| Aattukara Alamelu | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | R. Thyagarajan |
| Screenplay by | Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar |
| Produced by | Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar |
| Starring | Sivakumar Sripriya |
| Music by | Shankar–Ganesh |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Aattukara Alamelu (transl. Goatherd Alamelu) is a 1977 Indian Tamil-language film directed by R. Thyagarajan and produced by Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar. The film stars Sivakumar and Sripriya. It was released on 10 November 1977 and became a silver jubilee hit. The film was remade in Telugu as Pottelu Punnamma and in Hindi as Mera Rakshak.[1][2]
Plot
[edit]Goatherd Alamelu leads a happy life with her pet goat in a village. Her life changes for the worse when a landlord talks ill of her character and claims to have had an affair with her.
Cast
[edit]- Sivakumar as Vijay[3]
- Sripriya as Alamelu
- Jai Ganesh as Balu[3]
- Suruli Rajan as Velu[3]
- S. A. Ashokan as Dharmalingam[3]
- Kavitha as Radha[3]
- Major Sundarrajan as Aarumugam
- Thengai Srinivasan as "Nattu Vaithiyar" Nallamuthu
- Nagesh as Varadhachary
- Jayamalini
Production
[edit]Sivakumar said it took him "15 years to do the role in [Aattukara Alamelu]".[4] The name of the title character, Alamelu, is a reference to Sripriya's birth name.[5] Chinnappa Thevar wanted Nagesh to direct the film; he refused as he felt he was not the right person to do so.[6]
Soundtrack
[edit]The music for this film was composed by Shankar–Ganesh, and the lyrics were written by Ma. Ra.[7][8]
| Song | Singers | Length |
|---|---|---|
| "Aathula Meen" | P. Susheela | 03:44 |
| "Dhaagam Theerndhadi" | P. Susheela, T. M. Soundararajan | 03:58 |
| "Paruththi Edukkaiyile" | P. Susheela, T. M. Soundararajan | 04:25 |
| "Then Koodu Thirumagal" | P. Susheela | 04:04 |
Release and reception
[edit]Aattukara Alamelu was released on 10 November 1977, Diwali day.[3][9] Film World wrote, "Aattukara Alamelu is a fluke; one misses any worthy element that is a box-office draw besides the performance of the goat!".[10] The film was a silver jubilee hit.[11]
Legacy
[edit]Enga Ooru Aattukkaran (1990), which also stars Sripriya, was compared by N. Krishnaswamy of The Indian Express to Aattukara Alamelu as it also prominently features a goat.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Chinnappa Devar family scion speaks about dad, granddad & films with Rajini". News Today. 16 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ "Aattukara Alamelu, The R Thyagarajan Directorial, Which Starred a Goat". News18. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f ராம்ஜி, வி. (10 November 2022). "வசூல் மழையில் நனைந்த அலமேலுவின் ஆடு!". Kamadenu (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ Parameswaran, Prathibha (12 February 2005). "Portrait of an actor". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ "மறக்க முடியுமா? - ஆட்டுக்கார அலமேலு". Dinamalar (in Tamil). 13 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ நாகேஷ் (21 March 2004). "இதெல்லாம் ஒரு கதையா?" (PDF). Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 65–67. Retrieved 9 April 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Aatukkara Alamelu Tamil Film EP Vinyl Record by Shankar Ganesh". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ "Aattukkara Alamelu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - EP". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ "தீபாவளி ரிலீஸ்!". Kungumam (in Tamil). 25 October 2019. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ Ramachandran, T.M., ed. (1978). "Special Supplement on Tamil Cinema Today". Film World. Vol. 14. p. 35. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ "1977 வருடத்திய படங்கள் | பேசும் படம் விமர்சனம்". Pesum Padam (in Tamil). April 1978. pp. 49–51.
- ^ Krishnaswamy, N. (17 August 1990). "Enga Ooru Aattukkaran". The Indian Express. p. 7. Retrieved 1 August 2022 – via Google News Archive.