Mouna Raagam
Directed by	Mani Ratnam
Produced by	G. Venkateswaran
Written by	Mani Ratnam
Starring	Karthik Muthuraman Mohan Revathi V. K. Ramasamy
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematography	P. C. Sriram
Distributed by	Sujatha Films
Release date(s)	1986
Running time	146 mins
Language	Tamil
Gross revenue	$1 million

Mouna Raagam (Silent Symphony) (1986) is a Tamil language feature film directed by filmmaker Mani Ratnam. The score and soundtrack are composed by Ilayaraja, and the film's cinematography is by P. C. Sriram. This movie turned out to be an important milestone in Tamil cinema and yielded Maniratnam the much needed breakthrough.

[edit] Plot

A scene from Mouna Raagam

The film is a psychological study of a newly-married husband and wife, who find themselves caught in an unexpectedly tense relationship.

Divya (Revathi) accedes to familial pressure and enters into an arranged marriage with Chandrakumar (Mohan), an executive working in Delhi. She is unable to reconcile her marriage with a haunting past marked by memories of a former lover, Manohar (Karthik) who dies being shot by cops, and yearns for a separation. Chandrakumar graciously acquiesces to her wish, but because the law stipulates that a divorce can only be granted after a one-year period, they continue to live divided lives under the same roof for the duration of the period. The movie then deals with how their relationship tacitly transits from being one of enmity to love.

[edit] Awards

The film has won the following awards since its release:

1987 National Film Awards (India)

• Won - Silver Lotus Award - Best Regional Film (Tamil) - Mouna Raagam - Mani Ratnam

[edit] Soundtrack

The soundtrack features five songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics provided by poet Vaali:

• Nilavae Vaa - S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
• Mandram Vandaa - S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
• Chinna Chinna - S. Janaki
• Oh Megam Vanthatho - S. Janaki
• Panivizhum Iravu - S. Janaki, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam

Composer Mandram Vandaa reused IIlaiyaraja's tune in the Hindi film, Cheeni Kum.

[edit] External links

• Mouna Raagam at the Internet Movie Database