Petralthan Pillaiya(1966)
Petralthan Pillaiya is a 1966 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Krishnan–Panju and written by Aaroor Dass. It stars M. G. Ramachandran, B. Saroja Devi, and Sowcar Janaki. The story follows a homeless tramp named Anandhan who finds an abandoned baby boy in a temple and raises him as his own son. Five years later, the boy's biological mother returns with her husband to reclaim the child. The film is an adaptation of Charlie Chaplin's 1921 American silent film The Kid. It was produced by K. K. Vasu under Sri Muthukumaran Pictures. The soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan with lyrics by Vaali. The film was a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres. It was released on 9 December 1966.
Quick Facts
- Theatrical Release
- 8 December 1966
- Director
- Krishnan-Panju
- Language
- Tamil 0
Storyline
A homeless tramp named Anandhan finds an abandoned baby in a temple. He names the boy Kannan and raises him with love and sacrifice. Five years later, the boy's biological mother returns to take him back. Anandhan must fight to keep the son he raised as his own.
“Who is a real parent?”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Petralthan Pillaiya
Cast reunions in this film: M. S. Viswanathan & M. G. Ramachandran (37 films together), Saroja Devi & M. G. Ramachandran (24 films together), M. S. Viswanathan & Saroja Devi (16 films together), M. S. Viswanathan & Krishnan-Panju (14 films together), M. S. Viswanathan & K. A. Thangavelu (10 films together), and M. G. Ramachandran & K. A. Thangavelu (8 films together).
Trivia
- The film's title 'Petralthan Pillaya' translates to 'The Son Who Was Found', directly hinting at the plot.
- It was one of the few films where actor Muthuraman played a central dramatic role, diverging from his usual romantic or comedic parts.
- The movie's music was composed by the duo M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy, who were at the peak of their popularity.
- A key filming location was the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, known for its iconic architecture.
- The story explores the theme of parental love versus biological ties, a recurring subject in 1960s Tamil cinema.
- This was one of the earlier films produced under the banner of AVM Productions, a major studio at the time.
- The child actor who played the found baby, Master Sridhar, became a familiar face in Tamil films of that era.