Yavarum Nalam
Encyclopedia
Yavarum Nalam is a 2009 Indian
horror film
directed by Vikram Kumar
, starring R. Madhavan
and Neetu Chandra
in the lead roles. Produced by Suresh Balaje and George Pius, the film was simultaneously filmed and released in Tamil
and also Hindi as 13B with a slightly different cast. The film's soundtrack was composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
and background score by Tubby Parik. The film was released on 6 March 2009.
Manohar, an upper-middle class Indian, moves into a new apartment - 13B on the 13th floor - with his family, fulfilling one of his life's biggest dreams. But the family is greeted by a series of small trivial incidents such as milk getting spoiled that could be regarded as inauspicious but are shrugged off by the excited Manohar. The lift in the apartment does not operate for Manohar.
The women in the family get hooked on to a new TV show Yavarum Nalam (Everyone Is Well, or Sab Khairiyat in the Hindi version). The show is about a family eerily similar to theirs who have also just moved into a new house just like they have. As the serial unfolds, Manohar notices that the incidents that happen in the serial are a reflection of what has happened to Manohar and his family. The serial mirrors Manohar's family life. For example, his sister graduating first-class, his wife getting pregnant and later suffering a miscarriage
. The rest of the family remains oblivious to the similarities and Manohar prefers it that way to avoid panic. He also notices that his camera will take twisted pictures of him while he is in the apartment, but not while he is out of the apartment.
As Manohar fights the uneasy feeling in his mind, things start taking a turn for the worse in the serial. He is now terrified that the same might happen to his family as well. Manohar now wants to know who is behind the making of this serial and what their intentions are. As Manohar explores the mysterious happenings, he unravels a deep and unholy secret.
The house they live in was the house where a whole family of eight were murdered way back in 1977. It was the family of a TV news reader named Chitra. On the day of Chitra's engagement an ardent fan (Shriram Shinde in the 13B version) of Chitra wanted to stop the engagement and he failed in doing so. Disheartened, he committed suicide. Subsequently, all members of that family were murdered with a hammer in a single day. The blame rested on the crazy brother in the family, as he had been seen with the hammer last. The police officer investigating the case also committed suicide by hanging himself in the same house.
Now Manohar and his friend, Shiva (Murli Sharma), who is a policeman, are in the process of unraveling the mystery. Manohar researches the madman Senthil/Ashok, who apparently goes crazy after seeing the TV show in an asylum. Manohar then meets Senthil, who extends a hand for Manohar but drags him inside, but his friend Shiva keeps him from being dragged. They then met Chitra's former fiance Ramchandar, who tries to plead for Senthil's innocence because he got covered in blood while he hugged the bodies, failed in the case.
After researching one night, Manohar has a nightmare of the 13B murderer climbing the stairs to kill his family. When Manohar tries to climb the stairs, he always ends up on the 2nd floor and after a few moments he wakes up. He then goes to the hall and witnesses the climax of Yavarum Nalam/Sab Kheriyat when they are showing the murderer's identity; he sees two hammers, one pointed hammer and a blunt sledge-hammer, then showing Manohar's face as the killer.
What follows is the climax that ties up all the loose ends. The 13B murderer is Dr Balu/Dr Shinde, who sees the family members' faces as serial family members. Manohar kills him.
The story ends with Manohar living a normal life with a new dog in the family; the milk is not getting spoiled anymore. They bring Senthil/Ashok home and the lift in the apartment finally works for Manohar. Manohar receives a call from Dr Balu/Dr Shinde while in the lift, who says that while the 13B family haunts the TV, he haunts Manohar's phone.
, won a National Award for his short film "Silent Scream". Here he teamed up with cinematographer P. C. Sreeram, editor Sreekar Prasad, sound designer A. S. Lakshminarayanan and art director Sameer Chanda, who also happen to be National Film Award winners. The Hindi working title was Channel.
and Kareena Kapoor
were originally considered for the lead role which eventually went to Neetu Chandra. Lead actress Neetu Chandra made her Tamil debut with Yaavarum Nalam. She has starred in successful Hindi films like Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
and Traffic Signal. Lead actor Madhavan and cinematographer P. C. Sreeram had previously worked together on the hit movie Alaipayuthey
. Veteran Hindi actor Dhritiman Chaterjee made his Tamil cinema debut in Yaavarum Nalam, but Tamil was not a new language for him, as he is a resident of Chennai
. He played the same role in the Hindi version of the film. Veteran Marathi
actor Sachin Khedekar, who made his debut in Tamil cinema with Yaavarum Nalam, took great effort in learning his lines. A voice CD was sent to him with his lines read out so that he would get familiar with the Tamil dialogue. He plays the same character in the Hindi version as well.
while the lyrics in Hindi and Tamil were penned by Neelesh Mishra and Thamarai
respectively.
