Sri Valli (1961 film)
Sri Valli is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language Hindu mythological film directed by T. R. Ramanna. A remake of the 1945 film of the same name, the film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini, supported by T. R. Mahalingam, E. R. Sahadevan, C. K. Saraswathi and J. P. Chandrababu. This film was taken in Gevacolor. It was released on 1 July 1961. Plot. Goddess Valli had her heart and soul dedicated to Lord Subramanya and would always pray with fervent devotion and love, to be with Him. The Lord was moved by the highest form of love  expressed by the mountain princess, and so He planned to appease Her in person by creating the perfect situation after an enactment of His lila. The mountain chief planned to develop a field for growing millet, and assigned Valli to take charge of protecting the field from birds and animals who might devour the crops. Lord Murugan saw this as an opportunity to meet the Goddess, and therefore He assumed the form of a handsome tribal hunter and appeared before her, as if he had lost his way on chasing a deer during hunting. Valli did not recognize the stranger  and promptly asked him to leave the place. The Hunter was about to leave and at that moment the chief was returning to the place bringing honey and fruits for Valli. The God, in order to avoid being caught, turned himself into a tree. After the chief and his followers left the place, the God changed back into the hunter form and proposed his love to Valli. The princess who had only the Mountain God in her heart, was infuriated at the proposal and lashed out at the hunter. (This form of Lord Muruga called the 'Veduvan Kolam' can be  seen at the Lord Palaniapaar temple at Belukurichi). The chief and his followers were again returning to the place, so the hunter changed himself into an old man, without being noticed by Valli. The chief, on seeing the old man, requested him to stay with Valli till they returned from the hunt. The old man was hungry and asked Valli for food, and she gave Him a mixture of the millet flour and honey, but it made him thirsty and He asked for water. She provided water from a nearby stream and the Lord jokingly remarked that she had satisfied  his thirst and she could quench his thirst for a companion. The Goddess was angered again and started to leave the place. The Lord requested assistance from His brother, Lord Ganesha to appear as a wild elephant at that time. On seeing the wild elephant, Valli was scared and ran back to the old man, pleading with Him to save Her from the elephant. Lord Muruga proposed to save Her only if She agreed to marry Him. In the heat of the moment, she agrees and the Lord reveals His true form. It was then Valli realised that it was  her beloved Lord, who was with her all the time. After the millet harvest was over, the chief with his daughter and entourage returned to their native land. The Lord, again returned for His devotee and The Divine Couple enjoyed their time away from Valli's family. Nambi Raja on being alerted about Valli's absence, flew into rage and went in search of Her. When they finally found The Lord along with Valli, the chief and followers shot arrows at Him, but they all failed to even touch the Lord and instead, the chief and his sons fell lifeless . Goddess Valli was disheartened to see the lifeless bodies of her kith and kin, and requested the Lord to bring them back to life. Lord Murugan instructed Her to revive them Herself and by Her mere touch everyone was brought back to life. The chief Nambi Raja and his tribesmen realised that it was their God of Mountains, in the form of the old man and prayed to Him. Lord Muruga took his true form and blessed the tribesmen, and the chief conducted the marriage of his daughter and the Lord. Cast. "Cast adapted from the film's song book  and the opening credits:" Production. The film was directed by T. R. Ramanna, while Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass wrote the screenplay. Actor Vijayakumar made his debut through the film playing the younger role of Lord Muruga and Lakshmi to make her debut through the film playing the younger role of Valli. The film was colourised using Gevacolor. Soundtrack. This album contains 20 songs composed by G. Ramanathan, written by Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass. Release and reception. "Sri Valli" was released on 1 July 1961. In its review of the film, "Kumudam" filled a whole page with only two words: "Om  Muruga". A 2011 review by Randor Guy in "The Hindu" noted, "Despite the popular lead pair, tuneful music and dances by Helen ... this colour version was a disappointment."