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Yajaman

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Yajaman
Theatrical release poster
Directed byR. V. Udayakumar
Screenplay byR. V. Udayakumar
Story bySujatha Udayakumar
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyKarthik Raja
Edited byB. S. Nagaraj
Music byIlaiyaraaja
Production
company
Release date
  • 18 February 1993(1993-02-18)
Running time
153 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Yajaman(transl. Figure Head) is a 1993 IndianTamil-languagedrama filmwritten and directed byR. V. Udayakumar.The film starsRajinikanth,MeenaandAishwarya,withM. N. Nambiar,Manorama,VijayakumarandNapoleonin supporting roles. It was produced byM. Saravanan,M. S. Guhanand M. Subrahmaniam ofAVM Productions.The film was released on 18 February 1993 and became commercially successful, with a 175-day theatrical run.

Plot

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Kandhavelu Vaanavarayan is a feudal chieftain, adored and respected by the people of his village nearPollachi.He lives with his grandparents. Following his advice, they abstain from voting in the elections and instead, pool the money given by the candidates to get themselves some basic amenities. Vallavaraayan is his archenemy. Their enmity is further sharpened when Vaanavarayan wins the hand of Vaitheeswari, whom Vallavaraayan had also wished to wed. Vallavaraayan then convinces the priest of the village temple to mix poison in the holy water that Vaitheeswari drinks. As a result, she becomes incapable of conceiving a baby. But surprisingly, Vaitheeswari soon becomes pregnant, though she has pretended with the help of the mid-wife, to do so to uphold her husband's honour. However, she takes poison and kills herself during theSeemanthamcelebration, unable to bear the grief of being incapable of giving her husband a child and on her deathbed makes Vaanavarayan swear to take Ponni as his wife. Vaanavarayan however refuses until Ponni agrees to marry Sembattai- Vallavarayan's henchman-who abandons her to Vallavarayan's vice. Infuriated, Vaanavarayan attacks Vallavarayan, but spares his life after giving him a sermon on how to win the hearts of people.

Cast

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Production

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After the success ofChinna Gounder(1992), directorR. V. Udayakumarwas approached by various producers but he was unsure as to who should play the part of the hero for his next film. Subsequently, he decided to castRajinikanthas the hero for his next film. Rajinikanth agreed to act under the direction of Udayakumar. The director expressed his interest to make this film forAVM Productions.Initially, a different script titledJilla Collectorwas narrated,[2]but Udaykumar subsequently opted to film a different script altogether, which becameYajaman,sinceM. Saravananof AVM felt that the original script might go over budget. Rajinikanth was initially reluctant to haveMeenaas the heroine because she had appeared as a child artist for his filmAnbulla Rajinikanth(1984) and he felt that his fans might not readily accept this pairing. But he eventually agreed to have Meena play the part.[3]Yajamanwas Rajinikanth's 141st film and his 8th collaboration with AVM Productions.[4]One of the filming locations was Samathur Jamindar Ramaraja Vanavarayar Palace at Pollachi while filming was also held at Andhra.[5][6]

Soundtrack

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The music was composed byIlaiyaraaja.Except for the song "Adi Raakumuthu" which was penned byVaali,all other songs were penned by Udayakumar himself.[7]Many of the songs are set inCarnatic ragas;"Aalappol Velappol" is set inSankarabharanam,[8]"Yajaman Kaladi" is inMadhyamavati,[9]"Nilave Mugam Kaattu" and "Oru Naalum" are set inSindhubhairavi.[10][11][12]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Aalappol Velappol"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam,K. S. Chithra5:06
2."Adi Raakumuthu"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam5:10
3."Yajaman Kaladi"Malaysia Vasudevan4:08
4."Idiye Aanaalum Thangi Kollum"Malaysia Vasudevan1:44
5."Nilave Mugam"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam,S. Janaki5:06
6."Oru Naalum"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki6:00
7."Thookkuchattiye"Malaysia Vasudevan3:56
8."Urakka Kathuthu Kozhi"S. Janaki5:04
Total length:36:14

Release and reception

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Yajamanwas released on 18 February 1993.[13]When the film was released, it initially received unfavourable reception and did not do well in some areas. When Saravanan saw a letter written by a woman named Thilagavathi who reviewed the film, he used this letter as an advertisement for the film which led to the increase in collection. According to Saravanan, despite fans of Rajinikanth not liking the film, it picked up due to the support of general public.[6]

Malini Mannath ofThe Indian Expresswrote, "Yajamanis a well meant film from AVM and from director Udayakumar ".[14]K. Vijiyan ofNew Straits Timeswrote, "The film begins well but gets bogged down after the interval and the large number of songs do not help matters".[15]C. R. K. ofKalkipraised the performances of artistes.[16]At the14th Cinema Express Awards,S. P. Balasubrahmanyam won the Best Playback Singer award.[17]

