Adutha Varisu

About the film

Adutha Varisu ( transl. The next heir) is a 1983 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written by Panchu Arunachalam and directed by S. P. Muthuraman. The film stars Rajinikanth and Sridevi. It is a remake of the 1972 Hindi film Raja Jani, which itself is a remake of the 1965 Bengali film Rajkanya. The film was released on 7 July 1983.

Plot

Zamindar Rathnakumar of Somanathapuram and his family are pursued by Muthukaruppan and his soldiers, who seek vengeance for the death of Muthukaruppan's brother, Jambulingam. In the attack, Muthukaruppan kills Rathnakumar and his wife, Mallikadevi, leaving their six‑year‑old daughter Radha an orphan. Rathnakumar’s courtier, Vijay, rescues Radha and attempts to flee, but he is ambushed, and Radha is thrown into the river.

Twelve years later, Queen Rajalakshmi, the zamindar's mother, mourns the disappearance of her granddaughter Radha, the rightful heir. The will stipulates that if Radha is not found within the next six months, the entire wealth will transfer to a trustee for public welfare. Diwan Rajalingam hires Kannan, a small‑time bounty hunter, to locate a girl who can impersonate Radha and claim the throne, thereby allowing Rajalingam to seize the wealth after Rajalakshmi’s death. After months of searching, Kannan comes across a nomadic girl, Valli, a tribal dancer whose facial features resemble those of the missing Radha. Canning a way to secure Valli's cooperation, Kannan enlists his colleague to pretend to assault her, staging a fake murder. He then "rescues" Valli from the attackers on a train, gaining her trust. Valli moves into Kannan's house, concealing the murder. Kannan's cook, Ramanna, advises Valli to develop feelings for Kannan, hoping that love will keep her there permanently.

Kannan feeds Radha false information, warning her that the police are hunting her for the murder of her abuser, and insists she must begin impersonating Radha. With no alternative, Valli agrees. Over the next month, Kannan trains her in language, etiquette, dress, and body language, grooming her to play the lost heiress. Valli falls in love with Kannan, but he, harboring a deep distrust of women, rejects her affection. Valli demands that he give up his drinking; Kannan, swayed by her insistence, promises to cut back. Later, after learning how Kannan has molded her for the ruse, Valli feels betrayed and leaves, accusing him of being obsessed with money. Ramanna intercepts her, revealing Kannan's tragic past: his former friend Sundaram swindled him out of ₹400,000 (equivalent to ₹6.8 million or US$71,000 in 2023) for a business venture, and his lover Usha abandoned him when his fortunes fell. Disillusioned, Kannan turned to ruthless money‑making and shut himself off from love.

Production

Adutha Varisu is a remake of the 1972 Hindi film Raja Jani, which itself was loosely based on the 1956 American film Anastasia (1956). The film was produced by Dwarakish. The filming was held at Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The disco song "Aasai Nooru Vagai" was remixed by Yuvan Shankar Raja for Kurumbu (2003). The song "Dan Dana Dan" from the Hindi film Department (2012) too was adapted from "Aasai Nooru Vagai".

Release and reception

Adutha Varisu was released on 7 July 1983 and become hit at the box office. The overseas rights for the film were bought by R. B. Choudary's Super Good Films. Kalki criticised the film for lack of originality.

Key details