Mullum Malarum

For the TV series, see Mullum Malarum (TV series).

Mullum Malarum
NFAI poster
Directed by	J. Mahendran
Screenplay by	J. Mahendran
Produced by	Venu Chettiar V. Mohan
Starring	Rajinikanth Sarath Babu Fatafat Jayalaxmi Shoba
Cinematography	Balu Mahendra
Edited by	D. Vasu
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Production company	Ananthi Films
Release date	15 August 1978 (1978-08-15)
Running time	143–145 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Mullum Malarum (transl. The Thorn and the Flower [or] Even a Thorn Will Bloom; pronounced [muɭɭum maɭaɾ̪um]) is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by J. Mahendran. Produced by Venu Chettiar and V. Mohan, the film stars Rajinikanth, Sarath Babu, Fatafat Jayalaxmi and Shoba. It marks Mahendran's directorial debut and is partly based on Uma Chandran's novel of the same name, which was serialised in the Tamil magazine Kalki. Mullum Malarum tells the story of Kali (Rajinikanth), a winch operator who dotes on his sister Valli (Shoba) since they were orphaned, and clashes with his boss Kumaran (Sarath Babu).

Mahendran read only part of the novel, and developed the screenplay as he wanted, making a minimalist, visually-focused film without formulaic Tamil cinema conventions such as melodrama, overacting, excessive dialogue and duets. Since he had no previous directing experience, cinematographer Balu Mahendra, who was already an established director, assisted him with the screenplay, dialogue, camera angles, casting and editing. Principal photography lasted for about 30 days, taking place primarily in Sringeri, Karnataka, though some scenes were also filmed in Ooty, Tamil Nadu. The film was edited by D. Vasu, and the soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

Mullum Malarum was released on 15 August 1978, India's Independence Day. Although it opened to tepid box-office earnings, positive reviews from critics and favourable word of mouth in later weeks helped make it a success with a theatrical run of over 100 days. The film received praise primarily for Rajinikanth's performance, Balu Mahendra's cinematography, Ilaiyaraaja's music, Mahendran's writing and establishing cinema as a "visual medium". It won the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil, the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film and Rajinikanth won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his performance.

Mullum Malarum became a breakthrough for Rajinikanth as an actor and a milestone of Tamil cinema for focusing prominently on visuals and realism without the formulaic Tamil cinema conventions that Mahendran disliked. He continued following this style in all his later films. The film's success inspired a Malayalam remake titled Venalil Oru Mazha in 1979, and a Hindi version titled Pyari Behna in 1985.

Plot

Kali and his sister Valli, orphaned in early childhood, have grown up on the street, begging for food and money. In an early scene in the movie, they appear as street performers, Kali playing the drums and Valli perched atop a pole balanced by an older boy, who exploits them. Several early scenes also establish that Kali is short tempered, unable to control his anger at people whom he sees lacking in empathy for the poor.

The film fast forwards to the present time. Kali and Valli are living in Athipatti village. Kali still seethes at displays of unfeelingness. In revenge for a rich man's cruelty to a porter, he breaks the headlight of the man's car, an act noticed by the newly arrived divisional engineer at a nearby powerhouse, Kumaran, who is parked nearby. But Kali has a good heart. While feeding the fish at the village's temple tank, he comes to the aid of an old man who is faltering on his way up, an act again noticed by Kumaran who is passing by.

Kali too is a powerhouse employee. From a shed on a hilltop, he controls the winch for an inclined lift ferrying employees back and forth to the powerhouse, which is in the valley below. At their first meeting, Kumaran catches Kali flouting the rules, giving free rides to various townspeople. He orders the passengers out and rides alone. But halfway downhill, Kali exacts revenge by stopping the lift, and pretending malfunction. Kumaran, who by now is both wise and sympathetic to Kali's conceits, walks away shaking his head, but smiling.

In an earlier scene, on the village's riverbank, Kalli meets a young woman, Manga, and her mother, who have arrived from Ilaiyangudi, a drought-stricken town. Both are hungry, and the mother is looking for work. Valli feeds them, talks to Kali about allowing them the use of the vacant house next door, and of the mother's suitability for a known job opening. Kali at first feigns impatience with his sister at taking in drifters, but soon relents. Later, Valli and her girl friends meet Kumaran, who gives them a ride in his jeep, breaking into a romantic song.

