Anbe Vaa (1966 film)

This article is about the 1966 film. For the 2005 film, see Anbe Vaa (2005 film).

Anbe Vaa
File:Anbe Vaa poster.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	A. C. Tirulokchandar
Written by	Aaroor Das (dialogue)
Story by	A. C. Tirulokchandar
Produced by	M. Murugan M. Kumaran M. Saravanan
Starring	M. G. Ramachandran B. Saroja Devi
Cinematography	S. Maruthi Rao
Edited by	R. G. Gope
Music by	M. S. Viswanathan
Production company	AVM Productions
Distributed by	AVM Productions
Release date	14 January 1966
Running time	174 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil
Budget	₹ 3 million
Box office	₹ 3.3 million

Anbe Vaa ([Come, My Love] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar. The film features M. G. Ramachandran and B. Saroja Devi in the lead roles, while S. A. Ashokan, Nagesh, Manorama, T. R. Ramachandran and P. D. Sambandam play supporting roles. Broadly based on the 1961 American film Come September directed by Robert Mulligan, Anbe Vaa was produced and distributed by AVM Productions. The soundtrack and background music were composed by M. S. Viswanathan while the lyrics for the songs were written by Vaali.

Anbe Vaa was the first film produced by AVM to be shot in Eastmancolor, as well as being their first big-budget production; they had previously focused only on modest-budget films. The film was also the studio and Tirulokchandar's only collaboration with M. G. Ramachandran. The film follows JB (Ramachandran), a wealthy industrialist who goes on vacation to his bungalow in Shimla, only to discover that his caretaker (Sambandam) and his wife have left for Varanasi after renting the bungalow to a family of three. The rest of the film revolves around JB's response to this situation that he finds himself in.

Principal photography for the film began in August 1965. Shooting for the film took place in Shimla, Ooty and at the hill station of Kufri. This was the second ever Tamil film to be shot at Jammu and Kashmir. Filming was completed within five months, the shortest duration for a film starring Ramachandran.

Anbe Vaa was released on 14 January 1966, during the festive occasion of Thai Pongal. It received positive reviews from critics, who particularly praised Ramachandran's performance, as he was known for doing mainly action-adventure films up until that point in his career. The film ran for 23 weeks in theatres and grossed ₹ 3.3 million at the box office, against a budget of ₹ 3 million. It was also dubbed into Telugu, under the title Prema Manasulu.

Plot

JB (M.G. Ramachandran) is a wealthy industrialist who decides to take a vacation at his residence in Shimla. Upon his arrival, he discovers that his caretaker (P. D. Sambandam) has rented his house to a Bangalore-based couple, Punyakodi (T. R. Ramachandran) and Pappamma (T. P. Muthulakshmi), and their daughter, Geetha (B. Saroja Devi). The caretaker and his wife leave for Varanasi after taking the money for the rent, leaving the caretaker's daughter, Kannamma (Manorama), and brother-in-law, Ramaiah (Nagesh), in charge of the house and the guests. JB decides not to reveal his true identity, pretending to be JB's personal secretary Balu, and pays the rent for a place in his own house. Ramaiah, who has never met JB, takes the money and gives JB's room to Balu.

Balu plays continual pranks on Geetha, during the course of which he also falls in love with her. Geetha reciprocates his feelings, but circumstances and their egos prevent them both from expressing those feelings. One day, Balu pretends to suffer from chest pain, which scares Geetha, causing her to finally admit that she loves him. Later, when Geetha and Ramaiah go to Balu to enquire about his health, Balu, exiting from the bathroom, fails to see that Geetha is there. He tells Ramaiah about his prank on her, and that he was only pretending to have chest pain. Angry that she had been deceived by Balu, she begins to question whether or not his professed love for her is also deceit. Hurt, she brings her friends, who are on a holiday trip to Shimla, to the residence and tries to drive Balu out of the house. When her plan backfires and her friends start supporting Balu, she becomes spiteful and tells her parents to move forward with a planned marriage to Sekar (S. A. Ashokan), a relative and an air force pilot.

Geetha reconciles with Balu after he saves her from a wrestler named Sitting Bull. But by the time Balu confesses his love for her, Geetha's engagement is already fixed. Luckily, Sekar turns out to be a school friend of JB, and when he discovers that Balu and Geetha are truly in love, he steps aside, wishing the couple a happy life. When Balu is finally revealed as JB, Geetha, again not knowing what to believe, thinks the wedding plans are yet another of Balu's practical jokes and tries to run away. He finds her and clears up all of the misunderstandings between them. The two then get married.

