47 Natkal

47 Natkal ( trad. 47 días ) es una película india de suspense de 1981 ^{[ 1 ]} escrita y dirigida por K. Balachander . ^{[ 2 ]} Se realizó simultáneamente en tamil y telugu , titulando esta última versión 47 Rojulu ( trad. 47 días ). La película está protagonizada por Chiranjeevi , Jaya Prada y Anne Patricia. Basada en la novela homónima de Sivasankari , gira en torno a Vishali (Jaya Prada) y cómo su matrimonio con Kumar (Chiranjeevi) dura solo 47 días. La versión en tamil se estrenó el 17 de julio de 1981 y la versión en telugu el 3 de septiembre de 1981.

La actriz Saritha llega a un pequeño pueblo para conocer a Vishali, a quien desea interpretar en una película basada en su vida. Sin embargo, Vishali se pone histérica y rechaza a Saritha con enojo. El hermano de Vishali le cuenta entonces a Saritha sobre el matrimonio de su hermana con Kumar, que duró 47 días.

Kumar, que vive en Francia, insiste en casarse con una chica de pueblo. Se casa con Vishali y la lleva a Férolles , un pueblo a 30  km de París, donde vive en una casa de campo. Vishali, una chica sencilla e ingenua, no entiende francés ni inglés y nunca ha pisado suelo extranjero. Sin que ella lo sepa, Kumar ya está casado con Lucy, una doctora francesa que vive en el último piso de la misma casa. Engaña a sus dos esposas: le miente a Vishali diciéndole que Lucy es una buena amiga y su casera, mientras que a Lucy le dice que Vishali es su hermana, a quien trajo allí porque acaba de enviudar y, por lo tanto, está mentalmente perturbada. Vishali empieza a sospechar de la relación de Kumar con Lucy. Finalmente lo interroga y descubre su bigamia. Kumar intenta convencerla diciéndole que se casó con Lucy solo por su dinero, que planea controlar para luego divorciarse de ella. Vishali rechaza sus engañosas intenciones y se niega a quedarse con él como su segunda esposa/amante. Sin embargo, viviendo en un país extranjero desconocido y sin conocer a nadie con quien pueda comunicarse para pedir ayuda, a regañadientes le sigue el juego a Kumar, quien la hace fingir que su hermana está mentalmente perturbada frente a Lucy.

Thereafter, Kumar forbids her from trying to talk to anyone and punishes her for attempting to escape once, by burning her palm on the stove, harassing her sadistically. He even torments her mentally by taking her to watch a porn film and coerces her into sex before letting her read a letter from her brother. A Tamil-speaking pickpocket (Rama Prabha) sees Kumar abusing Vishali at a restaurant one day, and meets her privately to help her. On hearing of Vishali's predicament, she speaks to an Indian doctor named Shankar (Sarath Babu) and requests him to help Vishali. Shankar, who is in Paris for a conference, had heard about Vishali from an Indian friend's wife, through a note written by Vishali in Tamil and handed over to the lady, who did not know her language.

Kumar is introduced to Dr. Shankar by Lucy, when they are at the same hotel. Vishali then reveals to Kumar that she is pregnant. Disturbed on hearing the news, Kumar is afraid that Lucy will discover his deception. So, he tries to force Vishali to have a hurried and unsafe abortion, but she manages to escape from his clutches. Kumar pursues her but Dr. Shanker rescues her in time and confronts Kumar, taking Vishali safely away from him, and informs Lucy about Kumar's bigamy before leaving for India. When Kumar meets Lucy, she ends their marriage by throwing her wedding ring into the river, and leaves him for good. Dr. Shanker brings Vishali back to India, reuniting her with her family. No further mention is made of her pregnancy and no baby is seen or heard. It is presumed that she may have later had an abortion, since she did not want to be connected to her ex-husband Kumar in any way whatsoever.

When Saritha asks Vishali why she didn't remarry (perhaps her rescuer Dr. Shankar), Vishali, clearly offended, angrily replies that a woman does not always have to be married or exist only for a man's pleasure. However, she placates Saritha by saying that she wouldn't mind if her character is shown as remarried in the film, when made.

While completing the shoot of Ninaithale Inikkum (1979) at Singapore, R. Venkatraman of Premalaya Pictures expressed his desire to K. Balachander of producing a film made in foreign locations which had not been exploited by anyone yet. Balachander decided to adapt the novel 47 Natkal as the film.^[3] The novel by Sivasankari was serialised in the magazine Idayam Pesukirathu.^[4] Sivasankari is also credited for the film's dialogues.^[5] The film marked Telugu actor Chiranjeevi's Tamil debut,^[6][7] and was simultaneously filmed in Telugu as 47 Rojulu.^[8]Delhi Ganesh dubbed Chiranjeevi's voice in the Tamil version, and Saritha did so for Jaya Prada. Saritha also briefly appears as herself.^[1] Unlike the novel which was set in the United States, Balachander decided to change the film's setting to Paris to make use of the ancient arts, buildings and modern conditions of that country came together to form the plot of the screenplay. Major filming was held in Paris and its surroundings and was completed within 35 days.^[3]

The soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan, while the Tamil lyrics were penned by Kannadasan.^[9][10] For the Telugu version, the lyrics were penned by Aatreya.^[11]

47 Natkal was released on 17 July 1981, and 47 Rojulu on 3 September 1981.^[12] Sindhu and Jeeva of Kalki negatively reviewed 47 Natkal, saying it was not as entertaining or exciting as the novel.^[13]

• 47 Natkal en IMDb