The disbanded,dignifying director duo

    Tamil cinema's film makers at times come together,to direct films on account of their similar ideologies and identical creative modules. The earliest duo in this aspect were Krishnan Panju, who made very many successful films starting with Poompaavai.to Malarum Ninaivukal.S.Panju was six years younger than R.Krishnan..

  Most famous Tamil films like Nalla Thambi, Kuladheivam,Thilakam,Annai,Server Sundaram Kuzhandhaiyum Dheivamum, Kaliyuga Kannan, Vaazhndhu Kaattukiren, Vaazhvu En Pakkam  Sivaji Ganesan's Parasakthi,Dheiva Piravi, Pudhayal, Kungumam &Uyarndha Manidhan, MGR's Petral Thaan Pillaiyaa,Engal Thangam,& Idhaya Veenai and M.K.Muthu's Pillaiyo Pillai Pookaari &Anaiyaa Vilakkku,cannot ever leave the memories of the audience who watched them.

  Unlike Krishnan Panju,Sandhaana Bharadhi and P.Vasu whose fasinating film Panneer Pushpangal delighted the audience with adolescent pranks and calf love parted ways to strike their personal impressions on the big screen.Whereas,in the line of Krishnan Panju,there came the duo Devaraj Mohan who created their characteristic sparks in the tinsel world. Together they made about seventeen films, starting from Ponnukku Thanga Manasu to Kannil Theriyum Kadhaikal.After this Devarajan parted ways with Mohan,and independently made about five films.

  So long they were together, for seven years between 1973 and 1980, they made low budget, clean movies,worthy of catering to the desires and expectations of the family audience, The most important factor of their films was the inclusion of Sivakumar as hero,in most of them. Starting from Ponnukku Thanga Manasu,popular films like Kanmani Raja, Annakkili,Uravadum Nenjam, Saindhaadamma Saindhaadu,Rosaappu Ravikkai Kaari{That was Sivakumar's one hundredth film}Chittukkuruvi,Kavikkuyil, Poonthalir, and Oru Vellaadu Vengaiyaakiradhu were all Sivakumar films.The duo's other heroes were Muthuraman {Uravu Solla Oruvan} Jaishankar {Vaazha Ninaithaal Vaazhalaam} Vijayakumar {Palootti Valartha Kili} and Sarath Bhabu{Kannil Theriyum Kadhaikal. Sujatha was the most frequent female player of prominent roles in their films.

  Devaraj Mohan can take the credit for introducing the musical prophet Ilayaraja into Tamil cinema,through their most successful film Annakili,whose success also rested on its unique musical component, with captivating numbers like Machaana Paartheengalaa and Annakili Unna Thedudhe. Dignified and sacrificing romance, male selfishness and domination {Saaindhaadamma Saaindhaadu Poonthalir and even Annakili}and societal gossip as well as social indifference,were some of the significant thematic contents of their films.

  Women were mostly seen as victims of male chauvinism and social under estimation.To see a woman getting killed in a stampede was the most excruciating cinematic event witnessed in Annakili. The heroine had to die like this,purely for saving the family of the teacher whom she loved and adored. Similarly,the heroine's pathetic death  and the plight of her toddler son  were another tragic scene that would have cast deep agony to the audience, while watching the film Poonthalir.Sujatha was the female star in both the films. 

   Slow narration was at times found to be a weakening segment of the films of this duo.But the fact that they could make the producers reap profit with small investments,spoke about their care for the vital commercial element involved in making films.None of the films of the duo hurt the sentiments of the audience or made them victims of cheap cinema at the theatres.The audience got their money's worth in their films and the producers did not lose their precious borrowed funds.In this way, this duo could be called the master planners of  the most wanted audio visual experience of the last century. Though disbanded at a later stage in their career, Devaraj Mohan could be called the makers of dignifying films in Tamil Cinema.

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