ambareesh (credited as Amarnath) in supporting roles. It was released on 25 October 1973, and failed commercially. Despite this, in 1978 the film was remade in Kannada as Halli Haida directed by Amirtham, cinematographer of the original with Ambareesh reprising his role.
Plot
Valli is a flower seller and her brother Murugesan is a real estate broker. One day, Valli meets Kanthan and they fall in love. Meanwhile, there is a wealthy man with a daughter, Shyamala. He has a nephew Ravi who is a womaniser. Although Ravi has a mistress, he is also after Muthu's sister, Dhanam, who he eventually rapes. Traumatised by the incident, she loses her voice.
Ravi and Kanthan fight frequently, but during one such incident, Dhanam pleads with Kanthan to spare Ravi. During that incident, she also regains her voice and Ravi agrees to marry her. Upon realising this, Ravi's mistress plans to go to the wedding hall in disguise, with a hidden gun, and shoot Ravi dead. Shyamala learns of the mistress' plans and rushes to save Ravi, but Valli takes the bullet instead. Before dying, she manages to unite Shyamala and Kanthan. Ravi and Dhanam marry.
Cast
As per the opening credits:
- M. K. Muthu as Kanthan
- Manjula as Valli
- Nirmala as Shyamala
- Jayakumari as Ravi's mistress
- Jayachitra as Dhanam
- Sriranjani as Kanthan's mother
- V. K. Ramasamy as Shyamala's father
- S. V. Subbaiah as Kanthan's father
- Moorthy as Velu
- Thengai Srinivasan as Murugesan
- Amarnath as Ravi
- O. A. K. Thevar as Murugesan's elder brother
- Senthamarai
Production
Pookkari was directed by the duo Krishnan–Panju, and produced under the banner Anjugam Pictures. Panju edited the film under the pseudonym "Panjabi". It was photographed by Amritham, a relative of politician and screenwriter M. Karunanidhi. The story and dialogue were written by T. N. Balu.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan. The song "Kaadhalin Pon Veedhiyil", written by Panchu Arunachalam and sung by T. M. Soundararajan and S. Janaki, attained popularity.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kaadhalin Pon Veedhiyil" | Panchu Arunachalam | S. Janaki, T. M. Soundararajan | |
| 2. | "Muppathu Paisa" | Vaali | L. R. Eswari | |
| 3. | "Muththuppal Sirippennavo" | Vaali | P. Susheela, T. M. Soundararajan |
Release and reception
Pookkari was released on 25 October 1973, and failed commercially. Kalki criticised the film for being anti-progressive towards Tamil cinema but praised some of the cast performances.
References
- "Halli Haida – ಹಳ್ಳೀ ಹೈದ (1978/೧೯೭೮)". Kannada Movies Info. 11 January 2017. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- Pookkari (Motion picture) (in Tamil). Anjugam Pictures. 1973. Opening credits, from 0:00 to 2:18.
- ^ Guy, Randor (16 July 2016). "Pookari (1973)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- "Pookkari (1973)". Music India Online. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- "Pookkari Tamil Film EP Vinyl Record by MS viswanathan". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- "திரையுலகில் கலைஞர்". Dinamalar (in Tamil). 27 July 2018. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- "Karunanidhi's grandson's ambitious debut bombs". Daily News and Analysis. 18 April 2012. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- "பூக்காரி". Kalki (in Tamil). 11 November 1973. p. 20. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
External links
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