Arangetram

Arangetram is a 1973 Tamil-language family drama film directed by K. Balachander, starring Prameela, Sivakumar, S. V. Subbaiah, Kamal Haasan and M. N. Rajam in prominent roles. The film marked Kamal Haasan's first adult role, while, along with Prameela, Jayachitra, Jayasudha, Sashikumar and Achacho Chitra made their debuts in Tamil cinema. V. Kumar composed the music for the film, which was the last Balachander film he worked on. The film told the story of a young woman who is forced to become a prostitute in order to support her conservative, but extremely poor Brahmin family. It carried hard hitting messages and very bold scenes and was controversial at the time of its release, but became a commercial hit. The film was featured as part of the Tamil Nadu government's information campaign promoting family planning.