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Nadodi Mannan

March 15, 2023

This article is about the 1958 film. For the 1995 film, see Nadodi Mannan (1995 film). For the 2013 film, see Nadodimannan.

Nadodi Mannan (transl. The Vagabond King)[b] is a 1958 Indian Tamil-language action adventure film directed by M. G. Ramachandran in his debut as a filmmaker. He stars in dual roles alongside P. Bhanumathi, M. N. Rajam and B. Saroja Devi. P. S. Veerappa, M. N. Nambiar, M. G. Chakrapani, T. K. Balachandran and Chandrababu play supporting roles. The film revolves around a king being replaced by a look-alike after getting abducted on the eve of his coronation. The look-alike begins to implement social and economic reforms to uplift the poor which irks the kingdom's high priest, who has kidnapped the very person the look-alike resembles. The rest of the film shows how the look-alike saves the man he impersonates and defeats the high priest.

Nadodi Mannan
Theatrical release poster
Directed byM. G. Ramachandran
Screenplay byC. Kuppusami
K. Srinivasan
P. Neelakantan
Story byR. M. Veerappan
Ve. Lakshmanan
S. K. T. Sami
Produced byM. G. Ramachandran
M. G. Chakrapani
R. M. Veerappan
StarringM. G. Ramachandran
P. S. Veerappa
M. N. Nambiar
P. Bhanumathi
M. N. Rajam
B. Saroja Devi
CinematographyG. K. Ramu
Edited byK. Perumal
C. P. Jambulingam
Music byS. M. Subbaiah Naidu
N. S. Balakrishnan
Production
company
Em.Gee.Yar Pictures
Release date
  • 22 August 1958 (1958-08-22)
Running time
220 – 226 minutes[a]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget₹1.8 million[3]
Box office₹11 million[4]

Made on a budget of ₹1.8 million, Ramachandran co-produced the film with Chakrapani and R. M. Veerappan under the banner of Em.Gee.Yar Pictures. C. Kuppusami, K. Srinivasan, and P. Neelakantan were in charge of the screenplay. Kannadasan and Ravindar undertook the responsibility of writing the dialogues. The cinematography was handled by G. K. Ramu while K. Perumal and C. P. Jambulingam did the editing. S. M. Subbaiah Naidu and N. S. Balakrishnan composed the film's soundtrack and score. Songs from the soundtrack like "Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey", "Thadukkathey", "Summa Kedandha", and "Senthamizhe" became popular hits.

Filmed in both black and white as well as Gevacolor, Nadodi Mannan was released on 22 August 1958 and garnered positive critical reception. It was a commercial success, grossing ₹11 million in its lifetime, thereby becoming only the second Tamil film to earn ₹10 million after another Ramachandran starrer Madurai Veeran (1956); it became a silver jubilee film. Nadodi Mannan acquired cult status in Tamil cinema, and became a turning point for Ramachandran in terms of both his acting and political career.

Plot

The kingdom of Ratnapuri is besieged by food shortages and high unemployment. Since the king's only daughter Ratna is missing and the king dies without naming a successor, Marthandan, a member of the royal family, is chosen by a majority of the imperial council of Ratnapuri to be its new ruler. However, the kingdom's Rajaguru (high priest) Vijayavarman plans to kill Marthandan and make Pingalan, Marthandan's cousin, king. Meanwhile, Veerabahu, a loyal bodyguard of the late king, and his men, including his son Bhupathi and daughter Madhana, are not pleased to see Marthandan as a king and are equally saddened by the situation of Ratnapuri's people.

Violent protests erupt all over the kingdom led by Veerangan, Marthandan's look-alike, with the support of his friend Sagayam. The protestors march to the palace condemning the monarchy and demanding democracy. Veerangan is imprisoned for his actions in Naganathapuram, a nearby town. Madhana is also incarcerated in the same prison on a similar charge. They are pardoned and released on the occasion of Marthandan's coronation. They travel together to Ratnapuri. Sharing the same ideals and revolutionary thoughts, they fall in love.

In the meantime, Marthandan arrives at Ratnapuri. Vijayavarman asks him to stay in an isolated palace on the outskirts and tells him that he should not meet his wife Manohari until the coronation, as the current moment is inauspicious. On entering a hotel in Ratnapuri, Veerangan and Sagayam beat up a gang of rowdies. Hired by Vijayavarman, they mistake Veerangan for Marthandan. Veerangan is chased by palace guards and ends up in Marthandan's room. Marthandan and Veerangan meet face to face. Veerangan tells him of the pathetic state of the people of Ratnapuri, and Marthandan agrees to set everything right as soon as he takes charge.

On the eve of the coronation, Vijayavarman arranges for Marthandan to be poisoned. He carries out his plan with the help of Karmegam (M. G. Chakrapani), a royal advisor. Marthandan swoons after drinking a few sips of the poisoned beverage, but is soon saved by Veerangan and Ratnapuri's commander-in-chief. However, Marthandan is still unconscious and incapacitated. The commander-in-chief, and one of the ministers, persuade Veerangan to take Marthandan's place to ensure that the coronation takes place as scheduled. A reluctant Veerangan agrees to do so in the interests of the state, and arrives just in time for the coronation. It takes place smoothly and Veerangan, as Marthandan, becomes Ratnapuri's new king. Vijayavarman and Pingalan are taken aback and send men to investigate. They find the unconscious Marthandan and kidnap him.

Veerangan now finds himself saddled with the role of a king for more days than he had initially bargained for because of Marthandan's sudden disappearance. He does not let this setback deter him and puts the opportunity to good use by beginning many reforms, and enacting several measures to uplift the poor. These steps are supported by the people while causing a political upheaval among the elite. However, he is troubled by the fact that he is deceiving Manohari who believes him to be Marthandan. Unable to keep it a secret from her, he tells her the truth. Perceiving his noble character, Manohari accepts him as her brother. Madhana is killed by Pingalan, and a grief-stricken Veerangan vows to avenge her death. He discovers through Veerabahu that both Marthandan and Ratna have been kidnapped and held in custody on an island named Kanni Theevu.

Veerangan sails to Kanni Theevu and comes across Ratna, who falls in love with him; he reciprocates her feelings. Pingalan and Karmegam arrive there only to find that the island's chieftain is none other than Vijayavarman, who has kidnapped Ratna after she was born. Vijayavarman plans to marry Ratna himself, get rid of Pingalan, and declare himself the ruler of Ratnapuri. Pingalan decides to take Ratna back and make himself king legally by marrying her. Ratna does not approve of it. Pingalan takes her away by force. Veerangan saves her from Pingalan's clutches. The duo then frees Marthandan and Karmegam, who had been captured by Vijayavarman and is now reformed. Both Marthandan and Veerangan defeat Vijayavarman. Veerangan marries Ratna, and Marthandan issues a proclamation stating that Ratnapuri is a democracy.