Kali calls Kumaran "Law Point" because of his strict adherence to the rules. One day, when Kali is on duty, Manga teases him; he abandons the winch and chases her. During his absence from the plant, there is an emergency. The following day, Kali is suspended from his job for dereliction of duty by Kumaran, who ignores his protests and threats.

Kali gets drunk and passes out in the road; a lorry runs over his left arm, which is later amputated. He cannot do his job with only one arm, and is fired. Unemployed, Kali directs his anger and frustration at Kumaran, while Manga feels responsible for Kali's plight. At Valli's request, she marries Kali and takes care of him.

Kumaran is attracted to Valli, and asks for Kali's permission to marry her. Because he hates his former boss, Kali arranges for Valli to marry Murugesa, a philandering grocer. Manga opposes Kali's decision, but he stubbornly refuses her plea to let his sister marry Kumaran. She decides to arrange Valli's marriage to Kumaran without Kali's consent.

On the day Murugesa is supposed to marry Valli at his house, Kali learns that the entire village has left to attend Valli's marriage to Kumaran. He intercepts Valli's group, reminding her that he loves her and how difficult it would be to live without her. Although everyone else ignores him, Valli runs to him and assures him that she would never abandon him. Relieved that Valli still respects him, Kali tells Kumaran that although he still dislikes his former boss, he and Valli have his permission to marry.

Cast

• Rajinikanth as Kali
• Sarath Babu as Kumaran
• Fatafat Jayalaxmi as Manga
• Shoba as Valli
• Venniradai Moorthy as Murugesa

Production

Development

Mullum Malarum, a novel written by Uma Chandran, was serialised in the mid-1960s in the Tamil magazine, Kalki. The novel, about the love between a brother and sister, won the first prize in Kalki's novel competition for the magazine's silver jubilee in 1966. After screenwriter J. Mahendran had been pressured fruitlessly by many film producers to write for them, he solicited for novels to adapt, one of which was Mullum Malarum. Resonating with the egotistical character of the winch operator Kali, he began writing a script starting with the childhood of Kali and his sister Valli, without being faithful to the source material or even fully reading it. Mahendran decided to make a minimalist, visually-focused film without formulaic Tamil cinema conventions such as melodrama, overacting, excessive dialogue or duets, claiming he wrote the screenplay as if it was a "personal diary" of his thoughts. Unlike the novel where Kali loses his arm to a tiger, in Mahendran's screenplay Kali loses it when it is run over by a lorry. The novel also ends with the deaths of Kali and his wife Manga, which Mahendran did not include in his screenplay. One producer rejected the script because it lacked formula, and instead adapted Mahendran's play Rishi Moolam into a film.

When Mahendran considered quitting cinema and returning to journalism, Venu Chettiar of Ananthi Films visited and offered him to direct his next venture. Chettiar reacted fervently after being informed of Mullum Malarum, consenting to the project without hearing the complete story. Under the assumption that Chettiar had only accepted due to an intrinsic will to produce another successful brother-sister film like the melodramatic Pasamalar (1961), Mahendran refrained from disclosing to him that what he visualised was radically different. Mahendran would direct the film himself, marking his directorial debut, with Chettiar and V. Mohan producing it. Ramasamy was signed as art director, and D. Vasu as editor. Ramachandra Babu declined when approached by Mahendran to be the cinematographer, and Ashok Kumar, whom Ramachandra Babu suggested, could not accept to work on the film. Mahendran was unable to find a worthy cinematographer until actor Kamal Haasan introduced him to Balu Mahendra, who agreed to work on the film, making his debut in Tamil cinema. Haasan worked as a production manager on the film.

Casting

After the release of Aadu Puli Attam in 1977, Mahendran expressed his desire to Rajinikanth to star as the male lead in his directorial debut film. Though Chettiar remonstrated against the actor's suitability for the role due to his dark skin and typecasting as a villain, he reluctantly capitulated after Mahendran intransigently declared that he could not possibly direct the film without him, believing him to be tailor-made for the part. Rajinikanth, dismayed at Chettiar's lack of confidence in his acting, promised to "put his heart and soul into the character Kali".

