Antha Ezhu Naatkal is a 1981 Tamil language film. Directed by and starring K. Bhagyaraj, the film follows the life and ambitions of the hero, Palakkad Madhavan played by K. Bhagyaraj and his sidekick Gopi. The movie was a great hit and very well received by the public. It was remade in Telugu as Radha Kalyanam, in Hindi as Woh Saat Din, and in Kannada as Love Maadi Nodu.
Plot
Vasanthi and Dr. Anand marry. On their first night, Vasanthi poisons herself and is saved by Dr. Anand. He then inquires about her past. Vasanthi narrates her flashback. Palakkad Madhavan, a poor Brahmin, naive, honest, aspiringmusic director comes to Madras and stays for renton top of Vasanthi's house. He is unable to pay the rent of 30 Rs after the first month and even unable to eat on some days. Vasanthi who stays below develops feelings for him and helps him through his assistant Gopi. Gopi is a kid wise beyond his age who has the knack of surviving in a city. Madhavan initially refuses Vasanthi's advances fearing her family and his financial inability to support her but eventually accepts her love. While their love is blossoming, Vasanthi's parents get a proposal for Vasanthi from a wealthy widower who wants to marry a middle-class lady who would take care of his daughter and be a good daughter-in-law to his ailing mother. Vasanthi's grandfather and mother decide to marry her to the doctor. Vasanthi refuses the proposal and decides to marry Madhavan at a temple the next day. Her family and other people from her neighbourhood beat up Madhavan and force Vasanthi into a marriage with Dr. Anand. She explains to Dr. Anand that she is unable to change her heart and accept him as her husband. Hearing of Vasanthi's past, Dr. Anand decides that she should reunite with her lover and he will help her. He asks her to stay in his house for a week as his terminally ill mother is counting her last days. Vasanthi agrees to this while Anand is looking for Madhavan in Kerala and in Madras. During her seven-day stay with Dr. Anand, she starts interacting with him, his mother, his daughter. Dr. Anand chances on Madhavan and Gopi at an empty roadside shop and lies to him that he is a producer scouting for a music director. He hires Madhavan and narrates the story of the movie he is producing. The innocent Madhavan fails to notice this and composes tunes for Dr. Anand. After his mother dies and Madhavan asks Dr. Anand to tell him the climax so he can compose his tune, Dr. Anand brings Madhavan to take Vasanthi. But Vasanthi refuses to go as removing her nuptial string is against tradition and decides to stay with Dr. Anand. Madhavan advises Dr. Anand "my lover can become your wife but your wife can never become my lover. That is our culture".
The story of Antha Ezhu Naatkal was inspired by the life of veteran comedian Chandrababu. The film was produced by T. G. Thyagarajan for Sathya Jyothi Films and Srini Creations. Chandrababu's real-life marriage had failed after his wife revealed to him that she was in love with someone similar to Rajesh's character in the story.