Cast

Male actors
Female actors

Production

Development

After the release of Naam (1953),[6] M. G. Ramachandran and his brother M. G. Chakrapani, who were its co-producers and shareholders,[7] were keen to make a film under their own production banner.[3] Hence, they established Em.Gee.Yar Productions and hired M. Karunanidhi to draft a script for their company's debut film titled Vidivelli. The film was shelved after Karunanidhi was imprisoned for participating in the Kallakudi demonstration in July 1953.[3][8] Ramachandran and Chakrapani then dissolved Em.Gee.Yar Productions and established the Em.Gee.Yar drama troupe instead, but the idea of producing a film was still on Ramachandran's mind.[3]

Ramachandran had dreamt of making his own film ever since he attended a screening of Frank Lloyd's historical drama, If I Were King (1938) starring Ronald Colman, in Calcutta.[9] This occurred while he was playing a minor role in Maya Machhindra (1939).[3] He wished to make a film that would express his political views and interests to the people of Tamil Nadu. To this end, he assembled a team of three people: R. M. Veerappan, V. Lakshmanan and S. K. T. Sami.[10][11] He gave them suggestions about the outline of the story and urged them to watch If I Were King and two other films: The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), another Colman film, and Elia Kazan's Viva Zapata! (1952).[12] After several brainstorming sessions, the team came up with a story loosely based on the three films and decided on the title Nadodi Mannan.[10][11] The trio then helped make it look more Indian.[11]

Nadodi Mannan was produced on a budget of ₹1.8 million,[c] which was considered approximately two-and-a-half times more expensive than the average Tamil film made at the time. Nearly a year was spent on pre-production and casting.[3] K. Ramnoth was appointed initially to direct the film, but died before production began resulting in Ramachandran taking over the position himself, thereby making his directorial debut.[3][14] This was the second film produced by Ramachandran, and the first under the production banner of Em.Gee.Yar Pictures, which was handled by Ramachandran, Chakrapani and Veerappan.[15][16] Kannadasan and Ravindar, who assisted Veerappan, Lakshmanan and Sami with the story, wrote the dialogues.[3][17] The screenplay was written by the trio of C. Kuppusami, K. Srinivasan and P. Neelakantan.[17] G. K. Ramu, K. Nageswar Rao and R. N. Nagaraja Rao were in charge of cinematography, art direction and stills.[17] K. P. Ramakrishnan and Arunachalam acted as stunt doubles for Ramachandran.[18][19]

Film historian Film News Anandan noticed publicity stills of Nadodi Mannan on Veerappan's office desk when he happened to visit the office of Em.Gee.Yar Pictures. He then offered to distribute them to the press. Veerappan agreed knowing that Anandan was then a member of the South Indian Film Journalists Association. After a few days, stills of the film were published in many magazines. Ramachandran was impressed with Anandan's work and, at Veerappan's suggestion, hired him as the film's public relations officer (PRO).[20][21] This was Anandan's debut film as a PRO; however, his name does not appear in the opening credits.[17][22]

Casting

In those days, I had thought about poverty and people's situation. Rather than saying 'thinking', it would be proper to say, I was experiencing the same. Occasionally, I thought, why these problems exist. The answer I received was, 'It's because of foreigner's rule.' But I didn't realize that the foreigner's rule will be forever. Therefore, even if the foreigner's rule vanishes, the rulers should be of good mind. Then, people will benefit. That's why I created the vagabond character. Then, I thought about the situation of the king. Those who are ruling us now, belong to our tribe. They live with us. But their thinking and talents are controlled by foreigners. Thus, I imagined, if they join with commoners? This was the focus of the king character.

– M. G. Ramachandran[3]

During the filming of Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum (1956), an advertisement for Nadodi Mannan was released describing it as an adaptation of The Prisoner of Zenda.[d] Two days later, Bharani Pictures, the production company co-founded by P. S. Ramakrishna Rao and P. Bhanumathi, released an advertisement for a film whose concept was similar to The Prisoner of Zenda. When Ramachandran and Bhanumathi heard their films were similar, they tried to convince each other to change their film's storyline. After much deliberation, Ramachandran told Bhanumathi that he was keeping "only the section of a commoner switched to king" in the original, while the rest of the film would be different. Ramachandran accepted that they were both confused over what to do next. A few days later, for unknown reasons, Bharani Pictures' planned film was shelved. Bhanumathi informed Ramachandran and told him he could go ahead with his film. She offered Ramachandran her shelved film's script, written by A. K. Velan, and asked him to use it for Nadodi Mannan. Ramachandran thanked her for her generosity, and offered her the role of Madhana; Bhanumathi agreed.[3][24]

M. N. Rajam was cast as Manohari, the queen of Ratnapuri, and king Marthandan's wife. Ramachandran wanted Rajam for the role to avoid her being typecast as a character-driven by jealousy and malice.[25] For the role of Ratna, B. Saroja Devi was selected after a successful audition. Saroja Devi was not fluent in Tamil at the time, so her dialogues were written in such a way that she would find it easier to pronounce them.[26] P. S. Veerappa, M. N. Nambiar and Chakrapani played the antagonists Vijayavarman, Pingalan and Karmegam.[27][28] T. K. Balachandran, who was prominent in Malayalam films, was cast as Bhupathi.[28] K. R. Ramsingh was selected for the role of Madhana and Bhupathi's father, Veerabahu, after Ramachandran was impressed by his performance in one of the stage plays he featured in.[28] Chandrababu played Veerangan's friend and sidekick, Sagayam.[29] T. P. Muthulakshmi was cast as Nagamma, a native of Kanni Theevu, who wants a husband. G. Sakunthala played Manohari's lady-in-waiting Nandini and K. S. Angamuthu the restaurateur Pappa respectively.[26][30]

Filming

Nadodi Mannan was filmed in black-and-white for the sequences in Ratnapuri, and in Gevacolor for the later scenes depicting the happenings on Kanni Theevu.[3][31] The film's colour sections were processed at the Film Centre laboratory in Bombay.[2][17] Principal photography took place from 1956 to 1957 over a period of 156 days, which was more than the usual amount of time taken for shooting as most films in that period were completed in 40–50 days.[3] The song "Sammadhama" was the first sequence to be shot. The underwater sequence for the song "Kannil Vanthu Minnalpol", the dance scenes for the song "Maanaithedi Machchaan", and "Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey" took 12, 9 and 3 days each to shoot. The climax portions involving Ramachandran, Saroja Devi and Veerappa required 11 days of filming, while the sword fights between of Ramachandran and Nambiar were shot in a week.[3]

As the director, Ramachandran wanted the end result to be perfect and shot multiple retakes for the same scene. Bhanumathi found his perfectionist directorial style demanding as she was used to finishing her scenes in a single take. She complained about the same, opining that Ramachandran should leave the job of directing the film to someone else instead, only then would she provide her commitment without charging any additional cost.[9][32][33] Ramachandran asked her to either do the role as he preferred or leave the project. Bhanumathi left, and her remaining scenes were altered by having her character, Madhana, die.[9][33] Since Ramachandran shot retakes, a lot of film was wasted. At the time, film studios allowed the use of only a small number of film rolls to avoid budgetary concerns. Ramachandran bought 1,000 feet (300 m) from outside sources for ₹500,[c] which was considered expensive.[15] As a result of these various problems during the project's production, it was dubbed as Komali Mannan ("Jester King") by the magazine Dina Thanthi.[32]

During filming, Ramachandran received support from various members of the Tamil cinema industry. B. Nagi Reddy allowed Ramachandran to build the sets for Nadodi Mannan at Vijaya Vauhini Studios. Likewise, S. S. Vasan of Gemini Studios volunteered his equipment to ensure that the climax scenes came out well; it was the only time the studio's equipment was used outside its premises. The outdoor sequences were shot in collaboration with Aruna Films.[34] Ramachandran asked director K. Subramanyam to participate in the filmmaking as an overseer. Subramanyam was impressed with Ramachandran's approach and felt there was no need for anyone to supervise him. Subrahmanyam also helped make arrangements for filming some outdoor shots at Munnar. These were done in collaboration with Aruna Films.[34][35] Aarumugam handled the editing initially, but left during the beginning of the film's principal photography; he was later replaced by K. Perumal. C. P. Jambulingam took responsibility for editing the film's colour portions after Perumal suddenly fell ill.[36] The final length of Nadodi Mannan was 19,830 feet (6,040 m).[2]

