Mullum Malarum

Mullum Malarum
Poster dominantly showing Kali (Rajinikanth) wearing a brown shawl to conceal his lost arm Theatrical poster
Directed by	J. Mahendran
Screenplay by	J. Mahendran
Produced by	Venu Chettiyar V. Mohan
Starring	Rajinikanth Sarath Babu Fatafat Jayalaxmi Shoba Venniradai Moorthy
Cinematography	Balu Mahendra
Edited by	D. Vasu
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Production company	Ananthi Films
Release date	15 August 1978
Running time	135 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Mullum Malarum ([Thorn and Flower] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) is a 1978 Indian Tamil romantic drama film produced by Venu Chettiar and V. Mohan, and directed by J. Mahendran for Ananthi Films. The film features Rajinikanth, Sarath Babu, Fatafat Jayalaxmi and Shoba in the lead roles. The film's cinematography was handled by Balu Mahendra, while the soundtrack and background score were composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Mullum Malarum is based on a novel with the same name written by Umachandran. It tells the story of Kali (Rajinikanth), a winch operator who is over-protective of his younger sister Valli (Shoba), and develops a disliking for the newly-appointed Divisional Engineer Kumaran (Sarath Babu), after the latter suspends him from duty, which eventually leads to the loss of Kali's left arm.

Mullum Malarum was released on 15 August 1978, during India's Independence day and despite its initially poor commercial performance, it eventually became a massive commercial success after positive critical reviews and favourable word-of-mouth, and ran for over 100 days in theatres. The film was a major breakthrough for Rajinikanth, whose performance as Kali was critically lauded, and is widely considered his best performance in his career. Mullum Malarum also established that cinema is a visual medium and can be made without melodrama, fights, duet songs or excessive dialogues, and with realism integrated into it. The film was later remade in 1979 in Malayalam as Venalil Oru Mazha, and in 1985 in Hindi as Pyari Behna.

Plot

Kali (Rajinikanth), a hard working winch operator at a power plant, brings up his sister Valli (Shoba) and is more than a brother to her. He flouts official rules by permitting the villagers to travel on the winch, for which he gets reprimanded by the new Divisional Engineer Kumaran (Sarath Babu). Kali starts disliking Kumaran for halting his helping activities. When Manga (Fatafat Jayalaxmi) and her mother reach the village with no assets and no-one to assist them, Valli kindly helps them set up home in their village. Manga is very playful and often teases Kali; once she teases Kali when he is on duty. He abandons the winch and chases her. In his absence, an emergency crops up at the power house and an enraged Kumaran suspends Kali temporarily for negligence of duty.

Very upset at his suspension, Kali gets drunk and swoons on the road. Then a lorry runs over his left arm, and Kumaran pays for his hospital expenses, but Kaali's injured arm has to be amputated. Since he is unfit to perform his job one-armed, the power plant fires him and the engineer is the unhappy bearer of bad tidings. Kali is now unemployed and a deeply frustrated man with misdirected anger towards Kumaran. Manga feels guilty as she is the root cause of the crisis and happily agrees to marry him when Valli proposes it.

Kumaran, who has had several interactions with Valli, approaches Kali for permission to marry his sister. Though Kumaran is well educated and employed, Kali spurns the proposal because he hates Kumaran. He then makes arrangements to get Valli married to a loafer Kumarasamy (Venniradai Moorthy). Knowing that Valli too likes Kumaran, Manga requests Kali to get Valli married to Kumaran, but he stubbornly refuses. Hence she decides to conduct the wedding without his concurrence, convinces Valli and Kumaran for this, and makes all arrangements.

On the day Kumarasamy is to wed Valli at his house, Kali learns that everyone has left to attend Valli's marriage to Kumaran. He intercepts the group of Valli and other guests walking towards the venue and reminds Valli about his love and how difficult it would be for him to live without her. Everyone else ignores him and moves on, but Valli runs towards him, hugs him and assures him that she would not disown him at any cost. A proud Kali turns towards the villagers, Kumaran and Manga asks how can they face him now and perform the wedding? In an unexpected twist, he proudly offers his sister's hand to Kumaran. Though he still hates Kumaran, he manfully accepts his sister's choice.