Cast

Lead actors

• M. G. Ramachandran as JB/Balu
• B. Saroja Devi as Geetha

Male supporting actors

• S. A. Ashokan as Sekar
• Nagesh as Ramaiah
• T. R. Ramachandran as Punyakodi
• P. D. Sambandam as the bungalow caretaker

Female supporting actors

• Manorama as Kannamma
• T. P. Muthulakshmi as Pappamma, Geetha's mother
• Madhavi as Mary, the nurse who takes care of Geetha's parents
• M. S. S. Bhagyam as Kannamma's mother

Production

Development

The 1961 American romantic comedy film Come September, featuring Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida, and directed by Robert Mulligan, was a worldwide box office success, especially in Chennai. The film narrated the tale of Robert (Hudson), an American millionaire, who arrives at his villa for his vacation. His girlfriend, Lisa (Lollobrigida), has given up waiting for him and has decided to marry another man. Robert's villa manager, Maurice (Walter Slezak), converts the villa into a hotel while Robert is away. The villa is now occupied by a group of young American girls trying to fend off a gang of boys, led by Tony (Bobby Darin). A. C. Tirulokchandar, who was then a screenwriter for AVM Productions, adapted the screenplay of Come September for his film Anbe Vaa. According to The New Indian Express, it was AVM Productions' 50th film.

Tirulokchandar was introduced to AVM Productions by S. A. Ashokan, who he had worked with previously as an assistant director on Vijayapuri Veeran (1960). It was Ashokan who helped Tirulokchandar cast Ramachandran in the film. Aaroor Das wrote the film's dialogues. Director S. P. Muthuraman worked as an assistant director on the film. The original budget was ₹ 600,000 (US$125,260 in 1966). S. Maruthi Rao, R. G. Gope and A. K. Shekar were in charge of the cinematography, editing, and art direction, respectively. Raghuram made his cinematic debut with this film, working as an assistant choreographer.

Casting

I found [M. G. Ramachandran] smiling throughout the storytelling session. At the end he said, 'I'll do it. We will be mere puppets in your hands and the credit will go only to you.' [Anbe Vaa] was a smashing hit, and I was moved when he repeated the words at the film's 100th day function.

 – Tirulokchandar, on how Ramachadran was cast.

Anbe Vaa marked the first time where AVM Productions wrote a script to suit an actor's image and acting style; prior to this they had chosen actors to fit an already completed script. While Tirulokchandar was writing the script, A. V. Meiyappan made the suggestion to approach M. G. Ramachandran for the lead role. Tirulokchandar found this intriguing, as the script's genre was dissimilar to what Ramachandran was noted for: action-adventure or social and family dramas which portrayed him as a champion for the downtrodden.

When approached, Ramachandran readily accepted the role and was excited about doing it, giving the film priority in his schedule. Ramachandran gave a call sheet of seventy two days for participating in the film. Saravanan states in his book that ₹ 325,000 was arranged as the pay for Ramachandran, but the latter demanded an additional 25,000 which he eventually received. The Economic Times stated in 2010 that Ramachandran was paid 10% of the film's ₹ 3 million budget. Anbe Vaa remained his only collaboration with both Tirulokchandar and AVM Productions. Ramachandran, who later became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, also became the fourth Chief Minister of an Indian state to work with AVM Productions.

Ramachandran initially recommended K. A. Thangavelu for the role of Punyakodi, but M. Saravanan, one of the film's producers, said that his father, A. V. Meiyappan, wanted T. R. Ramachandran in the role. M. G. Ramachandran accepted the decision and told Saravanan not to tell T. R. Ramachandran about his initial choice. M. G. Ramachandran also recommended Jayalalithaa for the role of Geetha, but it eventually went to B. Saroja Devi. Nagesh was cast as Ramaiah, the caretaker’s brother-in-law.

Filming

Anbe Vaa was the first film of AVM Productions to be made in Eastmancolor. Principal photography for the film began with a puja ceremony held on 12 August 1965. Filming was completed within five months, the quickest completion for any film starring M. G. Ramachandran. Ramachandran received special permission to go by car to shoot the film in exotic locations in Shimla; a privilege allowed only to the governor of the state. Under the auspices of that permission, the entire unit went to Shimla. The song "Pudhiya Vaanam" was shot in the small hill station of Kufri, located 13 kilometres from Shimla, as well as at Mall Road, Shimla.

Savi, an editor who worked for the Tamil magazine, Ananda Vikatan, accompanied the production unit and published an article on the making of the film. Although the story is set in Shimla, 95% of the film was shot in Ooty, with some scenes being filmed in Jammu and Kashmir, making it the second Tamil film after Then Nilavu (1961) to be shot there. "Naan Paarthathilae" was one of the few songs in the film that was shot outdoors, due to Ramachandran not wanting to attract attention from his large fan following. During shooting in Ooty, Ramachandran personally bought sweaters for the entire cast and crew.