Themes

Nadodi Mannan was inspired by films such as The Prisoner of Zenda, If I Were King and Viva Zapata!.[3][12] Ramachandran, in an account about the film he wrote in 1959, mentioned three specific differences from The Prisoner of Zenda. In the original, the look-alike and the queen have an intimate relationship while in Nadodi Mannan, Veerangan rejects Manohari's advances. When she realises that Veerangan is not Marthandan, she addresses him as her brother instead. Secondly, the look-alike was related to the king and shared the same interests. Veerangan is not related to Marthandan and initially has contrasting traits until they meet. Thirdly, the character of Vijayavarman, and the sequences in Kanni Theevu, do not feature in the original, while these were incorporated as part of Nadodi Mannan's main plot.[3]

Sri Lankan film historian Sachi Sri Kantha noted that several of Ramachandran's films reflect the 1950s trend of films being "costume dramas" that focus on princes and folk heroes, citing Nadodi Mannan as an example.[7] Kantha points out that the protagonist featured in a "riding scene with an educational (or philosophical) song" with "either the heroine or a side-kick (comedian) or an actor in a minor role" alongside him is a recurring theme in many films starring Ramachandran. According to Kantha, this was after the song "Ethanai Kaalam Thaan Ematruvar Indha Naatinile" from Malaikkallan (1954) became popular. In Nadodi Mannan, the song "Summa Kedandha" which features Ramachandran alongside Bhanumathi, and "Uzhaipa Thilla" which features an extra, were described by Kantha as "educational songs with a riding scene".[3]

R. Ilangovan of Frontline magazine believed the lyrics for "Summa Kedandha", which were written by Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram who was a member of the Communist Party of India, "are a classic example of how he presented forcefully the idea of radical reforms". Ilangovan mentions the presentation of reforms by Kalyanasundaram in the song is indicated by two lines: "Kadu velanchenna machan, namakku kaiyum, kalum thane mitcham" (What if the fields are lush with crops, we are left with mere hands and legs) reflects a pessimistic tone, while “Kadu vilayttum ponnae, namakku kalam irukkuthu pennae” (Let the fields sprout, young lady, our time will come), presents an optimistic feel.[37]

Nadodi Mannan is considered by many critics, historians and intellectuals to be a propaganda film of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as Ramachandran was affiliated with the party at that time.[3][38] Film historians Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, Vaasanthi, S. Rajanayagam and politician S. Jagathrakshakan note that the black and red flag of the DMK, as well as the party's rising sun symbol, are seen in the film.[39] Rajadhyaksha and Willemen further state that Vijayavarman's corrupt nature is "a thinly disguised reference to the Congress Party".[1] Both Vaasanthi and another film historian, Selvaraj Velayutham, mention a scene where Ramachandran issues a decree that can be passed off as "a DMK election manifesto".[40][e] According to both Erik Barnouw and Sisir Kumar Das, the song "Senthamizhe" represents the glorification of the Tamil language, identity and culture. It also symbolises what Das describes as "a medium of propagation of D.M.K. ideology".[42] Of the same song, Ramachandran's biographer R. Kannan found it to be a continuation of including songs with political messages in films beginning with Malaikkallan.[43] Ramachandran even went on to say, during the celebration of the film's 100th-day theatrical run, that: "Nadodi Mannan has been produced to show that the DMK is the party which is serving the people of this country."[44][45]

Music

Nadodi Mannan
Soundtrack album by
S. M. Subbaiah Naidu and N. S. Balakrishnan
Released1958
Length1:01:29
LabelThe Gramophone Company of India Ltd
ProducerS. M. Subbaiah Naidu
N. S. Balakrishnan

N. S. Balakrishnan composed the songs "Paadupattathannale", "Sammadhama" and "Senthamizhe" while the rest were by S. M. Subbaiah Naidu, who was also in charge of the background score.[46] The songs' lyrics were written by Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram, Suratha, Kavi Lakshmanadas, N. M. Muthukkoothan and M. K. Athmanathan.[3][17][47] The song "Varuga Varuga Vendhe", written by Suratha, was also composed in Kannada, Malayalam and in Telugu with lyrics by Vijaya Narasimha, P. Bhaskaran, and Narayanababu respectively.[17][48] The track "Summa Kedandha" was written earlier for the news agency Janasakthi before Kalyansundaram used it for the film with a few minor changes in the lyrics.[49] The songs were recorded on 45 RPM records produced by The Gramophone Company of India Ltd label, which also released the soundtrack.[50][51] Plans for the inclusion of another track, "Kaalai Maatai Paal Karaga Paarkiraanga", were dropped since a pair of bullocks were used as the symbol of the Congress Party at that time.[52]

The soundtrack received positive feedback with songs like "Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey,"[37] "Thadukkathey",[53] "Summa Kedandha" and "Senthamizhe" becoming popular hits.[3][37][54] Sachi Sri Kantha called "Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey" a "magical educational song," further describing it as one of the songs that Ramachandran used to direct "his attention on the listlessness among Tamil workers".[3][7] Rajadhyaksha and Willemen mention in their book, Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, that "Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey" had inaugurated "MGR's personal political programme".[1] Both Sridhar Swaminathan of Hindu Tamil Thisai and Maayan of the Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan also cite the same song as a good example of children's education.[55][56] A reviewer from The New Indian Express called the songs "philosophy-espousing" while noting how they "spelt the Dravidian tenets".[57]

Track list[17][51][58][59]
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Kannil Vandhu Minnalpol"SurathaT. M. Soundararajan, Jikki04:24
2."Kannoda Kannu"Pattukkottai KalyanasundaramJikki06:24
3."Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey"Pattukkottai KalyanasundaramT. M. Soundararajan03:12
4."Uzhaipa Thilla"Kavi LakshmanadasSirkazhi Govindarajan03:35
5."Thadukkathey"M. K. AathmanathanChandrababu, K. Jamuna Rani03:03
6."Maanaithedi Machan"Pattukkottai KalyanasundaramJikki04:38
7."Summa Kedandha"Pattukkottai KalyanasundaramT. M. Soundararajan, P. Bhanumathi03:16
8."Varuga Varuga Vendhe" (Tamil)SurathaN. L. Ganasaraswathi, P. S. Vaidehi06:01
9."Namma Dravidare Kulage" (Kannada)Vijaya NarasimhaJikki06:01
10."Dravidamaam" (Malayalam)P. BhaskaranSantha P. Nair06:01
11."Kudakkalla Kimpuma" (Telugu)NarayanababuJikki06:01
12."Paadupattathannale"M. K. AathmanathanT. V. Rathnam03:18
13."Sammadhama"N. M. MuthukkoothanP. Bhanumathi02:29
14."Senthamizhe"N. M. MuthukkoothanT. M. Soundararajan03:06
Total length:01:01:29