Cast

• Rajinikanth as Kali, a winch operator
• Sarath Babu as Kumaran, the newly-appointed Divisional Engineer
• Fatafat Jayalaxmi as Manga, Kali's love interest
• Shoba as Valli, Kali's younger sister and Kumaran's love interest
• Venniradai Moorthy as Kumarasamy

Production

"I get annoyed watching Hero-heroine dancing for songs mostly the both do same steps. It’s like watching two drunken monkeys dancing. That’s why in 'Mullum Malarum' I kept music as the background while the screen had lead characters expressing their emotions"

— Balu Mahendra, in 2009

Based on Umachandran's award winning novel of the same name, Mullum Malarum was the directorial debut of J. Mahendran, who was already a successful screenplay and dialogue writer. He did not read Umachandran’s novel fully; he just read part of the novel and was impressed with the winch operator Kali, his affection towards his sister and the way he loses his arm. From then onwards, the screenplay was developed by him, deviating from the novel's plot. He decided to make the film without melodrama, overacting, excessive dialogues, duets or regular climax, and developed the screenplay accordingly. One notable difference is that while the Kali in Umachandran's novel loses his arm to a tiger, the film version loses it in a freak accident.

Mahendran told the producer Venu Chettiar that he wanted Rajinikanth to act in the lead role, but he objected saying that he was dark complexioned and had only been doing villain roles then. However, Mahendran stuck to his decision and refused to direct the film if the producer was not willing to cast Rajinikanth in the lead role. Thus Mahendran and Rajinikanth began working together. Rajinikanth was paid ₹13,000 (about 1579.59$ in 1978) for acting in this film. According to senior film journalist Sreedhar Pillai, "Rajinikanth did Mullum Malarum just to satisfy his urge as an actor. He has always made it clear that mass commercial films is the way he will go." Ramasamy was recruited as the film's art director, and D. Vasu as the editor.

It was Kamal Haasan who recommended Balu Mahendra as the cinematographer to Mahendran for this film. Venu Chettiar decided to freeze this film's budget and did not provide finance when Mahendran wanted to shoot an important lead scene — the song Senthazham Poovil with Sarath Babu and Shoba. However, Haasan, being a good friend of Mahendran, came forward and provided funds to ensure that the scene was shot and included in the film, giving it the necessary depth. Mullum Malarum was shot in Sringeri, Ooty, Kundha and Chennai in about 30 days. The winch operating scenes were taken at Glenmorgan near Ooty. After Mullum Malarum was complete, the producer was very upset that the film had very little dialogue, although Rajinikanth never questioned anything.

Themes

Mullum Malarum explores the concept that beautiful flowers need sharp thorns to protect them. Umachandran’s novel and Mahendran’s film transposes this into a sibling scenario. Much like in Bairavi, Rajinikanth and his sister have abusive parents in childhood and it is up to the brother to provide for his sister. But unlike in Bairavi, the siblings here are not separated and this leads to a very protective attitude on Kali’s part for his sister Valli, bordering on obsessive love. There is a remarkable scene where after lashing out at her in a foul temper during the day, he applies henna to her feet at night when she is fast asleep.

Going beyond the central theme, the film is all about the extent of ego that can be sustained. Kaali is clearly the community’s alpha male and he does not hesitate to inform the world about this fact. His hangers-on constantly massage his ego and he gets to play god when he gives villagers a free ride—saving them miles of walking—on the power plant’s trolley of which he is the suzerain. Thus, it is a bit of a shock to his system when a presentable and educated male arrives in the shape of the divisional engineer. Being a subordinate, Kaali cannot really oppose him in any way and his frustration threatens to bubble over several times; it finally does when he is suspended. His feelings manifest themselves in a song where the lyrics go, ‘It doesn't matter whether Rama or Ravana are reigning, I am the king of my own conscience,’ a clear reference to the engineer's authoritarian yoke to which he is bound.

