Dhakam

Dhakam (transl. Thirst) is an Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film[1] directed by Babu Nanthankode in his debut. He co-wrote the story with T. Vaiyadurai, who handled the cinematography. The film stars R. Muthuraman and Nanditha Bose. Filmed in 1972, it did not see a theatrical release, but has been screened at many film festivals.

Dhakam
Directed byBabu Nanthankode
Produced byJanakiraman
Screenplay byK. K. Raman
Story byBabu Nanthankode
T. Vaiyadurai
StarringR. Muthuraman
Nanditha Bose
Music byM. B. Sreenivasan
CinematographyT. Vaiyadurai
Production
company
Kavya Chitra
Running time
144 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

Sharada, an orphan, lives with other orphans in an ashram, where she bonds with a Sekhar, a blind man. They eventually marry, and she tries to make a living as a saleswoman in Madras, but city life is too much for them and they return to the ashram. Sharada dies, having donated her eyes to a blind person.[2][1]

Cast

Other supporting roles are played by Major Sundarrajan,[2] Pandari Bai, Rajakokila, Renuka Parvathi and Jayaseelam.[1]

Production

Dhakam, the directorial debut of Babu Nanthankode,[3] was conceived by him and T. Vaiyadurai while they were working at the staff of the Madras Film Institute.[2] It was produced by Janakiraman under the banner Kavya Chitra.[2][4] The screenplay was written by K. K. Raman, based on the story of Nanthankode and Vaiyadurai; the latter also handled the cinematography.[2] Shooting took place in 1972,[3] primarily at Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu. The final cut of the film measured 144 minutes.[2]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by M. B. Sreenivasan, while Bharati and Poovai Senguttuvan were the lyricists. The songs "Vanam Namadhu Thanthai" and "Bharata Samudayam" attained popularity.[2][5]

Release and reception

Dhakam did not have a theatrical release,[6] but has been screened at many film festivals.[3][6]

Legacy

Dhakam was influential in establishing the art film scenario in Tamil cinema. Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, in their book Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, say the film served as an inspiration for Aval Appadithan (1978).[2]

References
  1. "DHAKAM (1972)". BFI. Archived from the original on 5 June 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  2. Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul, eds. (1998) [1994]. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema (PDF). Oxford University Press. p. 413. ISBN 0-19-563579-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. Jeyamohan (28 September 2017). "பாபு நந்தன்கோடு" [Babu Nanthankode]. Jeyamohan.in (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 5 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  4. Shanmugasundaram, S. (1997). பாரதிராஜா :மண்ணும் மக்களும். Kaavya. p. 26.
  5. Baskaran, S. Theodore (1996). The Eye of the Serpent: An Introduction to Tamil Cinema. Chennai: East West Books.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  6. சுஜாதா (2006). கணையாழி கடைசிப் பக்கங்கள்: 1965–1998. உயிர்மை பதிப்பகம். p. 145.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.