Vaa Raja Vaa (Eng: Come Raja, Come) is a 1969 Indian Tamil-language children’s film written, directed and produced by A. P. Nagarajan for CNV Productions. The film stars ‘Master’ Prabhakar, Sumathi, V. S. Raghavan, K. D. Santhanam, Kumari Rukmini, Suruli Rajan, T. N. Sivathanu, ‘Typist’ Gopu, Manorama, Kannaiah and Sirkazhi Govindarajan. The film was remade in Telugu as Balaraju Katha (1970).
In addition to writing and directing, A. P. Nagarajan also produced Vaa Raja Vaa under his company CNV Productions. W. R. Subba Rao was the cinematographer, while T. R. Nagarajan was the editor. Since it was previously believed in the Tamil film industry that A. P. Nagarajan’s films were successful only because of their star cast and “mammoth” scales, rather than his directorial skills, he directed this film, which featured mostly newcomers, to silence his critics. It was also one of his rare films to have a contemporary setting, since he was then known primarily for directing films based on Hindu mythology. The film was shot entirely on location in Mahabalipuram.
The music of the film was composed by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, marking his cinematic debut. The lyrics were written by Arulmani, Poovai Senguttuvan, Ulundurpettai Shanmugham and Azha Valliappa. The playback singers were L. R. Eswari, Sirkazhi Govindarajan, Anjali, V. Sarala, M. R. Vijaya and R. Jayalakshmi.
Raja is a 10-year-old tourist guide in Mahabalipuram. An elder sculptor has a small rock sculpture tablet on which are engraved adages. Raja enters a discussion with him, wondering if those pearls of wisdom still hold relevance. The sculptor tells him that those sayings are eternal and immortal. Unconvinced, Raja sets out to find the truth for himself. Ultimately, he realises that all those sayings are still valid.
Directed by A. P. Nagarajan
Produced by A. P. Nagarajan
Written by A. P. Nagarajan
Starring Master Prabhakar, Sumathi, K. D. Santhanam, Suruli Rajan
Music by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
Cinematography W. R. Subbarao
Edited by T. R. Nagarajan
Production CNV Productions
Release date 6 December 1969
Running time 152 minutes
Country India
Language Tamil