Release

Nadodi Mannan was released on 22 August 1958.[3] The expenses made for the film resulted in Ramachandran not having enough money to buy release prints.[f] Hence, Veerappan and Chakrapani decided to acquire a legal loan of ₹50,000 from AVM Productions.[c] However, Ramachandran's signature was required for the loan contract. When they consulted with him on this issue, he asked Veerappan and Chakrapani to tell the studio's founder A. V. Meiyappan that they would repay the loan and keep the price paid by the production company, Cinemas Limited, for distribution rights for the film's release in Sri Lanka as collateral. Meiyappan agreed to provide the loan, which was repaid by Veerappan immediately after the film's release.[15][61]

Reception

Critical response

The film received positive critical response.[1] A review carried by Ananda Vikatan dated 7 September 1958, appreciated the film for being a commercial entertainer, describing it as a treat to the eyes. The review concluded that the film could be seen more than once.[62] K. Jeshi from The Hindu appreciated the filmmaking techniques used to portray Ramachandran's dual roles, noting that it was "technically superior".[63] A reviewer from the entertainment and news website Sify called it "a pucca mass entertainer".[64]

Rajadhyaksha and Willemen mention that Nadodi Mannan was made "in a style derived from Gemini's post-Chandralekha (1948) films".[1] James K. Norton, the author of the book Global Studies, India and South Asia, called the film "a prime example of how rhetoric and action were combined to build an image as a hero of the oppressed".[65] Rajanayagam however, criticised Ramachandran's role as Marthandan, pointing out that the character's mannerisms are "overdone to the point of annoyance".[66]

Box office

Shortly before its release, Ramachandran's take on the film's fate was: "I am a king if this were to succeed. If not, I will be a vagabond."[9][67] The film turned out to be an unprecedented success at the box office, grossing ₹11 million,[c] becoming only the second Tamil film to earn more than ₹10 million after Madurai Veeran (1956), which also featured Ramachandran in the lead.[4][9][c] The film ran for 100 days in 23 theatres worldwide.[4] It went on to achieve a theatrical run of 175 days and become a silver jubilee film.[68][69][g] It was dubbed into Telugu as Anaganaga Oka Raju and as Hamen Bhi Jeene Do in Hindi.[2][71]

The DMK party celebrated the success of Nadodi Mannan with a public function on 16 October 1958 at the Tamukkam Ground in Madurai. The function, which was attended by 200,000 people, saw Ramachandran being taken in a procession on a chariot drawn by four horses and garlanded twice. He was awarded a golden sword worth 110 pounds by the party leader C. N. Annadurai and member V. R. Nedunchezhiyan.[72][73] Ramachandran later donated the sword to the Kollur Mookambika Temple.[74]

The film's 100th-day theatrical run celebrations were held on 30 November 1958 at the Alagappa College in Madurai.[45][67] Another round of celebrations were held on the same day at the SIAA Grounds in Chennai where Annadurai praised Ramachandran, calling him his "Idhayakkani" or "heart's fruit", also stating, "Praising MGR is like me praising myself". Ramachandran later called that moment as the most memorable one in his life.[52]

Legacy

Impact and influence

"When he introduced me in Nadodi Mannan, I was so naive. He took care of me so well and used to give advice and tips while acting. After that we have acted together in several films. Without MGR, there's no Saroja Devi!"

 – Saroja Devi on M. G. Ramachandran in an interview with Deccan Chronicle.[75]

Nadodi Mannan was a turning point in Ramachandran's career as both an actor and a politician. The film's success earned him the nickname "Puratchi Thalaivar" ("revolutionary leader").[1][76] Biographer Kannan dubbed the film as "the biggest propaganda blitzkrieg for the DMK till then.[32] Film historian Swarnavel Eswaran Pillai called Nadodi Mannan Ramachandran's "defining film as a star".[77] The film acquired cult status in Tamil cinema and propelled Saroja Devi to stardom.[78] T. S. Subramanian of Frontline noted that it was one among many of Ramachandran's films in the 1950s where he "espoused his personal ideals such as helping the poor, being chivalrous and fighting injustice."[79] Film historian and critic Randor Guy labelled Nadodi Mannan as among the most memorable films both Nambiar and Veerappa had worked in.[80][81]

Ramachandran planned his second directorial film to be titled after the song "Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey", but the project was abandoned,[82][h] and the song was instead used as the title for a 1983 film starring Kamal Haasan.[83] In their 2006 reviews of Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei, both Baskaran of The Hindu, and S. Sudha of Rediff.com, mention the film shared similarities with Nadodi Mannan.[84][85] In July 2007, S. R. Ashok Kumar of The Hindu asked eight Tamil film directors to list their all-time favourite Tamil films; K. Bhagyaraj named Nadodi Mannan. Bhagyaraj selected the film because he "enjoyed the way both heroes combine acting prowess with entertainment".[86] In the film Padikkadavan (2009), Assault Aarumugam (Vivek) is disguised as a woman and is chased by two thugs who mistake him for a real woman. During the chase, the song "Maanaithedi Machan" is played in the background.[87]

Baradwaj Rangan, writing for The Hindu in 2014, mentions in his review of Kaththi that the film's basic plot was "the old Naadodi Mannan [sic] template, shaped with a relevant, burning social angle."[88] For the same newspaper, Namrata Joshi noted that Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015) bore a resemblance to Nadodi Mannan in terms of a prince's look-alike taking his place.[89] Lyricist Thamarai mentions in her interview with Rangan that she wishes to write songs as beautiful as "Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey".[90] Haasan has acknowledged various films as influences on Michael Madana Kama Rajan (1990), namely Nadodi Mannan along with Deiva Magan (1969) and Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973).[91]

Cancelled sequel

Ramachandran had planned a sequel to Nadodi Mannan titled Nadodiyin Magan, but the project was abandoned.[74][i]

Re-releases

Nadodi Mannan was first re-released on 4 August 2006 in Chennai and Chengalpattu by Divya Films,[92] which spent ₹300,000 on poster designs and promotions for its re-release.[93][c] The film opened to a positive response from the audience.[93] It received another successful re-release on 18 March 2011 in Madurai.[94]

Notes

  1. ^ While Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen state the runtime is 220 minutes,[1] Film News Anandan gives the film's runtime as 226 minutes.[2]
  2. ^ According to politician and biographer S. Jagathrakshakan, the title Nadodi Mannan, while literally meaning "Vagabond King", also refers to the vagabond and king separately.[5]
  3. ^ a b c d e f The exchange rate in 1958 was 4.79 Indian rupees (₹) per 1 US dollar (US$).[13]
  4. ^ T. G. Vaidyanathan of the magazine Film World stated that Nadodi Mannan was a "free adaptation" of The Prisoner of Zenda and not an official one.[23]
  5. ^ S. Rajanayagam mentions in his book, Popular Cinema and Politics in South India: The Films of MGR and Rajinikanth, that when Ramachandran assumed office as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, news reporters asked him what his plans were. To this, he replied, "See my Nadodi Mannan and you will get the answer".[41]
  6. ^ According to film trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai, six release prints were released for Nadodi Mannan.[60]
  7. ^ A silver jubilee film is one that completes a theatrical run of 175 days.[70]
  8. ^ S. R. Ashok Kumar does not mention why the project was abandoned.[82]
  9. ^ S. Kirubakaran does not mention why the project was abandoned.[74]