The production unit, composed of 20 crew members, along with Tirulokchandar, M. G. Ramachandran, Saroja Devi and Savi, initially flew to Delhi. From Delhi, they travelled to Kalka by train, then continued on to Shimla, using three first-generation Chevrolet Impalas. The skating scenes in the film, involving Ramachandran and Saroja Devi, were completed in two days. Both Ramachandran and Saroja Devi were initially hesitant to perform the scene, but went through with it after they received encouragement from the local population. For some scenes in the film, Saroja Devi was made to walk with mincing steps and flutter her eyelashes. She and Ramachandran also performed a twist in the film. During post-production, the sound effect of the horses' footfall in "Rajavin Paarvai" was created by Meesai Murugesan. The final length of the film was 4,854.70 metres (15,927.5 ft).

Music

Untitled

Released under the Saregama label, the film's soundtrack and score were composed by M. S. Viswanathan, while the lyrics were written by Vaali. Kalyan Subrahmanyam, an anaesthetist and alumnus of Madras Medical College and Stanley Medical College, made his musical debut with this film, singing as part of the chorus.

The soundtrack received positive critical reception. Film historian Randor Guy of The Hindu called the songs "melodious", describing the soundtrack as one of the film's major positives. He said the song "Pudhiya Vaanam" had "a political touch", and was "brilliantly photographed by master lens man S. Maruthi Rao." He also called "Rajavin Paarvai" a "hit number." Rekhs of Behindwoods wrote that "Rajavin Paarvai [...] takes us back to not just the 60s but a time when reel life transported us to a dream world of escapism and 100% entertainment." Karan Bali, writing for Scroll.in, said, "MS Viswanathan’s musical score deserves a special mention. The music is easily one of the highlights of Anbe Vaa." According to Sri Lankan historian and author Sachi Sri Kantha, "Pudhiya Vaanam" had "delicately introduced" the symbol for the political party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam through the lyrics, "Udaya sooriyanin paarvaiyile – ulagam vizhithukonda velaiyile, imayathil irukkum kulir kaatru Ithayathai thodukirathu" ("While rising sun shines, the world will become aware, the cool wind from Himalaya will touch the heart") in that pre-election year.

iTunes tracklist

No.	Title	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Adios Good Bye"	Ms. Liban Bindey	03:17
2.	"Anbe Vaa"	T. M. Soundararajan	04:23
3.	"Love Birds"	P. Susheela	03:39
4.	"Naan Paarthathilae"	T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela	04:05
5.	"Nadodi Nadodi"	T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela, A. L. Raghavan, L. R. Eswari	06:49
6.	"Once A Pappa"	A. L. Raghavan and Chorus	01:19
7.	"Pudhiya Vaanam"	T. M. Soundararajan	04:06
8.	"Rajavin Paarvai"	T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela	04:34
9.	"Vetkammilai"	P. Susheela and Chorus	03:33
Total length:			35:45

Release

Anbe Vaa was released on 14 January 1966, during the festive occasion of Pongal, and was promoted as "an innovative entertainment film" by its producers. It was Ramachandran's first of nine films released in that year. AVM Productions sold the film's distribution rights for ₹ 3.3 million (US$688,935 in 1966), which was the highest amount in the Tamil film industry up until that point. Although the film had a theatrical run of 23 weeks and was a box office success, AVM Productions earned a profit of only ₹ 300,000 (US$62,630 in 1966), due to the film's large budget. The film was dubbed into Telugu as Prema Manasulu.

On 18 April 2010, the film was screened at the South Indian Film Chamber Theatre for the Dignity Film Festival held in Chennai; other films also screened included Madhumati (1958), Kadhalikka Neramillai (1964), Server Sundaram (1964) and Thillana Mohanambal (1968).

Critical reception

On 6 August 1966, the review in Ananda Vikatan said, "The film was an English film in Tamil... The film does not have any story. One can spend three hours in an entertaining manner with this film..." Randor Guy, in his review, wrote, "The screenplay was brilliantly written by ACT. MGR's performance as the rich man posing as a tenant was impressive. Nagesh was inimitable. Saroja Devi looked glamorous in her glossy make-up and costume." He went on to conclude that the film would be "Remembered for the impressive performances by MGR, Nagesh and Saroja Devi, melodious music, interesting storyline and screenplay, picturesque cinematography which captured the beautiful landscape of the Himalayan region, and the fabulous sets in true AVM style." G. Dhananjayan commented, "The film stood out for its comedy, memorable songs and dances, rich making and locations", and said that the main reason for the film's success was that it was "an out-and-out entertainer".

Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff called Saroja Devi, "a style icon", and rated this as "her best" performance, comparing it with her role in Enga Veettu Pillai (1965). Sify called Nagesh's on-screen chemistry with M. G. Ramachandran in the film "fantastic", further elaborating that, "In this film the MGR-Nagesh scenes according to a veteran distributor brought repeat audiences to the theatres. He played the hero's sidekick and was simply terrific." They also praised Anbe Vaa for being "one of the rare films of MGR with minimum action scenes and punch dialogues". In July 2008, The Times of India said, "If ever one comes out with a list of highly entertaining Tamil movies, this one will top the list", and gave the film a rating of three stars out of five. Karan Bali stated in 2016, "The comedy [...] is enjoyably light-hearted fluff and sees MGR ably carry the film through in the role of the Westernised, wealthy urbane romantic hero. The role is different from the MGR prototype – the poor, mother-loving crusading Tamil hero who fights for the oppressed and tames the rich heroine while all along propagating the DMK’s ideology and concerns."

Legacy

M. G. Ramachandran, who specialised in films based mainly on action and family subjects, handled a comedic part for the first time in his career in this film, proving his ability to handle that genre. Anbe Vaa was one of several films featuring Ramachandran which he used to propagate his ideologies during his election campaigns. Actor and film historian Mohan V. Raman noted that M. G. Ramachandran's acceptance of the role "that went against the then accepted formula for an MGR film" was a demonstration of the actor's faith in Tirulokchandar. The film inspired several later films in Tamil, which focused mainly on conflicts between lovers, as well as entertainment aspects, notable of which include Kushi (2000), Lovely (2001), and Thiruda Thirudi (2003). The film was one of the first South Indian films to be shot in Shimla, inspiring many other films to choose Shimla as a shooting location, notably the Telugu film, Desamuduru (2007).

Director Mani Ratnam, film producer M. S. Guhan's daughter Aruna Guhan, choreographer Prabhu Deva and director Sundar C. all ranked Anbe Vaa among their favourite films. The costumes that Ramachandran used in the film, as well as the carriage used for "Rajavin Paarvai", are preserved at AVM Studios. Uma S. Maheshwari of The Hindu included "Pudhiya Vaanam" in her list of the "Immortal songs of TMS", and also among lyricist Vaali's best songs in their collection, "Best of Vaali: From 1964 - 2013".

In popular culture

References to Anbe Vaa are made in various films. The 1988 film Puthiya Vaanam, starring Sivaji Ganesan, was named after the song of the same name. Films like Rajavin Parvaiyile (1995), Love Birds (1996), and the upcoming Rajavin Paarvai Raniyin Pakkam were also named after the songs from Anbe Vaa. In Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga (1999), Kundalakesi (Goundamani) imagines himself as M. G. Ramachandran in "Pudhiya Vaanam" by dancing with children, the result of which is him being mistaken for a kidnapper by the police. In Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam (2014), Thamizh (Santhosh Prathap) is an aspiring filmmaker who reads stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ponniyin Selvan, but is forced to listen to anecdotes about films such as Anbe Vaa.

In Dhool (2003), Aarumugam (Vikram) echoes a single line, "Pudhiya Vaanam", to signal his arrival to his friends. In 2005, another film called Anbe Vaa, starring actors Thendral, Sridevika and Vivek in the lead roles, was released; its critical response was average. A song with the same title as the film is used in Thotta (2008). A clip from the song "Love Birds" is featured in Venkat Prabhu's Saroja (2008). Scenes from the film were interposed in Villu (2009). A portion of "Rajavin Paarvai" is used in the song "Vaa Machi" from Onbadhule Guru (2013).

In 2002, a quiz programme called Pudhiya Vaanam Pudhiya Bhoomi aired on DD National and DD Podhigai to help develop tourism in Tamil Nadu. In 2009, a television series titled Anbe Vaa aired on STAR Vijay every Monday-Thursday at 8:00 pm IST.

Bibliography

• Chaudhry, Minakshi (2012). Whispering Deodars : Writings from Shimla hills. Rupa Publications. ISBN 8129114534. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Dhananjayan, G. (2011). The Best of Tamil Cinema, 1931 to 2010: 1931–1976. Galatta Media. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism — Vol. 2. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8239-2287-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (2014). Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema. Routledge. ISBN 978-0851706696. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Ramachandran, Naman (2014) [2012]. Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-81-8475-796-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Saravanan, M. (2013) [2005]. AVM 60 cinema (3rd ed.). Rajarajan Pathippagam. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

• Anbe Vaa at IMDb