Pudhumai Pithan
Directed byS. K. Jeeva
Written byR. N. R. Manohar (dialogues)
Screenplay byS. K. Jeeva
Story byMohandass
Produced byHenry
Starring
CinematographySiva Manohar
Edited byPeter Bhabiyaa
Music byDeva
Production
company
Release date
  • 20 October 1998 (1998-10-20)
Running time
145 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Pudhumai Pithan is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language political satire film directed by S. K. Jeeva. The film stars Parthiban whilst Roja, Devayani, Priya Raman, Anandaraj and Ranjith play supporting roles. It was released on 20 October 1998, during Diwali.[1] The film was later dubbed into Telugu as Oka Votu.[2]

Plot

Jeeva, a social activist, ends up in a police lock-up. Mahesh, a police officer, is surprised to see his best friend Jeeva in this condition and brings him to his home. Mahesh lives happily with his wife Aarthi and his daughter.

Aarthi and Jeeva were in love in the past. Ramadass, Aarthi's father, hated Jeeva and his activism. As an honest police officer, Ramadass protected a corrupted politician and was beaten by Jeeva's supporters. Later, Aarthi and Jeeva split up. Jeeva clashes with the same politician, his whole family dies due to his orders and Jeeva was sent to a mental hospital. Gayathri, a nurse, helps him to escape from the hospital and then she accommodates him in her house. He later fled.

Now, Jeeva changes his name and is determined to clean up the society. He also falls in love with the prostitute Shenbagam. Jeeva as Bharath becomes popular among the poor and subsequently becomes a minister.

Cast

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Deva.[3]

SongSinger(s)LyricsDuration
"Namma Kuppamellam"DevaNandalala4:39
"Odudhada Namma"S. P. BalasubrahmanyamPulamaipithan5:25
"Onnu Rendu" (male)HariharanThamarai5:12
"Onnu Rendu" (female)K. S. Chithra5:14
"Sirikkathae Ennai"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sujatha MohanPalani Bharathi3:53
"Unnai Kandaen"SwarnalathaNandalala5:19

Reception

A critic from Dinakaran noted "The film has tried to establish how a politician could be a good leader too! But it's rather surprising to note how so experienced an artiste like Parthiban forgot the fact that such a subject when dealt with in cinema medium has to be told in an uniformly interesting manner from the beginning till the end".[4] Kala Krishnan Ramesh from Deccan Herald wrote "the film is often downright silly, when not crass, but it has a kind of senseless appeal. To be honest, it hasn’t gone as far overboard as it could have with its masala mix. It, commendably, has no scenes of communal violence, no religious chauvinism, and its single rape scene is cut short by the mother shooting dead her about-to-be-raped daughter".[5] The film was also reviewed by The Times of India,[6] The Hindu,[7] and Kalki.[8]

References

  1. Kummar, S. R. Ashok (16 October 1998). "Varied fare for Deepavali". The Hindu. p. 27. Archived from the original on 18 August 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  2. Rajitha (19 June 1999). "No laughing matter". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  3. "Pudhumaipithan". JioSaavn. 1 January 1998. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  4. "Cinema Reviews: "Puthumaippiththan"". Dinakaran. 6 November 1998. Archived from the original on 14 August 2003. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  5. "Cinema Reviews". Deccan Herald. 3 January 1999. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  6. "A bewitching girl and the big, bad boys of Bombay". The Times of India. 1 January 1999. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  7. Ramanujam, D. S. (23 October 1998). "Film Reviews:En Uyir Neethanae / Unnudan / Chandralekha / Bade Miyan Chote Miyan". The Hindu. p. 27. Archived from the original on 5 June 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  8. ஜி (1 November 1998). "புதுமைப்பித்தன்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 96. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
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