When Kaali’s arm gets amputated, he feels helpless and emasculated. Which is why the engineer, his bête noire as it were, becomes an easy target. Kaali refuses to see the benefits of his sister marrying above her station into wealth and education, even when his wife Manga explains it in so many words to him, or when his sister expresses her desire for the union. Kaali’s words when Valli abandons her wedding proceedings to be with her brother are revealing: ‘My sister has shown all of you that I am the most important person in her life. I need only that happiness for the rest of my life. And it is with that pride and arrogance that I give my permission for my sister to marry.’

The film depicts the story of how two siblings of opposite characters can co-exist, like how a thorn and a flower can co-exist in the same plant. The film's title Mullum Malarum can also be seen as a depiction of an over-possessive brother (the thorn) being over-protective of his younger sister (the flower).

Music

Untitled

The film's soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, who also composed the background score. The lyrics were written by Panju Arunachalam, Gangai Amaran and Kannadasan. There are 5 songs in the film and 4 songs in the soundtrack; the song not included in the soundtrack is the film's title song Maan Iname. Elements of the song Raman Aandalum were later used in the song Machi Open the Bottle, composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja for the 2011 film Mankatha. The soundtrack cover shows the four protagonists, arranged clockwise from top left: Shoba, Jayalaxmi, Rajinikanth, Sarath Babu and Shoba again.

The soundtrack received positive response. In 1978, Ananda Vikatan stated that though there were only four tracks, Ilaiyaraaja had composed them with strands of sweetness. In his 2011 book The Best of Tamil Cinema: 1977 to 2010, G. Dhananjayan stated that with Mullum Malarum, "Ilaiyaraaja proved his deep knowledge in background score", while praising every single song of the soundtrack. Upperstall.com named Senthazham Poovil as one of Ilaiyaraaja's "most memorable songs". In an interview with film critic Baradwaj Rangan, director Mani Ratnam stated that there was "something really special" about the film's music, because of which the film "really stood out".

Tracklisting

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Senthazham Poovil"	Kannadasan	K. J. Yesudas	4:35
2.	"Adi Penney"	Panju Arunachalam	Jency Anthony	4:30
3.	"Raman Aandaalum"	Gangai Amaran	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, L. R. Anjali and Chorus	5:44
4.	"Niththam Niththam"	Gangai Amaran	Vani Jairam	2:54

Release and reception

After being censored with a "U" Certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification on 4 August 1978, Mullum Malarum was released on 15 August 1978, during India's Independence day. The film performed poorly commercially for the first three weeks. The producer stated that it was all over and gave up hope on the film's success. Both Mahendran and Rajinikanth pleaded with the producer to improve publicity for the film. However, he said, "There is no need for publicity for a film which is not running and a film which is running does not require any publicity" and did not raise additional funds. In the fourth week however, massive crowds came to theatres and after excellent reviews in magazines and word-of-mouth appreciation spread, the film became a huge commercial success and ran for 100 days. It's success established Rajinikanth as a permanent lead hero.

Owing to its success, Mullum Malarum was remade in Malayalam by Sreekumaran Thampi as Venalil Oru Mazha (1979) and in Hindi by Bapu as Pyari Behna (1985). Rajinikanth's mentor director K. Balachander, after watching the film wrote a letter to Rajinikanth saying "I'm proud to have introduced you as an actor"; this letter is the only one that Rajinikanth ever preserved. Though not entered for any awards by the producer, Mullum Malarum was honoured with several awards: The Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Film, The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film, and Rajinikanth's performance earned him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize. The film was also screened at the Indian Panorama during the Indian International Film Festival in 1979.

Contemporary reviews

On 3 September 1978, the leading Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan said "Mahendran has demonstrated amazing film making skills in this film... He has told the story in a sharp manner without long dialogues and makes us expect the same quality of films from him in future... The film exhibits Tamil culture throughout. The characters created history in a village atmosphere. We get the satisfaction of travelling to our village after seeing the film. This flower is one of those rarest Kurinchi flowers in Tamil Cinema."

M. G. Ramachandran (then the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu) told Mahendran, "I have no words to express my happiness. With this film, you have set a new trend in Tamil Cinema. You have achieved a milestone, which even if l had desired, l could not have achieved. You have demonstrated clearly that Cinema is a visual medium and have succeeded in that also. The films which came till now on brother-sister relationships were full of dramatics, including mine. However, this film stands apart and stands tall in realism. The last scene is new not only to Tamil Cinema but also to Indian Cinema. l felt like getting up and clapping. Rajni has acted wonderfully and realistically and this film will mark a big turnaround in his film career."

