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{{Short description|1989 film directed by Fazil}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Varusham 16
| image = Varusham 16.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Fazil (director)|Fazil]]
| writer = [[Gokula Krishnan]] (dialogues)
| screenplay = Fazil
| story = [[Madhu Muttam]]
| producer = Ousepachan Vaalakuzhy<br />Fazil
| starring = [[Karthik (actor)|Karthik]]<br />[[Khushbu Sundar|Khushbu]]
| cinematography = [[Anandakuttan]]
| editing = T. R. Sekar
| music = [[Ilaiyaraaja]]
| studio = Ganga Chithra Productions
| released = {{film date|1989|2|18|df=y}}
| country = India
| language = Tamil
}}

'''''Varusham 16''''' (read as "Varusham Padhinaaru"; {{translation|Year 16}}) is a 1989 Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language film, directed by [[Fazil (director)|Fazil]]. The film stars [[Karthik (actor)|Karthik]] and [[Khushbu Sundar|Khushbu]] in the lead roles, with [[Sukumari]], [[V. K. Ramasamy (actor)|V. K. Ramasamy]], [[Janagaraj]], [[Charle]] and [[Vadivukkarasi]] in supporting roles.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Arvind |first=T. |date=2 November 2017 |title=The numbers game: Tamil cinema's numerical titles |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/the-numbers-game-tamil-cinemas-numerical-titles/article19967003.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203133936/http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/the-numbers-game-tamil-cinemas-numerical-titles/article19967003.ece |archive-date=3 December 2017 |access-date=15 May 2021 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> It is a remake of Fazil's own [[Malayalam]] film ''[[Ennennum Kannettante]]''. The film was released on 18 February 1989, and Karthik won the [[Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil]].The film was major commercial success and ran over 200 days in Chennai and Madurai and 100 days at 15 centres.

== Plot ==
The story deals with an immature teenage love story between Kannan and Radhika who are cousins ([[Cousin marriage#India|marriage within cross-cousins was common in India]]). The annual festival for the village deity is conducted by the patriarch with pomp.

Kannan is the apple of the large joint family's eye and is spoiled by all. His cross-cousin Radhika comes to join the family for the village festival and suddenly, Kannan's position is usurped. He first antagonises and humiliates her going so far as to hide in her bathroom while she goes to take bath which backfires with him becoming hated in the household and being thrown out of the house forcing him to stay with his friends.Radhika apologises for exposing him in his bathroom stunt revealing that she is in love with him since childhood and came here explicitly to see him. Their love blossoms much to the ire of Radhika's paternal grandmother who has other plans for her, to get her married to her US-based cross-cousin, Moorthy, and settle there. Moorthy comes to the village with 4 of his friends and are made to stay in the outhouse where they spend time drinking, smoking, and dancing. Radhika's paternal grandmother proudly says that Moorthy is very good in hunting as Moorthy shoots a goat kid oin front of everyone in the house. Once during a conflict, Moorthy pushes Kannan's grandfather, which leads to Kannan thrashing Moorthy and his friends. Kannan's grandfather gets angry and sends Kannan out of the house. Moorthy vows to kill Kannan later. On the day of the festival, Kannan sings and Radhika dances as planned. Moorthy and his friends try to collapse the celebration but are blocked by Kannan's family and friends. Unable to attack Kannan directly, Moorthy runs home to bring his gun. Seeing Moorthy with his gun, Kannan tries to block him and both involve in a fight. After the dance and the pooja, Radhika comes running to save Kannan, but Moorthy pushes her near Kannan's feet. As he aims to shoot Kannan, Radhika stands and gets the bullet. Seeing this, Moorthy flees and an enraged Kannan runs after him and ends up killing him. He stands with blood stains in front of his mother.
Kannan who goes to prison comes out after 16 years, and is taken to the big house in the village where his grandparents and eveyone lived. His grandfather had given him his mantle symbolizing that Kannan will be the next elder person in the house. He wears the mantle and tells his brother Rajamani that everyone should gather in the house (which is now full of dirt and dust) and that the temple festival should be held every year moving forward. The film ends by Kannan lifting a small goat kid which Rajamani had bought for him as a memory of Kannan's family.

