Vanaja Girija
Vanaja Girija is a 1994 Tamil-language comedy film directed by Keyaar. The film stars Ramki, Napoleon, Khushbu, and Mohini. The film, produced by Meena Panju Arunachalam, had musical score by Ilaiyaraaja and was released on 16 December 1994.[1] The film is a remake of Engamma Sapatham (1974) written by the same writer and it was remade in Telugu as Mama Bagunnava (1997) with Mohini reprising her role.
| Vanaja Girija | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Keyaar |
| Screenplay by | Panchu Arunachalam |
| Story by | R. Selvaraj |
| Produced by | Meena Panju Arunachalam |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | A. Karthik Raja |
| Edited by | B. Lenin V. T. Vijayan |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | P. A. Art Productions |
Release date | 16 December 1994 |
Running time | 150 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
The veterinarian Anand (Napoleon) and the doctor Raja (Ramki) are brothers. Their father Ramanathan (Visu) is a rich retired businessman. Vanaja (Khushbu) and Girija (Mohini) live with their mother Lakshmi (Kavitha). Their father Shankar (Nizhalgal Ravi) has left them when they were young because of Ramanathan. Vanaja and Girija decide to take revenge on Ramanathan by charming his sons.
Cast
- Ramki as Raja
- Napoleon as Anand
- Khushbu as Vanaja
- Mohini as Girija
- Visu as Ramanathan
- Urvashi as Chellamma
- Vivek as Appu
- Senthil as Kuppuswamy
- Nizhalgal Ravi as Shankar
- Kavitha as Lakshmi
- Vadivukkarasi as Vadivu
- Thyagu as Thyagu
- Mahanadi Shankar as Selvam
- K. S. Jayalakshmi as Mary
- Kumarimuthu
Casting
The main female lead cast was offered initially to Meena and Roja, but both only wanted the role of the younger sister. Khushbu was signed to play the elder sister and Meena the younger sister. But Meena did not want to be cast opposite Ramki, as she only paired with top leading actors. Mohini was signed for the younger sister role. She was recommended by Keyaar, who had introduced her to the film industry.
Soundtrack
The film score and the soundtrack were composed by film composer Ilaiyaraaja. The soundtrack, released in 1994, features 5 tracks with lyrics written by Vaali and Panchu Arunachalam.[2][3]
| Track | Song | Singer(s) | Lyrics | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Munnam Seydha" | S. Janaki, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Vaali | 6:37 |
| 2 | "Othaiyila" | K. S. Chithra | 4:20 | |
| 3 | "Siragadikkuthu" | Swarnalatha, K. S. Chithra | Panchu Arunachalam | 5:03 |
| 4 | "Thirumagal Unn" | Arunmozhi | 1:35 | |
| 5 | "Unnai Edhirpaarthen" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Swarnalatha | Vaali | 5:38 |
Reception
K. Vijiyan of New Straits Times gave a positive review that the film reminded him of Magalir Mattum and that the director "has managed to exploit most of the scenes in the movie for maximum comic relief".[4]
References
- "Filmography of vanaja girija". cinesouth.com. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
- "Vanaja Girija Songs". raaga.com. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- "Vanaja Girija Tamil Film Audio Cassette by Ilayaraaja". Mossymart. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
- Vijiyin, K. (9 January 1995). "Just the thing to chase the blues away". New Straits Times. p. 27.