Vellai Roja(1983)
Vellai Roja is a 1983 Indian Tamil-language thriller film directed by A. Jagannathan and written by A. L. Narayanan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan in a dual role as a Catholic priest and his twin brother, a police superintendent, alongside Ambika, Prabhu, and Radha. The story follows the murder of a young woman named Mary and the subsequent discovery of the priest's body in her coffin, leading to a complex investigation. The film is a remake of the 1982 Malayalam film Post Mortem. It was released on 4 November 1983, during Diwali, and ran for 100 days in 13 centres. The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics by Muthulingam, Na. Kamarasan, Vaali, and Gangai Amaran.
Quick Facts
- Theatrical Release
- 3 November 1983
- Director
- A. Jagannathan
- Language
- Tamil 0
Storyline
A respected priest is found dead inside a coffin that was supposed to hold the body of a young woman. The woman's brother is the prime suspect. But the priest's twin brother, a police officer, believes the truth is hidden. He must find the missing body and uncover the real killer before the wrong man is punished.
“The truth lies buried with the dead”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Vellai Roja
Cast reunions in this film: Prabhu & Ilayaraja (60 films together), Ilayaraja & Thengai Srinivasan (50 films together), Radha & Ilayaraja (35 films together), Ilayaraja & Ambika (32 films together), Ilayaraja & Silk Smitha (25 films together), and Ilayaraja & Sivaji Ganesan (24 films together).
Trivia
- The film is a remake of the 1981 Malayalam movie 'Post Mortem', which also starred Sivaji Ganesan in the lead role.
- This was one of the earliest films for actor Prabhu, son of Sivaji Ganesan, establishing him as a supporting actor.
- The movie's title 'Vellai Roja' translates to 'White Rose', a symbol often associated with purity in the story.
- Director A. Jagannathan and composer Ilayaraja collaborated on numerous films, but this is a lesser-known entry in their partnership.
- Actress Radha, who played a key role, was a major star in Telugu cinema but appeared selectively in Tamil films at the time.
- The film's producer, V. Viswanathan, was also a prominent distributor in the Tamil film industry during that era.
- Despite the star power, the movie did not achieve major commercial success compared to other Sivaji Ganesan films of the early 1980s.