# Malaikkallan (மலைக்கள்ளன்)
**Malaikkallan** (மலைக்கள்ளன்) is a 1954 Tamil film directed and produced by S. M. Sriramulu Naidu at Pakshiraja Studios in [Coimbatore](https://www.edgepedia.org/coimbatore), starring [M. G. Ramachandran](https://www.edgepedia.org/m-g-ramachandran) and P. Bhanumathi. Released on 22 July 1954, it adapts the novel *Malaikkallan* by Namakkal Kavignar V. Ramalingam Pillai, with a screenplay and dialogues by [M. Karunanidhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/m-karunanidhi). The story follows a golden-hearted bandit who robs the rich to help the poor in a Robin Hood-type plot. It was the first Tamil film to win the President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Tamil, at the 2nd National Film Awards.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 22 July 1954; runtime 186 minutes on 18 reels of 35 mm film[2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-details/malaikkallan/movieshow/66749848.cms) • [3](https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/malaikkallan) |
| Lead cast | M. Ramachandran as Malaikkallan / Kumara Veeran / Abdul Rahim; P. Bhanumathi as Poongothai[3](https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/malaikkallan) |
| Director and producer | S. Sriramulu Naidu, Pakshiraja Studios, Coimbatore[3](https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/malaikkallan) |
| Writers | Story from the novel by Namakkal Kavignar V.
## Spoilers
### Story and production
The film adapts the novel *Malaikkallan* by Namakkal Kavignar V. Ramalingam Pillai, a writer of adventure fiction; the novel's first edition appeared in 1942 and was a best seller.[6](https://sangam.org/malai-kallan-mountain-dacoit-movie-and-its-five-variants/) • [7](https://www.namakkalkavignar.in/malaikkallan_movie_eng.html) The story follows a golden-hearted bandit who robs the rich to help the poor, a [Robin Hood](https://www.edgepedia.org/robin-hood)-type plot set in an Indian milieu.[6](https://sangam.org/malai-kallan-mountain-dacoit-movie-and-its-five-variants/) In the plot, the hero lives a double identity: as the outlaw Malaikkallan and as the Muslim merchant Abdul Rahim, a rich businessman in the town.[3](https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/malaikkallan) He rescues Poongothai from kidnappers sent by her cousin Veerarajan, returns stolen jewels to their owners, and is eventually revealed to be Kumara Veeran, her long-lost cousin, whom she marries.[3](https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/malaikkallan)
The screenplay and dialogues were written by M. Karunanidhi, then a rising leader of the [Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam](https://www.edgepedia.org/dravida-munnetra-kazhagam); at release MGR was 37 and Karunanidhi 30.[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/prints-of-13-tamil-films-now-in-nfai-vaults/articleshow/47592860.cms) • [6](https://sangam.org/malai-kallan-mountain-dacoit-movie-and-its-five-variants/) The film was inspired by *The Mark of Zorro* and the Robin Hood legend.[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/prints-of-13-tamil-films-now-in-nfai-vaults/articleshow/47592860.cms) [Cinematography](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinematography) was by Sailen Bose, with music by S. M. Subbaiah Naidu.[3](https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/malaikkallan)
## Release and reception
Malaikkallan was released on 22 July 1954.[2](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-details/malaikkallan/movieshow/66749848.cms) The Tamil magazine [Ananda Vikatan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ananda-vikatan), in a review dated 12 September 1954, wrote that the film "has several amazing moments which increase the heartbeats of the audience" and that its fight, dance, and comedy scenes made it a mass entertainer. The film ran for 100 and 140 days in the theaters that screened it, and the [Tamil Nadu](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-nadu) government also recognized it as the best film of the year.[8](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/565877-66-years-of-malaikkallan.html)
Other songs, including "Unnai Azhaithathu Yaro", "Pengalale Ulagile", "Tamilan Yendroru Inam Undu", and "Vaarai Enbam Thaarai", remained popular long after release.[3](https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/malaikkallan)
## Awards
At the 2nd [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards), Malaikkallan won the President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Tamil, credited to producer Sriramulu Naidu S.M.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325777/awards/) It was the first Tamil film to receive the President's Silver Medal.[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/prints-of-13-tamil-films-now-in-nfai-vaults/articleshow/47592860.cms) In the same 1954 awards round, two other Tamil films, *Andha Naal* and *Edhir Paradhathu*, received Certificates of Merit for Best Feature Film.[5](https://www.tamilmdb.com/awards/national-film-awards-for-tamil-films/best-feature-film)
## Other-language versions
A Tamil-language account of [Namakkal Kavignar](https://www.edgepedia.org/namakkal-kavignar)'s work states that the story reached six languages, adding Sinhala to the list.[9](https://namakkalkavignar.in/malaikkallan_movie.html)
## Legacy
The film established M. G. Ramachandran as a superstar of [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema) and set the template for the Robin Hood-style bandit hero.[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/prints-of-13-tamil-films-now-in-nfai-vaults/articleshow/47592860.cms) In 2015 the National Film Archive of India, working with AVM Cine Lab in Chennai, preserved a 35 mm print of the film among 13 important titles of Tamil cinema whose original materials were deteriorating.[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/prints-of-13-tamil-films-now-in-nfai-vaults/articleshow/47592860.cms)
## References
1. [Prints of 13 Tamil films now in NFAI vaults, The Times of India (9 June 2015)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/prints-of-13-tamil-films-now-in-nfai-vaults/articleshow/47592860.cms)
2. [Malaikkallan movie details, eTimes, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-details/malaikkallan/movieshow/66749848.cms)
3. [Malaikkallan (Thief Of The Hills) (1954), Cinemaazi encyclopedia](https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/malaikkallan)
4. [Malaikallan (1954) – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325777/awards/)
5. [Best Feature Film National Film Awards Winning Tamil Films & Crew, TamilMDb](https://www.tamilmdb.com/awards/national-film-awards-for-tamil-films/best-feature-film)
6. [Sachi Sri Kantha, "'Malai Kallan' (Mountain Dacoit) Movie and its Five Variants", Ilankai Tamil Sangam (7 July 2024)](https://sangam.org/malai-kallan-mountain-dacoit-movie-and-its-five-variants/)
7. [About the story "Malaikkallan" written by Kavignar, Namakkal Kavignar (English page)](https://www.namakkalkavignar.in/malaikkallan_movie_eng.html)
8. ["'எத்தனை காலம்தான் ஏமாற்றுவார் இந்த நாட்டிலே!' – 'மலைக்கள்ளன்' வெளியாகி 66 ஆண்டுகள்", Hindu Tamil Thisai (22 July 2020)](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/565877-66-years-of-malaikkallan.html)
9. [மலைக்கள்ளன் திரைப்படம், Namakkal Kavignar (Tamil page)](https://namakkalkavignar.in/malaikkallan_movie.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Tamil films before 2000 › Released 1952 to 1991*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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