== Cast ==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Karthik (actor)|Karthik]] as Kannan
* [[Khushbu Sundar|Khushbu]] as Radhika
* [[V. K. Ramasamy (actor)|V. K. Ramasamy]] as Sundaramoorthy
* [[Poornam Viswanathan]] as Ramamoorthy
* [[Janagaraj]] as Rajamani
* [[Charle]] as Narayana
* Tinku as Tabu
* [[Shalini (actress)|Baby Shalini]]
* [[Vijay Menon]] as Moorthy
* [[Sukumari]] as Parvathi
* [[Vadivukkarasi]] as Maheshwari
* [[Jayabharathi]] as Sundari
}}

== Production ==
''Varusham 16'' is a remake of director [[Fazil (director)|Fazil]]'s own [[Malayalam]] film ''[[Ennennum Kannettante]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Menon |first=Neelima |date=18 January 2018 |title=Telling the tales of lonesome souls: Fazil's filmography in retrospect |url=http://fullpicture.in/talking-detail/139/telling-the-tales-of.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213110257/http://fullpicture.in/talking-detail/139/telling-the-tales-of.html |archive-date=13 February 2018 |access-date=27 October 2021 |website=fullpicture.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Umashanker |first=Sudha |date=2 May 1998 |title=Penchant for riveting romances |url=http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/%28docid%29/5B14521EB99AB01765256940004C8B0E?OpenDocument |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080427180437/http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/5B14521EB99AB01765256940004C8B0E?OpenDocument |archive-date=27 April 2008 |access-date=6 June 2022 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> The role of the lead actress was offered to [[Nirosha]]; due to her clash of dates, the director choose to cast [[Khushbu Sundar|Khushbu]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=ஆனந்தராஜ் |first=கு. |date=24 December 2019 |title=80'ஸ் எவர்கிரீன் நாயகிகள் - 10 - காதல் கொடுத்த துணிச்சலால் தப்பிச்சு வந்தேன்! |url=https://cinema.vikatan.com/tamil-cinema/1980s-evergreen-heroins-actress-nirosha |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103044914/https://cinema.vikatan.com/tamil-cinema/1980s-evergreen-heroins-actress-nirosha#bypass-sw |archive-date=3 November 2021 |access-date=3 November 2021 |website=[[Ananda Vikatan]] |language=ta}}</ref> According to Khushbu, the song "Poo Pookum" was shot at a studio in [[Porur]], [[Chennai|Madras]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Kushboo |author-link=Khushbu Sundar |date=24 August 2015 |title=Bring back Madras in our movies |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/story/20150824-bring-back-madras-in-our-movies-820259-2015-08-12 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715132333/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/story/20150824-bring-back-madras-in-our-movies-820259-2015-08-12 |archive-date=15 July 2024 |access-date=15 July 2024 |website=[[India Today]]}}</ref> The filming was primarily held at [[Padmanabhapuram Palace]], [[Kanyakumari]].<ref>{{cite web |date=14 March 2018 |title=வருஷம் 16 அரண்மணை, ஒரு ஃபோட்டோ டூர் |url=https://tamil.nativeplanet.com/travel-guide/padmanabhapuram-palace-000766-pg1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715143227/https://tamil.nativeplanet.com/travel-guide/padmanabhapuram-palace-000766-pg1.html |archive-date=15 July 2024 |access-date=15 July 2024 |website=Native Planet |language=ta}}</ref> The song "Pazhamuthircholai" was shot at [[Mathur Aqueduct]], Kanyakumari.<ref>{{cite web |title=Varusham 16 |url=https://wherewasitshot.com/movie/1675 |access-date=15 July 2024 |website=WhereWasItShot |archive-date=15 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715143227/https://wherewasitshot.com/movie/1675 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
The music was composed by [[Ilaiyaraaja]], with lyrics by [[Vaali (poet)|Vaali]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Varusham 16 (1989) |url=http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/moviedetail.asp?mid=t0000192 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223053358/http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/moviedetail.asp?mid=t0000192 |archive-date=23 February 2014 |access-date=12 February 2014 |website=[[Raaga.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Varusham 16 Tamil Film LP VInyl Record by Ilayaraaja |url=https://mossymart.com/product/varusham-16-tamil-film-lp-vinyl-record-by-ilayaraaja/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027073807/https://mossymart.com/product/varusham-16-tamil-film-lp-vinyl-record-by-ilayaraaja/ |archive-date=27 October 2021 |access-date=27 October 2021 |website=Mossymart}}</ref> The song "Gangai Karai Mannanadi" is set in [[Todi (raga)|Todi]], a [[Hindustani raga]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mani |first=Charulatha |author-link=Charulatha Mani |date=21 December 2012 |title=Towering Todi |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chen-columns/towering-todi/article4225921.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128143212/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chen-columns/towering-todi/article4225921.ece |archive-date=28 January 2021 |access-date=27 October 2021 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> "Hey Aiyasamy" is set in [[Dharmavati]], a [[Carnatic raga]],{{sfn|Sundararaman|2007|p=131}} "Karayatha Manamum" is set to Hema Bhushani,{{sfn|Sundararaman|2007|p=137}} "Pazhamuthir Cholai" is set in [[Harikambhoji]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 December 2013 |title=Positively tranquil |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/positively-tranquil/article5431006.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027103938/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/positively-tranquil/article5431006.ece |archive-date=27 October 2021 |access-date=27 October 2021 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>{{sfn|Sundararaman|2007|p=153}} and "Poo Pookum Masam" is set in [[Keeravani]].{{sfn|Sundararaman|2007|p=154}} For the Telugu-dubbed version ''Premanjali'', all lyrics were written by [[Rajasri (writer)|Rajasri]].<ref name="Premanjali">{{Cite web |title=Premanjali |url=https://indiancine.ma/BJZA/info |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230220091536/https://indiancine.ma/BJZA/info |archive-date=20 February 2023 |access-date=16 November 2021 |website=Indiancine.ma}}</ref>

