Nadunisi Naaygal
Encyclopedia
Nadunisi Naaygal is a 2011 Tamil
psychological thriller film written and directed by Gautham Menon
that stars Sameera Reddy
, Veera Bahu
and Deva in lead roles, with Swapna Abraham, Ashwin Kakumanu and Samantha Ruth Prabhu
in other pivotal roles. The film notably does not feature any kind of film score, but only sounds designed by Renganaath Ravee
. Produced by Photon Kathaas
Productions and R. S. Infotainment, Nadunissi Naaygal released to mixed reviews on 18 February 2011, while being simultaneously dubbed and released in Telugu as Erra Gulabilu. The title Nadunisi Naaygal is taken from the title of one of the poems of Sundara Ramasamy.
), an eight-year-old motherless boy lives with his father in Mumbai who leads a colorful life indulging in orgy. Samar gets subjected to sexual abuse by his father and is rescued by his neighbor, a middle aged single woman Meenakshi Amma (Swapna Abraham) who names him Veera, takes him under her wings and protects him. Daunted and chased by the ghosts of his painful past, Veera forcefully has sex with Meenakshi Amma. She, though reluctant at first, indulges in the act. After coming back to her senses the next morning, she refuses Veera's apology and decides to marry her colleague. After the marriage, on the same night, when Meenakshi and her husband are in bed, Veera stabs him brutally and sets him and the room on fire. Accidentally, Meenakshi Amma also gets injured in the fire. After treatment, he brings back the scar-faced, burn inflicted Meenakshi Amma to his bungalow in ECR. After a couple of weeks, Veera meets a girl named Priya (Priya) on the net. They meet up and finally fall for each other. He invites her home and they grow intimate, suddenly to be interrupted by a loud scream from Priya, because Meenakshi Amma stabs her brutally, similar to Veera's exploit. She orders him to cut her hair as she wants it.
In the following years, Veera kidnaps women, rapes them and finally kills them in cold-blood. As the murders continue, Veera stumbles upon Sukanya (Sameera Reddy
), a girl whom he has been in love with since 10th grade. He meets her at a theatre with her boyfriend Arjun
(Ashwin Kakumanu
) and lies to her that he had gone with another girl and offers her a ride home. An upset Sukanya agrees but does not know that Veera had been stalking her for a few weeks. Veera suddenly slaps her, making her unconscious and kisses her. Disgusted and terrified, Sukanya then finds Arjun in a pool of blood, in the backseat of the car. Sukanya tries to escape, engages in a fist fight with Veera but is stabbed in the abdomen. In sometime, Police surround the car and take Sukanya to a hospital.
Meanwhile, Veera kills a cop and wearing his uniform, collects Sukanya from the hospital. A bystander who had sensed something fishy with Veera's car follows him to his bungalow and informs the Assistant Commissioner Vijay (Deva). Veera takes Sukanya to his bungalow and informs Meenakshi Amma that he loves this girl truly and is going to live the rest of his life with her. Meanwhile, Sukanya tries to escape and murdered all the victims and even Meenakshi Amma. He says Meenakshi Amma is actually dead but Samar still thinks she is alive. In a few moments, Vijay arrives at the residence and is confronted by four Rottweiler
s ready to pounce on him. Alarmed by this, Veera tries to fend him off. After sometime, he returns to take Sukanya into a secret hidden basement, where another two girls are tied to, with their heads half-tonsured. He locks her up in the basement and gets into a fight with Vijay. Sukanya, meanwhile, finds a way into the bungalow, takes a gun and shoots at Veera. He is shocked as he thinks it was Meenakshi Amma who shot at him. All this is recorded on tape as Veera narrates it to the Assistant Commissioner. Finally he is taken to a mental asylum where another patient (Samantha
) is also shown as a psychopath, victimised due to child sexual abuse and the end credits roll.
The film also went through harsh criticism for the intimate controversial scene between Veera and Swapna Abraham. Protests were staged in front of Menon's residence, who clarified that the scene is shown in an aesthetic manner and it is a sensitive story about a psychopath. When asked whether the scene would be removed from the film, Menon, as candid as ever, said the film would be removed soon from theatres as it was not doing good business.
In contrast, Behindwoods gave it a positive review, giving it 3.5 out of 5. The reviwer labelled the film as a "differently made psychological thriller", adding that the film is "engaging right through and the desire of wanting to know ‘what next’ propels it in a uniform pace." Further praise was addressed to the director who "should also be applauded for not bowing down to any cinematic syntax", congratulating him "for the brave attempt to drive home a socially relevant point in a dignified manner."
