Manmadha Leelai


Manmatha Leelai is a 1976 Tamil-language film starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role, as Madhu. The film, directed by K. Balachander also has Aalam as Madhu's wife. A number of actresses debuted through this film, including Jaya Prada as Kannagi, Y. Vijaya as Miss Wrong Number, Hema Chaudhary as Madhavi, 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

The film explores the life journey of a womaniser and his affairs with various women, including those who are married. The main conflict is between Kamal Hassan's character 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

's son Radha Ravi made his acting debut with the film.

Soundtrack

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

Reception

The film struggled to get a censor certificate. Even though it stirred up controversies when it was released, it later became a cult classic. Kamal Haasan said about the film, "it was an interesting subject. For that period it was unusual, a breaking down of the fidelity stereotypes". The film was a huge box office success. In 2012, Balachander's daughter Pushpa Kandasamy planned to make a modern-day version of the film. Shanthanu Bhagyaraj too was toying with the idea of remaking the film.