Diwali has always been a great time for filmmakers to release their movies as people have always been in a festive mood during the time. The trend is prevalent today and it was no different 58 years ago when the classic Sivaji Ganesan starrer Tamil film Enga Oor Raja released on October 21, 1968, on the occasion of Diwali. Directed and produced by P Madhavan, the film had turned out to be a huge success.
Sivaji Ganesan appeared in a dual role of both father and son. The story showcases the characters of both father and son well. Sedhupathy, played by Sivaji Ganesan is a philanthropist whose sister is married to the son of a scheming trickster and zamindar. The bride is abandoned at the marriage hall as her brother is unable to pay the dowry amount.
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Sedhupathy pledges his bungalow and with that money, sends his sister to her in law’s home. However, after his wife dies and he is left with nothing, he pledges to get back his bungalow one day, aided by his son, also played by Sivaju Ganesan and that is what forms the crux of the film. Jayalalithaa played the love interest of the son played by Sivaji Ganesan with a twist towards the ending that the both are actually cousins since she is the daughter of her long lost aunt.
The film spawned a Telugu remake, titled Dharma Daata, released 2 years later and starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao in the lead. However, Enga Oor Raja had inspired others too, including the next generation of filmmakers. A scene from Priyadarshan’s 1991 film Kilukkam, which starred Mohanlal, is heavily inspired from a scene in Enga Oor Raja.
In Enga Oor Raja, there is a particular scene where Sivaji Ganesan mistakes Manorama’s character to be a queen and treats her royally after taking her to a lodge. It is only later realised that she is actually a missing person. In Kilukkam, there is a similar scene where Mohanlal, a guide in Ooty, takes Revathi to a five-star hotel and treats her like a queen, believing her to be one. It is later realised she is an absconder with a bounty on her head. Many critics have drawn comparisons between the two scenes.
Balamurugan wrote the story and dialogues for Enga Oor Raja. This was the third collaboration between P Madhavan and Sivaji Ganesan after Annai Illam and Neelavanam. Like the previous films, this film also ran for 100 days and became a huge success.
