Mettukudi

Mettukudi
Mettukudi
	Poster
Directed by	Sundar C
Written by	K. Selva Bharathy (dialogues)
Screenplay by	Sundar C
Story by	Sundar C
Produced by	N. Prabhavathy; N. Jyothi Lakshmi; N. Vishnuram; N. Raghuram
Starring	Karthik ; Gemini Ganesan ; Goundamani ; Nagma
Cinematography	U. K. Senthil Kumar
Edited by	P. Sai Suresh
Music by	Sirpy
Production; company	Ganga Gowri Productions
Release date	29 August 1996;
Running time	135 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Mettukudi (/meɪttukudi/ transl. The House on the Hill) is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by Sundar C, who also wrote the screenplay. The film stars Karthik, Gemini Ganesan, Goundamani, Nagma and Manivannan. The music was composed by Sirpy with cinematography by U. K. Senthil Kumar and editing by P. Sai Suresh. The film was released on 29 August 1996. It is a remake of the 1990 Malayalam film His Highness Abdullah.^[2]

Plot

The story starts in the 9th century. King Raja Raja Chola presents his valuable sword to his commander-in-chief, for playing a vital role in winning a war. It is preserved by his family's descendants. In the present, an archaeologist plans to steal the sword due to its monetary value. Presently, a landlord Shanmugam is charged with the care of the sword.

The archaeologist plans to send Raja to steal the sword. He enters into the palace as the son (who ran off from the family in his childhood) of Kumarasamy, Shanmugam's son-in-law. Initially, everything goes smoothly. However, Indhu, Shanmugam's granddaughter, falls in love with Raja. The situation called for Raja to marry her. Later, Indhu discovers the truth and confronts him about stealing the sword.

In the meantime, Shanmugam, not knowing Raja for what he came there for, gives the sword to him and asks him to look after it. This makes Raja realise his mistake and promises him to protect it. The climax occurs when Raja manages to protect the sword from the archaeologist, and the family accepts Raja after learning the truth.

Cast

Karthik as Rajasekhar
Nagma as Indhu
Gemini Ganesan as Shanmugam, Indhu's grandfather
Goundamani as Kalingarayan
Manivannan as Kumarasamy, Gemini Ganesan's son-in-law
Thilakan as Deivathinam
Rajeev as Archaeologist
Uday Prakash as Deivathinam's son
Vichu Viswanath as Archeologist's son-in-law
Kumarimuthu as Rajasekhar's adoptive father
Kazan Khan as Deivathinam's son
Kalaranjini as Sivagaami
Kavitha as Shanmugam's daughter
Halwa Vasu as Servant
Nizhalgal Ravi (Guest appearance)
Viswanathan
Rageena

Production

The film was predominantly shot at Lalitha Mahal, Mysore.^[3] Thilakan was the director's only choice for the role he played.^[4]

Soundtrack

Soundtrack was composed by Sirpy and lyrics were written by Palani Bharathi.^[5]^[6]

Track listing
No.	Title	Singers	Length
1.	"Anbulla Mannavane"	Mano, Swarnalatha	5:15
2.	"Velvetta Velvetta"	Mano, K. S. Chithra	4:59
3.	"Indha Poonthendral"	Mano, Sirpy, Israth	4:59
4.	"Adi Yaaradhu Yaaradhu"	Mano, K. S. Chithra	5:00
5.	"Mana Madurai Gundu Malliye"	Krishnachander, Swarnalatha	4:55
6.	"Saravanabava"	Mano	4:48
Total length:			29:56

Reception

R. P. R. of Kalki praised the performances of Gemini Ganesan and Thilakan but panned the editing for having kept the scenes lengthy and found the stuff revolving around sword unbelievable.^[7]

References

^ "Mettukudi ( 1996 )". Cinesouth. Archived from the original on 18 November 2004. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
^ "'Muthu' to '36 Vayathinile': Five blockbuster Tamil films that were remade from Malayalam movies". The Times of India. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
^ "முத்து, KGF, லிங்கா, மதராசப்பட்டிணம் போன்ற பல திரைப்படங்கள் எடுக்கப்பட்ட அரண்மனை இது தானாம்!". Native Planet (in Tamil). 14 December 2023. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
^ S, Venkadesan (25 September 2012). "Kollywood remembers Thilakan's unforgettable Tamil roles". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
^ "Mettukudi / Siraichaalai". AVDigital. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
^ "Mettukudi (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
^ ஆர். பி. ஆர் (22 September 1996). "மேட்டுக்குடி". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 81. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023 – via Internet Archive.

External links

Mettukudi at IMDb
Mettukudi at Rotten Tomatoes

[1] "Mettukudi ( 1996 )". Cinesouth. Archived from the original on 18 November 2004. Retrieved 7 March 2024.

[2] "'Muthu' to '36 Vayathinile': Five blockbuster Tamil films that were remade from Malayalam movies". The Times of India. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2023.

[3] "முத்து, KGF, லிங்கா, மதராசப்பட்டிணம் போன்ற பல திரைப்படங்கள் எடுக்கப்பட்ட அரண்மனை இது தானாம்!". Native Planet (in Tamil). 14 December 2023. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2024.

[4] S, Venkadesan (25 September 2012). "Kollywood remembers Thilakan's unforgettable Tamil roles". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

[5] "Mettukudi / Siraichaalai". AVDigital. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2023.

[6] "Mettukudi (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.

[7] ஆர். பி. ஆர் (22 September 1996). "மேட்டுக்குடி". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 81. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023 – via Internet Archive.

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