Ganga (1972 film)

Ganga
VCD cover
Directed byM. Karnan
Story byMahendran
StarringJaishankar
Rajakokila
CinematographyM. Karnan
Edited byG. Kalyanasundaram
Music byShankar–Ganesh
Production
company
Indhrani Films
Release date
  • 15 January 1972 (1972-01-15)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Ganga is a 1972 Indian Tamil-language Western film directed and filmed by M. Karnan. The film stars Jaishankar and Rajakokila. It was released on 15 January 1972, and became a commercial success.

Plot

Kathirvelu, a reformed robber, lives with his wife and son. He raises his son Ganga to be a brave warrior, but Ganga develops a penchant for women and alcoholism. Kathirvelu, one day, sees his son in an drunken state. Enraged, he expels him from the house. At this juncture, his past life comes back in the form of his gang. They force him to join their gang, but Kathirvelu refuses, and he is murdered in front of his wife. Ganga comes to perform the last rites of his father. His mother takes a vow from him that, until he takes revenge on all the four murderers of his father, he should not look at her face.

Cast

Production

Ganga was produced under Indhrani Films, and directed by M. Karnan who also handled the cinematography. The story was written by Mahendran, and the dialogue by Ma. Ra, while the editing was handled by G. Kalyanasundaram.[3]

Themes

Film historian Swarnavel Eswaran Pillai compared Ganga to an earlier Karnan film Kalam Vellum (1970) for being a Western with elements of melodrama combined, along with the protagonist's goal being to avenge a murdered family member.[4] However, while Kalam Vellum focused on the protagonist avenging his sister, Ganga focuses on him avenging his father.[5]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Shankar–Ganesh and the lyrics were written by Kannadasan.[6]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Aagattum Parkkalam"L. R. Eswari 
2."Aana Penna Sarithiram"L. R. Eswari 

Release and reception

Ganga was released on 15 January 1972.[7] The film emerged a commercial success and one of the most recognised Westerns in Tamil cinema.[8][9][10][11]

References

  1. ^ Pillai 2015, p. 178.
  2. ^ a b Pillai 2015, p. 172.
  3. ^ Ganga (motion picture) (in Tamil). Indhrani Films. 1972. Opening credits, from 0:00 to 2:21.
  4. ^ Pillai 2015, p. 177.
  5. ^ Pillai 2015, p. 170.
  6. ^ "Ganga". Tamil Songs Lyrics. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  7. ^ Mahendran 2013, p. 344.
  8. ^ Raaj, Neelam (27 August 2009). "Desi cowboy is back, mind it!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Irumbu Kottai Murattu Singam". Sify. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  10. ^ சனா (8 May 2020). "கெளபாய் படமும், லாரன்ஸ் மாஸ்டரும் பின்னே அந்தக் குதிரையும்! - இயக்குநர் சிம்புதேவன்". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  11. ^ சிவகுமார் (2 April 2021). "திரைப்படச்சோலை 19: ஜெய்சங்கர்". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.

Bibliography