Bharathiraja’s masterpiece movie ‘Mudhal Mariyathai’: a Russian connection and initial misgivings

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Actors Sivaji Ganesan and Radha in the Tamil film ‘Mudhal Mariyathai’. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives

One of director Bharathiraja’s masterpieces, Mudhal Mariyathai, which portrayed the love between an ageing hero and a young woman, had its genesis in the love story of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky and Anna Snitkina, who was 25 years younger than him. Thespian Sivaji Ganesan and Radha played the lead roles in the film adaptation of the story. The song Vettiveru Vaasam Vedalapullai Nesam, composed by Ilaiyaraaja, encapsulated the story in a nutshell.

R. Selvaraj, Tamil film story writer and a close associate of Bharathiraja, recalls: “Initially, everyone was quick to write off the film as a flop. Producer and writer Panchu Arunachalam said the horse would lose the race. Music director Ilaiyaraaja also had reservations about the film’s success. But the movie proved everyone wrong and became a major hit,” said Selvaraj.