28-561: Karakattakkaran ( transl. The Karakattam dancer ) is a 1989 Indian Tamil -language romantic comedy dance film written and directed by Gangai Amaran . The film stars Ramarajan and debutant Kanaka , while Santhana Bharathi , Chandrasekhar , Goundamani , Senthil , Shanmugasundaram , Raja Bahadur, Gandhimathi and Kovai Sarala play supporting roles. It revolves around two karakattam dancers who fall in love with each other, but circumstances prevent them from confessing their love for one another. How they overcome these forms
56-558: A deleted scene from Thuppakki (2012). In Saroja (2008), when the friends witness the car which they are going to travel, the theme music of Karagattakaran is used as background music for the scene. The 2016 film Jil Jung Juk reveals who had kept Soppanasundari, the previous owner of the pink 1960 Chevrolet Impala according to the Karakattakkaran plot. Karakattam Karakattam ( Tamil : கரகாட்டம் " karakam ( கரகம் 'water pot') dance"), or Karagam Puja in
84-450: A dance competition between Muthaiya and Kamakshi for which both accepts. In the meantime, Chinnarasu plans to kill Muthaiya during the dance program. His assassin, a butcher, throws a knife at Muthaiya, but Kamakshi saves him, thereby getting stabbed in her leg after the dance. Muthaiya's mother gets furious upon realising that Kamakshi is her niece and takes Muthaiya along with her and also does not permit their wedding to happen. She reveals
112-581: A flashback that Kamakshi's father is her own brother and he eloped with the jewels that were meant to be sold to meet the medical expenses of Muthaiya's father which led to his death. But Kamakshi's father arrives there and reveals the truth that while he went to sell the jewels, he was caught by the police suspecting him to be a smuggler following which he was jailed for a few years. Now Muthaiya's mother realises her mistake and unites with her brother. Also she agrees for wedding between Muthaiya and Kamakshi. Chinnarasu accuses that Muthaiya and Kamakshi misbehaved in
140-610: A heroine in the Tamil movie Karakattakkaran , directed by Gangai Amaran , a blockbuster movie which ran more than a year. Kanaka acted in many Tamil movies, including Periya Veetu Pannakkaran (1990), Athisaya Piravi (1990), Samundi (1992), Periya Kudumbam (1995) and Viralukketha Veekkam (1999). She also starred in a few Telugu and Malayalam movies with major stars like Mukesh , Mammootty and Mohanlal . She has acted in more than 50 films in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu in
168-490: A night glamour art, with young girls in skimpy clothing preferred as the performers and the audience having drunkards who come only to ogle and tease them. The Madras High Court issued a directive to disallow alcohol consumption when attending karakattam performances and to not do performances which are "obscene and vulgar". In Caribbean Shaktism , a tradition found among the Indo-Caribbeans of Tamil origin, Karakattam
196-445: A pot on their head. Traditionally, this dance is categorized into two types: Aatta Karakam symbolizes joy and happiness. It is mainly performed as entertainment. Sakthi Karakam is performed only in temples as a spiritual offering. Karakkatam invokes rain through a classical Tamil dance. The most common song employs Amrithavarshini Ragam ( Ragamalika ). Tamils believed that mother nature gives bountiful rain and protects
224-464: A project for them they agreed to do the film titled Karakattakkaran . Amaran admitted that his film was reversal of Thillana Mohanambal (1968) with a change of backdrop and it was Ramarajan who suggested the story idea for the film while Amaran revealed he "didn't plan anything for the movie and went on scene by scene". After achieving back-to-back successful films like Enga Ooru Pattukaran (1987) and Shenbagamae Shenbagamae (1988), Ramarajan
252-403: A puja before the procession, Ganga Amman , and Kaateri Maa through a procession to the river where offerings on a board are thrown into the body of water and then the marlo pujaris enter trance and Sangili Karuppu and Madurai Veeran are honoured through some processions with stunts such as whipping, "taking oath" (which is putting a lit camphor on one's tongue to prove the devotee is truly in
