Unnaipol Oruvan(1965)
Unnaipol Oruvan is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Jayakanthan. It stars R. Gandhimathi as Thangam, a construction worker, with P. Udhayan as her son Chitti Babu, S. Prabhakar as Manickam, and A. K. Veerasamy as the ice cream factory owner. The story follows Thangam's struggle to raise her son in a slum after being abandoned by her lover, and Chitti's journey from irresponsibility to regret. The film has no songs, with background score by Chitti Babu. It won the National Film Award for Third Best Feature Film in 1965 and is considered the first neorealistic film in Tamil cinema. The film was released on 27 February 1965 and is available on YouTube.
Unnaipol Oruvan (1965) OTT release date is not officially announced yet — GudVibe tracks its streaming availability daily.
Where to watch:Quick Facts
- Theatrical Release
- 31 December 1965
- Director
- D. Jayakanthan
- Language
- Tamil
- Runtime
- 2h 30m 0
Storyline
A poor construction worker named Thangam raises her son Chitti Babu alone in a slum. Chitti is irresponsible until a kind factory owner reforms him. But when a new man enters Thangam's life, Chitti's jealousy tears the family apart. His coldness leads to tragedy.
“A mother's love lost too late.”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Unnaipol Oruvan
Cast reunions in this film: Nagesh & Ganthimathi (4 films together).
Trivia
- This was the first film directed by the famous Tamil writer Jayakanthan, who was known for his novels and short stories.
- The film's story is based on Jayakanthan's own short story 'Chitti Babu', which he later expanded into a novel.
- It was one of the earliest Tamil films to realistically portray life in a Madras slum, focusing on the working class.
- The film's music was composed by V. Kumar, who was a relatively new composer at the time.
- Lead actor Ravichandran, who played Chitti Babu, was primarily known as a Kannada film star and acted in only a few Tamil films.
- The movie was not a major commercial success but is remembered for its strong social themes and writing.
- Jayakanthan used many non-professional actors from real slums to add authenticity to the film's setting.