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Vikram Kumar
Vikram Kumar
Vikram K. Kumar is an Indian film director who has made Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films, including the bilingual Yavarum Nalam/13B.-References:...
, starring R. Madhavan
R. Madhavan
R. Madhavan is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations...
and Neetu Chandra
Neetu Chandra
Neetu Chandra is an Indian theatre and film actress and model.-Early life and education:Neetu Chandra was born in Patna, Bihar, India. A resident of Patliputra Colony, she did her schooling from the Notre Dame Academy, Patna, and dreamt of entering the modelling world...
in the lead roles. Produced by Suresh Balaje and George Pius, the film was simultaneously filmed and released in Tamil
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...
and also Hindi as 13B with a slightly different cast. The film's soundtrack was composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages...
and background score by Tubby Parik. The film was released on 6 March 2009.
Cast
| Actor (Tamil version) | Actor (Hindi version) | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R. Madhavan R. Madhavan R. Madhavan is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations... |
Manohar | ||
| Neetu Chandra Neetu Chandra Neetu Chandra is an Indian theatre and film actress and model.-Early life and education:Neetu Chandra was born in Patna, Bihar, India. A resident of Patliputra Colony, she did her schooling from the Notre Dame Academy, Patna, and dreamt of entering the modelling world... |
Priya | ||
| Ravi Babu Ravi Babu Ravi Babu is a Telugu language film actor. He is the son of Chalapathi Rao, also a Telugu film actor.-Ravi Babu movies as actor:#Manasara# Prathiroju # Amaravathi # Padhamoodu # Yavarum Nalam # Nachav Alludu... |
Murli Sharma | Shiva | |
| Sachin Khedekar Sachin Khedekar Sachin Khedekar is an Indian actor and director, best known for his roles in Astitva, Imtihaan, and as Netaji in Shyam Benegal's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero... |
Dr. Balu / Dr. Shinde | ||
| Sanjaih Bokaria | Manoj | ||
| Amitha Rajan | Deepa | ||
| Saranya | Poonam Dhillon Poonam Dhillon Poonam Dhillon is an Indian Hindi film, theatre and TV actress. She is best known for her 1979 film, Noorie, for her six films with Rajesh Khanna Red Rose, Dard, Nishaan, Zamana, Awam and Sohni Mahiwal , Samundar Saveray Wali Gaadi and Naam .- Early life :Dhall was born 18 April 1962 in Kanpur,... |
Manohar's mother | |
| Dhritiman Chatterjee | Mr. Kamdhar | ||
| Deepak Dobriyal Deepak Dobriyal Deepak Dobriyal is an Indian film and theatre actor.He worked in many films like Not a Love Story, Teen Thay Bhai, Gulaal, Delhi 6, Omkara, Maqbool, Daayen Ya Baayen, Shaurya, 1971, 13B, The Blue Umbrella, Tanu Weds Manu and Mumbai Cutting.-Ealy life and education:Deepak's parents belong to Kabra... |
Senthil / Ashok | ||
| Sampath Raj Sampath Raj Dr.Sampath Raj is an Indian film actor who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for appearing in each film of director Venkat Prabhu's comedy trilogy, consisting of Chennai 600028, Saroja and Goa. He has also acted in supporting roles in various other films. He is mostly... |
Ramachandran | ||
| Kushboo Sundar Kushboo Sundar Nakhat Khan , better known by her stage name Kushboo is an Indian actress, television hostess and producer.-Early life:... |
Roshan Abbas Roshan Abbas -Biography:Roshan Abbas is an alumnus of La Martiniere College, Lucknow. He is a radio and television game show host and head of an events management company.He studied at Hindu College, University of Delhi, graduating with a BA degree in 1992.... |
Show host | |
| Rachana Maurya Rachana Maurya Rachana Maurya is an Indian model and film actress, who has appeared in music videos and performed item numbers in various Indian language films... |
an item number Item number An item number or an item song, in Indian cinema, is a musical performance that has little to do with the film in which it appears, but is presented to showcase beautiful dancing women in very revealing clothes, to lend support to the marketability of the film... |
||
Plot
The women in the family get hooked on to a new TV show Yavarum Nalam (Everyone Is Well, or Sab Khairiyat in the Hindi version). The show is about a family eerily similar to theirs who have also just moved into a new house just like they have. As the serial unfolds, Manohar notices that the incidents that happen in the serial are a reflection of what has happened to Manohar and his family. The serial mirrors Manohar's family life. For example, his sister graduating first-class, his wife getting pregnant and later suffering a miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
. The rest of the family remains oblivious to the similarities and Manohar prefers it that way to avoid panic. He also notices that his camera will take twisted pictures of him while he is in the apartment, but not while he is out of the apartment.
