Bommai

Bommai (The Doll) is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language thriller film, directed by S. Balachander. Featuring a walking-talking 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.

Bommai
Theatrical poster
Tamilபொம்மை
Directed byS. Balachander
Written byVe. Lakshmanan (dialogue and lyrics)
Starring
Music bySongs:
S. Balachander
Background score:
D. B. Ramachandran
CinematographyN. Prakash
Edited byK. Govintha swami
Release date
  • 22 April 1964 (1964-04-22)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

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 travels, killing all of them.

Cast

Cast according to the end credits of the film

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 by Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 British film Sabotage.[2] Balachander made a few changes in the script to suit the Tamil audience. A walking-talking 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] Rochelle Shah appeared as an actress, this being the only film she ever acted in.[5]

New Straits Times wrote though "the film fails to grip" however "A neat, tidy, suspense packet". The reviewer praised the film's cinematography but criticised background score and editing.[6] Randor Guy of The Hindu wrote the film is"Remembered for the interesting storyline, excellent onscreen narration and performances by Balachandar, V. S. Raghavan and the doll."[2]

Music

The film's soundtrack consisted of six songs, all written by Balachander's associate Ve. Lakshmanan. The music for songs, was composed by Balachander himself, while the background score was composed by D. B. Ramachandran. The philosophical song "Neeyum Bommai Naanum Bommai" marked the playback singing debut of K. J. Yesudas in Tamil cinema.[4][7] In 2014, when the song was re-used in Moodar Koodam, Yesudas recorded the same for Moodar Koodam, coincidentally marking his completion of 50 years in the Tamil film music industry.[8][9]

Songs list

The following song list was adapted from a book authored by K. Neelamegam.[10]

No.SongSinger/sDuration (m:ss)
1"Engo Pirandhavaraam"P. Susheela03:29
2"Thathi Thathi Nadandhuvarum Thangapapa"L. R. Eswari03:27
3"Nee Thaan Selvam Nee Thaan Amudham"P. Susheela04:07
4"Kanne Iruttudhu Kaade Adaikkudhu"Harihara Subramaniam & K. Veeramani
5"Neeyum Bommai Naanum Bommai"K. J. Yesudas03:40
6"Kaiyaruge Kaniyirukka"Renuka
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References
  1. Sundaresan 1990, p. 35.
  2. Guy, Randor (29 October 2011). "Blast from the Past - Bommai 1964". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  3. Sampath 2012, p. 63.
  4. Sampath 2012, p. 62.
  5. "A maestro for a best friend". The Hindu. 21 January 2016. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  6. "'Bommai' is a tidy suspense packet". The Indian Express. 2 October 1964. p. 3.
  7. "மறுபடியும் நீயும் பொம்மை... நானும் பொம்மை!" [Again you are a toy... I too am a toy!]. Oneindia.in (in Tamil). Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  8. "KJ Yesudas achieves a rare feat". Sify. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  9. S. Saraswathi (13 September 2013). "Review: Moodar Koodam is hilarious". Rediff.com. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  10. G. Neelamegam. Thiraikalanjiyam - Part 2 (in Tamil). Manivasagar Publishers, Chennai 108 (Ph:044 25361039). First edition November 2016.

Sources
  • Sundaresan, P.N. (1990). Sruti.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Sampath, Vikram (2012). Voice of the Veena S Balachander. Rupa Publications. ISBN 978-81-291-3379-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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