Oraayiram nadagam aadinaal - Sumati En Sundari

Saravanan writes:

Sumati En Sundari (1971) was a Tamil movie directed by C.V. Rajendran and starred Sivaji Ganesan, & Jayalalitha. It was an adaptation of the 1967 Bengali movie Nayika Sangbad that was written by Prasanta Deb with Uttam Kumar & Anjana Bhowmik essaying the lead roles.

Interspersed with hilarious moments, the movie was a breezy narration of a film star called Sumati who is poised at the pinnacle of glory. Fame and fortune are hers, but so is an aching emptiness and loneliness. She longs to lead the simple life of a normal woman, but society does not permit her these simple pleasures. While traveling to an outdoor shoot, she gets down from the train in a small hillside station to get into another compartment, but the train speeds away before she could clamber in.

She seeks refuge in the house of a surly young estate manager who is a misogynist to boot. Thankfully, he has never watched her movies, has never traveled far from his beloved tea gardens, and is unaware of the celebrity status of his sudden guest. Sumati introduces herself as Sundari, and persuades him to put her up for the night. How she gradually enters his heart and keeps evading the reach of the film crew form rest of the reels. Sivaji as the ill-tempered estate overseer undergoing a change of heart and Jayalalitha as Sumati pretending to be Sundari played their roles with characteristic panache. The movie had a successful run of over 100 days in most centers.

One of the chief reasons for the movie’s success was M.S.Viswanathan’s wonderful album, a veritable treasure. Kannadasan penned the lyrics for all the songs, save ‘Oru tharam ore tharam’, which was written by Vaali. ‘Pottu vaitha mugamo’ was the first song that SPB sang for Sivaji Ganesan, and the song was a runaway hit. The gently tantalizing ‘Oru tharam ore tharam’, recorded but not used in an earlier movie, was included in this album. ‘Or aalayamaagum mangai manadhu’ is a rhapsody of marital rapture.

Presenting here the song that reflects Sumati’s unbounded joy….she has, at last, found the shelter that she was longing for…..Carefree as a bird, she explores the sylvan tea gardens. The grouchiness of her unwilling escort does little to dampen her enthusiasm as she gambols amidst the tea bushes….the azure sky, the balmy breeze, the silvery cascades, the verdant greenery that covers the slopes, the industrious women cheerfully plucking tea leaves…… all beckon to her, and she responds with joyful abandon… she had donned several roles earlier, but this tea garden is miles away from that tinsel town,….. This is life… and she intends to live it to the fullest, as she fears that it is not bound to last long…

How much elation is encapsulated in MSV’s tune, and how does the singer Susheela manage to coat each word with such buoyant happiness! The sheer joy of living tumbles down the lines. Listen to that breathtaking humming before each ‘Oraayiram’…. Isn’t it akin to an unfettered bird spreading its wings and soaring gracefully in the sky?

Discussion:

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Song: Oraayiram nadagam aadinaal
Film: Sumati En Sundari (1971)
Vocals: P. Susheela
Lyrics: Kannadasan
Music: M.S. Viswanathan