Nadigan

Nadigan
Poster
Directed byP. Vasu
Screenplay byP. Vasu
Based onProfessor
Produced byM. Ramanathan
StarringSathyaraj
Khushbu
CinematographyAshok Kumar
Edited byP. Mohan Raj
Music byIlaiyaraaja
Production
company
Raj Films International
Release date
  • 30 November 1990 (1990-11-30)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Nadigan (transl. Actor) is a 1990 Indian Tamil-language comedy thriller film written directed by P. Vasu. A remake of the Hindi film Professor (1962), it stars Sathyaraj and Khushbu. The film was released on 30 November 1990 and became a critical and commercial success, winning four Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

Plot

Vishwanathan, a ruthless businessman, murders his partner Raghu to avoid sharing massive profits. He stages the murder to look like suicide and plays the innocent at his daughter's wedding, feigning grief over Raghu's death. Unbeknownst to Vishwanathan, a videographer secretly records his conversation with a henchman, discussing the murder plan. The videographer escapes and hides the incriminating video cassette in Geetha's bag as she flees in her car. Tragically, the videographer is later killed in a theater by Vishwanathan's men, and his body disappears before Geetha can report the incident to the police. Vishwanathan's men are hot on the trail of Geetha, the one who unknowingly possesses the damning evidence.

Raja, a street performer, is struggling to make ends meet. His mother needs a bypass graft surgery within 30 days, and Raja must find a way to earn the money. The doctor recommends a change of environment for his mother's treatment, so they head to Kodaikanal, and also in search of a job. On their journey by train, Raja meets Devaraj, a music teacher travelling to the Island Estate for a job that pays ₹3,000 (equivalent to ₹29,000 or US$350 in 2023) per month. Devaraj carries a recommendation letter with a contact address, hoping to secure the position. Geetha, Radha, Dippa, and Prashanth live with their spinster aunt, Anandha Karpagavalli, in a vast Island Estate in Kodaikanal. Karpagavalli is a strict, old-school caretaker who enforces traditional values and discipline, restricting the freedom of the teenage sisters and their younger siblings, who find her rules suffocating.

When Raja and Devaraj exit the train, they accidentally swap suitcases. Raja finds Devaraj's job offer letter in his suitcase and, desperate to fund his mother's surgery, decides to take the job. He disguises himself as an old man, "Devaraj," by wearing a beard and white hair, and joins the Island Estate as a music teacher and caretaker. Meanwhile, the real Devaraj is unable to find Raja or the Island Estate due to his poor English, as people don't understand what he means by "Is-land." As "Devaraj," Raja gains the trust of Karpagavalli by praising her excessively. Unbeknownst to Raja, Karpagavalli develops romantic feelings for him, thinking he's an unmarried elderly man. Meanwhile, Geetha and Radha try to outsmart "Devaraj" and enjoy freedom beyond their aunt's restrictions. They devise plans to get rid of him, but all their attempts fail.

Once, Geetha is saved by Raja from Vishwanathan's henchmen. At this moment, Geetha believes him to be a different person from her music teacher, Devaraj, and develops feelings for Raja. Kurangu Kannayiram, a petty thief, hides in Raja's house while evading the police. Upon discovering Raja's true identity, Kannayiram blackmails him, forcing Raja to let him stay in his house. As Karpagavalli reforms, she relaxes her restrictions, allowing Geetha and Radha to dress as they like, she starts obeying "Devaraj's" words and even accepts Radha's love for Inspector Chinni. She invites "Devaraj" to stay in their house, driven by her affection for him. Also, Kannayiram, posing as Kandhasamy, Devaraj's fake brother, enters the household. Meanwhile, Vishwanathan sends two women to secretly retrieve the incriminating cassette from Geetha's house.

Geetha convinces her aunt to consider Raja as a potential groom, for which Karpagavalli accepts after meeting Raja. In return, she seeks Raja's help to arrange her union with "Devaraj", unaware that "Devaraj" is Raja in disguise. Raja is shocked by the proposal. When "Devaraj" removes his disguise, Geetha discovers his true identity as Raja and feels betrayed, leading to a breakup. Soon, Geetha's friend Maya sends the video cassette to Chinni, but Vishwanathan's henchwoman abducts Geetha at knifepoint, taking the cassette. Raja rescues Geetha, but Vishwanathan kidnaps her family, demanding the cassette. Raja, along with Kannayiram, saves the family, and Karpagavalli learns about Raja's dual identity. After a brief fight and a road chase, Raja saves the family, and Vishwanathan's men are arrested for their crimes.

In the end, the real Devaraj, whose suitcase was swapped with Raja's, finally finds the Island Estate and meets Karpagavalli to take up the music teacher position.

Cast

Production

Nadigan is a remake of the Hindi film Professor (1962).[2] Although the story is set primarily in Ooty, the film was shot in Kodaikanal.[3]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.[4][5]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Aattama Paattama"VaaliS. P. Balasubrahmanyam04:52
2."Deva Malligai"PulamaipithanS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki04:45
3."Vela Vanthu"VaaliMalaysia Vasudevan04:47
4."Enge Nimmathi"IlaiyaraajaS. P. Balasubrahmanyam04:51
5."Adi Veluthu"VaaliK. S. Chithra, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam05:04
Total length:29:24

Release and reception

Nadigan was released on 30 November 1990.[6] N. Krishnaswamy of The Indian Express praised Sathyaraj's acting and Ashok Kumar's cinematography.[7] C. R. K. of Kalki praised the film's humour, music and cinematography.[8] The film was a success, running for over 125 days in theatres.[9] It won the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Best Dialogue Writer (Vasu), Special Award for Best Actor (Sathyaraj), Best Art Director (Salam) and Best Stunt Director (Vikram Dharma).[10]

References

  1. ^ Yamunan, Sruthisagar (12 October 2015). "When the camera rolled, she lived the character'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  2. ^ Chatterji, Shoma A (19 October 2017). "Lekh Tandon". Upperstall.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Sibiraj recollects the shooting of Nadigan as the film marks its 3oth anniversary". The Times of India. 30 November 2020. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Nadigan Tamil film LP Vinyl Record by Ilayaraja". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Nadigan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - EP". Apple Music. 30 November 1990. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  6. ^ "'நடிகன்' வெளியாகி 30 ஆண்டுகள் நிறைவு: சிபிராஜ் நெகிழ்ச்சி". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). 30 November 2020. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  7. ^ Krishnaswamy, N. (30 November 1990). "Nadigan". The Indian Express. p. 7. Retrieved 27 February 2019 – via Google News Archive.
  8. ^ சி. ஆர். கே. (16 December 1990). "நடிகன்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 21. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ "32 வருடங்களை நிறைவு செய்த சத்யராஜின் நடிகன்!". News18 (in Tamil). 1 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Chinnathambi bags six awards". The Indian Express. 30 October 1992. p. 3. Retrieved 14 February 2021 – via Google News Archive.
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