Raani Samyuktha

Plot

Prithvirajan (MGR) falls in love when he sees a portrait of princess Samyuktha (Padmini). To insult him, her father Jayachandran (MG Chakrapani) installs his statue at the entrance to the palace hall where the ‘swayamvara' (a ceremony to choose the bridegroom) by the princess is to take place. Getting wind of it, Prithvirajan rushes to the spot on a horse and carries away his sweetheart, while others present watch shocked and stunned.

Production

The story of Rani Samyuktha and Prithivirajan is a popular love story and had been filmed several times in Indian cinema. In 1942, it was made in Tamil titled Prithivirajan with P. U. Chinnappa and A. Sakunthala in the lead roles.

Rani Samyuktha, the 1962 edition of the same story, was produced by A. C. Pillai, who was a small-time bank clerk. There was a talk among MGR's close friends that a misunderstanding arose between him and the producer and that somewhat affected his performance in the film.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by K. V. Mahadevan, while the lyrics were written by Kannadasan. Playback singers are T. M. Soundararajan, P. Suseela, K. Jamuna Rani, T. S. Bagavathi & A. P. Komala.

Reception

The film ran for less than 80 days. Film historian Randor Guy wrote in 2015 that the film is remembered for "The melodious music of K.V. Mahadevan, the brilliant performance of Padmini in the title role and MGR as Prithviraj."