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
psychological thriller film written and directed by Gautham Menon
Gautham Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer. Mainly working in Tamil cinema, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu films which are remakes of his Tamil films...
that stars Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
, Veera Bahu
Veera Bahu
Veera is an Indian film actor. Closely associated with director Gautham Menon, Veera has worked previously as Menon's Assistant in the film Vaaranam Aayiram, and has been involved with the production teams of Vettaiyadu Vilayadu , Pachaikili Muthucharam and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa...
and Deva in lead roles, with Swapna Abraham, Ashwin Kakumanu and Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu is an Indian film actress and model who appears in Telugu and Tamil films. Born to Malayali and Telugu parents, Samantha was brought up in Chennai and pursued a career in modeling during her late teens...
in other pivotal roles. The film notably does not feature any kind of film score, but only sounds designed by Renganaath Ravee
Renganaath Ravee
-Personal life:Renganaath is a classically trained musician and avid violinist. He started his career as Sound Recordist at Tharangini Studios, of the legendary Malayalam singer ‘Padmabhushan’ K J Yesudas....
. Produced by Photon Kathaas
Photon Kathaas
Photon Kathaas is an Indian film production company led by director Gautham Menon. It was established in 2010 by Menon along with Venky Somasundaram and Reshma Ghatala, who since work as the co-promoters...
Productions and R. S. Infotainment, Nadunissi Naaygal released to mixed reviews on 18 February 2011, while being simultaneously dubbed and released in Telugu as Erra Gulabilu. The title Nadunisi Naaygal is taken from the title of one of the poems of Sundara Ramasamy.
Plot
Nadunisi Naaygal is the story of a boy, who has been a victim of child abuse, and the havoc he causes to women. Samar (Veera BahuVeera Bahu
Veera is an Indian film actor. Closely associated with director Gautham Menon, Veera has worked previously as Menon's Assistant in the film Vaaranam Aayiram, and has been involved with the production teams of Vettaiyadu Vilayadu , Pachaikili Muthucharam and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa...
), an eight-year-old motherless boy lives with his father in Mumbai who leads a colorful life indulging in orgy. Samar gets subjected to sexual abuse by his father and is rescued by his neighbor, a middle aged single woman Meenakshi Amma (Swapna Abraham) who names him Veera, takes him under her wings and protects him. Daunted and chased by the ghosts of his painful past, Veera forcefully has sex with Meenakshi Amma. She, though reluctant at first, indulges in the act. After coming back to her senses the next morning, she refuses Veera's apology and decides to marry her colleague. After the marriage, on the same night, when Meenakshi and her husband are in bed, Veera stabs him brutally and sets him and the room on fire. Accidentally, Meenakshi Amma also gets injured in the fire. After treatment, he brings back the scar-faced, burn inflicted Meenakshi Amma to his bungalow in ECR. After a couple of weeks, Veera meets a girl named Priya (Priya) on the net. They meet up and finally fall for each other. He invites her home and they grow intimate, suddenly to be interrupted by a loud scream from Priya, because Meenakshi Amma stabs her brutally, similar to Veera's exploit. She orders him to cut her hair as she wants it.
In the following years, Veera kidnaps women, rapes them and finally kills them in cold-blood. As the murders continue, Veera stumbles upon Sukanya (Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
), a girl whom he has been in love with since 10th grade. He meets her at a theatre with her boyfriend Arjun
(Ashwin Kakumanu
Ashwin Kakumanu
Ashwin Kakumanu is an Indian film actor, who is best known for his role in Venkat Prabhu's action thriller, Mankatha.-Career:Ashwin initially unsuccessfully auditioned for a role in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. The director Gautham Menon was close to giving him the role. However, the producers...
) and lies to her that he had gone with another girl and offers her a ride home. An upset Sukanya agrees but does not know that Veera had been stalking her for a few weeks. Veera suddenly slaps her, making her unconscious and kisses her. Disgusted and terrified, Sukanya then finds Arjun in a pool of blood, in the backseat of the car. Sukanya tries to escape, engages in a fist fight with Veera but is stabbed in the abdomen. In sometime, Police surround the car and take Sukanya to a hospital.
