Mudhalali

Mudhalali முதலாளி
Poster
Directed by	Muktha Srinivasan
Produced by	M. A. Venu
Story by	A. K. Venkat Ramanujam
Starring	S. S. Rajendran Devika M. N. Rajam T. K. Ramachandran C. T. Rajakantham
Music by	K. V. Mahadevan
Cinematography	K. Ramachandran
Edited by	T. Vijayarangam
Production company	Rathna Studio
Distributed by	M. A. V. Pictures
Release date	22 October 1957 (1957-10-22)
Running time	160 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Mudhalali (தமிழ்: முதலாளி, English: Proprietor) is Muktha Srinivasan's 1957 Tamil directorial debut. This drama film was produced by M. A. Venu under M. A. V. Pictures. The movie stars S. S. Rajendran and debutante Devika in the lead roles, while M. N. Rajam, A. Kannaiyan and T. P. Muthulakshmi play in supporting roles. The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by K. V. Mahadevan, while the lyrics for the songs were written by Ka. Mu. Sheriff.

K. Ramachandran and T. Vijayarangam handled cinematography and editing respectively. The film is based on a stage play of the same name originally written by Venkat Ramanujam. Film development started during the making of Sampoorna Ramayanam, whose own production was temporarily shelved. The film was released on 22 October 1957 with a length of 160 minutes. The film became a hit for its soundtrack and story line, running for over 100 days and establishing the career of actors S. S. Rajendraneandvika and director Muktha Srinivasan. The film was remastered in Malayalam under the same name in 1965 starring Prem Nazir.

Vasanthan (S. S. Rajendran) goes to America to further his education. During his absence, his widowed mother Karpagam (C. T. Rajakantham) manages their glass factory in Salem with the help of manager Balu (T. K. Ramachandran), who has a relationship with Vasanthan's niece Kokilam (M. N. Rajam). Since Vasnthan's mother does not understand how to manage the factory, Balu brings everything under his control and swindles the company by various means. Vasanthan returns to India several years later. He lands at Bombay en route to Madrastin order to reach Salem. While there, he meets a hotel boy, Poongavanam (R. Pakkirisamy), who causes Vasanthan to relaize the need to understand the life of a worker before becoming a factory owner. He informs his mother that he has to go on another tour and will arrive in Salem in two months, but lands in Salem as a worker under the pseudonym Varadhan. He joins the factory with the help of Valli (Devika), who works in the factory with her father.