Priyanka (1994 film)

Priyanka is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language legal drama film written and produced by Neelakanta in his directorial debut. A remake of the 1993 Hindi film Damini, it stars Prabhu, Jayaram and Revathi. The film was released on 27 May 1994, and Revathi won numerous awards for her performance, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil.

Plot
Priyanka is a straightforward person and the daughter of Krishnan, a postmaster. Her father is looking for a groom for her elder sister and herself, but her sister elopes with another man. Shekar, a wealthy businessman, falls in love with Priyanka at first sight. Shekar's father, Sriram, is business partners with Gokulnath, and they decide to arrange a marriage between Shekar and Gokulnath's daughter, Kamini. However, Shekar reveals his love for Priyanka to his family, and they accept it. Shekar and Priyanka get married, but Gokulnath feels betrayed and decides to take revenge on Shekar's family. Priyanka moves into Gokulnath's bungalow.

One day, Priyanka and Shekar witness Shekar's younger brother Vinoth and his friends raping the young maid-servant Ganga. Ganga files a complaint against Vinoth, who is arrested by Ravi, a police officer. However, to save Vinoth, Shekar's family tries to smother the case. Priyanka decides to become the principal witness after seeing Ganga in the hospital, but Shekar's mother orders her to leave the bungalow while Shekar is abroad. Priyanka decides to live with her sister.

The matter goes to court, and Sriram hires Rudrayya, a criminal lawyer who has never lost a case. Shekar asks Priyanka to forget everything and return home, but she refuses. At the court, Rudrayya, Shekar's family, and even Krishnan, Priyanka's father, portray her as a mentally unstable person. As a result, Priyanka is sent to a mental hospital by a judicial order, and Vinoth orders her to be killed. Unable to bear the mental torture in the hospital, Priyanka escapes and runs into Arjun, an alcoholic lawyer, who re-opens the rape case. Later, Ganga dies in the hospital with a suicide note written by Ravi, but Ganga was illiterate. The rest of the story revolves around what transpires next.

Production
Priyanka, a remake of the 1993 Hindi film Damini, is the directorial debut of Neelakanta.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The song "Durga Durga" is set in the Carnatic raga Revati, "Nyabagam Illaiyo" is set in Simhendramadhyamam, and "Vanakkuyile Kuyil" is set in Lalitha.

Release and reception
Priyanka was released on 27 May 1994. The Indian Express praised Neelakanta's direction, saying that he "displays a lot of confidence in handling the script [..] and the essence of the film is not list" and also praised artistes for "giving very credible and satisfying performances". The Hindu wrote, "The portrayal of [Prabhu] will be the talking point for some time to come". K. Vijiyan of New Straits Times wrote, "Priyanka is saved by good performances by Revathi, [Jayaram], Prabhu and [Nassar] and the drama in the court scenes". Thulasi of Kalki praised the film's concept and performances of the star cast.