280-498: Is jailed for a petty crime, dreams of singing under the music of Ilaiyaraja, he sings "Maanguyile" to Vinu Chakravarthy. Ooru Vittu Ooru Vanthu (1990) also directed by Gangai Amaran was named after a song from the film. The comedy sequence involving Goundamani and Senthil's banana joke, still remains a cult classic, being referred to in the films Puthu Paatu (1990), Ponnuketha Purushan (1992), Muthal Seethanam (1992), Pudhayal (1997), Seerivarum Kaalai (2001), and
308-573: Is known as Karagam Puja or Kalasa Puja. The tradition was brought to the Caribbean and South America via the Girmityas , indentured servants from the Indian Subcontinent. The Karagam Puja takes place for three continuous days and devotees fast prior to the ceremonies. The festival honours the gods Kanchi Kamakshi and Madurai Meenakshi . The festival also honours the gods Kali / Mariamma through
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#1732895034267336-526: Is the lead performer of a karakattam troupe based out of a village. Muthaiya's mother was his dance guru. Similarly Kamakshi is also a karakattam dancer in the nearby village and she performs regularly during temple festival of that village. Chinnarasu is the village panchayat board president and he sets an eye on Kamakshi. But Kamakshi hates Chinnarasu. To take revenge on her, Chinnarasu invites Muthaiya's dance troupe to perform during temple festival instead of Kamakshi's performance. Muthaiya performs well and
364-504: Is widely appreciated by the villagers. Kamakshi also likes Muthaiya's performance. Kamakshi's father invites Muthaiya to his home. And to his shock, Kamakshi's father understands that Muthaiya is his nephew but does not reveal it to him. Muthaiya and Kamakshi fall in love with each other. Chinnarasu gets to know about Muthaiya and Kamakshi's love affair and plans to separate them. Balaraman is Kamakshi's innocent brother-in-law who works for Chinnarasu. Chinnarasu persuades Balaraman to challenge
392-540: The Tamil Nadu State Film Awards , Karakattakkaran won the Special Prize for Best Film , and D. K. S. Babu won for Best Choreographer . Karakattakkaran became a cult film for bringing the art of Karagam into prominence. The car Chevrolet Impala , 1960's model used in the film became popular after the film's release. In an interview with The Hindu in 2002, Somasundaram, a real-life Karakattam dancer
420-443: The Caribbean, is an ancient folk dance of Tamil Nadu performed in praise of the rain goddess Mariamman . The ancient Tamil epic says that this type of dance derived from Bharatham and a mixture of multiple forms of Tamil dance forms like Bharatanatyam postures and mudras . The offering of this dance is to the goddess to bless rain. The dance accompanies songs like folk Carnatic ( Amrithavarshini ). The performers balance
448-603: The Sami Aduthal stage and then two of them carry the Karagams (usually these two participants being boys before hitting puberty or women), and the other one receives the god Madurai Veeran and is dressed with a garland of oleander flowers and carries a staff topped with neem leaves. In 1989, the Tamil movie Karakattakkaran featured its lead actors Ramarajan , Kanaka and Kovai Sarala as performers of karakattam . The movie went on to become very popular and an advertisement for
476-604: The Telugu film Shiva Shankar (2004). The song "Nandhavanathil Oru" was adapted by Ilaiyaraaja's son Yuvan Shankar Raja as "Muttathu Pakkathile" in Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum (2009). "Ooru Vittu Ooru Vandhu" was remixed by Natarajan Sankaran in Kappal (2014). S. Shankar , the producer of that film, did not acquire permission to remix the song, leading to Ilaiyaraaja taking legal action against him. Karakattakkaran
504-428: The dance form, especially because of the music by Ilaiyaraja and the song, "Maanguyilae Poonguyile" with its karakattam choreography. Apart from this, the devotional film Padai Veetu Amman released in 2001 had the lead actress Meena briefly performing karakattam dance in a festival song. Also, the 2002 Tamil film Sri Bannari Amman showed the central female devotee as a hereditary karakattam dancer. A song in
532-461: The film featured karakattam dance. Kanaka (actress) Kanaka Mahalakshmi , known mononymously as Kanaka , is an Indian former actress who appeared in Tamil , Telugu and Malayalam language films. She is known of her role in her debut Tamil film Karakattakkaran (1989). Kanaka is the daughter of actress Devika . She is also the great-granddaughter of Telugu cinema pioneer, Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu . She started her career as
