Polladhavan is a 1980 Tamil-languageIndianaction thriller film produced by S. Ravi, and directed by Muktha Srinivasan who also wrote the screenplay. A remake of the 1976 Kannada filmPremada Kanike, it stars Rajinikanth, Lakshmi and Sripriya. The film revolves around a wealthy merchant who murders a would-be rapist, then keeps his daughter's nanny, who was both the intended victim and a witness, captive in his house. The film was shot mainly in Bangalore, with additional shooting taking place in Chennai, Shimla and Kashmir. It was released on 6 November 1980, Diwali, and became a commercial success.
Plot
Seetha, a young woman, is travelling via train with her nephew Raju to an estate to attend her job interview as a nanny to the estate merchant Manohar's daughter. Her co-passenger tries to rape her but suddenly he is shot dead. Seetha sees the murderer and clearly remembers his face and reports the murder to Moorthy, a police inspector. Then she is appointed for the nanny position and she and Manohar's daughter Shoba grow fond of each other. Manohar, who is extremely fond of his daughter returns from his journey. Seetha meets him, only to realise that he is the murderer she saw on the train. Manohar threatens Seetha not to tell anyone and makes sure to prevent her from leaving his estate as she is keen on reporting him to the police. Seetha tries many times to escape but is always caught. She does not even tell the police when she meets them as Manohar threatens to kill Raju if she did. Later, Seetha somehow sees beneath the rough, mean Manohar and grows fond of him but is confused why such a nice man is acting so arrogantly. In flashbacks, Manohar and Kumudha fellin love and married, shortly thereafter their daughter Shoba was born. Kumudha's uncle Chandru, who was eager to marry Kumudha but who was sent to jail by Manohar as he tried to kill both Manohar and Kumudha was released from jail as his term had finished. When Manohar was out of house, Chandru raped Kumudha; due to this she commits suicide and Manohar wants to die with her but she makes him vow that he will get revenge on Chandru for separating them and to take care of Shoba well. Manohar also reveals that the man he killed on the train was Chandru. Seetha now understands his acts and vows not to tell anyone. Moorthy's colleague is curious about Seetha; she said that she remembered the face and was eager to find the murderer, but now she had told him she has forgotten the face, hence he suspects Seetha to be the murderer, and Moorthy agrees with his belief. On Shoba's birthday, Manohar is to announce that he is to hand over all his wealth to Seetha and surrender to the police, but before this the police arrive and try to arrest Seetha. Manohar saves her by confessing to the murder, leading to his arrest. A few years later, Manohar is released from jail and reunites with Seetha and Shoba.
Polladhavan was directed by Muktha Srinivasan and produced by S. Ravi under the banner Vidhya Movies. It was remade from the 1976 Kannada film Premada Kanike, written by Salim–Javed. The film was made in CinemaScope. Cinematography was handled by M. Karnan, and editing by V. P. Krishna. Srinivasan cast Delhi Ganesh after seeing his performance in a play titled Thuppariyum Saambu. Shooting for the film took place primarily at Bangalore, with additional shooting taking place in Chennai, Shimla and Kashmir.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan, with lyrics by Kannadasan. The song "Chinnakkannane" is set in the raga known as Brindabani Sarang.
Release and reception
Pollavadhavan was released on 6 November 1980, Diwali. Tribune positively reviewed the film during its release in Sri Lanka in 1982. Despite facing competition from other Diwali releases such as Varumayin Niram Sivappu and Nizhalgal, the film was a commercial success, and cemented Rajinikanth's "hold over the box office". Rajinikanth also managed to carve out a niche for himself in vendetta roles such as that in Polladhavan. Rajinikanth's bearded appearance with sunglasses was later used in Baashha.
