{{Short description|1951 film by P. Neelakantan}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{EngvarB|date=December 2020}} {{Infobox film | name = Or Iravu | image = Or Iravu.jpg | caption = Poster | director = P. Neelakantan | producer = A. V. Meiyappan | screenplay = C. N. Annadurai<br />P. Neelakantan | based_on = {{based on|''Or Iravu''|C. N. Annadurai}} | starring = K. R. Ramasamy<br />Lalitha | music = R. Sudarsanam | cinematography = S. Maruti Rao | editing = K. Shankar | studio = AVM Productions | distributor = | released = {{film date|1951|4|11|df=y}} | runtime = 160 minutes | country = India | language = Tamil }}
'''''Or Iravu''''' ({{translation|One Night}}) is a 1951 Indian Tamil-language film directed by P. Neelakantan and co-written by him and C. N. Annadurai. Produced by AVM Productions, it is based on Annadurai's play of the same name. The film stars K. R. Ramasamy, reprising his role from the play. It was released on 11 April 1951 and received well by critics, but failed commercially.
== Plot == {{more plot|date=June 2022}} A thief breaks into a rich man's house without knowing that the man is his father who had abandoned him and his mother long ago.
== Cast == <!-- Adapted from the film's song book --> {{Col-begin|width=60%}} {{col-break|width=50%}} ;Male cast<ref name="song book" /> *K. R. Ramasamy as Rathnam *T. K. Shanmugam as Karunakarathevar *T. S. Balaiah as Jagaveeran *A. Nageswara Rao as Dr. Sekhar *T. S. Durairaj as Compounder 'Eman' *'Friend' Ramasami as Agarathi *S. Venkatraman as Rioter *N. S. Narayana Pillai as Kanaka Pillai *Duraisami as Thatha *T. S. Dakshinamurthy as Public Prosecutor {{col-break|width=50%}} ;Female cast<ref name="song book" /> *Lalitha as Susheela *B. S. Saroja as Swarnam *Muthulakshmi as Bhavani *Angamuthu as Maid *Sukumari (debut film) ;Dance<ref name="song book" /> *Lalitha-Padmini *Kumari Kamala *Lakshmikantham {{Col-end}} ;Choreographers<ref name="lakshmansruthi" /> *Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai *B. Hiralal
== Production == ''Or Iravu'' was a stage play written by C. N. Annadurai. It was originally written for K. R. Ramasamy's Krishnan memorial drama company by Annadurai. A. V. Meiyappan of AVM Productions decided to make a film based on the play. Annadurai was paid {{INR}}10,000 for writing the screenplay. Annadurai went to AVM studios and wrote the entire script and dialogues totalling 300 pages in a single night. The screenplay was later modified by the director and the producer of the film. This was the third film to be made based on Annadurai's plays after ''Velaikari'' (1949) and ''Nallathambi'' (1949). P. Neelakantan, who had begun working for AVM in the 1947 film ''Naam Iruvar'' as assistant director, made his directorial debut with this film.{{sfn|Rajadhyaksha|Willemen|1998|p=165}} Per Annadurai's recommendation, Ramasamy was hired to play the hero, reprising his role from the play. The play depicted events that happen in a single night, and older incidents were depicted using flashbacks, but in the film version, flashbacks were replaced with a linear narration. The completed film was 14,980 feet in length.<ref name="maalaimalar" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Guy |first=Randor |author-link=Randor Guy |date=23 October 2010 |title=Blast from the past: Ore Iravu (1951) |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Blast-from-the-past-Ore-Iravu-1951/article15789520.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305154639/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/Blast-from-the-past-Ore-Iravu-1951/article15789520.ece |archive-date=5 March 2018 |access-date=7 December 2020 |work=The Hindu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ramakrishnan |first=Venkatesh |date=1 December 2019 |title=Those Were The Days: That 'One night' which changed many fortunes over the years |url=https://www.dtnext.in/city/2019/12/01/those-were-the-days-that-one-night-which-changed-many-fortunes-over-the-years |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629044744/https://www.dtnext.in/city/2019/12/01/those-were-the-days-that-one-night-which-changed-many-fortunes-over-the-years |archive-date=29 June 2022 |access-date=29 June 2022 |website=DT Next}}</ref>
