Aadi Perukku (film)

Aadi Perukku (; also spelt Aadipperukku) is a 1962 Indian Tamil-language romance film edited and directed by K. Shankar. Gemini Ganesan and B. Saroja Devi play the lead roles, while Devika, M. V. Rajamma, K. D. Santhanam and C. V. V. Panthulu play supporting roles.
Plot.
Padma lives with her widowed mother and her brother, a harbour worker. The family finds refuge in the house of Raja, a poet. Padma's brother dies in an accident.
Cast.
Cast adapted from the opening credits of the film and the song book
Production.
The film shares its name with Aadi Perukku, a festival in Tamil Nadu which pays tribute to water's life-sustaining properties. Despite that, the festival is not referenced anywhere onscreen except the song "Annaiyin Arule Vaa", near the end of which Gemini Ganesan's character is shown singing the last two lines as a tribute to the festival. Shooting took place at the now non-existent Majestic Studios.
Soundtrack.
The film's soundtrack featured nine songs composed by A. M. Rajah and written by Kothamangalam Subbu, Kannadasan, K. D. Santhanam and Suratha.
Reception.
On 10 August 1962, "The Indian Express" called "Aadi Perukku" "another insipid medley of romance, comedy and melodrama [...] A story of unfulfilled love, the film is heavily padded with the usual quantum of songs, dances and other box office gimmicks." The reviewer however praised the performances of the cast members. According to film historian Randor Guy, the film did not succeed commercially because of the "somewhat predictable storyline, the many deaths and the lack of significance of the title". He did, however, praise the performances of Saroja Devi and Ganesan.