Madras to Pondicherry (Tamil,1966 B/W)
Director: M. Thirumalai
One of the sites I visited recently ranked this Tamil film as #4 in their list of 50 Tamil movies 'to see before you die!'. Not for any particular reason but its unique genre - the road movie category. In fact, I recall watching another film (Thirumalai Thenkumari), where various characters and escapades are depicted while en route to a pilgrimage. Along the way, the divine powers of the Lord are portrayed in a rather melodramatic and melodious manner through the story and devotional songs.In Hollywood, offhand, one can recall films like 'Boney & Clyde' and 'Easy Rider' which fit this description. In a way, the 60s western TV series 'Have Gun Will Travel' - "¶Paladin, paladin, where do you go?¶" - can be included because it shows someone with a dark past seeking adventure! MTP is a full-length comedy with a minor element of suspense woven into it. It tells the story of the adventures of a bus driver (A. Karunanidhi) and his conductor (Nagesh) as they travel in their rickety bus, which has seen better days, from Madras to Pondicherry.
A lady desperately boards the moving bus in a panic, trying to escape some attackers. As the bus continues, we learn that the lady, Mala, has a dark past. Her story is revealed gradually, interwoven with the antics of the bus passengers and the occasional chaos and even anarchy that erupt inside the bus from time to time. There is a group of three men from a drama troupe, some friends of different religions, a narcoleptic, a bossy mother and daughter, a Brahmin couple - a domineering wife (Manorama), a henpecked husband with their overweight, thumb-sucking child (Pakora Khader, who also appears in many movies with obese jokes), and others.
Mala (Kalpana), an aspiring actress, ran away from her home after falling victim to two conmen who promised her stardom. Their rivalry led to one murdering the other. Mala witnesses this act and goes on the run. Her love interest is Ravichandran (@B.S.Raman, a Malaysian medical student who found acting more rewarding than burning the midnight oil studying Anatomy), who appears mysteriously during her career-boosting efforts.
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| All in a day's job |
Meanwhile, the crooks trail the bus, and one of their accomplices boards it to attempt to gun Mala down. Somehow, Ravichandran also boards the bus. The hero then saves the day. The crooks are arrested. Actually, Ravichandran was the arranged groom for Mala, and their marriage takes place at the end.
All the passengers gather at the wedding, uninvited, and the main message to the audience was not to look at single girls with suspicion and bad intent, as the passengers of the bus were guilty of. They could be just as deserving as anyone else.
I remember watching this film in RRF, but I think there was a massive power failure, and we missed a large part of it. We didn't miss much anyway. The jokes, however, were quite original and were shamelessly copied many times over the years. The songs did not leave a lasting impression, and I have never heard them in my life.
For a full-length comedy, I prefer Nagesh's tour de force, 'Server Sundram', anytime.