560-450: The harvest. Karakattam is traditionally performed in a saree. However, attire can vary as the main property is to have a karakam (Pot) on the head of the dancer. Common attire includes sarees or kurtha, colored towels and a pot. The current karakattam fashion appears to have been corrupted, probably due to lack of support with Bharatanatyam purists dismissing the art as non-traditional and low class, as it has been reduced to more of
588-540: The lives of two artist families locked in a feud raised by a romantic interests of the lead pair. The music composed by Ilaiyaraaja . All lyrics were written by Gangai Amaran except "Paattaalae Buddhi", which was written by Ilaiyaraaja. The song "Maanguyilae Poonguyile" is set to the Carnatic raga Gourimanohari , "Mariyamma" is set to Mayamalavagowla , and "Ooru Vittu Ooru Vandhu" is set to Shanmukhapriya . Ilaiyaraaja later adapted "Maanguyilae Poonguyile" as "Endhirayyo" for
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#1732895034267616-471: The rest of the story. The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja and all the songs were well-received, in particular, "Maanguyilae Poonguyile". The film was released on 16 June 1989 and was a major commercial success, running for over a year in theatres, and won two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards . It was also Goundamani and Senthil's 100th film as a combo. Goundamani and Senthil's banana comedy sequence from this film remains one of their popular act. Muthaiya
644-508: The temple and orders them to walk on fire in the temple to prove that they are pure. Muthaiya and Kamakshi successfully walk on fire while Balaraman exposes Chinnarasu's true identity before of the villagers. Balaraman pushes Chinnarasu on to the fire but Muthaiya saves him which makes Chinnarasu remorseful. Muthaiya and Kamakshi marry. Gangai Amaran wanted to do a film on the life of Karakattam dancers and their art Karagam. When producers Karumari Kandaswamy and J. Durai approached Amaran to do
672-471: The trance and is said to purify the medium before they speak their words), and walking on hot coals before running to a pool made of milk. Other stunts can include piercing of the tongues and cheeks, dancing on sharpened machetes, and on this day, many animal sacrifices are also made. The lotas are kept in the temple and consecrated accordingly, before being built with a coconut , several layers of neem leaves and oleander flowers . Three participants enter
700-435: Was critical of the film, stating that it was an "insult to the dance form". In a 2012 interview, Venkat Prabhu was asked if he would ever remake Karakattakkaran , and said "it would be extremely difficult to do justice to the original". In May 2019, Amaran expressed interest in doing a sequel with the original cast, which Ramarajan opposed the following month. In a comedy scene from Thangamana Raasa (1989), Goundamani who
728-458: Was released on 16 June 1989. Distributors initially refused to buy the film as they felt that "the rural setting and full length comedy would not be acceptable". Despite this, the film became a major commercial success, running for over a year in Nadana Theatre at Madurai. Ananda Vikatan rated the film 44 out of 100, calling it a simple, realistic village love story without much grandeur. At
756-426: Was the director's only choice for the lead character and it was his 18th project as actor. For the lead actress, Kanaka , daughter of Devika made her acting debut with this film. It was Amaran's wife who suggested her for the role. Goundamani and Senthil were chosen to handle comic relief and this film became their 100th collaboration. S. S. Chandran was the original choice for Goundamani's role. The comedy track
784-526: Was written by A. Veerappan. Since Amaran wanted a female dancer for Ramarajan's troupe, Kovai Sarala was cast. The filming was completed in 28 days. The crew found the village some distance off of Madurai Pandiyan hotel on the way to Alagar Kovil where the film was shot while the panchayat scene with the banyan tree and the climax were shot in Arunachalam Studios and Ambica Studios, respectively. Similar to Thillana Mohanambal , this film also followed
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