Neelamalai Thirudan

<p>A good-hearted brother has two siblings: a kind sister named Lakshmi and an evil brother named Nagappan, who lusts for the family’s wealth. The kind brother has a son, and his sister has a daughter called Maragatham. Aware of Nagappan’s plans, the good brother leaves the family home and entrusts his son to take care of his sister and her husband Thangappan. After learning of his brother’s departure, Nagappan searches for him and his family and orders his henchman Nanjappan to kill them. The family gets separated. The boy, now grown up, takes up arms against his evil uncle. He helps the downtrodden, exposes villains and restores peace. In the end, the whole family is reunited. The producer wanted to make with his close friend starring, and the script was tailored to suit the actor’s image. To Thevar’s surprise, Ramachandran did not give him as he was committed to several other projects, including (1958). Thevar then signed on , to Ramachandran’s dismay. The film was written by S. Ayyaiah Pillai, and directed by Thevar’s brother who also handled the editing. Cinematography was handled by V. N. Reddy, with C. V. Moorthy assisting. Two – a horse named Iqbal and a dog named Tiger – were prominently used. Music was composed by . The song “Sathiyame Latchiyamai” underlines “the philosophy of life and the importance of helping the downtrodden and destroying the villains”. It attained popularity, and is often aired on Tamil television channels. was released on 20 September 1957, and became a success. According to historian , a contributing factor was Ranjan’s -inspired performance. Jambavan of negatively reviewed the film, criticising Ranjan’s performance and the numerous plot holes.</p>