Aattukara Alamelu

Aattukara Alamelu is a 1977 Indian Tamil-language film directed by R. Thyagarajan and produced by Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar. The film stars Sivakumar and Sripriya. It was released on 10 November 1977 and became a silver jubilee hit. The film was remade in Telugu as Pottelu Punnamma and in Hindi as Mera Rakshak.

Plot
Goatherd Alamelu leads a happy life with her pet goat in a village. Her life changes for the worse when a landlord talks ill of her character and claims to have had an affair with her.

Production
Sivakumar said it took him "15 years to do the role in [Aattukara Alamelu]". The name of the title character, Alamelu, is a reference to Sripriya's birth name. Chinnappa Thevar wanted Nagesh to direct the film; he refused as he felt he was not the right person to do so.

Soundtrack
The music for this film was composed by Shankar–Ganesh, and the lyrics were written by Ma. Ra.

Release and reception
Aattukara Alamelu was released on 10 November 1977, Diwali day. Film World wrote, "Aattukara Alamelu is a fluke; one misses any worthy element that is a box-office draw besides the performance of the goat!". The film was a silver jubilee hit.

Legacy
Enga Ooru Aattukkaran (1990), which also stars Sripriya, was compared by N. Krishnaswamy of The Indian Express to Aattukara Alamelu as it also prominently features a goat.