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Raja Nagam

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1974 film by N. S. Manian

Raja Nagam
A man stands prominently in the background, behind two women: one wearing western clothes, another wearing a sari.Poster
Directed byN. S. Manian
Screenplay byN. S. Manian
Story byT. R. Subba Rao
Produced byN. S. Manian
Starring
CinematographyChandrasekharan
Edited byR. Devarajan
Music byV. Kumar
Production
company		Jagajothi Pictures
Distributed byJayam Combines
Release date
  • 25 July 1974 (1974-07-25)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Raja Nagam (/ˈrɑːdʒə ˌnɑːɡəm/ transl. King cobra) is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written, produced and directed by N. S. Manian. It is a remake of the Kannada film Naagarahaavu (1972) which was based on three Kannada novels written by T. R. Subba Rao: Nagarahavu, Ondu Gandu Eradu Hennu and Sarpa Mathsara. The film stars Srikanth, Manjula, Shubha and Major Sundarrajan. It was released on 25 July 1974 and became a commercial success, with Shubha winning the Chennai Film Fans' Association Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Plot

Krishnamurthi is a short-tempered, but well-meaning college student. His father dislikes him because he is unpopular in the town as a ruffian. His mother is worried about his future. One person who truly understands Krishnamurthi is his primary school teacher, called "Vaathiyar" (teacher). Krishnamurthi finds the company of his teacher and his wife more interesting than that of his parents and considers them as his parents. Krishnamurthi has high regard for Vaathiyar even though he is no longer his academic teacher and would do whatever his teacher would say without thinking.

Krishnamurthi meets his friend Varadarajan Iyengar's sister Alamelu. Her beauty has maddened a neighbourhood hooligan, who stalks her. After Alamelu complains to Varada about this, Varada seeks to end the eve teasing but he is a timid, pusillanimous person. He asks Krishnamurthi for help. Krishnamurthi agrees based on the condition that he should marry Alamelu. Krishnamurthi fights the hooligan and drives him away from Alamelu's life. Alamelu and Krishnamurthi fall in love.

Although Alamelu and Krishnamurthi are truly in love, Alamelu's marriage is fixed with a man of her caste. When Alamelu tries to refuse the proposal by saying she is in love with Krishnamurthi and asks for Varada's support, Varada says that he never gave Krishnamurthi any promise and deceives Krishnamurthi. Vaathiyar tells Krishnamurthi to give up hope on Alamelu, convincing him that sacrifice is a greater act than selfish love; Krishnamurthi assents. He later reciprocates the feelings of Margaret, his college mate. As time passes, he overcomes Alamelu and devotes himself to Margaret.

While on a trip to another place, Krishnamurthi meets Alamelu in a five-star hotel as a prostitute; she reveals that her husband sold her into flesh trade and she had turned into a prostitute, and upon realising that Krishnamurthi loves Margaret, advises him not to leave her. After Krishnamurthi returns to his town and decides to marry Margaret, their families object to this because Krishnamurthi is an Iyer and Margaret is a Christian. As a result, Krishnamurthi and Margaret decide to flee through the hills.

Vaathiyar catches up and tells Krishnamurthi that by sacrificing his love for Margaret, he will be holding his religion and tradition before love. Krishnamurthi says he will not assent because the last time he did, it went wrong and Alamelu became a prostitute. Vaathiyar, accused now of ruining Alamelu's life, realises that Krishnamurthi was right and he was wrong. However, he says Krishnamurthi's parents will still not agree to the marriage. Krishnamurthi decides to leave with Margaret to another town and Vaathiyar tries to stop him, but Krishnamurthi accidentally pushes him down the hill to his death. Remorseful, Krishnamurthi asks Margaret if she will join him where he goes; she says she will, and both jump to their deaths.

Cast

Production

Raja Nagam is a remake of the Kannada film Naagarahaavu (1972), itself based on three different novels: Nagarahavu, Ondu Gandu Eradu Hennu and Sarpa Mathsara, all written by T. R. Subba Rao. The remake was directed by N. S. Manian, who also produced the film under Jagajothi Pictures, and wrote the screenplay. Srikanth's role as the male lead Krishnamurthi was a departure from the villainous roles he was generally known for. Shubha, who portrayed Margaret in Nagarahavu, reprised her role. Cinematography was handled by Chandrasekharan, and editing by R. Devarajan. The film was prominently shot at Bhuvanagiri Fort. The final length of the film was 3,789.27 metres (12,432.0 ft).

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by V. Kumar, while the lyrics were written by Vaali. "Devan Yesuvin Vedam" (also known as "Devan Vedhamum Kannan Geethaiyum") became the film's most popular song.

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Dhevan Vedhamum"P. Susheela, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam 
2."Mannavan Thottanadi"P. Susheela 
3."Samudhaya Veedhiyile"P. Susheela 
4."Manavan Ninaithal"T. M. Soundararajan 

Release and reception

Raja Nagam was released on 25 July 1974, and was distributed by Jayam Combines. Kanthan of Kalki praised the film for the cast performances, Manian's dialogues and direction, and the cinematography. It was a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres. Shubha went on to win the Chennai Film Fans' Association Award for Best Supporting Actress.

See also

References

  1. McKie, Ronald (1965). The Company of Animals: A Naturalist's Adventures in the Jungle of Malaya. Harcourt, Brace & World. p. 244. OCLC 1063575.
  2. Kishore, Vikrant; Sarwal, Amit; Patra, Parichay, eds. (2016). Salaam Bollywood: Representations and interpretations. Routledge. p. 225. ISBN 978-1-138-64962-0.
  3. Deepak, S N (15 July 2018). "Vishnuvardhan classic back in restored avatar". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  4. "Vishnuvardhan's all-time classic 'Nagarahavu' to re-release". The News Minute. 12 July 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  5. ^ Dharap, B. V. (1974). Indian Films. Motion Picture Enterprises. p. 229. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  6. ^ காந்தன் (1 September 1974). "ராஜ நாகம்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 53. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  7. V, Vinay Kumar (19 January 2020). "'Naagarahaavu' vs 'KGF': What a comparison of the cult hits reveals about Kannada cinema". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  8. ^ Guy, Randor (5 November 2016). "Raja Nagam (1974)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  9. Raja Nagam (motion picture) (in Tamil). Jagajothi Pictures. 1974. Opening credits, from 0:00 to 0:03.
  10. "Raja Naagam (Tamil) (Colour) (35mm.) (Indian)". The Gazette of India. 20 December 1975. p. 2495. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  11. "Rajanagam (ராஜநாகம்)". cdandlp.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  12. "ஒரு பேனாவின் பயணம் – 67 – சுதாங்கன்" [The journey of a pen – 67 – Sudhangan]. Dinamalar (in Tamil). Nellai. 1 August 2016. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. "ராஜநாகம் / Rajanagam (1974)". Screen 4 Screen. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  14. "அன்றிலிருந்து இன்றுவரை சினிமா" [Cinema from then till today] (PDF). Vlambaram (in Tamil). 15 March 2000. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2020.

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