Bommai

Bommai

Theatrical poster
Directed by S. Balachander
Written by Ve. Lakshmanan (dialogue and lyrics)
Starring
Music by S. Balachander
Release dates
  • 22 April 1964
Country India
Language Tamil

Bommai (English: The Doll) is a 1964 Tamil suspense thriller film directed by S. Balachander. Featuring a walkie-talkie doll as the main character, the film had an ensemble cast of newcomers, while Balachander, L. Vijayalakshmi and V. S. Raghavan appeared in prominent roles. The film was an adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 British film Sabotage.

Synopsis

In an attempt to kill the hero (Balachander), the villain (V. S. Raghavan) along with his gang place a bomb in a walking doll. Unexpectedly, the doll comes back to the car in which the gang travel killing all of them.

Influences

Balachander, who was known for his critically acclaimed suspense thriller films Andha Naal (1954) and Avana Ivan (1962) made Bommai on the same genre.[1] The film was inspired from Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 British film Sabotage.[2] Balachander made a few changes in the script to suit the Tamil audience. A walkie-talkie doll, which carries the bomb, played the main character in Bommai. To cast the doll, Balachander was in search for a long time and even tried one from the United States. Incidentally while shopping in Parry's Corner, Madras, he found the right doll in a roadside shop and bought it.[3] Unlike the British film, where the passengers in the bus get killed, the Tamil version had the villains who plot to kill the hero get killed in the blast.[4]

Production and release

In addition to acting and directing, Balachander wrote the story and screenplay. His friend Ve. Lakshmanan wrote the dialogues. Although completed and censored in 1963, the film was released only the following year.[2] The film completed 100 days in many theatres in Madras. Its commercial success helped Balachander recover from the loss incurred on his previous film Avana Ivan. At the end credits of the film, Balachander introduces every actor and member of the crew to the audience.[3]

Music

The film's soundtrack consisted of six songs, all written by Balachander's associate Ve. Lakshmanan. The music was composed by Balachander himself. The philosophical song "Neeyum Bommai Naanum Bommai" marked the playback singing debut of K. J. Yesudas in Tamil cinema.[4][5] In 2014, when the song was re-used in Moodar Koodam, Yesudas recorded the same for Moodar Koodam, co-incidentally marking his completion of 50 years in the Tamil film music.[6][7]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sundaresan 1990, p. 35.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Guy, Randor (29 October 2011). "Blast from the Past - Bommai 1964". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sampath 2012, p. 63.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sampath 2012, p. 62.
  5. ↑ "மறுபடியும் நீயும் பொம்மை... நானும் பொம்மை!". Oneindia.in (in Tamil). Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "KJ Yesudas achieves a rare feat". Sify. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  7. ↑ S. Saraswathi (13 September 2013). "Review: Moodar Koodam is hilarious". Rediff.com. Retrieved 29 June 2014.

References