Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum


Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum is a 1965 Tamil-language Indian film directed by the duo Krishnan–Panju, starring Jaishankar, Jamuna and Kutty Padmini. The movie is an adaptation of the 1953 film Twice Upon a Time and Disney's The Parent Trap - which were based on Erich Kästner's 1949 German novel Lottie and Lisa. The film tells the story of two twin girls bringing together their separated parents. The film, produced by AVM Productions and featuring music by M. S. Viswanathan, released on 19 November 1965. It was a commercial success, and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. Krishnan–Panju remade the film twice; in Telugu as Leta Manasulu and in Hindi as Do Kaliyaan. It was also remade in Malayalam as Sethubandhanam and in Kannada as Makkala Bhagya.

Plot

Twins Lalitha and Padmini get separated at birth because of their parent's separation. Later, the sisters decide to reunite their parents and work together for it.

Cast

Kuzhandhaiyum Deivamum adapted from Disney's The Parent Trap which told the story of twin girls bringing together their separated parents. The Parent Trap itself was based on Erich Kästner's German novel Lottie and Lisa. Actor and screenwriter Javar Seetharaman adapted that film in Tamil, making changes in the screenplay to suit the local milieu. AVM chose Krishnan–Panju to direct the film. Jaishankar was selected to play the male lead and it was the third film which featured him in a leading role. Jamuna was chosen to play his character's divorced wife, and Kutty Padmini as the twins. Cinematography was handled by S. Maruti Rao and G. Vittal Rao, art direction by A. K. Sekar, and Panju edited the film under the pseudonym "Panjabi". The climax was shot at Palani.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by M. S. Viswanathan and the lyrics were written by Vaali and Kannadasan. The song "Pazhamuthir Solai" is set in the Abheri raga, and "Enna Vegam Nillu Bhama" is set in Shivaranjani. The song "Anbulla Maanvizhiye" was remixed by Rafi in the film Jaggubhai. Randor Guy of The Hindu wrote, "One of the major factors contributing to the success of the movie was its melodious music composed by M. S. Viswanathan. Many of the songs became hits and are still remembered today".

Release and reception

Kuzhandaiyum Deivamum was released on 19 November 1965. The Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan, in a review dated 19 December 1965, applauded Padmini's performance and stated that she was the sole reason to watch the film, which the reviewer called childish. Writing for Sport and Pastime, T. M. Ramachandran criticised the film's lack of originality, but called it a "clever adaptation" of The Parent Trap, and described Padmini's dual role performance as the film's "". The film was a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres. At the 13th National Film Awards, it won in the Best Tamil Film category.

Remakes

Krishnan–Panju remade the film twice; in Telugu as Leta Manasulu and in Hindi as Do Kaliyaan. It was also remade in Malayalam as Sethubandhanam and in Kannada as Makkala Bhagya.