Reflective reviews

In October 2010, Amrith Lal of The Times of India stated that Mullum Malarum "revealed the potential of Rajini, the character actor." In December 2012, playback singer Suchitra said, "Rajini's role as Kali in Mullum Malarum is my favourite for the following reasons — one, it is the most honest on-screen depiction of the brother-sister relationship; and two, though it was only his third film, he was brilliant — as the rough-hewn, obstinate winch operator and, in the movie's latter half, as a frustrated individual rendered immobile due to an accident, yet trying to retain his dignity." and called Mullum Malarum her "Favourite Rajini movie". In May 2013, director Dhanapal Padmanabhan told K. Jeshi of The Hindu that Mullum Malarum "scores on content, craft and extraordinary screenplay." In December 2012, the Press Trust of India stated that Rajinikanth "proved his acting mettle" in Mullum Malarum. In his 2011 book The Best of Tamil Cinema: 1977 to 2010, G. Dhananjayan said, "If Paasamalar (1961) stood out for brother-sister relationship in a melodramic format, this film stands out for its realistic format for such a fine relationship". In May 2007, K Balamurugan of Rediff included Mullum Malarum in his list of "Rajni's Tamil Top 10" films, giving it the fifth position.

Entertainment website Behindwoods listed Rajinikanth's performance as one of his "Top 12 acting performances". Directors K. Balachander, K. Bhagyaraj and K. S. Ravikumar have named the film as one of their "best ten" films. In his interview with Baradwaj Rangan, Mani Ratnam said, "When you watch a film, you know the way the shot was taken or the way the narrative was constructed. [Mahendran's] Mullum Malarum, for instance, was so startlingly different from anything that had come before in Tamil cinema. It really stood out. You need not know exactly what it is that stands out, but it would stand out for you. That is the beginning. There was something really special about the direction, Balu Mahendra's cinematography, the characterizations, the costumes, the compositions, the colours, the light, the way it was cut and, of course, the music. The sheer restraint in it is really remarkable. I think the real starting point is the script—the content and the narrative. The way a scene starts, the way it finishes—most of it gets played out there. And then, it's just a question of being able to translate it well onto film". In December 2012, Sreedhar Pillai stated that Mullum Malarum was "his [Rajinikanth's] best performance" and the film was among his most "memorable movies". Shoba's performance as the protagonist's sister was deemed "a brilliant performance" by S. R. Ashok Kumar of The Hindu in May 2002.

Legacy

In addition to being critically acclaimed and commercially successful, Mullum Malarum set an example for future films on how a realistic cinema should be made with visual focus. It also defined the basis for realistic films which can also be commercially successful. Tamil cinema later witnessed several visual oriented films from Mahendran, Balu Mahendra and Mani Ratnam. Rajinikanth's portrayal of Kali became immensely popular; director Prabhu Solomon has stated that the character was the inspiration behind the male lead played by Vikram Prabhu in his Kumki (2012).

When asked about what film of his he "personally liked", Rajinikanth told his biographer Gayathri Sreekanth that it was Mullum Malarum. He also considers Mahendran as his favourite director. A remake of the film was reported to have been planned as of 2009 with lyricist Vijaysagar as director, but lead actor Prajin denied that the film was a remake, despite sharing the name of the 1978 namesake. On 19 August 2013, a day before Raksha Bandhan, film historian/actor Mohan Raman tweeted, "Happy Pasa Malar /Mullum Malarum Day - honour that brother — sister relationship." referencing both the films which showed brother sister affection realistically.

Further reading

• G. Dhananjayan (2011). "Mullum Malarum — Thorns also Blossom". The Best of Tamil Cinema: 1977 to 2010. Galatta Media: pg. 12-14. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
• Kavitha Muralidharan (10 August 2013). "Second coming?". The Hindu.

External links

• Mullum Malarum at IMDb
• Mullum Malarum at Upperstall.com