Diwali and the adjoining festivities have always been the best time for filmmakers to release their movies as they can cash in on the celebratory mood of viewers. On that note, let us revisit a Tamil classic Diwali release 51 years ago in 1971 that starred two former Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers in the lead role. We are talking about the swashbuckler adventure film Neerum Neruppum starring the late actors cum politicians MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa in the lead roles.
The movie, directed by P Neelakantan, had MGR in a double role as twin princes Manivannan and Karikalan. Sharing a common physical and emotional response, the twins are separated when their castle is set on fire by their enemies. How the twins later avenge their misfortune is the crux of the story. However, did you know that the premise of the film was based on a classic French novella?
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World-renowned French author Alexander Dumas had in 1844, written The Corsican Brothers, an epic tale of two conjoined twins separated by birth who share a common response to stimuli. The basic premise has been an inspiration for many Indian films but one of the most faithful adaptations of the story was Neerum Neruppum. The movie was also remade in Hindi by director Naresh Kumar with Rajendra Kumar in the lead.
However, despite a grand Diwali release and a big star cast, Neerum Neruppum failed to perform at the box office. One of the main reasons attributed to the failure has been unfavourable comparisons with MGR’s previous 1965 film Enga Veettu Pillai which also told the stories of twins separated at birth. Released on October 18, 1971, the film completed 51 years on Tuesday.
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