Andha Naal

Andha Naal

Andha Naal is a 1954 Indian Tamil-language mystery-thriller film, directed by S. Balachander. It is the first film noir in Tamil cinema, and the first Tamil film to be made without songs, dance, or stunt sequences. The story is about the killing of a radio engineer during World War II. Despite being a commercial failure at the time of its original release, it has acquired cult status over the years.

About Andha Naal in brief

Summary Andha NaalAndha Naal is a 1954 Indian Tamil-language mystery-thriller film, directed by S. Balachander. It is the first film noir in Tamil cinema, and the first Tamil film to be made without songs, dance, or stunt sequences. The story is about the killing of a radio engineer during World War II. 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 at the time of its original release, it has acquired cult status over the years and is regarded as an important film in Tamil Cinema. In 2013, AndhaNaal was included in CNN-News18’s list of the “100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time”. The film was released on 13 April 1954, on the eve of Puthandu. It was the only film directed byBalachander for AVM. The screenplay was written by Javar Seetharaman, who also played a prominent role as an investigative officer in the film. The cinematography was handled by S. Maruti Rao. The background score was composed by AVM’s own music troupe, Saraswathy Stores Orchestra. The film is shorter than most contemporaneous Tamil films, It is set in the milieu of Madras, India, during the Second World War. The suspects are Rajan’s wife Usha, the neighbour Chinnaiya Pillai, Rajan’s brother Pattabi, Rajan ‘s sister-in-law Hema, and Rajan  “” Ambujam.

Each one’s account of the incident points to a new suspect. Sivanandam and Naidu interrogate Hema, who is initially impudent and refuses to give a statement about the crime, but later agrees when she reveals her affair with Rajan. She accuses her husband of murdering Rajan, saying he wanted her to stay away from her father, who wanted to foster her child. Naidam suggests that the killer could be a thief who killed Rajan for the money found at the crime scene. When questioned, Hema suggests that Ambu jam could have killed him, as Rajan treated the news of her pregnancy with a reckless attitude. Chinnaya Pillai suggests that Rajan was about to leave Madras in anticipation of the bombings. The next morning Rajan is found shot dead by his own handgun in his house in Madras after his neighbour, having heard the gunshot, informs the police. The two policemen question five people in and around Raja’s house, most of whom are his family members or friends. They begin interrogating Chinnaya Pillai who reported the gunshot. The first to be questioned is Usha who is unable to speak because of her grief, and is reluctant to question her further. She later reveals that she had extramarital affair with Ambujam.