Rajakumaran (transl. Prince) is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by R. V. Udayakumar. The film stars Prabhu, Meena and Nadhiya. It was released on 14 January 1994, during Pongal. The film was Prabhu's 100th film and was produced by Sivaji Productions.
| Rajakumaran | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | R. V. Udayakumar |
| Written by | Gokula Krishnan (dialogues) |
| Screenplay by | R. V. Udayakumar |
| Story by | Sujatha Udhayakumar |
| Produced by | Prabhu |
| Starring | Prabhu Meena Nadhiya |
| Cinematography | Abdul Rahman |
| Edited by | B. S. Nagaraj N. Kapilan |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 145 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editThe kindhearted Rajakumaran is the son of the village chief in Sundharapuri. Selvi and Vaidehi are in love with their cousin Rajakumaran but he chooses Vaidehi and Selvi decides to sacrifice her love. During a jallikattu spectacle in Sundharapuri, Yuvaraj, who is from the neighbouring village Palipattu, insults the villagers of Sundharapuri for not being able to tame his bull. A brave Rajakumaran then tames his bull and he humiliates him back. Selvi's father Selvaraj refuses to give his property to the village people as promised. To give away the property, his only request is that Rajakumaran marry his daughter Selvi. Selvi convinces Rajakumaran to lie for the good of all, so he lies to her father and acquires the property. Vaidehi, who learns about it, is heartbroken and decides to kill herself by jumping into a well. Later, Vaidehi is found dead when Rajakumaran finally reveals his lie.
One day, some goons decide to put a bomb in Sundharapuri but Rajakumaran beats up the goon and saves the village. The villagers think that the culprit was Selvi's brother Thangaraj because he wanted to take revenge on Rajakumaran for his lie. An angry Thangaraj then insults Rajakumaran's father in a wedding function and Rajakumaran's father dies of a heart attack due to the humiliation. Yuvaraj asks the permission of Selvaraj and Thangaraj to marry Selvi, and they accept. On the day of the marriage, the villagers are against the marriage and beg Rajakumaran to save Selvi from the heartless Yuvaraj. A man then says that a deaf-mute girl was the witness of Vaidehi's murder by Yuvaraj. Yuvaraj cancels the marriage and decides to humiliate Selvi in his village. Rajakumaran saves her and decides to marry her.
Cast
edit- Prabhu as Rajakumaran
- Meena as Selvi
- Nadhiya as Vaidehi
- Nassar as Yuvaraj
- Vijayakumar as Rajakumaran's father
- Sujatha as Rajakumaran's mother
- Goundamani as Maarusamy
- Senthil as the postman
- Vadivelu as 'Vicharuva' Veerasamy
- Captain Raju as Selvaraj, Selvi's father
- Kavitha as Selvi's mother
- Rajmadhan as Vaidehi's father
- Sathyapriya as Vaidehi's mother
- Thyagu as Thangaraj
- Kaka Radhakrishnan
- Oru Viral Krishna Rao
- Periya Karuppu Thevar
- Kovai Senthil
- Pasi Narayanan
- Chelladurai
- R. V. Udayakumar in a cameo appearance
- Sheela Kaur as young Vaidehi[1]
Production
editRajakumaran is the 100th film of Prabhu as an actor.[2] Since it is the 100th film of Prabhu, Sivaji Productions decided to produce this film by themselves and chose R. V. Udayakumar to direct the film. Nadhiya who took a break from films after marriage made her acting comeback with this film.[3]
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with the lyrics written by the director Udayakumar.[4] The song "Chinna Chinna Sol Eduthu" is set in Pahadi raga.[5][6]
| Song | Singer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| "Aadi Varattum" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 5:16 |
| "Chinna Chinna Sol Eduthu" | K. J. Yesudas, S. Janaki | 5:08 |
| "Ennavendru Solvathamma" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 5:04 |
| "Kaatule Kambakaatule" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | 5:01 |
| "Pottu Vachathu Yaaru" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4:01 |
| "Rajakumara Rajakumara" | Mano, Sunandha | 4:25 |
| "Sithagathi Pookale" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 4:41 |
Release and reception
editRajakumaran was released on 14 January 1994 coinciding with Pongal.[7] The film received negative reviews and became a box-office bomb.[2][8] The Indian Express wrote, "Udayakumar seems to have exhausted his stock of ideas [...] Rajakumaran is nothing but a rehash of his earlier film Ejaman".[9] R. P. R. of Kalki felt this is Prabhu's 100th test match, but no one seems to have acted with that responsibility.[10]
References
edit- ^ "என் ரேஞ்சே வேற!". Kalki (in Tamil). 25 June 2006. p. 16. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b Kesavan, N. (14 May 2016). "100th film jinx grips the mighty sans 'Captain'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
- ^ "பிரபு - 100" (PDF). Kalki (in Tamil). 16 January 1994. pp. 6–11. Retrieved 15 May 2023 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Rajakumaran (1994)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ "தமிழ்த்திரை இசையில் ராகங்கள் : [ 19 ] : T.சௌந்தர்". Inioru (in Tamil). 1 June 2014. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Sundararaman (2007) [2005]. Raga Chintamani: A Guide to Carnatic Ragas Through Tamil Film Music (2nd ed.). Pichhamal Chintamani. p. 126. OCLC 295034757.
- ^ "Rajakumaaran". The Indian Express. 14 January 1994. p. 10. Retrieved 14 July 2018 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Sundaram, Nandhu (19 July 2018). "Karuthamma, Nammavar, Kadhalan, Nattamai — Tamil cinema offered its best in the watershed year of 1994". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ MM (21 January 1994). "A rehash". The Indian Express. p. 6. Retrieved 25 September 2018 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ ஆர். பி. ஆர். (23 January 1994). "இராஜகுமாரன்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 55. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023 – via Internet Archive.
External links
edit- Rajakumaran at IMDb
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