Legacy

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Chinna GounderandYajamanstarted the trend of portrayals of village chieftain in Tamil films.[18]Director Rajmohan directed a film titledVanavarayan Vallavarayan(2014) named after Rajinikanth and Napoleon's characters.[19]Dhanapal Padmanabhan who directedKrishnaveni Panjaalai(2012), ratedYajaman"as the film that best captured the village flavour and beauty of Pollachi".[20]

References

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  1. ^""எம்.ஜி.ஆர் கொடுத்த வாழ்க்கை, ரஜினியின் சிபாரிசு, அஜித்தின் டெடிகேஷன்..!" – 'தளபதி' தினேஷ் ".Cinema Vikatan(in Tamil). 20 February 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 17 November 2023.Retrieved25 April2024.
  2. ^"உதயகுமார் டைரக்ஷனில் ரஜினிகாந்த்"[Rajinikanth in Udayakumar's direction].Maalai Malar(in Tamil). 14 April 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 15 August 2020.Retrieved15 May2021.
  3. ^"ஆர்.வி.உதயகுமார் டைரக்ஷனில் ஏவி.எம். தயாரித்த 'எஜமான்' வெள்ளி விழா கொண்டாடியது"[Yajaman,produced by AVM under RV Udayakumar's direction celebrated silver jubilee].Maalai Malar(in Tamil). 3 January 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 28 October 2014.Retrieved14 March2014.
  4. ^"'ஜில்லா கலெக்ட'ருக்கு பதில் 'எஜமான்' முடிவானது! "[Instead ofJilla Collector,Yajamanwas finalised!].Dinamalar(in Tamil).Nellai.5 March 2016. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021.Retrieved15 May2021.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^சரவணன், ஏவி.எம்.(19 June 2005)."சகலகலா வல்லவனில் கமல் நடித்திருக்க கூடாது!"(PDF).Kalki(in Tamil). pp. 52–55.Retrieved28 May2023– viaInternet Archive.
  6. ^abசரவணன், ஏவி.எம்.(21 August 2005)."எஜமானுக்கு நேர்ந்த சிக்கல்!"(PDF).Kalki(in Tamil). pp. 76–79.Retrieved28 May2023– viaInternet Archive.
  7. ^"Ejamaan Tamil Audio Cassette".Banumass.Archivedfrom the original on 14 February 2021.Retrieved8 February2021.
  8. ^Sundararaman 2007,p. 122.
  9. ^Sundararaman 2007,p. 128.
  10. ^Sundararaman 2007,p. 148.
  11. ^Sundararaman 2007,p. 150.
  12. ^Mani, Charulatha(10 May 2013)."Light and melodious".The Hindu.Archivedfrom the original on 24 January 2021.Retrieved15 May2021.
  13. ^Saravanan 2013,p. 328.
  14. ^Mannath, Malini (19 February 1993)."Inconsistent".The Indian Express.p. 11.Retrieved5 January2019– viaGoogle News Archive.
  15. ^Vijiyan, K. (6 March 1993)."Rajinikanth follows in MGR's path".New Straits Times.p. 12.Archivedfrom the original on 22 October 2023.Retrieved3 March2020– viaGoogle News Archive.
  16. ^சி. ஆர். கே. (21 March 1993)."எஜமான்".Kalki(in Tamil). p. 32.Archivedfrom the original on 5 February 2023.Retrieved9 November2022– viaInternet Archive.
  17. ^"Kizhakku Cheemayileadjudged best film ".The Indian Express.Express News Service. 13 March 1994. p. 3.Archivedfrom the original on 8 April 2023.Retrieved10 May2021– viaGoogle News Archive.
  18. ^"Top 10 Village Panchayat Presidents of Tamil Cinema | Rajinikanth – Ejaman".Behindwoods.Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2021.Retrieved15 May2021.
  19. ^Srinivasan, Sudhir (12 September 2014)."Vanavarayan Vallavarayan: Siamese torture".The Hindu.Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2021.Retrieved15 May2021.
  20. ^Jeshi, K. (6 June 2014)."Creating a scene".The Hindu.Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2021.Retrieved15 May2021.

Bibliography

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  • Sundararaman (2007) [2005].Raga Chintamani: A Guide to Carnatic Ragas Through Tamil Film Music(2nd ed.). Pichhamal Chintamani.OCLC295034757.
  • Saravanan, M.(2013) [2005].AVM 60 Cinema(in Tamil) (3rd ed.). Rajarajan Pathippagam.OCLC1158347612.
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