References

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Bibliography

External links

Nadodi Mannan at IMDb

March 15, 2023
nadodi, mannan, this, article, about, 1958, film, 1995, film, 1995, film, 2013, film, nadodimannan, transl, vagabond, king, 1958, indian, tamil, language, action, adventure, film, directed, ramachandran, debut, filmmaker, stars, dual, roles, alongside, bhanuma. This article is about the 1958 film For the 1995 film see Nadodi Mannan 1995 film For the 2013 film see Nadodimannan Nadodi Mannan transl The Vagabond King b is a 1958 Indian Tamil language action adventure film directed by M G Ramachandran in his debut as a filmmaker He stars in dual roles alongside P Bhanumathi M N Rajam and B Saroja Devi P S Veerappa M N Nambiar M G Chakrapani T K Balachandran and Chandrababu play supporting roles The film revolves around a king being replaced by a look alike after getting abducted on the eve of his coronation The look alike begins to implement social and economic reforms to uplift the poor which irks the kingdom s high priest who has kidnapped the very person the look alike resembles The rest of the film shows how the look alike saves the man he impersonates and defeats the high priest Nadodi MannanTheatrical release posterDirected byM G RamachandranScreenplay byC KuppusamiK SrinivasanP NeelakantanStory byR M VeerappanVe LakshmananS K T SamiProduced byM G RamachandranM G ChakrapaniR M VeerappanStarringM G RamachandranP S VeerappaM N NambiarP BhanumathiM N RajamB Saroja DeviCinematographyG K RamuEdited byK PerumalC P JambulingamMusic byS M Subbaiah NaiduN S BalakrishnanProductioncompanyEm Gee Yar PicturesRelease date22 August 1958 1958 08 22 Running time220 226 minutes a CountryIndiaLanguageTamilBudget 1 8 million 3 Box office 11 million 4 Made on a budget of 1 8 million Ramachandran co produced the film with Chakrapani and R M Veerappan under the banner of Em Gee Yar Pictures C Kuppusami K Srinivasan and P Neelakantan were in charge of the screenplay Kannadasan and Ravindar undertook the responsibility of writing the dialogues The cinematography was handled by G K Ramu while K Perumal and C P Jambulingam did the editing S M Subbaiah Naidu and N S Balakrishnan composed the film s soundtrack and score Songs from the soundtrack like Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey Thadukkathey Summa Kedandha and Senthamizhe became popular hits Filmed in both black and white as well as Gevacolor Nadodi Mannan was released on 22 August 1958 and garnered positive critical reception It was a commercial success grossing 11 million in its lifetime thereby becoming only the second Tamil film to earn 10 million after another Ramachandran starrer Madurai Veeran 1956 it became a silver jubilee film Nadodi Mannan acquired cult status in Tamil cinema and became a turning point for Ramachandran in terms of both his acting and political career Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Development 3 2 Casting 3 3 Filming 4 Themes 5 Music 6 Release 7 Reception 7 1 Critical response 7 2 Box office 8 Legacy 8 1 Impact and influence 8 2 Cancelled sequel 8 3 Re releases 9 Notes 10 References 11 Bibliography 12 External linksPlot EditThe kingdom of Ratnapuri is besieged by food shortages and high unemployment Since the king s only daughter Ratna is missing and the king dies without naming a successor Marthandan a member of the royal family is chosen by a majority of the imperial council of Ratnapuri to be its new ruler However the kingdom s Rajaguru high priest Vijayavarman plans to kill Marthandan and make Pingalan Marthandan s cousin king Meanwhile Veerabahu a loyal bodyguard of the late king and his men including his son Bhupathi and daughter Madhana are not pleased to see Marthandan as a king and are equally saddened by the situation of Ratnapuri s people Violent protests erupt all over the kingdom led by Veerangan Marthandan s look alike with the support of his friend Sagayam The protestors march to the palace condemning the monarchy and demanding democracy Veerangan is imprisoned for his actions in Naganathapuram a nearby town Madhana is also incarcerated in the same prison on a similar charge They are pardoned and released on the occasion of Marthandan s coronation They travel together to Ratnapuri Sharing the same ideals and revolutionary thoughts they fall in love In the meantime Marthandan arrives at Ratnapuri Vijayavarman asks him to stay in an isolated palace on the outskirts and tells him that he should not meet his wife Manohari until the coronation as the current moment is inauspicious On entering a hotel in Ratnapuri Veerangan and Sagayam beat up a gang of rowdies Hired by Vijayavarman they mistake Veerangan for Marthandan Veerangan is chased by palace guards and ends up in Marthandan s room Marthandan and Veerangan meet face to face Veerangan tells him of the pathetic state of the people of Ratnapuri and Marthandan agrees to set everything right as soon as he takes charge On the eve of the coronation Vijayavarman arranges for Marthandan to be poisoned He carries out his plan with the help of Karmegam M G Chakrapani a royal advisor Marthandan swoons after drinking a few sips of the poisoned beverage but is soon saved by Veerangan and Ratnapuri s commander in chief However Marthandan is still unconscious and incapacitated The commander in chief and one of the ministers persuade Veerangan to take Marthandan s place to ensure that the coronation takes place as scheduled A reluctant Veerangan agrees to do so in the interests of the state and arrives just in time for the coronation It takes place smoothly and Veerangan as Marthandan becomes Ratnapuri s new king Vijayavarman and Pingalan are taken aback and send men to investigate They find the unconscious Marthandan and kidnap him Veerangan now finds himself saddled with the role of a king for more days than he had initially bargained for because of Marthandan s sudden disappearance He does not let this setback deter him and puts the opportunity to good use by beginning many reforms and enacting several measures to uplift the poor These steps are supported by the people while causing a political upheaval among the elite However he is troubled by the fact that he is deceiving Manohari who believes him to be Marthandan Unable to keep it a secret from her he tells her the truth Perceiving his noble character Manohari accepts him as her brother Madhana is killed by Pingalan and a grief stricken Veerangan vows to avenge her death He discovers through Veerabahu that both Marthandan and Ratna have been kidnapped and held in custody on an island named Kanni Theevu Veerangan sails to Kanni Theevu and comes across Ratna who falls in love with him he reciprocates her feelings Pingalan and Karmegam arrive there only to find that the island s chieftain is none other than Vijayavarman who has kidnapped Ratna after she was born Vijayavarman plans to marry Ratna himself get rid of Pingalan and declare himself the ruler of Ratnapuri Pingalan decides to take Ratna back and make himself king legally by marrying her Ratna does not approve of it Pingalan takes her away by force Veerangan saves her from Pingalan s clutches The duo then frees Marthandan and Karmegam who had been captured by Vijayavarman and is now reformed Both Marthandan and Veerangan defeat Vijayavarman Veerangan marries Ratna and Marthandan issues a proclamation stating that Ratnapuri is a democracy Cast EditMale actorsM G Ramachandran as Marthandan and Veerangan P S Veerappa as Vijayavarman M N Nambiar as Pingalan M G Chakrapani as Karmegam T K Balachandran as Bhupathi Chandrababu as Sagayam K R Ramsingh as VeerabahuFemale actorsP Bhanumathi as Madhana M N Rajam as Manohari B Saroja Devi as Ratna G Sakunthala as Nandini T P Muthulakshmi as Nagamma K S Angamuthu as PappaProduction EditDevelopment Edit After the release of Naam 1953 6 M G Ramachandran and his brother M G Chakrapani who were its co producers and shareholders 7 were keen to make a film under their own production banner 3 Hence they established Em Gee Yar Productions and hired M Karunanidhi to draft a script for their company s debut film titled Vidivelli The film