Andha Naal
| Andha Naal | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Sundaram Balachander |
| Produced by | A. V. Meiyappan |
| Written by | Javar Seetharaman (screenplay and dialogue) |
| Story by | Sundaram Balachander |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Saraswathy Stores Orchestra |
| Cinematography | S. Maruti Rao |
| Edited by | S. Surya |
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Production
company |
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Release date
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13 April 1954 |
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Running time
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130 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Andha Naal (That Day) is a 1954 Indian Tamil-language mystery-thriller film, produced by A. V. Meiyappan and directed by Sundaram Balachander. It is the first film noir in Tamil cinema, and the first Tamil film to be made without songs, dance, or stunt sequences. Set in the milieu of World War II, the story is about the murder of a radio engineer Rajan (Sivaji Ganesan). The suspects are Rajan's wife Usha (Pandari Bai), the neighbour Chinnaiah Pillai (P. D. Sambandam), Rajan's brother Pattabi (T. K. Balachandran), Rajan's sister-in-law Hema (Menaka), and Rajan's mistress Ambujam (Suryakala). Each one's account of the incident points to a new suspect.
Balachander originally wrote Andha Naal as a play, but after the script was rejected by All India Radio, he narrated it to Meiyappan who agreed to adapt it into a film. The lead role was initially offered to S. V. Sahasranamam and N. Viswanathan, but they were unconvincing to Meiyappan. The screenplay and dialogue were written by Javar Seetharaman, who also played a prominent role as an investigative officer in the film. Cinematography was handled by S. Maruti Rao, and the background score was composed by AVM Productions' own music troupe, Saraswathy Stores Orchestra. The film's length of 12,500 feet (3,800 m) was shorter than most contemporaneous Tamil films. It was also the only film directed by Balachander for AVM Productions.
The film was released on 13 April 1954, on the eve of Puthandu (Tamil New Year). It was critically acclaimed and was awarded a Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film in Tamil at the 2nd National Film Awards in 1955. Despite being a commercial failure during its original release, it has acquired cult status over the years, and is regarded as an important film in Tamil cinema. In 2013, Andha Naal was included in CNN-News18's list of the "100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time".
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Wikipedia