‘Chakravarthi Thirumagal’ was the first film directed by P. Neelakantan featuring M.G.R. After this, they collaborated on 17 films. Their last film together was ‘Neethiku Thalaivanangu’.
This film was inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel ‘Crime and Punishment’. Telugu actor M. Balayya wrote the story as ‘Neramu Siksha’, which was a hit in Telugu. It was later remade in Tamil as ‘Neethiku Thalaivanangu’. Directed by K. Viswanath, it starred M.G.R., Latha, S. Varalakshmi, Nambiar, and several others. M. Balayya, who played a role in the Telugu version, made his Tamil debut with this film.
The film had cinematography by Thambu and dialogues by R.K. Shanmugam. Produced by K.T. Subbaiya under Umaiyambikai Productions, the music was composed by M.S. Viswanathan. All the songs became hits. The song ‘Indha Pachaikili Koru…’ received great appreciation.
M.G.R. usually played characters named Ramu or Ilango, but in this film, he was ‘Vijay’. Due to the Emergency period, some action sequences were censored.
The climax scenes were shot in three locations – Sivasamudram Falls, Hogenakkal, and Valmuri Shetra. M.G.R. personally chose these locations, as his earlier film ‘Chakravarthi Thirumagal’ was also filmed there.
The film ran for more than 100 days in many cinemas. Fans relate the film’s release dates sentimentally. M.G.R.’s first film with P. Neelakantan, ‘Chakravarthi Thirumagal’, was released on January 18, 1957, while their last film, ‘Neethiku Thalaivanangu’, was released on March 18, creating a sentimental connection to the date 18.
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