was shelved after Karunanidhi was imprisoned for participating in the Kallakudi demonstration in July 1953 3 8 Ramachandran and Chakrapani then dissolved Em Gee Yar Productions and established the Em Gee Yar drama troupe instead but the idea of producing a film was still on Ramachandran s mind 3 Ramachandran had dreamt of making his own film ever since he attended a screening of Frank Lloyd s historical drama If I Were King 1938 starring Ronald Colman in Calcutta 9 This occurred while he was playing a minor role in Maya Machhindra 1939 3 He wished to make a film that would express his political views and interests to the people of Tamil Nadu To this end he assembled a team of three people R M Veerappan V Lakshmanan and S K T Sami 10 11 He gave them suggestions about the outline of the story and urged them to watch If I Were King and two other films The Prisoner of Zenda 1937 another Colman film and Elia Kazan s Viva Zapata 1952 12 After several brainstorming sessions the team came up with a story loosely based on the three films and decided on the title Nadodi Mannan 10 11 The trio then helped make it look more Indian 11 Nadodi Mannan was produced on a budget of 1 8 million c which was considered approximately two and a half times more expensive than the average Tamil film made at the time Nearly a year was spent on pre production and casting 3 K Ramnoth was appointed initially to direct the film but died before production began resulting in Ramachandran taking over the position himself thereby making his directorial debut 3 14 This was the second film produced by Ramachandran and the first under the production banner of Em Gee Yar Pictures which was handled by Ramachandran Chakrapani and Veerappan 15 16 Kannadasan and Ravindar who assisted Veerappan Lakshmanan and Sami with the story wrote the dialogues 3 17 The screenplay was written by the trio of C Kuppusami K Srinivasan and P Neelakantan 17 G K Ramu K Nageswar Rao and R N Nagaraja Rao were in charge of cinematography art direction and stills 17 K P Ramakrishnan and Arunachalam acted as stunt doubles for Ramachandran 18 19 Film historian Film News Anandan noticed publicity stills of Nadodi Mannan on Veerappan s office desk when he happened to visit the office of Em Gee Yar Pictures He then offered to distribute them to the press Veerappan agreed knowing that Anandan was then a member of the South Indian Film Journalists Association After a few days stills of the film were published in many magazines Ramachandran was impressed with Anandan s work and at Veerappan s suggestion hired him as the film s public relations officer PRO 20 21 This was Anandan s debut film as a PRO however his name does not appear in the opening credits 17 22 Casting Edit In those days I had thought about poverty and people s situation Rather than saying thinking it would be proper to say I was experiencing the same Occasionally I thought why these problems exist The answer I received was It s because of foreigner s rule But I didn t realize that the foreigner s rule will be forever Therefore even if the foreigner s rule vanishes the rulers should be of good mind Then people will benefit That s why I created the vagabond character Then I thought about the situation of the king Those who are ruling us now belong to our tribe They live with us But their thinking and talents are controlled by foreigners Thus I imagined if they join with commoners This was the focus of the king character M G Ramachandran 3 During the filming of Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum 1956 an advertisement for Nadodi Mannan was released describing it as an adaptation of The Prisoner of Zenda d Two days later Bharani Pictures the production company co founded by P S Ramakrishna Rao and P Bhanumathi released an advertisement for a film whose concept was similar to The Prisoner of Zenda When Ramachandran and Bhanumathi heard their films were similar they tried to convince each other to change their film s storyline After much deliberation Ramachandran told Bhanumathi that he was keeping only the section of a commoner switched to king in the original while the rest of the film would be different Ramachandran accepted that they were both confused over what to do next A few days later for unknown reasons Bharani Pictures planned film was shelved Bhanumathi informed Ramachandran and told him he could go ahead with his film She offered Ramachandran her shelved film s script written by A K Velan and asked him to use it for Nadodi Mannan Ramachandran thanked her for her generosity and offered her the role of Madhana Bhanumathi agreed 3 24 M N Rajam was cast as Manohari the queen of Ratnapuri and king Marthandan s wife Ramachandran wanted Rajam for the role to avoid her being typecast as a character driven by jealousy and malice 25 For the role of Ratna B Saroja Devi was selected after a successful audition Saroja Devi was not fluent in Tamil at the time so her dialogues were written in such a way that she would find it easier to pronounce them 26 P S Veerappa M N Nambiar and Chakrapani played the antagonists Vijayavarman Pingalan and Karmegam 27 28 T K Balachandran who was prominent in Malayalam films was cast as Bhupathi 28 K R Ramsingh was selected for the role of Madhana and Bhupathi s father Veerabahu after Ramachandran was impressed by his performance in one of the stage plays he featured in 28 Chandrababu played Veerangan s friend and sidekick Sagayam 29 T P Muthulakshmi was cast as Nagamma a native of Kanni Theevu who wants a husband G Sakunthala played Manohari s lady in waiting Nandini and K S Angamuthu the restaurateur Pappa respectively 26 30 Filming Edit Nadodi Mannan was filmed in black and white for the sequences in Ratnapuri and in Gevacolor for the later scenes depicting the happenings on Kanni Theevu 3 31 The film s colour sections were processed at the Film Centre laboratory in Bombay 2 17 Principal photography took place from 1956 to 1957 over a period of 156 days which was more than the usual amount of time taken for shooting as most films in that period were completed in 40 50 days 3 The song Sammadhama was the first sequence to be shot The underwater sequence for the song Kannil Vanthu Minnalpol the dance scenes for the song Maanaithedi Machchaan and Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey took 12 9 and 3 days each to shoot The climax portions involving Ramachandran Saroja Devi and Veerappa required 11 days of filming while the sword fights between of Ramachandran and Nambiar were shot in a week 3 As the director Ramachandran wanted the end result to be perfect and shot multiple retakes for the same scene Bhanumathi found his perfectionist directorial style demanding as she was used to finishing her scenes in a single take She complained about the same opining that Ramachandran should leave the job of directing the film to someone else instead only then would she provide her commitment without charging any additional cost 9 32 33 Ramachandran asked her to either do the role as he preferred or leave the project Bhanumathi left and her remaining scenes were altered by having her character Madhana die 9 33 Since Ramachandran shot retakes a lot of film was wasted At the time film studios allowed the use of only a small number of film rolls to avoid budgetary concerns Ramachandran bought 1 000 feet 300 m from outside sources for 500 c which was considered expensive 15 As a result of these various problems during the project s production it was dubbed as Komali Mannan Jester King by the magazine Dina Thanthi 32 During filming Ramachandran received support from various members of the Tamil cinema industry B Nagi Reddy allowed Ramachandran to build the sets for Nadodi Mannan at Vijaya Vauhini Studios Likewise S S Vasan of Gemini Studios volunteered his equipment to ensure that the climax scenes came out well it was the only time the studio s equipment was used outside its premises The outdoor sequences were shot in collaboration with Aruna Films 34 Ramachandran asked director K Subramanyam to participate in the filmmaking as an overseer Subramanyam was impressed with Ramachandran s approach and felt there was no