| Muthal Mariyathai | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Bharathiraja |
| Screenplay by | Bharathiraja |
| Story by | R. Selvaraj |
| Produced by | Bharathiraja |
| Starring | Sivaji Ganesan Radha |
| Cinematography | B. Kannan |
| Edited by | V. Rajagopal P. Mohan Raj |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | Manoj Creations |
Release date |
|
Running time | 160–161 minutes[a] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Muthal Mariyathai (/mʊðəl mərɪjɑːðaɪ/ transl. First Honours) is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film produced, directed and co-written by Bharathiraja. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Radha, with Vadivukkarasi, newcomers Deepan and Ranjini, Janagaraj, Sathyaraj, Aruna, Veerasami and Ramanathan in supporting roles. It revolves around the relationship between an unhappily married village chief and a young boatwoman.
The story of Muthal Mariyathai was developed from two sources: an English-language film about the relationship between a young girl and an ageing painter, and a story in Jayakanthan's novel Samoogam Enbadhu Naalu Paer about the relationship between a teacher and an administrator with a strained marriage. The film was co-written by R. Selvaraj, photographed by B. Kannan, and edited by V. Rajagopal and P. Mohan Raj. Filming was entirely held at Talakadu, a village near Mysore in Karnataka.
Muthal Mariyathai was released on 15 August 1985. The film received positive reviews and ran for over 200 days in theatres, becoming a silver jubilee hit. It won the Best Lyricist Award and Best Feature Film in Tamil Award for Vairamuthu and Bharathiraja, respectively, in the 33rd National Film Awards, the Cinema Express Award for Best Film – Tamil, and Ganesan and Radha won Filmfare Awards South in the Best Tamil Actor and Best Tamil Actress categories, respectively.
- ^ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 472.
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