''Naalaiya Theerpu'' () is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...

directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar and produced by his wife

Shoba Chandrasekhar Shoba Chandrasekhar (born 24 August 1948) is an Indian playback singer, director, writer and film producer. She is the mother of actor Vijay. Personal life She married S. A. Chandrasekhar, who is an Indian film director, producer and writer. ...

which marked the debut of their son Vijay as a leading actor. The film which also starred Keerthana and Easwari Rao, with

Srividya Srividya (24 July 1953 – 19 October 2006), also known as Sreevidya, was an Indian actress best known for her work predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films, along with few Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. In a career spanning for 40 years, ...

Radha Ravi Madras Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan Ravi (born 29 July 1952) is an Indian actor and politician who played supporting roles throughout his career. He is the son of actor M. R. Radha and the uncle of Vasu Vikram and half-brother of Raadhika. He is a ...

and

Sarath Babu Sathyam Babu Dixithulu (born 31 July 1951), known by his stage name Sarath Babu, is an Indian actor known for his works predominantly in Tamil and Telugu cinema. He has worked in more than 200 films. He has appeared in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada a ...

in supporting, had music composed by newcomer

Manimekalai ''Maṇimēkalai'' ( ta, மணிமேகலை, ), also spelled ''Manimekhalai'' or ''Manimekalai'', is a Tamil- Buddhist epic composed by Kulavāṇikaṉ Seethalai Sataṉar probably around the 6th century. It is an "anti-love story", a ...

, cinematography by R. P. and editing by Gautham Raju. The story revolves around Arun Mehta, a businessman who has many extra-marital affairs, molests his wife, Mahalakshmi. However, things take an unexpected turn when she gets pregnant and has a son Vijay who later avenges against the deeds of his father. The film was released on 4 December 1992 to mostly negative reviews and became a

box-office bomb A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

, though Vijay won the Cinema Express Award for Best New Face Actor.

Plot

Mahalakshmi is molested by her husband Arun Mehta, who has affairs with many other women. Mahalakshmi has a son Vijay, whom she raises on her own. However, things change when her son grows up.

Cast

Production

Vijay made his debut as a leading actor with the film, aged eighteen. A fan of Rajinikanth, he told Chandrasekhar that he wanted to headline a film. Vijay enacted a scene from ''

Annaamalai ''Annaamalai'' (also spelt ''Annamalai''; ) is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed by Suresh Krissna and produced by Kavithalayaa Productions. A remake of the 1987 Hindi film '' Khudgarz'', itself based on Jeffrey Archer's 1979 n ...

'' (1992), the one in which the title character (Rajinikanth) challenges Ashok (

). Chandrasekhar recalled, "He did it exactly the way it was in the film, especially the line mark this date in your calendar ..That's when I realised that he had talent, a fierce passion."

Soundtrack

The music was composed by

M. M. Srilekha M. M. Srilekha (born Koduri Srilekha) is an Indian film playback singer and music composer, known for her works predominantly in Telugu cinema. She is the only female music composer in the Telugu film industry. Her paternal uncle V. Vijayendra ...

, under the name of Manimekalai at the age of 12. The film featured lyrics written by Pulamaipithan, P. R. C. Balu and

Bharani Bharani (Devanagari: भरणी) is the second nakshatra in Hindu astronomy, corresponding to 35, 39, and 41 Arietis all together. In Jyotiṣa, Bharani is ruled by Shukra (the planet Venus). Also, it is classified as a Cruel or Active naks ...

. The latter went on to become a popular music composer.

Release and reception

''Naalaiya Theerpu'' was released on 4 December 1992. Ayyappa Prasad of ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...

'' wrote, "Many tongue-in-cheek remarks on the prevailing political and economic climate makes the film worth watching". However, other reviews were mostly negative. The magazine ''

Ananda Vikatan ''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India. History and profile ''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 wa ...

'' did not publish a review for the film. Despite Chandrasekhar's confidence, ''Naalaiya Theerpu'' became a

. 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". Despite the film's failure, Vijay won the Cinema Express Award for Best New Face Actor.

References

External links

* {{S. A. Chandrasekhar 1990s Tamil-language films 1990s vigilante films 1992 action films 1992 films Films directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar Indian action films Indian vigilante films Films scored by M. M. Srilekha