Meanwhile, Veera kills a cop and wearing his uniform, collects Sukanya from the hospital. A bystander who had sensed something fishy with Veera's car follows him to his bungalow and informs the Assistant Commissioner Vijay (Deva). Veera takes Sukanya to his bungalow and informs Meenakshi Amma that he loves this girl truly and is going to live the rest of his life with her. Meanwhile, Sukanya tries to escape and murdered all the victims and even Meenakshi Amma. He says Meenakshi Amma is actually dead but Samar still thinks she is alive. In a few moments, Vijay arrives at the residence and is confronted by four Rottweiler
Rottweiler
The Rottweiler is a medium to large size breed of domestic dog that originated in Rottweil, Germany. The dogs were known as "Rottweil butchers' dogs" because they were used to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat and other products to market...
s ready to pounce on him. Alarmed by this, Veera tries to fend him off. After sometime, he returns to take Sukanya into a secret hidden basement, where another two girls are tied to, with their heads half-tonsured. He locks her up in the basement and gets into a fight with Vijay. Sukanya, meanwhile, finds a way into the bungalow, takes a gun and shoots at Veera. He is shocked as he thinks it was Meenakshi Amma who shot at him. All this is recorded on tape as Veera narrates it to the Assistant Commissioner. Finally he is taken to a mental asylum where another patient (Samantha
Samantha
Samantha is a feminine given name. It was first recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its origin is unknown.Speculation has suggested an origin from the masculine given name Samuel and anthos, the Greek word for "flower"...
) is also shown as a psychopath, victimised due to child sexual abuse and the end credits roll.
Cast
- Sameera ReddySameera ReddySameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
as Sukanya - Veera BahuVeera BahuVeera is an Indian film actor. Closely associated with director Gautham Menon, Veera has worked previously as Menon's Assistant in the film Vaaranam Aayiram, and has been involved with the production teams of Vettaiyadu Vilayadu , Pachaikili Muthucharam and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa...
as Veera (Samar) - Ashwin KakumanuAshwin KakumanuAshwin Kakumanu is an Indian film actor, who is best known for his role in Venkat Prabhu's action thriller, Mankatha.-Career:Ashwin initially unsuccessfully auditioned for a role in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. The director Gautham Menon was close to giving him the role. However, the producers...
as Arjun - Swapna Abraham as Meenakshi
- SamanthaSamantha Ruth PrabhuSamantha Ruth Prabhu is an Indian film actress and model who appears in Telugu and Tamil films. Born to Malayali and Telugu parents, Samantha was brought up in Chennai and pursued a career in modeling during her late teens...
as a patient in the asylum
Reception
The film opened to mostly mixed to negative reviews. A Sify critic rated the film as "above average", citing that "Don’t go expecting a typical Gautham romantic film laced with peppy songs, be prepared to try out something new and experimental." Further he cites that the film "is definitely not for the family audiences", while criticizing that "there are too many loopholes in the story, raising doubts about logic"..MovieCrow aggregate rating for Nadunisi Naaygal was 38% based on critic and audience review ratings . Another reviwer from Sify gave the film 2.5 out of 5, while describing the film as an "unimpressive show by star director Menon, as it is neither convincing nor appealing, despite having some engrossing moments". Rediff's Pavithra Srinivasan, too, gave the film 2.5 out of 5, citing that the film "has a serious premise and is pretty realistic. But if you've watched any kind of Hollywood thriller at all, then the appeal is lost." Times of India in its review wrote that "in his earlier movies [...] Gautham Menon had pushed the envelope when it came to presentation and themes, but in Nadunisi Naaygal he takes it a bit too far. Best, let the sleeping dogs lie", giving it 2 out of 5. Aravindan DI of Nowrunning.com gave the film a score of 2.5 on 5 deeming it as "An unimpressive show, as it is neither convincing nor appealing." Siddhartha of Silentcritics.com in his review wrote that its not worth the money and time.The film also went through harsh criticism for the intimate controversial scene between Veera and Swapna Abraham. Protests were staged in front of Menon's residence, who clarified that the scene is shown in an aesthetic manner and it is a sensitive story about a psychopath. When asked whether the scene would be removed from the film, Menon, as candid as ever, said the film would be removed soon from theatres as it was not doing good business.
In contrast, Behindwoods gave it a positive review, giving it 3.5 out of 5. The reviwer labelled the film as a "differently made psychological thriller", adding that the film is "engaging right through and the desire of wanting to know ‘what next’ propels it in a uniform pace." Further praise was addressed to the director who "should also be applauded for not bowing down to any cinematic syntax", congratulating him "for the brave attempt to drive home a socially relevant point in a dignified manner."