need for anyone to supervise him Subrahmanyam also helped make arrangements for filming some outdoor shots at Munnar These were done in collaboration with Aruna Films 34 35 Aarumugam handled the editing initially but left during the beginning of the film s principal photography he was later replaced by K Perumal C P Jambulingam took responsibility for editing the film s colour portions after Perumal suddenly fell ill 36 The final length of Nadodi Mannan was 19 830 feet 6 040 m 2 Themes EditNadodi Mannan was inspired by films such as The Prisoner of Zenda If I Were King and Viva Zapata 3 12 Ramachandran in an account about the film he wrote in 1959 mentioned three specific differences from The Prisoner of Zenda In the original the look alike and the queen have an intimate relationship while in Nadodi Mannan Veerangan rejects Manohari s advances When she realises that Veerangan is not Marthandan she addresses him as her brother instead Secondly the look alike was related to the king and shared the same interests Veerangan is not related to Marthandan and initially has contrasting traits until they meet Thirdly the character of Vijayavarman and the sequences in Kanni Theevu do not feature in the original while these were incorporated as part of Nadodi Mannan s main plot 3 Sri Lankan film historian Sachi Sri Kantha noted that several of Ramachandran s films reflect the 1950s trend of films being costume dramas that focus on princes and folk heroes citing Nadodi Mannan as an example 7 Kantha points out that the protagonist featured in a riding scene with an educational or philosophical song with either the heroine or a side kick comedian or an actor in a minor role alongside him is a recurring theme in many films starring Ramachandran According to Kantha this was after the song Ethanai Kaalam Thaan Ematruvar Indha Naatinile from Malaikkallan 1954 became popular In Nadodi Mannan the song Summa Kedandha which features Ramachandran alongside Bhanumathi and Uzhaipa Thilla which features an extra were described by Kantha as educational songs with a riding scene 3 R Ilangovan of Frontline magazine believed the lyrics for Summa Kedandha which were written by Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram who was a member of the Communist Party of India are a classic example of how he presented forcefully the idea of radical reforms Ilangovan mentions the presentation of reforms by Kalyanasundaram in the song is indicated by two lines Kadu velanchenna machan namakku kaiyum kalum thane mitcham What if the fields are lush with crops we are left with mere hands and legs reflects a pessimistic tone while Kadu vilayttum ponnae namakku kalam irukkuthu pennae Let the fields sprout young lady our time will come presents an optimistic feel 37 Nadodi Mannan is considered by many critics historians and intellectuals to be a propaganda film of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam DMK as Ramachandran was affiliated with the party at that time 3 38 Film historians Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen Vaasanthi S Rajanayagam and politician S Jagathrakshakan note that the black and red flag of the DMK as well as the party s rising sun symbol are seen in the film 39 Rajadhyaksha and Willemen further state that Vijayavarman s corrupt nature is a thinly disguised reference to the Congress Party 1 Both Vaasanthi and another film historian Selvaraj Velayutham mention a scene where Ramachandran issues a decree that can be passed off as a DMK election manifesto 40 e According to both Erik Barnouw and Sisir Kumar Das the song Senthamizhe represents the glorification of the Tamil language identity and culture It also symbolises what Das describes as a medium of propagation of D M K ideology 42 Of the same song Ramachandran s biographer R Kannan found it to be a continuation of including songs with political messages in films beginning with Malaikkallan 43 Ramachandran even went on to say during the celebration of the film s 100th day theatrical run that Nadodi Mannan has been produced to show that the DMK is the party which is serving the people of this country 44 45 Music EditNadodi MannanSoundtrack album by S M Subbaiah Naidu and N S BalakrishnanReleased1958Length1 01 29LabelThe Gramophone Company of India LtdProducerS M Subbaiah NaiduN S BalakrishnanN S Balakrishnan composed the songs Paadupattathannale Sammadhama and Senthamizhe while the rest were by S M Subbaiah Naidu who was also in charge of the background score 46 The songs lyrics were written by Pattukkottai Kalyanasundaram Suratha Kavi Lakshmanadas N M Muthukkoothan and M K Athmanathan 3 17 47 The song Varuga Varuga Vendhe written by Suratha was also composed in Kannada Malayalam and in Telugu with lyrics by Vijaya Narasimha P Bhaskaran and Narayanababu respectively 17 48 The track Summa Kedandha was written earlier for the news agency Janasakthi before Kalyansundaram used it for the film with a few minor changes in the lyrics 49 The songs were recorded on 45 RPM records produced by The Gramophone Company of India Ltd label which also released the soundtrack 50 51 Plans for the inclusion of another track Kaalai Maatai Paal Karaga Paarkiraanga were dropped since a pair of bullocks were used as the symbol of the Congress Party at that time 52 The soundtrack received positive feedback with songs like Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey 37 Thadukkathey 53 Summa Kedandha and Senthamizhe becoming popular hits 3 37 54 Sachi Sri Kantha called Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey a magical educational song further describing it as one of the songs that Ramachandran used to direct his attention on the listlessness among Tamil workers 3 7 Rajadhyaksha and Willemen mention in their book Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema that Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey had inaugurated MGR s personal political programme 1 Both Sridhar Swaminathan of Hindu Tamil Thisai and Maayan of the Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan also cite the same song as a good example of children s education 55 56 A reviewer from The New Indian Express called the songs philosophy espousing while noting how they spelt the Dravidian tenets 57 Track list 17 51 58 59 No TitleLyricsSinger s Length1 Kannil Vandhu Minnalpol SurathaT M Soundararajan Jikki04 242 Kannoda Kannu Pattukkottai KalyanasundaramJikki06 243 Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey Pattukkottai KalyanasundaramT M Soundararajan03 124 Uzhaipa Thilla Kavi LakshmanadasSirkazhi Govindarajan03 355 Thadukkathey M K AathmanathanChandrababu K Jamuna Rani03 036 Maanaithedi Machan Pattukkottai KalyanasundaramJikki04 387 Summa Kedandha Pattukkottai KalyanasundaramT M Soundararajan P Bhanumathi03 168 Varuga Varuga Vendhe Tamil SurathaN L Ganasaraswathi P S Vaidehi06 019 Namma Dravidare Kulage Kannada Vijaya NarasimhaJikki06 0110 Dravidamaam Malayalam P BhaskaranSantha P Nair06 0111 Kudakkalla Kimpuma Telugu NarayanababuJikki06 0112 Paadupattathannale M K AathmanathanT V Rathnam03 1813 Sammadhama N M MuthukkoothanP Bhanumathi02 2914 Senthamizhe N M MuthukkoothanT M Soundararajan03 06Total length 01 01 29Release EditNadodi Mannan was released on 22 August 1958 3 The expenses made for the film resulted in Ramachandran not having enough money to buy release prints f Hence Veerappan and Chakrapani decided to acquire a legal loan of 50 000 from AVM Productions c However Ramachandran s signature was required for the loan contract When they consulted with him on this issue he asked Veerappan and Chakrapani to tell the studio s founder A V Meiyappan that they would repay the loan and keep the price paid by the production company Cinemas Limited for distribution rights for the film s release in Sri Lanka as collateral Meiyappan agreed to provide the loan which was repaid by Veerappan immediately after the film s release 15 61 Reception EditCritical response Edit The film received positive critical response 1 A review carried by Ananda Vikatan dated 7 September 1958 appreciated the film for being a commercial entertainer describing it as a treat to the eyes The review concluded