Parakkum Paavai was a film set against the backdrop of a circus and was inspired by many Hollywood films like It Happened One Night and Roman Holiday . After the Gemini Studios–S. S. Vasan box-office bonanza Chandralekha (1948), this Tamil film was among the earliest to incorporate circus scenes, especially the flying trapeze sequences.
The film is about Jeeva (MGR), the son of a businessman. He is cheated by another businessman (Chittoor V. Nagaiah), who on his deathbed asks Jeeva to take care of his daughter Kala (Saroja Devi), the heiress to his wealth. Kala’s elder sister (Rajasulochana) leaves home and joins a circus, where she meets with an accident. Her husband (Manohar), after her money, tries to trap Kala too.
Kala leaves home and joins the same circus. Jeeva follows her and joins the circus as a flying trapeze artiste. The family nurse (Kanchana) is in love with Jeeva, but he does not reciprocate and she becomes inimical towards him.
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A masked man tries to kill Kala at night, but Jeeva saves her. Finally, the masked man turns out to be a killer hired by the nurse.
Parakkum Paavai has melodious songs composed by M. S. Viswanathan, which include ‘Kalyana naal paarka sollalama’ (T. M. Soundararajan and P. Susheela), ‘Mutthamo mogamo’ (T. M. Soundararajan and L. R. Eswari), ‘Sugam ethiley’ (K. J. Yesudas, T. M. Soundrarajan and L. R. Eswari). Lyrics were by Kavignar Kannadasan.
Despite the high-profile cast, the film did not fare well, and ran for only 80 days.
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Remembered for : The spectacular circus sequences, especially the flying trapeze scenes, and pleasing music. Also remembered for Chandra Babu’s performance as the circus clown, with Manorama as his love interest, and Thangavelu as the circus manager.