Actors Sivaji Ganesan and Radha in the Tamil film ‘Mudhal Mariyathai’
| Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
One of director Bharathiraja’s masterpieces,Mudhal Mariyathai, which portrayed the love between an ageing hero and a young woman, had its genesis in the love story of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky and Anna Snitkina, who was 25 years younger than him. Thespian Sivaji Ganesan and Radha played the lead roles in the film adaptation of the story. The song Vettiveru Vaasam Vedalapullai Nesam, composed by Ilaiyaraaja, encapsulated the story in a nutshell.Also Read: Bharathiraja passes away, tributes pour inR. Selvaraj, Tamil film story writer and a close associate of Bharathiraja, recalls: “Initially, everyone was quick to write off the film as a flop. Producer and writer Panchu Arunachalam said the horse would lose the race. Music director Ilaiyaraaja also had reservations about the film’s success. But the movie proved everyone wrong and became a major hit,” said Selvaraj.Ilaiyaraaja himself later recalled his initial misgivings about the project. Yet, all the songs — Andha Nilavathaan Naan Kaiyila Pudichen, Vettiveru Vaasam Vedalapullai Nesam and Poongaatru Thirumbuma En Paattai Virumbuma — remain among the finest compositions in Tamil cinema.
