Ethir Neechal is a 1968 Tamil language Indian comedy-drama film written and directed by K. Balachander. The film stars Nagesh, Jayanthi, Sowcar Janaki, R. Muthuraman and Srikanth. It is based on Balachander's play of the same name, itself inspired by Sombhu Mitra's play Kanchanranga. The film was released on 12 December 1968, and became a commercial success. It was remade in Telugu as Sambarala Rambabu and in Hindi as Lakhon Mein Ek.
Plot
Maadhu is a destitute orphan who performs odd jobs in a multi-family tenancy for his living and education. For the services he renders, he's allowed to sleep under the stairs of the tenancy without any rent. He attends college with the help from one of his college professor and kind people that share roof in that tenancy he lives. Among few people who understand his situation, and are ready to help are Sabapathy and Nair. He overhears one of the tenants speaking to her husband of getting him married to their daughter Paru who is said to be psychologically challenged. He forcefully makes his mind to love their daughter even before they propose a marriage, so as to calm himself that the girl is none other than the girl he loved and not some unknown psychologically challenged girl. How she proves that she's indeed a normal person and also helps Maadhu to prove his worth forms the rest of the plot.
Ethir Neechal was a play written by K. Balachander, inspired by Sombhu Mitra's play Kanchanranga. Nagesh, who acted in Balachander's play, returned to the film adaptation, which was written and directed by Balachander, and produced by Kalakendra Movies. R. Muthuraman played the Malayali cook Nair, reprising the role originally played by Raman. Balachander considered Sowcar Janaki's role to be "a total contrast to the parts she was doing then, where she was always in tears." Cinematography was handled by N. Balakrishnan, editing by N. R. Kittu and art direction by Ramaswamy.
Soundtrack
The music was composed by V. Kumar, with lyrics by Vaali. The song "Aduthathu Ambujatha Parthela" is set in the carnatic raga known as Mohanam, and attained popularity. The Indian Express called the music "below par". Although P. B. Sreenivas' cinematic career was declining in the late 1960s, B. Kolappan of The Hindu described "Thamarai Kannangal" as "one of his finer numbers during this period."
Release and reception
Ethir Neechal was released on 12 December 1968. The following week, The Indian Express wrote, "The film, which has a few touching scenes and some interesting twists, is on the whole satisfying." T. M. Ramachandran of Sport and Pastime wrote on 30 April 1968, ", in short, is a feast for the eyes and ears but not for the soul". Ananda Vikatan, in a review dated 29 December 1968, praised the performances of the cast, particularly Nagesh, Sreekanth and Janaki. The film was commercially successful.
Legacy
Film historianMohan Raman considered Ethir Neechal to be one of several films where Balachander established Nagesh, a comedian, as a "serious actor". It was remade in Telugu as Sambarala Rambabu, and in Hindi as Lakhon Mein Ek. The characters Pattu Mami and Maadhu became iconic in Tamil cinema. Stage actorMaadhu Balaji adopted the prefix "Maadhu" after the character of the same name.
