Manmadha Leelai

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Manmadha Leelai
File:Manmadha Leelai.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byK. Balachander
Produced byP. R. Govindarajan
J. Duraiswamy
Written byK. Balachander
Starring
Music byM. S. Viswanathan
CinematographyB. S. Lokanath
Edited byN. R. Kittu
Production
company
Kalakendra Movies
Release date
  • 27 February 1976 (1976-02-27)
[1]
Running time
161 minutes[2]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Manmatha Leelai (transl. Cupid's Play) is a 1976 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by K. Balachander. The film stars Kamal Haasan and Aalam. A number of actresses debuted through this film, including Hema Choudhary as Madhavi, Jayapradha as Kannagi, Y. Vijaya as Miss Wrong Number, among others. The film was dubbed into Telugu as Manmadha Leela and dubbed in Hindi in 1977 as Meethi Meethi Baatein. Though the film was criticised for its bold content when it released, it has received cult status with passing years and is considered a trendsetter.

Plot[edit]

The film explores the life journey of a womaniser Madhu and his affairs with various women, including those who are married. The main conflict is between Madhu and his wife Rekha. Balachander's genius lies in objectifying married women of the city whilst creating a loving wife who's torn between accepting her husband and living a separated life after having discovered the travails of her own father.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

M. R. Radha's son Radha Ravi made his acting debut with the film.[3][4] The coat that Kamal Haasan wears prominently in the film was actually his brother Charuhasan's.[5]

Soundtrack[edit]

Manmadha Leelai
Soundtrack album by
M. S. Viswanathan
Released1976
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length26:39
LanguageTamil
LabelEMI
ProducerM. S. Viswanathan
External audio
Audio Jukebox at YouTube

The soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan.[6] The song "Naadham Ennum" is set in Shree ranjani raga,[7] while "Hello My Dear" is set in Dharmavati.[8]

Tamil tracklist
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Manaivi Amaivathellam"KannadasanK. J. Yesudas4:29
2."Naathamenum"KannadasanVani Jairam4:12
3."Hello My Dear Wrong Number"KannadasanK. J. Yesudas, L. R. Eswari4:22
4."Manmadha"KannadasanS. P. Balasubrahmanyam5:02
5."Netru Oru Menagai"KannadasanA. V. Ramanan4:38
6."Sugam Thanaa"KannadasanS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela3:56
Total length:26:39
Telugu tracklist[9][10]
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Hello My Dear"VeturiS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, L. R. Eswari 
2."Kushalamena"VeturiS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela 
3."Manmadha Leela"VeturiS. P. Balasubrahmanyam 
4."Ninnoka Menaka"VeturiS. P. Balasubrahmanyam 
Hindi tracklist[11][12]
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Hello Hello My Dear"Prem DhawanK. J. Yesudas, Vani Jairam 
2."Dil Diwana Bada Mastana"Prem DhawanS. P. Balasubrahmanyam 
3."Kal Koi Menka Aaj Koi Urvashi"Prem DhawanS. P. Balasubrahmanyam 
4."Khush Hai Na O Sajni"Prem DhawanK. J. Yesudas, Vani Jairam 

Reception[edit]

The film struggled to get a censor certificate.[13] Even though it stirred up controversies when it was released, it later became a cult classic,[14] and is considered a trendsetter.[15] Kamal Haasan said about the film, "it was an interesting subject. For that period it was unusual, a breaking down of the fidelity stereotypes".[16] After Vijaya Bapineedu acquired the rights to dub the film in Telugu, he edited it down by more than 250 feet (76 m). Though Balachander was disappointed with the dubbed version, titled Manmadha Leela, it fared better than the Tamil original.[17][18] The film was dubbed in Hindi as Meethi Meethi Baatein (1977).[19]

In 2010, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj was toying with the idea of remaking the film.[20]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "Manmadha Leelai". Screen4screen. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  2. ↑ Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1998) [1994]. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema (PDF). British Film Institute and Oxford University Press. p. 428. ISBN 0-19-563579-5.
  3. ↑ Rangarajan, Malathi (8 March 2012). "Refrains, old and new". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  4. ↑ Raman, Mohan (3 January 2015). "KB: Kollywood's Discovery Channel". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  5. ↑ "'மன்மத லீலை' கோட் குறித்த சுவாரசியப் பின்னணி: கமல் பகிர்வு". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in தமிழ்). 8 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Manmatha Leelai". Gaana.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  7. ↑ Mani, Charulatha (26 October 2012). "Six-note splendour". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  8. ↑ Mani, Charulatha (9 November 2012). "Twice as nice". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  9. ↑ "Manmadha Leela". Gaana.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  10. ↑ "Manmadha Leela". Indiancine.ma (in తెలుగు). Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  11. ↑ "Meethi Meethi Baatein (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Spotify. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  12. ↑ "Meethi Meethi Baatein (1977)". Bollywood MuVyz. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  13. ↑ S, Srivatsan (10 July 2019). "When K Balachander wanted to write for OTT platforms". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  14. ↑ Lakshmi, V (8 July 2012). "New twist to old tales". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  15. ↑ Suganth, M (8 August 2012). "The '80s are back!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  16. ↑ Shivkumar, S. (25 August 2005). "Set to score a perfect ten". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 May 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  17. ↑ Sri (14 November 2007). "Exclusive : Interview with Vijayabapineedu". Telugucinema.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  18. ↑ Murali, S. (25 September 2020). "S.P. Balasubrahmanyam: The end of an era". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  19. ↑ Narayan, Hari (21 November 2016). "Some lesser known SPB magic for you". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  20. ↑ "Old is gold for Kollywood actors". The Times of India. 27 August 2010. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2020.

External links[edit]

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