== Soundtrack == The music was composed by R. Sudarsanam ("Thunbam Nergaiyil Yaazhedutthu" is based on a composition by Dandapani Desikar).<ref name="song book" /> The song "Ayya Saami Aaoji Saami" is based on "Chico Chico from Puerto Rico" from the 1945 American film ''Doll Face''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Srinivasan |first=Karthik |date=23 October 2018 |title=How 'Chico Chico' From The Hollywood Film Dollface Was Ripped Off in Hindi, Tamil And Bengali |url=https://www.filmcompanion.in/chico-chico-dollface-gore-gore-ayya-saami-shono-shono-carbon-copy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20181023091235/https://www.filmcompanion.in/chico-chico-dollface-gore-gore-ayya-saami-shono-shono-carbon-copy |archive-date=23 October 2018 |access-date=23 October 2018 |website=Film Companion}}</ref>
'''Songs list'''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Neelamegam |first=Govindasamy |title=Thiraikalanjiyam – Part 1 |publisher=Manivasagar Publishers |year=2014 |edition=1st |location=Chennai |pages=16}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" ! Song !! Singers !! Lyrics !! Length |- | "Vasandha Mullaiyum Malligaiyum" || M. S. Rajeswari || K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam || 03:20 |- | "Puvimel Maanamudan...Pennaaga Pirandhaale" || T. S. Bagavathi || Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniyam || 03:23 |- | "Kottu Murase Kottu Murase" || K. R. Ramasamy, M. S. Rajeswari & V. J. Varma || Mahakavi Bharathiyar || 02:38 |- | "Ayyaa Saami Avoji Saami" || M. L. Vasanthakumari || K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam || 03:08 |- | "Thunbam Nergaiyil Yaazhedutthu" || M. S. Rajeswari & V. J. Varma || Bharathidasan || 03:28 |- | "Enna Ulagamadaa Idhu Ezhaikke Naragamadaa" || K. R. Ramasamy || K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam || 04:35 |- | "Arumbu Pol Meesai...Paartthu Paartthu Kanngal Rendum" || V. J. Varma, T. S. Bagavathi & M. S. Rajeswari || K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam || 06:06 |- | "Boologam Thanai Kaana Varuveer" || M. L. Vasanthakumari & T. S. Bagavathi || T. K. Shanmugam || 05:12 |- | "Padutthurangum Podhu...Akkam Pakkam Yaarum Illai" || M. S. Rajeswari || K. P. Kamatchi Sundharam || 03:51 |- | "Azhagu Naadu...Engal Naadu Idhu Engal Naadu" || T. S. Bagavathi || T. K. Shanmugam || 03:40 |}
== Release and reception == ''Or Iravu'' was released on 11 April 1951.<ref name="lakshmansruthi" /> The film was a box office failure, but was received well by critics and contemporary writers of Annadurai.<ref name="maalaimalar" /> Meiyappan theorised that the film failed either due to the modifications made to the original script or the changes the director did to adapt it for the big screen.<ref name="maalaimalar" />
== References == {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="lakshmansruthi">{{Cite web |title=1951 – ஓர் இரவு – ஏ.வி.எம். |trans-title=1951 – Or Iravu – A.V.M. |url=http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/cineprofiles/1951-cinedetails3.asp |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922170906/http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/cineprofiles/1951-cinedetails3.asp |archive-date=22 September 2017 |access-date=7 December 2020 |website=Lakshman Sruthi |language=ta}}</ref> <ref name="song book">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/download/sok.OerIravu_P.Neelakantan_1951/14.%20OerIravu_P.Neelakantan_1951.pdf |title=ஒர் இரவு |publisher=AVM Productions |year=1951 |language=ta |type=song book |access-date=29 June 2022 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> <ref name="maalaimalar">{{Cite news |date=2 October 2009 |title="ஓர் இரவு" படத்துக்கு ஒரே இரவில் 300 பக்க வசனம்! அண்ணா எழுதிக் கொடுத்தார் |trans-title=Annadurai wrote 300 pages of script in a single night for ''Or Iravu'' |url=http://www.maalaimalar.com/2009/10/02110550/avm.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721131212/http://www.maalaimalar.com/2009/10/02110550/avm.html |archive-date=21 July 2011 |access-date=14 January 2010 |work=Maalai Malar |language=ta}}</ref> }}
== Bibliography == * {{Cite book |last1=Rajadhyaksha |first1=Ashish |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema |last2=Willemen |first2=Paul |publisher=British Film Institute and Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-19-563579-5 |author-link=Ashish Rajadhyaksha |author-link2=Paul Willemen |orig-date=1994}}
== External links == *{{IMDb title}} *{{Rotten Tomatoes}} {{P. Neelakantan}} {{AVM Productions}} Category:1951 Indian films Category:1951 Tamil-language films Category:1951 directorial debut films Category:1951 films Category:AVM Productions films Category:Films directed by P. Neelakantan Category:Films scored by R. Sudarsanam Category:Films with screenplays by C. N. Annadurai Category:Indian films based on plays Category:Tamil-language Indian films