After directing the Kannada film Kokila (1977), Balu Mahendra wanted its lead actress Shoba to act in his first Tamil film. She was eventually cast as Valli, alongside Sarath Babu as the engineer Kumaran and Fatafat Jayalaxmi as Manga. Mahendran cast Venniradai Moorthy as Murugesa, the philandering grocer, and Samikannu was given a role as one of Kali's henchmen. Male supporting roles were played by S. A. Kannan, Pazhaniyappan, Dasaradan, Rangamani, Sarathi, Santhanam, Kumarimuthu, Jothi Shanmugham, Chellappa, Amalraj, Poondigiri and Vairam Krishnamoorthy. Female supporting roles were played by Santhamma, Jayakumari, Vijaya, Jaya, Pushpa, Radha, Prema, Vasanthi, Leela and Kala.

Filming

Mullum Malarum was filmed on 35 mm ORWO colour film. It was shot primarily in Sringeri, Karnataka, with additional filming in Ooty, Tamil Nadu; principal photography lasted about 30 days. Chettiar initially refused to let Mahendran shoot in Sringeri, citing financial constraints, but Mahendran's friend Pazhaniappan convinced Chettiar and agreed to pay for the Sringeri shooting schedule. Once while passing through Pondicherry, Mahendran witnessed a game of Uriyadi, which inspired him to include two Uriyadi scenes in the film which were not originally part of the script. Mahendran also decided to characterise Manga as a "meen paithiyam" (meaning a "foodie who loves fish") after being inspired by Sringeri's marine environment. Balu Mahendra stated that he avoided incorporating the usual hero-heroine dancing into the film because he thought it was like "watching two drunken monkeys dancing". Instead, he allocated music to the background when the lead characters expressed their emotions. Since Mahendran had no previous directing experience, Balu Mahendra, who was already an established director, assumed responsibility and responded to Mahendran's suggestions for screenplay, dialogue, camera angles, casting and editing. He shot the film predominantly using natural light.

According to Mahendran, Chettiar never arrived at the shooting spot; he expected a melodramatic, dialogue-heavy film, and would have shelved the film had he known about Mahendran's filmmaking style. During the filming of the climax where Kali lets Kumaran marry Valli despite their enmity, Sarath Babu disputed the part where Kali professes to still dislike Kumaran, leading him to storm off the set. When he was brought back by the producer, he tempestuously confronted Mahendran, who informed him that Kali dislikes Kumaran till the end. He offered the possibility of filming it with Kali saying those words without Kumaran present, but Sarath Babu ultimately appeared. According to Mahendran, Chettiar was discontent with the budget escalating, refusing to finance a scene set before the song "Senthazham Poovil". Haasan won Chettiar over and financed the scene. Sarath Babu was originally supposed to lip sync the full "Senthazham Poovil" scene, picturised on Kumaran and Valli, but Mahendra and Mahendran agreed on a montage after the actor performed a line or two. Chettiar was perplexed by the finished film's lack of dialogue, since he hired Mahendran as director due to his success as a dialogue writer and did not expect such a visually-focused film. Mullum Malarum's final reel length was 3,915.46 metres (12,846.0 ft).

Themes

The film critic Naman Ramachandran notes that Uma Chandran's novel and Mahendran's film metaphorically liken the relationship between siblings to flowers, which need thorns to protect them. According to another critic, Baradwaj Rangan, "Mullum Malarum" can be interpreted in two ways: "the thorn and the flower", which describes Kali and Valli; and "even a thorn will bloom", which points to the end where Kali softens. Mahendran considered the latter the real meaning of the film's title. S. Rajanayagam, author of the 2015 book Popular Cinema and Politics in South India: The Films of MGR and Rajinikanth, wrote that Kali is a thorn and a flower throughout the film: an "angry young man with a kind heart" who does not admit mistakes, despite having committed acts such as breaking car headlights and allowing people to ride the winch, in violation of the power plant's rules. He noted that films like Mullum Malarum stereotype the poor as representing "all that is pristine and traditional", adding that the "overall socio-economic system, which has made them poor, is unchallenged. Within the system, however, the hero will be 'richer' in terms of his moral uprightness".

