Apoorva Raagangal (1975)

Apoorva Raagangal (English: Rare Melodies) is a 1975 Indian Tamil drama film directed by K. Balachander. The film features Kamal Haasan and Srividya in lead roles while Rajinikanth (in his cinematic debut), Jayasudha, Nagesh, and Major Sundarrajan play supporting roles. The film was produced by V. Govindarajan and J. Duraisamy under the production banner Kalakendra Films. The soundtrack and score were composed by M. S. Viswanathan while the lyrics for all tracks were written by Kannadasan.

Although the film was based on a riddle featured in one of the Vikram and Betal stories, it has also been widely described as having been inspired by the American film 40 Carats (1973). Apoorva Raagangal was controversial upon release as it examines relationships between people with wide age gaps, which challenged Indian social mores. The film is about Prasanna (Kamal) who falls in love with the older Bhairavi (Srividya) while his father is drawn to Bhairavi's daughter Ranjini (Jayasudha). The rest of the film revolves around the four characters and their problems.

Apoorva Raagangal released on 18 August 1975 and became a critical and commercial success. It won three National Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards South. It was later remade by Balachander in Hindi as Ek Nai Paheli with Kamal and Hema Malini as the leads, and in Telugu as Thoorpu Padamara.

Synopsis

Prasanna (Kamal Haasan) is nursed back to health by a classical singer Bhairavi (Srividya) after a bloody street-side fight. The two are slowly drawn to each other and decide to marry in spite of their age difference and a past relationship that Bhairavi is still inextricably tied to. In the meantime, Prasanna's father, Mahendran (Major Sundararajan) embarks on a relationship with the young Ranjani (Jayasudha). We soon find out that Ranjani is Bhairavi's daughter (born to her out of wedlock). Both relationships arrive at a dilemma with an unexpected twist when Bhairavi's long-lost husband, Pandiyan (Rajinikanth) comes into picture.

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