Kiratha Arjuna
4 /10 1 Votes
Country India | Language Tamil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Director G. Ramaseshan
Muthuswami Iyer Release date 1940 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kiratha Arjuna (also known as Oorvasi Saahasam) is a 1940 Indian Tamil-language period film directed by G. Ramaseshan and Muthuswami Iyer. The film's ensemble cast featured M. R. Krishnamurthi, P. B. Rangachari, Thirukharaivaasal Subbulakshmi, Bhavani, K. Sambamurthi, T. M. Ramasami Pillai, M. V. Sulochana, M. S. Mani and T. V. Lakshmi. Kiratha Arjuna narrated the epic tale about the Pandava prince Arjuna and the Hindu god Shiva, disguised as a tribal hunter, fighting him. There is a temple in Ernakulam, Kerala, dedicated to this episode.
Contents
Plot
Shiva intends to impress Parvathi with the devotion Arjuna has towards him. Just as Shiva disguised as Kiratha, a tribal hunter, appears before Arjuna, he sees a wild boar charging towards Arjuna and shoots an arrow at the boar. Arjuna, an accomplished archer, also shoots an arrow at the boar. The boar that was in fact a demon named Mookasura in disguise is killed and its original form revealed. However, a dispute arises between Arjuna and Kiratha as to who the real killer of the animal is. A long-drawn battle ensues between the two, resulting in Kiratha's victory over Arjuna. The vanquished Arjuna, unable to even stand up, makes a Shiva Linga out of mud and performs a puja, offering flowers. To his surprise, he finds that the flower he offers to the Linga is falling over the head of Kiratha. Arjuna then realises that Kiratha is actually Shiva. Pleased with his devotion, Shiva grants the Pashupatastra, the divine arrow, to Arjuna.
Cast
Production
This film had two titles, Kiratha Arjuna and Oorvasi Saahasam. It was produced and censored in 1939, but for unknown reasons was released in 1940. M. R. Krishnamurthi, a qualified Carnatic musician and the younger brother of Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, played the role of Arjuna. He was a successful singing star of the stage before he sailed into early Tamil cinema playing the lead role in many films. His earliest hit was Bhama Vijayam (1934) in which he played Lord Krishna with the Palayamkottah Sisters. Thirukharaivaasal Subbulakshmi played the celestial dancer Oorvasi sent to lure Arjuna away from his penance by Indra. Kiratha Arjuna was produced by Venus Pictures (not the later-era multilingual Chennai-based film unit of the same name) and directed by G. Ramaseshan who was involved in the setting up of the Central Studios of Coimbatore. This is the only film he directed along with Murugadasa alias Muthuswami Iyer, the maker of popular films such as Chakradhari.
Soundtrack
Carnatic musician Bhavani K. Sambamurthi, who was popular in the early decades of Tamil cinema, worked as the film's music director. He also acted in the film as Sage Narada.
Reception
Randor Guy, a critic from The Hindu, praised the film for "the interesting storyline and melodious music."
Availability
Full details about Kiratha Arjuna are not available. Neither any print, nor any stills of the film are known to survive, making it a lost film.