Nooravathu Naal (transl. The Hundredth Day) is a 1984 Indian Tamil-language mystery thriller film written and directed by Manivannan. The film stars Vijayakanth, Mohan and Nalini, with Thengai Srinivasan, Janagaraj and Sathyaraj in supporting roles. It is an unofficial adaptation of the 1977 Italian giallo film Sette note in nero.[2] The film was remade in Malayalam as Aayiram Kannukal (1986) and in Hindi as 100 Days (1991).[3][4]

Nooravathu Naal
Poster
Directed byManivannan
Written byManivannan
Produced byS. N. S. Thirumal
StarringVijayakanth
Mohan
Nalini
CinematographyA. Sabapathy
Edited byB. Kanthasamy
Music byIlaiyaraaja
Production
company
Thirupathisamy Pictures
Release date
  • 23 February 1984 (1984-02-23)
Running time
134 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

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Devi, a college student has a strange premonition one night of her sister being murdered. Her sister soon goes missing. After a few years, Devi meets and marries a rich businessman Ramkumar. Soon after, Devi has another vision of an unknown woman being murdered and seeks the help of her cousin Raju to help her save the possible victim. Raju is reluctant to believe her story but assists her anyway. Devi also finds a decomposed body in the bungalow where she lives with Ramkumar, which she believes is her sister's based on her previous vision. Devi and Raju's investigations lead them to the museum where Devi's sister worked and a strange man who tries to assassinate them. Whether Devi's strange premonitions are true and whether she and Raju are able to trap the mysterious killer forms the rest of the story.

Cast

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Production

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Nooravathu Naal was directed by Manivannan and produced by S. N. S. Thirumal under Thirupathisamy Pictures, with cinematography by A. Sabapathy.[1] Manivannan selected Sathyaraj to portray a negative role. For the character look, he sported a clean-shaven pate, wore sunglasses and a red jerkin. He completed his portions within five days.[5]

Soundtrack

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The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.[6][7] The song "Vizhiyile Mani Vizhiyil" was re-used from the song "Jotheyali Jothe Jotheyali" from the 1981 Kannada film Geetha.[8] It is set in the Carnatic raga known as Kapi.[9]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Vizhiyile Mani"PulamaipithanS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki04:01
2."Ulagam Muzhuthum"VairamuthuK. J. Yesudas, Vani Jairam04:14
3."Uruguthey Idhayame"MuthulingamVani Jairam04:22
Total length:12:37

Release and reception

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Nooravathu Naal was released on 23 February 1984,[10] and ran for over 200 days in theatres.[11] Jayamanmadhan of Kalki praised the acting of star cast and Ilaiyaraaja's music but felt the film lacked pep in certain places.[12]

Legacy

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Sathyaraj's performance as a psychopathic killer received acclaim and made him popular among audiences.[13] Nooravathu Naal became a milestone in Tamil cinema, with regards to "scene construction".[14] The serial killers Auto Shankar and Jayaprakash were inspired by the film to commit murders.[1][15] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu in her review of the Telugu film Tripura (2015) said that the idea of hiding corpses inside a wall is inspired from Nooravathu Naal.[16] Following Vijayakanth's death in 2023, Film Companion included the film in their list "7 Vijayakanth Films That Left an Indian Cinema Legacy".[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 467.
  2. ^ "Child's Play in India: Four Adaptations". Braineater. Archived from the original on 19 July 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Films that inspired real life crime". The Times of India. 9 June 2015. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  4. ^ Arunachalam, Param. BollySwar: 1991–2000. Mavrix Infotech. p. 1. ISBN 9788193848210.
  5. ^ Sathyaraj (22 February 2008). "My first break". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Nooravathu Naal Songs". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  7. ^ "Nooravathu Naal Tamil film EP Vinyl Record by Ilayaraja". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  8. ^ NFAI [@NFAIOfficial] (13 November 2019). "#Remake#Ilaiyaraaja used the similar tune of his melodious song "Jotheyali" (Geetha, Kannada,1981) for the songs "Vizhiyile Mani" (Nooravathunaal, Tamil, 1984) & "Jaane Do Na" (Cheeni Kum, Hindi, 2007).Enjoy these different versions:@shreyaghoshal #SPBalasubrahmanyam #SJanaki" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 168.
  10. ^ ராம்ஜி, வி. (5 December 2019). "ஒரே வருடத்தில் மோகன் 15 படங்கள்; ஒரேநாளில் 3 படம் ரிலீஸ்; அத்தனையும் ஹிட்". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  11. ^ Bhama Devi Ravi (22 July 2008). "Now, a film on the Vadapalani murders". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  12. ^ ஜெயமன்மதன் (11 March 1984). "நூறாவது நாள்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 33. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ^ Kesavan, N. (14 April 2016). "Villains with heroic pasts". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  14. ^ Rao, Subha J. (11 May 2013). "Fifty and counting". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  15. ^ "Bharathiraaja's latest venture". The Hindu. 24 March 2000. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  16. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (9 November 2015). "The wall tells an inspired story". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  17. ^ "7 Vijayakanth Films That Left an Indian Cinema Legacy". Film Companion. 28 December 2023. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.

Bibliography

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