that the film could be seen more than once 62 K Jeshi from The Hindu appreciated the filmmaking techniques used to portray Ramachandran s dual roles noting that it was technically superior 63 A reviewer from the entertainment and news website Sify called it a pucca mass entertainer 64 Rajadhyaksha and Willemen mention that Nadodi Mannan was made in a style derived from Gemini s post Chandralekha 1948 films 1 James K Norton the author of the book Global Studies India and South Asia called the film a prime example of how rhetoric and action were combined to build an image as a hero of the oppressed 65 Rajanayagam however criticised Ramachandran s role as Marthandan pointing out that the character s mannerisms are overdone to the point of annoyance 66 Box office Edit Shortly before its release Ramachandran s take on the film s fate was I am a king if this were to succeed If not I will be a vagabond 9 67 The film turned out to be an unprecedented success at the box office grossing 11 million c becoming only the second Tamil film to earn more than 10 million after Madurai Veeran 1956 which also featured Ramachandran in the lead 4 9 c The film ran for 100 days in 23 theatres worldwide 4 It went on to achieve a theatrical run of 175 days and become a silver jubilee film 68 69 g It was dubbed into Telugu as Anaganaga Oka Raju and as Hamen Bhi Jeene Do in Hindi 2 71 The DMK party celebrated the success of Nadodi Mannan with a public function on 16 October 1958 at the Tamukkam Ground in Madurai The function which was attended by 200 000 people saw Ramachandran being taken in a procession on a chariot drawn by four horses and garlanded twice He was awarded a golden sword worth 110 pounds by the party leader C N Annadurai and member V R Nedunchezhiyan 72 73 Ramachandran later donated the sword to the Kollur Mookambika Temple 74 The film s 100th day theatrical run celebrations were held on 30 November 1958 at the Alagappa College in Madurai 45 67 Another round of celebrations were held on the same day at the SIAA Grounds in Chennai where Annadurai praised Ramachandran calling him his Idhayakkani or heart s fruit also stating Praising MGR is like me praising myself Ramachandran later called that moment as the most memorable one in his life 52 Legacy EditImpact and influence Edit When he introduced me in Nadodi Mannan I was so naive He took care of me so well and used to give advice and tips while acting After that we have acted together in several films Without MGR there s no Saroja Devi Saroja Devi on M G Ramachandran in an interview with Deccan Chronicle 75 Nadodi Mannan was a turning point in Ramachandran s career as both an actor and a politician The film s success earned him the nickname Puratchi Thalaivar revolutionary leader 1 76 Biographer Kannan dubbed the film as the biggest propaganda blitzkrieg for the DMK till then 32 Film historian Swarnavel Eswaran Pillai called Nadodi Mannan Ramachandran s defining film as a star 77 The film acquired cult status in Tamil cinema and propelled Saroja Devi to stardom 78 T S Subramanian of Frontline noted that it was one among many of Ramachandran s films in the 1950s where he espoused his personal ideals such as helping the poor being chivalrous and fighting injustice 79 Film historian and critic Randor Guy labelled Nadodi Mannan as among the most memorable films both Nambiar and Veerappa had worked in 80 81 Ramachandran planned his second directorial film to be titled after the song Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey but the project was abandoned 82 h and the song was instead used as the title for a 1983 film starring Kamal Haasan 83 In their 2006 reviews of Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei both Baskaran of The Hindu and S Sudha of Rediff com mention the film shared similarities with Nadodi Mannan 84 85 In July 2007 S R Ashok Kumar of The Hindu asked eight Tamil film directors to list their all time favourite Tamil films K Bhagyaraj named Nadodi Mannan Bhagyaraj selected the film because he enjoyed the way both heroes combine acting prowess with entertainment 86 In the film Padikkadavan 2009 Assault Aarumugam Vivek is disguised as a woman and is chased by two thugs who mistake him for a real woman During the chase the song Maanaithedi Machan is played in the background 87 Baradwaj Rangan writing for The Hindu in 2014 mentions in his review of Kaththi that the film s basic plot was the old Naadodi Mannan sic template shaped with a relevant burning social angle 88 For the same newspaper Namrata Joshi noted that Prem Ratan Dhan Payo 2015 bore a resemblance to Nadodi Mannan in terms of a prince s look alike taking his place 89 Lyricist Thamarai mentions in her interview with Rangan that she wishes to write songs as beautiful as Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey 90 Haasan has acknowledged various films as influences on Michael Madana Kama Rajan 1990 namely Nadodi Mannan along with Deiva Magan 1969 and Yaadon Ki Baaraat 1973 91 Cancelled sequel Edit Ramachandran had planned a sequel to Nadodi Mannan titled Nadodiyin Magan but the project was abandoned 74 i Re releases Edit Nadodi Mannan was first re released on 4 August 2006 in Chennai and Chengalpattu by Divya Films 92 which spent 300 000 on poster designs and promotions for its re release 93 c The film opened to a positive response from the audience 93 It received another successful re release on 18 March 2011 in Madurai 94 Notes Edit While Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen state the runtime is 220 minutes 1 Film News Anandan gives the film s runtime as 226 minutes 2 According to politician and biographer S Jagathrakshakan the title Nadodi Mannan while literally meaning Vagabond King also refers to the vagabond and king separately 5 a b c d e f The exchange rate in 1958 was 4 79 Indian rupees per 1 US dollar US 13 T G Vaidyanathan of the magazine Film World stated that Nadodi Mannan was a free adaptation of The Prisoner of Zenda and not an official one 23 S Rajanayagam mentions in his book Popular Cinema and Politics in South India The Films of MGR and Rajinikanth that when Ramachandran assumed office as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu news reporters asked him what his plans were To this he replied See my Nadodi Mannan and you will get the answer 41 According to film trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai six release prints were released for Nadodi Mannan 60 A silver jubilee film is one that completes a theatrical run of 175 days 70 S R Ashok Kumar does not mention why the project was abandoned 82 S Kirubakaran does not mention why the project was abandoned 74 References Edit a b c d e f Rajadhyaksha amp Willemen 1998 p 355 a b c d Film News Anandan 23 October 2004 ச தன கள பட த த தம ழ த த ர ப பட வரல ற 1958 ல வ ள ய ன படப பட ட யல தய ர ப ப ளர கள வ பரம ந ட ட மன னன History of Landmark Tamil Films List of films of 1958 Credits Nadodi Mannan in Tamil Chennai Sivakami Publishers Archived from the original on 16 June 2017 Retrieved 16 June 2017 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Sri Kantha Sachi 6 March 2015 MGR Remembered Part 25 Ilankai Tamil Sangam Archived from the original on 8 June 2017 Retrieved 8 June 2017 a b c Film News Anandan 23 October 2004 ச தன கள பட த த தம ழ த த ர ப பட வரல ற ந ட ட மன னன பற ற எம ஜ ஆர History of Landmark Tamil Films MGR on Nadodi Mannan in Tamil Chennai Sivakami Publishers Archived from the original on 7 June 2017 Retrieved 7 June 2017 Jagathrakshakan 1984 p 33 Guy Randor 29 December 2012 Naam 1953 The Hindu Archived from the original on 3 June 2017 Retrieved 3 June 2017 a b c Sri Kantha Sachi 30 September 2014 MGR Remembered Part 21 Ilankai Tamil Sangam Archived from the original on 12 June 2017 Retrieved 12 June 2017 Kannan 2010 p 204 a b c d e ச வ ம ந தன ஸ ர தர 22 March 2016 எம ஜ ஆர 100 26 படம ஓட ன ல மன னன ஓட வ ட ட ல ந ட ட MGR 100 26 If the film is successful he is a king if not he is a vagabond Hindu Tamil Thisai Archived from the original on 30 September 2020 Retrieved 30 September 2020 a b Film News Anandan 23 October 2004 ச தன கள பட த த தம ழ த த ர ப பட 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