Naalaiya Theerpu (transl. Tomorrow's Verdict) is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language vigilante action film directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar and produced by his wife Shoba Chandrasekhar, which marked the debut of their son Vijay as a leading actor. The film which also starred Keerthana and Easwari Rao, with Srividya, Radha Ravi and Sarath Babu in supporting, had music composed by newcomer Manimekalai, cinematography by R. P. Imayavaramban and editing by Gautham Raju. The story revolves around a businessman who has many extra-marital affairs, molests his wife. However, things take an unexpected turn when she gets pregnant and has a son who later avenges against the deeds of his father.
| Naalaiya Theerpu | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | S. A. Chandrasekhar |
| Screenplay by | S. A. Chandrasekhar |
| Story by | Shoba Chandrasekhar |
| Produced by | Shoba Chandrasekhar |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | R. P. Imayavaramban |
| Edited by | Gautham Raju |
| Music by | Manimekalai |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | ₹20 lakh |
| Box office | ₹10 lakh |
The film was released on 4 December 1992 to mostly negative reviews and became a box-office bomb, though Vijay won the Cinema Express Award for Best New Face Actor.
Plot
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (November 2021) |
Mahalakshmi endures abuse from her husband, Arun Mehta, who is unfaithful to her with multiple women. Despite this, Mahalakshmi independently raises her son Vijay. As Vijay grows up, he seeks revenge for his father's wrongdoings.
Cast
edit- Vijay as Vijay
- Keerthana as Priya
- Easwari Rao as Rani
- Srividya as Mahalakshmi
- Radha Ravi as Arun Mehta
- Vinu Chakravarthy as Sundaramoorthy
- Gowtham Sundararajan as Rocky
- K. R. Vijaya as a Judge
- Sarath Babu as Priya's brother
- Dhamu as Dhamu, Vijay's friend
- Srinath as Vijay's friend
- Mansoor Ali Khan as an Inspector
- Major Sundarrajan as D.P
- V. Gopalakrishnan as Commissioner of police
- S. S. Chandran as Meenatchisundaram MLA
- Jai Ganesh as Rajasekhar, College Principal
- Pandu as Lecturer
- Typist Gopu as Police Constable
- S. N. Surendar as Press Editor
- K. S. Jayalakshmi as Ambika
- Chaplin Balu as Vijay's friend
- Kavitha
Production
editVijay made his debut as a leading actor with the film, aged eighteen.[1] A fan of Rajinikanth, he told Chandrasekhar that he wanted to headline a film. Vijay enacted a scene from Annaamalai (1992), the one in which the title character (Rajinikanth) challenges Ashok (Sarath Babu). Chandrasekhar recalled, "He did it exactly the way it was in the film [...] That's when I realised that he had talent, a fierce passion".[2]
Soundtrack
editThe music was composed by M. M. Srilekha, under the name of Manimekalai at the age of 12.[3] The film featured lyrics written by Pulamaipithan, P. R. C. Balu and Bharani. The latter went on to become a popular music composer.[4][5]
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aayiram Erimalai" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4:49 |
| 2. | "Ammadi Rani" | S. N. Surendar, Minmini | 4:51 |
| 3. | "Maapillai Naan" | S. N. Surendar, Minmini, Manimekalai | 7:41 |
| 4. | "Vaadai Kulirkatru" | K. S. Chithra | 4:58 |
| 5. | "MTV Parthuputta" | Sangeetha | 5:06 |
| 6. | "Udalum Intha Uyirum" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 4:35 |
| 7. | "Udalum Intha Uyirum" (Sad) | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 4:30 |
| Total length: | 36:30 | ||
Release and reception
editNaalaiya Theerpu was released on 4 December 1992.[6] Ayyappa Prasad of The Indian Express wrote, "Many tongue-in-cheek remarks on the prevailing political and economic climate makes the film worth watching".[7] However, other reviews were mostly negative,[8] including the magazine Kumudam which wrote, "Should we pay to see this face in theaters?"[9] Despite Chandrasekhar's confidence, Naalaiya Theerpu became a box-office bomb. Chandrasekhar recalled in 2018, "To be honest, I shouldn’t have made that film for him especially when he was just 18 [...] I thought now that my son is also becoming an actor, I could continue to practise my style of filmmaking and pass on socially relevant messages to the audience through him. Maybe the timing wasn't right".[2] Despite the film's failure, Vijay won the Cinema Express Award for Best New Face Actor.[10]
References
edit- ^ Manmadhan, Prema (23 November 2007). "Style of his own". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ a b Nathan, Archana (5 November 2018). "Tamil movie star Vijay's career has always been about punches and punch dialogue". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ Ashok Kumar, S. R. (28 November 2013). "Audio Beat: Kadhal Solla Aasai — Love is in the air". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "Interviews – Music Director Bharani". Behindwoods. 22 August 2005. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ "Naalaya Theerpu". Gaana. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "Vijay completes 21 years in Kollywood". Sify. 4 December 2013. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ Prasad, Ayyappa (11 December 1992). "Nailing the nexus". The Indian Express. p. 7. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "'Ilayathalapathy' Vijay and his 22 years of stardom!". Sify. slide 3. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ George 🍿🎥 [@georgeviews] (27 May 2019). "#Kumudam was the magazine that wrote "Should we pay to see this face in theaters?" Kumudam had conducted a survey in 1994 for NO.1 actor in Tamil Nadu and survey declared #Vijay as the NO.1 actor in Tamil Nadu. Since 1994-Present, Vijay has been dominating the surveys and polls" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Kamal, Revathi on top | Cinema Express Awards". The Indian Express. Express News Service. 17 March 1993. p. 4 – via Google News Archive.