{{Track listing
| headline = Tamil track list
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| title1 = Pazhamuthir Cholai
| extra1 = [[K. J. Yesudas]]
| length1 = 4:36
| title2 = Hey Ayyaasaamy
| extra2 = [[S. P. Balasubrahmanyam]], [[K. S. Chithra]]
| length2 = 4:31
| title3 = Poo Pookum Maasam
| extra3 = [[P. Susheela]]
| length3 = 4:45
| title4 = Gangai Karai Mannanadi
| extra4 = K. J. Yesudas
| length4 = 5:40
| title5 = Karaiyaatha Manamum
| extra5 = K. J. Yesudas, K. S. Chithra
| length5 = 4:29
| total_length = 24:01
}}

{{Track listing
| headline = Telugu track list (''Premanjali'')
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| total_length = 17:45
| title1 = Brundaavaname Naakosame
| extra1 = [[S. P. Balasubrahmanyam]]
| length1 = 4:31
| title2 = Hey Chitti Naannaa
| extra2 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, [[P. Susheela]]
| length2 = 4:29
| title3 = Koothaku Vacchenu
| extra3 = P. Susheela
| length3 = 4:34
| title4 = Raagaale Paadedhane
| extra4 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
| length4 = 4:11
}}

== Release and reception ==
''Varusham 16'' was released on 18 February 1989.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 February 1989 |title=வருஷம்.16 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19890218&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=27 October 2021 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |pages=3 |via=[[Google News Archive]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> N. Krishnaswamy of ''[[The Indian Express]]'' wrote that Karthik "puts much life and energy into his role", Khushbu "looks just out of school" and Viswanathan was "great as the head of the family", while also appreciating Jayabharathi, Vadivukkarasi and Charle's performances.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krishnaswamy |first=N. |date=17 March 1989 |title=Varusham 16 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19890317&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=10 May 2019 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |pages=5 |via=[[Google News Archive]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> P. S. S. of ''[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]]'' said the film could be watched for the cast performances.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=பி.எஸ்.எஸ். |date=12 March 1989 |title=வருஷம்.16 |url=https://kalkionline.com/kalkionline_archive/imagegallery/archiveimages/kalki/1989/mar/12-03-1989/p17.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220731051830/https://kalkionline.com/kalkionline_archive/imagegallery/archiveimages/kalki/1989/mar/12-03-1989/p17.jpg |archive-date=31 July 2022 |access-date=28 October 2021 |magazine=[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]] |page=17 |language=ta}}</ref> Karthik won the [[Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 June 1990 |title=Double honour for Kamal |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19900614&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=15 May 2021 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |pages=3 |via=[[Google News Archive]] |agency=Express News Service}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and Fazil won the Cinema Express Award for Best Director.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1 March 1990 |title=தமிழ் |work=[[Cinema Express]] |pages=7 |language=ta}}</ref> Sekar was awarded the [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Editor]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 March 2018 |title=Legendary editor Sekhar passes away at 81 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/legendary-editor-sekar-passed-away-at-81/articleshow/63411730.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525224109/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/legendary-editor-sekar-passed-away-at-81/articleshow/63411730.cms |archive-date=25 May 2023 |access-date=15 July 2024 |website=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book |last=Sundararaman |title=Raga Chintamani: A Guide to Carnatic Ragas Through Tamil Film Music |publisher=Pichhamal Chintamani |year=2007 |edition=2nd |oclc=295034757 |orig-date=2005}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}

{{Fazil (director)}}

[[Category:1989 Indian films]]
[[Category:1989 Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:1989 films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Fazil]]
[[Category:Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja]]
[[Category:Tamil remakes of Malayalam films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language Indian films]]

Varusham 16 - Revision history

KrushiN1: new a entry