Nandhavana Theru (pronounced [n̪an̪ðaʋana teːru] transl. Chariot of Nandavanam) is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by R. V. Udayakumar and produced by T. Siva and A. Selvaraj. The film stars Karthik and newcomer Srinidhi. It was released on 11 May 1995 and did not do well at the box office.
| Nandhavana Theru | |
|---|---|
 VCD cover | |
| Directed by | R. V. Udayakumar |
| Screenplay by | R. V. Udayakumar |
| Story by | S.Velu |
| Produced by | T. Siva A. Selvaraj |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | R. Ganesh |
| Edited by | B. S. Nagaraj |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 145 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editSrinivasan "Seenu" is an orphan and a full-time thief. He helps prisoners by solving their problems outside the prison. One day, he is intrigued by a prisoner's silence. Seenu asks him about his problem. The prisoner is Adhiseshan, the maternal uncle of Gayatri, a singer. He is a very rich man. He has been wrongfully convicted and sent to prison by Gayatri's paternal uncle Rajashekar and his son Gunasekaran. The duo have also managed poison Gayatri's mind against Adisheshan.
Adisheshan believes that Gayatri's life is great danger from the duo and requests Seenu to make her see the truth and save her. Seenu promises him that he will solve his problem. Initially, Gayatri avoids Seenu but she soon understands the true nature of Rajasekhar and she becomes Seenu's friend. Adhiseshan then realises that Seenu is his son (soon after looking at a photo of Seenu's mother). Seenu is thrilled about this as well and brings Gayatri to Adhiseshan's house to help them reunite. To their shock they find Adhiseshan dead.
It is then revealed that Rajashekar and Gunasekaran have borrowed a lot of money and defaulted. They are sent to jail for this. This also means that Gayathri has to leave her house. Seenu happily accommodates her in his house. Seenu then decides to mend his ways, give up thievery and earn money in the right way to help Gayatri realise her dream: to become a Carnatic music singer. He succeeds and she becomes a famous singer. She builds is also able to buy herself a new house. She then reveals to Seenu that she's in love with Suresh, a fan of hers. Suresh's father is not happy about his son intending to marrying Gayatri. He helps Rajasekhar get out of prison and gets him try and separate the couple before their marriage. Seenu manages to save them and the couple elope. In the end, Seenu marries a widow in order to keep a promise to his neighbour. Seenu takes care of the widow and her son.
Cast
edit- Karthik as Srinivasan "Seenu"
- Srinidhi as Gayatri
- Anandaraj as Rajasekhar
- Devan as Adhiseshan
- Janagaraj as Albert
- Vivek as Beedi
- Vadivelu as Theekuchi
- Manorama as Seenu's neighbour
- LIC Narasimhan as Church Father
- Gayathri as Seenu's neighbour
- Siva as Suresh
- Madhan Bob as a Music instrument seller
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics by the director Udayakumar.[1][2]
| Song | Singer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| "Adichu Pudichu" | S. N. Surendar, Mano | 4:51 |
| "Anniya Kaattu Annaney" | Srilekha, Mano, Swarnalatha | 4:53 |
| "Enna Varam Vendum" | Mano, S. N. Surendar, Arunmozhi, Srilekha, Sindhu Devi | 5:29 |
| "Enthan Vaazhkaiyin" | Mano | 5:19 |
| "Ramanaa Sri" | Mahanadhi Shobana | 2:10 |
| "Unn Munnai Naanum Paada Vantha" | Arunmozhi | 1:05 |
| "Velli Nilave" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. N. Surendar, Arunmozhi, Uma Ramanan | 5:10 |
| "Viralil Suthi Meettavaa" | K. S. Chithra | 3:34 |
Release and reception
editNandhavana Theru was released on 11 May 1995.[3] It was originally slated to be released in January 1995, during Pongal festival.[4] K. Vijiyan of New Straits Times wrote, "Uthayakumar takes the movie nicely to just the interval. From then on, the story loses steam and we wonder where it is heading".[5] Chrompettai Kavirayar of Kalki wrote there are around 300 films revolving around love triangle, this one too joins the list and concluded there are others to beat around the bush, but questioned why Udayakumar needs to do this.[6] The film did not do well at the box office.[7][8]
References
edit- ^ "Nandhavana Theru". AVDigital. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "Nandhavana Theru (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – EP". Apple Music. 11 May 1995. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Nandhavana Theru / நந்தவன தேரு". Screen 4 Screen. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ சரண்யா, அருண் (15 January 1995). "பொங்கல் ரிலீஸ் – பம்பர் அறுவடை!". Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 62–63. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Vijiyan, K. (3 June 1995). "Story flounders in the middle". New Straits Times. p. 14. Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2022 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ கவிராயர், குரோம்பேட்டை (11 June 1995). "நந்தவன தேரு". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 27. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Sitaraman, Sandya (9 January 1996). "Tamil Movie News--1995 Review". Google Groups. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ Sundaram, Nandhu (1 December 2020). "'Baasha' to 'Sathi Leelavathi': Why 1995 is an unforgettable year for Tamil cinema fans". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.