| Paadum Vaanampadi | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Directed by | M. Jayakumar |
| Story by | Babbar Subhash |
| Based on | Disco Dancer |
| Produced by | R. Chandrasekhar |
| Starring | Anand Babu Jeevitha Nagesh |
| Music by | Bappi Lahiri Shankar–Ganesh |
Production company | K. R. Cine Arts |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Paadum Vaanampadi (transl. Singing skylark) is a 1985 IndianTamil-languagedance film released in 1985 produced by K. R. Cine Arts starring newcomerAnand Babu,Jeevitha andNagesh. The film was the Tamil remake of the Hindi filmDisco Dancer.[1] It was released on 24 February 1985,[2] and became a blockbuster hit and ran for more than one hundred days at Chennai and other centres.[3] Music was byBappi Lahiri andShankar–Ganesh.
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Even as a young child, Anand is the sole provider for his family consisting of his widowed mother and younger sister, Viji. His older brother Raja ran away from home unable to bear the humiliation after their father was falsely accused of theft and sent to jail by his boss Dharmalingam. Anand is a street performer that sings with his mentor, Muthu. He befriends Radha, Dharmalingam's daughter, during a performance. Upset over the friendship, Dharmalingam has Anand's mother arrested on a false charge. The impoverished family leaves the city in disgrace.
Years later, Dharmalingam's son Shyam is a famous disco dancer that's let his fame go to his head. He clashes with his manager Raja and fires him. Raja is determined to find another dancer to unseat Shyam. He sees Anand dancing in the street and quickly raises him to be more popular than Shyam. Raja also discovers that Anand is his younger brother and the fractured family is reunited. Anand also reunites with Radha and the two fall in love. An increasingly frustrated Shyam sets out to woo Viji in an attempt to get revenge on Raja and Anand. Dharmalingam is also out for revenge after his ill-dealing of the family is made public. Dharmalingam and Shyam create chaos the siblings must deal with to succeed.
Soundtrack was composed by Bappi Lahiri and Shankar–Ganesh.[4][5] The highlight of the album is thedisco song "Naanoru Disco Dancer",[6][7] which was based on "I Am A Disco Dancer" fromDisco Dancer (1982).[citation needed] "Aatathil Naanthaan Raja Raja" is a cover of "Video Killed the Radio Star".[citation needed]
| Song | Singers | Lyrics |
|---|---|---|
| "En Ninaivuthaane Enguthe" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Vaali |
| "Naanoru Disco Dancer" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Vaali |
| "Mayangaathe (Vaazhum Varai)" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Vairamuthu |
| "Adi Kanne Ilam Penne" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Na. Kamarasan |
| "Aatathil Naanthaan Raja Raja" | Malaysia Vasudevan,Vani Jairam | Na. Kamarasan |
| "Vaazhum Varai" | SPB, Latha Kannan | Vairamuthu |
| "Anbe Anbe Anbe" | P. Susheela | Muthulingam |
Kalki criticised the film for having too many stunt sequences, but said the scene where a monkey trains Anand Babu in stunts was first class.[8]