Kadhalikka Neramillai

The plot of Kadhalikka Neramillai revolves around Viswanathan, an estate owner who hopes to get his daughters Nirmala and Kanchana married to wealthy grooms. However, Nirmala falls in love with Ashok, a poor man who was once employed by Vishwanathan. To earn Viswanathan’s approval, Ashok pretends to be the only heir of a rich businessman; he is supported by his friend Vasu, who poses as Ashok’s fictional millionaire father Chidambaram. A comedy of errors ensues when Vasu discovers his lover Kanchana is Viswanathan’s other daughter.

Principal photography for the film took place mostly in Ooty and in Aliyar Dam Guest House. One song sequence was filmed in Marina Beach, Madras (now Chennai). It was one of the earliest full length Tamil films in Eastmancolor. The cinematographer was A. Vincent, and the editor was N. M. Shankar. The film’s soundtrack and score were composed by the duo Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy, with lyrics written by Kannadasan.

Kadhalikka Neramillai was released on 27 February 1964 and was applauded for its comedy; it was a commercial success, running in theatres for more than 175 days. Regarded as a trend-setting comedy, the film has since developed a cult status in Tamil cinema. It was remade in Telugu as Preminchi Choodu (1965) and in Hindi by Sridhar himself as Pyar Kiye Jaa (1966). Rajasree reprised her role in both those films, while Kanchana did so only in Telugu. The film was also remade in Kannada as Preethi Madu Thamashe Nodu (1979) and in Marathi as Dhoom Dhadaka (1985).

One day while the sisters are sightseeing, a battered car driven by Ashok, an assistant manager at their father’s estate, bumps into their car. The sisters quarrel with Ashok and are annoyed by his insolence. Later they force Viswanathan to fire him. Infuriated, Ashok pitches a tent overlooking their bungalow and begins a strike to reclaim his job. Nirmala accidentally drops a bucket on Ashok’s head. Feeling guilty, she visits Ashok’s tent to apologise and they fall in love.

Viswanathan decides to get his daughters married to wealthy men. Ashok realises that because he is poor, he has no chance of becoming a prospective groom. Nirmala loves him but she does not wish to elope with him. He calls up his friend, who happens to be Vasu, to pose as his wealthy father. Vasu arrives at Chinnamalai and agrees to help. He disguises himself as a rich, old man named Chidambaram. When Kanchana is introduced to Vasu in disguise, he is shocked because he believes Ashok loves Kanchana, but discovers to his relief that Ashok is in love with Nirmala.

Meanwhile, Chellappa starts a film production house called Oho Productions. Unable to earn anyone’s faith in his capabilities, he handles the filmmaking himself. Chellappa unsuccessfully tries to persuade his father to finance his film; he engages the estate manager’s daughter Meenalochni to play the heroine in his film. Chellappa selects Ashok for the film’s screenplay and asks “Chidambaram” to fund it. When the film does not progress as expected, Meenalochni’s father forces Chellappa to marry her. Chellappa initially refuses but realising he has no choice, he accepts the offer.

On a short trip, “Chidambaram” reveals his true identity as Vasu to Viswanathan’s daughters, who agree to play along. Viswanathan, believing Ashok is the only heir of a millionaire, asks Kanchana’s consent to marry him. When Kanchana rejects the proposal, Viswanathan asks Nirmala, who happily accepts. Vasu’s father Sachidanandam, who is buying a nearby estate, is referred to Viswanathan and arrives in Chinnamalai. They meet and discover that they are childhood friends.

Believing it would be inappropriate to marry off his younger daughter while the elder one is still unmarried, Viswanathan arranges Kanchana’s marriage to Vasu, who meets his father but is unable to reveal his true identity to prevent getting caught. When Sachidanandam returns to Madras to make the wedding preparations, he finds that there has been no word from his son, who left for Coimbatore weeks before. Sachidanandam almost cancels the marriage when Vasu makes a telephone call in the nick of time and approves the marriage.

Sachidanandam’s car breaks down and he takes shelter in a school teacher’s hut until it is fixed. There, he finds a photograph of Ashok and realises he is the teacher’s son. Suspecting Ashok of foul play to usurp Viswanathan’s riches, Sachidanandam files a complaint. Vasu and Ashok are held in custody by the police. As Sachidanandam arrives at the police station, the truth behind the impersonation is revealed and he withdraws his complaint. When his daughters refuse to part with their lovers, Viswanathan realises their love and agrees to their request to get married.