Kizhakke Pogum Rail

Kizhakke Pogum Rail () is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film, directed by Bharathiraja, starring newcomers Sudhakar and Raadhika. The film had musical score by Ilaiyaraaja and was released on 10 August 1978. The film ran for over 365 days in theatres. It was remade in Telugu as "Toorpu Velle Railu" (1979), and in Hindi as "Saveray Wali Gaadi" (1986).
Plot.
A young woman Panchali gets off a train named 'Kizhakke Pogum Rail' (Eastbound Train) and lands in the village Thamaraikulam which follows strict rules. There, Panchali is accommodated by her sister Karuthamma and her brother-in-law Ramaiah, Panchali informs her that their mother died a couple of days ago. Ramaiah starts to have an eye on Panchali.
Paranjothi is an unemployed graduate and a big fan of the poet Subramania Bharati who lives his father Maruthu and his sister Kanniyamma. His father Maruthu is a barber and considers Paranjothi as a good-for-nothing like all the villagers. After getting married, Kanniyamma leaves her birth home to live with her husband's family.
Panchali and Paranjothi slowly fall in love with each other. One day, the villagers spot Paranjothi running behind Panchali. At the gram panchayat, the panchayat members blame Paranjothi for trying to misbehave with Panchali. Only the retired military man Pattalathaar and the farmer Ponnandi support him, but the panchayat members overlook them, and they punish him. Maruthu shaves off the hair of his son and Paranjothi parades on a donkey in the streets of the village whereas Ramaiah forces Karuthamma to burn Panchali's arm with a piece of wood.
After the humiliation, Maruthu commits suicide in the village's lake. Paranjothi decides to leave the town, and he promises Panchali that he will come back to marry her. He also informs her that he will write a message on the last compartment of the 'Kizhakke Pogum Rail'. In the city, after several interviews, he finally finds a decent job. In the meantime, at the village court, Ramaiah complains that Karuthamma is a barren woman and he expresses his wish to marry Panchali. A few days later, the village is battered by heavy rains. To stop the rain, the villagers contrive the way to stop it, executing an ancient belief: one virgin woman has to walk naked around the village at sunrise. Unexpectedly, Panchali is chosen to be that woman.
The day of the ritual, Paranjothi gladly returns at his village, and he sees Panchali completely naked. He gives Panchali clothing and they both run away from the angry villagers. Pattalathaar helps the couple by stalling the villagers, and he is killed in the process. The lovers manage to catch the running 'Kizhakke Pogum Rail' under the eyes of the villagers.
Production.
"Kizhakke Pogum Rail" was the debut film of Sudhakar and Raadhika. The male lead role was originally offered to Sivachandran, who declined. Raadhika contemplated leaving the film throughout the shoot, but was "offered chocolates" to complete the film. It was also the Tamil debut for Vijayan. The producer offered K. Bhagyaraj to direct, but he declined as he wanted to "complete at least a couple of more films as an assistant". Bhagyaraj remained as an assistant director.
Soundtrack.
The film score and the soundtrack were composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics written by Kannadasan, Muthulingam, Gangai Amaran and K. Bhagyaraj. The song "Malargale" is set to the carnatic raga known as Hamsadhvani, and "Kovil Mani Osai" is set to Shuddha Saveri.
Release and reception.
"Kizhakke Pogum Rail" was released on 10 August 1978. "Ananda Vikatan" rated the film 55 out of 100, appreciating its later half and the climax for its realism. The film became a major commercial success, completing a 365-day run in theatres, and Raadhika became popularly known by the sobriquet "Rayil Radhika".
Awards.
Malaysia Vasudevan won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Male Playback for singing in the film.
Remakes.
"Kizhakke Pogum Rail" was remade in Telugu as "Toorpu Velle Railu" (1979) by Bapu, and in Hindi as "Saveray Wali Gaadi" (1986) by Bharathiraja himself.