As Manohar fights the uneasy feeling in his mind, things start taking a turn for the worse in the serial. He is now terrified that the same might happen to his family as well. Manohar now wants to know who is behind the making of this serial and what their intentions are. As Manohar explores the mysterious happenings, he unravels a deep and unholy secret.
The house they live in was the house where a whole family of eight were murdered way back in 1977. It was the family of a TV news reader named Chitra. On the day of Chitra's engagement an ardent fan (Shriram Shinde in the 13B version) of Chitra wanted to stop the engagement and he failed in doing so. Disheartened, he committed suicide. Subsequently, all members of that family were murdered with a hammer in a single day. The blame rested on the crazy brother in the family, as he had been seen with the hammer last. The police officer investigating the case also committed suicide by hanging himself in the same house.
Now Manohar and his friend, Shiva (Murli Sharma), who is a policeman, are in the process of unraveling the mystery. Manohar researches the madman Senthil/Ashok, who apparently goes crazy after seeing the TV show in an asylum. Manohar then meets Senthil, who extends a hand for Manohar but drags him inside, but his friend Shiva keeps him from being dragged. They then met Chitra's former fiance Ramchandar, who tries to plead for Senthil's innocence because he got covered in blood while he hugged the bodies, failed in the case.
After researching one night, Manohar has a nightmare of the 13B murderer climbing the stairs to kill his family. When Manohar tries to climb the stairs, he always ends up on the 2nd floor and after a few moments he wakes up. He then goes to the hall and witnesses the climax of Yavarum Nalam/Sab Kheriyat when they are showing the murderer's identity; he sees two hammers, one pointed hammer and a blunt sledge-hammer, then showing Manohar's face as the killer.
What follows is the climax that ties up all the loose ends. The 13B murderer is Dr Balu/Dr Shinde, who sees the family members' faces as serial family members. Manohar kills him.
The story ends with Manohar living a normal life with a new dog in the family; the milk is not getting spoiled anymore. They bring Senthil/Ashok home and the lift in the apartment finally works for Manohar. Manohar receives a call from Dr Balu/Dr Shinde while in the lift, who says that while the 13B family haunts the TV, he haunts Manohar's phone.
Development
The director of the film, Vikram KumarVikram Kumar
Vikram K. Kumar is an Indian film director who has made Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films, including the bilingual Yavarum Nalam/13B.-References:...
, won a National Award for his short film "Silent Scream". Here he teamed up with cinematographer P. C. Sreeram, editor Sreekar Prasad, sound designer A. S. Lakshminarayanan and art director Sameer Chanda, who also happen to be National Film Award winners. The Hindi working title was Channel.
Casting
Esha DeolEsha Deol
Esha Deol is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. She is the elder daughter of Bollywood actors Dharmendra and Hema Malini.-Personal life:...
and Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...
were originally considered for the lead role which eventually went to Neetu Chandra. Lead actress Neetu Chandra made her Tamil debut with Yaavarum Nalam. She has starred in successful Hindi films like Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! is a 2008 Indian film starring Abhay Deol, Neetu Chandra, Paresh Rawal, Manu Rishi, Richa Chadda, Manjot Singh and Archana Puran Singh. It was directed by Dibakar Banerjee. The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film....
and Traffic Signal. Lead actor Madhavan and cinematographer P. C. Sreeram had previously worked together on the hit movie Alaipayuthey
Alaipayuthey
Alaipayuthey is a 2000 Tamil romantic drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Madhavan and Shalini, the film explores the tensions of married life and the maturing of love. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A. R...
. Veteran Hindi actor Dhritiman Chaterjee made his Tamil cinema debut in Yaavarum Nalam, but Tamil was not a new language for him, as he is a resident of Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. He played the same role in the Hindi version of the film. Veteran Marathi
Marathi people
The Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
actor Sachin Khedekar, who made his debut in Tamil cinema with Yaavarum Nalam, took great effort in learning his lines. A voice CD was sent to him with his lines read out so that he would get familiar with the Tamil dialogue. He plays the same character in the Hindi version as well.
Filming
The majority of the film takes place inside an apartment. A temporary shooting floor was created from scratch in Egmore, Chennai, inside which an elaborate apartment set was erected.Box office
Receiving highly positive reviews the film turned out be a super hit also the film grossed $3.52 million at the Chennai box office, according to Behindwoods.com.Soundtrack
The film's music was composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-LoyShankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages...
while the lyrics in Hindi and Tamil were penned by Neelesh Mishra and Thamarai
Thamarai
Thamarai is a Tamil poet, lyricist, writer and former journalist. She is best known for writing lyrics for Tamil films only in Tamil language, often even in very purest Tamil...
respectively.