and T. A. Mathuram When N. S. Krishnan was in prison for the
Lakshmikanthan murder case, his wife and comedian T. A. Mathuram started a drama troupe called
N. S. K Nataka Sabha. The troupe mainly staged plays written by and starring S. V. Sahasranamam.
Paithiyakaran (lit. The mad man) was one of those plays. When Krishnan was first sentenced to jail, Mathuram took a break from her acting career. Later she came out her self-imposed exile to generate revenues for financing her husband's appeal to the privy council.
Paithiyakaran was based on
V. Shantaram's 1937 film
Duniya Na Mane. Mathuram converted the troupe into a film production company and made a film based on the play. The film advocated reformist social policies like widow remarriage. It was directed by the director duo of P. Krishnan and S. Panju. While the film was in production, Krishnan was acquitted in the murder case and was released from prison. A new role was written for him in the film. Mathuram played dual roles as the heroine and as Krishnan's comedic foil. Krishnan made fun of his stint in prison through the song
jailukku poi vantha in which he described in prison life, his fellow inmates and the types of prisoners he met. Music for the film was composed by
C. R. Subburaman and M. S. Gnanamani.
Pattukoru pulavan bharathi – a work of the poet
Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai was used in the film as lyrics for a song featuring T. A. Jayalakshmi.
M. G. Ramachandran - aka MGR (later Chief minister of
Tamil Nadu) played a supporting role in the film. MGR lip-synched a love duet song with T.A. Mathuram,sung by Ghantasala.The completed film was 16,201 feet in length. == Soundtrack ==