Mu. Ka. Muthu, the eldest son of Mu. Karunanidhi, made a spectacular acting debut in his father’s production Pillaiyo Pillai under the family banner of Anjugam Pictures.
The movie was written by Mu. Karunanidhi with direction by Krishnan-Panju. Lyrics were by Vaali and Kavignar Kannadasan and maestro M. S. Viswanathan was entrusted with the music. The film was shot by Amritham, another member of the Mu. Ka. family.
The story deals with a villain, Gangatharan (R.S. Manohar), who masquerades as a noble man in public. Besides being a womaniser, he is also involved in the robbing of temple sculptures. He kills his first wife (G. Sakunthala) and foists the crime on his servant Murugan (M.R.R. Vasu). He later escapes from prison and kidnaps Gangatharan’s son (Mu. Ka. Muthu) and raises him as his own.
Gangatharan gets remarried to Kanchana (played by C.R. Vijayakumari), whom Murugan kidnaps. But he releases her when Kanchana confesses that she’s bearing a child. When Gangathran learns of his wife’s pregnancy, he drives her away. She gives birth to a son (played by Muthu again).
Years roll by, and the boy raised by Murugan, Kumar, becomes a doctor. Kanchana’s son Kannan grows up to become a straightforward and hardworking person. Confusion ensues as the public prosecutor’s daughter (Lakshmi) falls in love with one of the sons, often mistaking Kannan for Kumar. As part of his plans to wreak vengeance, Gangatharan accuses Kumar of stealing a ring and beats him up. How the problems are solved forms the rest of the story. Muthu’s performance in both roles is excellent, and his good looks add to the impact. Equally impressive are the performances by Vijayakumari, S. Varalakshmi and Lakshmi.
The film’s music was a major highlight with the duet ‘Moondru Thamizh….’ (lyrics: Vaali, voices: T.M. Soundarajan and P. Susheela) becoming a huge hit.
The film was a box-office success and celebrated 100 days at many centres.
Remembered For: The fine performance of Muthu in a double role, Vijayakumari’s tragic role and the soulful music by MSV with ‘Moondru Thamizh’ being a highlight.
