Thiruvarutchelvar

Thiruvarutchelvar is a 1967 Indian Tamil-language Hindu mythological film, directed and produced by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Savitri and Padmini. It was released on 28 July 1967, and ran for 100 days successfully in theatres.

Plot
This movie chronicles the various "adventures" of Lord Shiva where he played with his devotees, especially, the key Nayanmars of Appar, Sundarar, Thirugnanasambandhar, Tiru Kurippu Thondar and Sekkizhar woven into a intricate narration. Taken largely from Periya Puranam, the movie is episodic and includes tales of how Sekkizhar works to compose it as he narrates the tale of how the Lord tested Tiru Kurippu Thondar, stopped the marriage of Sundarar while showing the world the power of verses of Appar and Sambandar by making them open the gates of temples, that had been locked for centuries, through their songs while also guide Appar to revive a dead child through his songs.

Production
Srividya, who went on to become a popular actress made her debut in this film. Her name was shown as Vidhya Moorthy in the introductory credits. Sivaji Ganesan's performance as Appar was inspired by Kanchi Paramacharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.

Soundtrack
The soundtracks were composed by K. V. Mahadevan and lyrics were by Kannadasan. The song "Nadarmudi" is set in Punnagavarali raga, and "Mannavan Vanthanadi" is set in Kalyani. P. Susheela who sang the song recalled that she was initially nervous to sing this song because of Ganesan's presence at the studio. Noticing it, Ganesan walked out of the studio and Susheela recorded the song.