Olangal

Olangal
Olangal
Directed by	Balu Mahendra
Screenplay by	Balu Mahendra
Produced by	Joseph Abraham
Starring	Amol Palekar; Poornima Jayaram; Ambika; Adoor Bhasi; Anju
Cinematography	Balu Mahendra
Edited by	D. Vasu
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Release date	25 January 1982;
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Olangal (transl. Waves) is a 1982 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Balu Mahendra.^[2] The film's plot is inspired from novel Man, Woman and Child by Erich Segal.^[3]

Plot[]

Life goes on happily for the couple, Ravi (Amol Palekar) and Radha (Poornima), who live with their only daughter, until Father John arrives in the city with a young boy Raju, Ravi's son from an affair with Reetha (Ambika), before his marriage to Radha. Now he has to keep the boy with him for a month before Father John takes the boy abroad.

Ravi introduces the boy to his wife as the son of a dead friend, George, and she happily accepts to keep the boy with them. But the truth emerges when the "dead friend" visits their house. The six-year-long marriage between Ravi and Radha shatters.

Cast[]

Amol Palekar... Ravi Chattan
Poornima Jayaram... Radha R. Chattan – Ravi's wife
Ambika... Rita
Anju
Adoor Bhasi
T. R. Omana
Preeta
Jagathy Sreekumar

Soundtrack[]

All lyrics are written by O. N. V. Kurup; all music is composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

No.	Title	Artist(s)
1.	"Kuliradunnu Maanathu"	K. J. Yesudas, Choir
2.	"Thumbi Vaa Thumbakudathin"	S. Janaki
3.	"Vezhaambal Kezhum Venalkkudeeram"	K. J. Yesudas, S. Janaki

The song "Thumbi Vaa" gained massive popularity on release. Ilaiyaraaja re-used the tune in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. Balu Mahendra loved the tune so much that insisted having the tune again in his Hindi film Aur Ek Prem Kahani. The song was also used two more times by Ilaiyaraaja himself and once by Shankar–Ganesh.^[4] It was also used in the 2009 Hindi film Paa as "Gumm Summ Paa".^[5]

Reception[]

Sreedhar Pillai wrote for India Today, "As always with Mahendra's films the photography is superb. It captures the lush green of Ooty and the urban landscape of Bangalore with equal ease. Amol Palekar gives a subdued performance."^[6]