P. C. Balasubramanian and Ram N. Ramakrishnan, authors of the 2012 book Grand Brand Rajini, describe Kali as "the loving brother, the angry worker and despondent physically challenged person rolled into one". Writing for Frontline, Venkatesh Chakravarthy differentiated the film from Pasamalar because "the sister is allowed to register her rebellion against her brother". He also noted that the film ends with Kali relenting to Valli's desire to marry the man she wishes but not before he tells Kumaran that he still dislikes him, "which makes the film open-ended with a feel that life goes on". According to the French film historian Yves Thoraval, the film's theme is "the Oedipal [sic] possessiveness of a married brother for his younger sister". Ramachandran notes that Kali, like Rajinikanth's character in Bairavi (1978), is responsible for his sister's welfare. Unlike Bairavi, the siblings in Mullum Malarum are not separated; this leads Kali's protectiveness of Valli to the brink of obsession.

Ramachandran regards egotism as one of Mullum Malarum's central themes, identifying Kali as the alpha male of his community. According to an article published in Cinema Vision India, the film stresses "that people change—and they must". Ramachandran notes that when Kali's arm is amputated, he feels helpless and emasculated; Kumaran, his bête noire, becomes an easy target. Kali refuses to see the benefits of his sister marrying a wealthy and educated man, even when Valli and his wife Manga ask for his consent, but sees the error of his ways when Valli abandons her wedding preparations to join her brother: "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".

Music

Mullum Malarum's soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics by Panchu Arunachalam, Gangai Amaran and Kannadasan. Unlike most Tamil films of that time, the film does not include any duets. The song "Adi Penney" is set in the Carnatic raga known as Madhyamavati. "Raman Aandaalum" is set in Mayamalavagowla, and "Senthazham Poovil" is set in Bowli. "Maan Iname", sung by Ilaiyaraaja, does not feature on the soundtrack. Elements of "Raman Aandaalum" were later used in "Machi Open the Bottle", composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja for Mankatha (2011).

Tamil version

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Senthazham Poovil"	Kannadasan	K. J. Yesudas	4:35
2.	"Adi Penney"	Panchu 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

Telugu version

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Jeevana Sangramamulo"	Arudhra	L. Vaidyanathan	P. Susheela	4:02
2.	"Andala Mulaka"	Rajasree	Ilaiyaraaja	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam	4:09
3.	"Sakkanaina Saddikudu"	Rajasree	Ilaiyaraaja	S. Janaki	2:31
4.	"Pilla"	Arudhra	L. Vaidyanathan	P. Susheela	4:04

Release and reception

Although Mullum Malarum was cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification on 4 August 1978, Chettiar's refusal to finance the scene before "Senthazham Poovil" led to a delay in the film's release. After Haasan's intervention, it was released on 15 August (India's Independence Day). As the film's commercial performance during its first few weeks was poor, both Mahendran and Rajinikanth summoned Chettiar to further publicise the film to improve its revenues. He declined, caustically replying, "A good product needs no publicity, whereas a bad product cannot be pushed in the market however much you publicise it". During its third or fourth week of release, positive magazine reviews and favourable word of mouth spread; Mullum Malarum became a commercial success, with a theatrical run of over 100 days. Chettiar later apologised to Mahendran, who in turn thanked him for letting him make the film.

After watching the film and being impressed with Rajinikanth's performance, his mentor, director K. Balachander wrote in a letter of appreciation that he was proud to have introduced him as an actor in Tamil cinema. Balachander's letter has been described by Sify as Rajinikanth's "most prized moment and possession". After 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). It was also dubbed in Telugu as Mullu Puvvu, and released in 1979.

Critical reception

Mullum Malarum was well received at the time of its initial release, with commentators applauding it for establishing cinema as a "visual medium" and describing it as the coming of age of Tamil cinema. The writer of a 25 August 1978 review in The Hindu stated that the film reflected the trend of making films that do not have the "usual formula of fights, duets, intrigues and cabaret dances". The reviewer further noted that Rajinikanth showed "his mature artistry in a portrayal of a turbulent illiterate worker with a blind passion for his sister". They also praised the performances of Shoba and Jayalaxmi, called Balu Mahendra's camera work a "feast for the eyes", and Ilaiyaraaja's melodies "delicious"; although the first half of the film moves at a "leisurely pace", the second half is "eventful". The Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan, in its 3 September 1978 review, applauded the performances of Rajinikanth and Sarath Babu, along with Balu Mahendra's cinematography and Ilaiyaraaja's music. The reviewer also praised Mahendran's filmmaking skills and the fact that he told the story in a sharp manner without long dialogues, likening the film to Kurinchi flowers due to their rarity and rating it 61 out of 100.

