Porkkaalam

Porkaalam (transl. Golden Age) is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Cheran. The film has Murali, Meena, Sanghavi, Rajeshwari and Vadivelu in key roles. It was later remade in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. Porkaalam was one among 1997 Deepavali releases and became a huge success.

Porkkaalam
VCD cover
Directed byCheran
Written byCheran
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPriyan
Edited byK. Thanikachalam
Music byDeva
Distributed byRoja Combines
Release date
  • 30 October 1997 (1997-10-30)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

The film deals with the social stigma associated with a disabled girl in a rural milieu. Manikkam (Murali) is a potter by profession. He has a sister, who is born dumb. Murali has to struggle a lot as the handicraft industry is a dying industry and a good amount of money is taken away by his father (Manivannan), who is a drunkard and a gambler. But, he tries to hide his sorrows by having fun with his sister and servant (Vadivelu), who is also his trusted friend. He is in love with his neighbour Maragatham (Meena), a weaver. He wants to get his sister married to a noble man. But many reject her as she is dumb. Finally, one man agrees to marry his sister but on condition that Manikkam must offer dowry. Manikkam then sells many things dearer to him to get money for the dowry. But, that money is taken away by his father and the marriage falls through. Yet (Vadivelu) offers to marry his sister without asking dowry and Murali goes home along with Vadivelu to convey this happy news to his sister. But it was too late as the sister commits suicide. Manikkam as a penance decides to marry a disabled girl.

Cast

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album and background score were composed by Deva. The lyrics were penned by Vairamuthu.[1]

Track list

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Chinna Kanangkuruvi"Krishnaraj, Febi Mani, Malaysia Vasudevan06:13
2."Karuvella Kaatukkulae"Sujatha Mohan, Anuradha Sriram, Arunmozhi05:28
3."Thanjavooru Mannu Eduthu"Krishnaraj05:25
4."Chingucha Chingucha"K. S. Chithra04:40
5."Oona Oonam"Deva, Kovai Kamala04:49
Total length:26:35

Reception

Ji of Kalki said despite being an age old theme of brother and sister, Cheran handled it skillfully and appreciating the performances of Murali and the actress who portrayed his sister but called Vadivelu's character and his song as unnecessary.[2] During the 100th day function of Arunachalam, Rajinikanth appreciated this film and gifted a gold chain to director Cheran.[3]

Remakes
Year Title Main cast Language
1998 Manikyam Meka Srikanth Telugu
2001 Meri Pyaari Bahania Banegi Dulhania Mithun Chakraborty Hindi
2006 Odahuttidavalu Ravichandran Kannada

Awards

Cheran won Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director, and Meena won Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress.[4] Cheran also won the Dinakaran Cinema Award for Best Director.[5]

References
  1. "Porkkaalam". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  2. ஜி. (30 November 1997). "பொற்காலம்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 80. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  3. தினேஷ்குமார், ப. (30 October 2017). "மாற்றுத்திறனாளிகளின் குரலாக ஒலித்த பொற்காலம்..! #20yearsOfPorkkaalam …". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  4. "Awards Tamilnadu Government Cinema Awards For 1997 Announced: Best Film Award For "Arunachalam", "Surya Vamsam"". Dinakaran. 27 November 1998. Archived from the original on 1 January 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  5. "DINAKARAN CINEMA AWARD – 1997". Dinakaran. Archived from the original on 15 June 1998. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
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