En Kanavar


En Kanavar is a 1948 Indian Tamil language film directed by S. Balachander and produced by Ajith Pictures. Balachandar, in addition to directing, also composed the music, sang many of the numbers and starred as the male lead.

Plot

A wealthy man gets his son married to his sister's daughter, keeping his promise made to his sister on her deathbed. The young couple are in love, but the marriage does not prove to be satisfying for the husband who believes in romancing his wife all the time. The wife, a responsible homemaker, does not find the time for such, and the frustrated husband becomes smitten by a dancer whose sole aim is to enslave the victim and rob him of his wealth. The neglected, tradition-bound wife is burdened by her father-in-law's death, family responsibilities and the business failing due to her husband's waywardness. The husband is shocked to find that his father has willed that the property would go to him only when he reforms and unites with his wife. Abandoned by his mistress, he becomes mentally disturbed and wanders aimlessly. The wife sells the property to meet her husband's debts, and is eventually forced to live in a hut. However, wisdom dawns on the husband and after many trials and tribulations he learns his lessons and unites with his wife.

Cast

Credits adapted from The Hindu.
Although a Tamil film, En Kanavar was produced by the Bombay-based Ajith Pictures. Its story was written by Chaturbhuj Doshi, and the dialogue by Javar Seetharaman. Shooting took place at Ranjit Studios. In addition to directing and starring, Balachandar sang many of the film's songs which included solo and duets; he composed all of them in Carnatic ragas.

Reception

Film historian Randor Guy stated that the film would be "Remembered for Balachandar and his many talents".