After watching the film, M. G. Ramachandran—the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu—told Mahendran that he had no words to express his happiness, and that Mahendran set a new trend in Tamil cinema with Mullum Malarum. Ramachandran stated that Mahendran had reached a milestone beyond expectations. He added that Mahendran demonstrated clearly that cinema is a "visual medium". Ramachandran commented that the depiction of brother-sister relationships in film up to this point were full of dramatics, even in his own, but Mullum Malarum stood apart in its realism. He said the final scene was new not only to Tamil cinema but also to Indian cinema. Ramachandran lauded Rajinikanth's realistic acting and hoped the film would mark a big turnaround in his career.

Accolades

Mullum Malarum won the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil, and two awards at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards: Best Film, and Special Prize for Rajinikanth. He also won the Arima Sangam Award for Best Actor. The film was screened at the 1979 International Film Festival of India as part of the Indian Panorama.

Legacy

In addition to its critical and commercial success, Mullum Malarum was a breakthrough for Rajinikanth as an actor and a milestone of Tamil cinema for focusing prominently on visuals and realism without excessive melodrama and other formulaic Tamil cinema conventions that Mahendran disliked. Mahendran continued following this style in all his later films. Gayathri Sreekanth wrote in The Name is Rajinikanth that it "gave a new dimension to brother and sister relations on screen" and established Rajinikanth as an "actor par finesses". According to K. Balamurugan of Rediff.com, the film established that Rajinikanth "can be a director's actor too" and widened his fan base "from youngsters to the families and the women". In December 2013, The Times of India said that with this film, Rajinikanth "dispelled whatever doubts remained about his acting ability". Praised for his performance in what was seen as an experimental film, during the 1990s, he stopped acting in similar films because he had become a "larger-than-life" hero.

"Kali" (alternatively, Kaali) became Rajinikanth's most-frequent onscreen name; his characters in Kaali (1980), Kai Kodukkum Kai (1984) and Petta (2019) also shared that name. According to The New Indian Express, Rajinikanth informed Gayathri Sreekanth that Mullum Malarum was his favourite film and Mahendran his favourite director, while the film producer and writer G. Dhananjayan wrote that Mullum Malarum is one of five films Rajinikanth considers "close to his heart". Rajinikanth's dialogue "Ketta paiyan sir indha Kaali" (This Kaali is a bad boy) attained popularity.

In 2006, the director S. Shankar stated that he entered the film industry "with dreams of directing films such as Mullum Malarum" but never got to make any. The director Kathir said in July 2012 that Mullum Malarum inspired him to enter the film industry. In October 2015, director Pa. Ranjith said that Rajinikanth's characterisation in Mullum Malarum was a "lesson" of sorts for him, and the actor's character in Ranjith's Kabali (2016) was influenced by Kali in Mullum Malarum. "Raman Aandaalum" was later featured in the climax of Petta.

Bibliography

• Balasubramanian, P. C.; Ramakrishnan, Ram N. (2012). Grand Brand Rajini. Rupa Publications. ISBN 978-81-291-2059-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Mahendran, J. (2013) [2004]. Cinemavum Naanum [Cinema and Me] (in Tamil). Karpagam Publications. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1998) [1994]. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema (PDF). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-563579-9. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Rajanayagam, S. (2015). Popular Cinema and Politics in South India: The Films of MGR and Rajinikanth. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-82203-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Ramachandran, Naman (2014) [2012]. Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-342111-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Sreekanth, Gayathri (2008). The Name Is Rajinikanth. Om Books International. ISBN 978-81-87108-44-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Sundararaman (2007) [2005]. Raga Chintamani: A Guide to Carnatic Ragas Through Tamil Film Music (2nd ed.). Pichhamal Chintamani. OCLC 295034757. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Thoraval, Yves (2000). The cinemas of India. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-0-333-93410-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

• Mullum Malarum at IMDb
• Mullum Malarum at Rotten Tomatoes
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