Paanai Pidithaval Bhaagyasaali (transl. She who has the pot is lucky) is a 1958 Indian Tamil-language comedy film produced and directed by T. S. Durairaj, starring himself, Savitri, K. Balaji, T. P. Muthulakshmi, P. S. Veerappa and V. S. Raghavan. It was released on 10 January 1958.
Contents
Plot
There is an illiterate and orphaned woman (Savitri) who was raised by her brother (Durairaj). She witnesses a thief (R. Nageswara Rao) raiding a wealthy man's house and committing two murders and he is after her. Savithri goes through numerous adventures involving various men but manages to escape all of them. She later meets a wealthy young man (Balaji) and falls in love with him. After many other incidents, she walks in helped by Durairaj and marries her lover who was originally set to marry another girl against his will.
Cast
T. S. Durairaj
Savitri
K. Balaji
P. S. Veerappa
V. S. Raghavan
R. Nageswara Rao as the thief
T. P. Muthulakshmi
Saayiram
Angamuthu
T. N. Kamalam
Production
Paanai Pidithaval Bhaagyasaali was produced and directed by T. S. Durairaj via his studio Marakatha Pictures, and he also starred as the male lead. Gangeyan was the writer. Shooting took place at many Madras studios such as Paramount, Revathi, Gemini and Majestic.
Soundtrack
The music of the film was composed by S. V. Venkatraman and S. Rajeswara Rao. The song "Purushan Veetil Vaazha Pora Penney" performed by Loganathan was criticised by social activists for its seemingly misogynistic nature.
Release and reception
Paanai Pidithaval Bhaagyasaali was released on 10 January 1958. The Indian Express said, "In [Paanai Pidithaval Bhaagyasaali], comedian Durairaj promotes himself to a producer and a competent director. The picture designed with economy of language, quickness of action and deftness of movement, makes an impression because of the skillfully woven plot, pleasing songs and lively antics." The Hindu wrote, "Good acting combined with pleasing and dance highlight Marakatha Pictures [Paanai Pidithaval Bhaagyasaali]. [Savitri] turns in a fine performance, so does [T. S. Durairaj]." According to historian Randor Guy, the film was not successful because of the "weak" screenplay and on-screen narration, but the music was its "redeeming feature".The story of this film only inspired the later film Navarathri