A kid's movie with murder?

Avana Ivan? (Is that him?, Tamil; 1962)

Directed and Produced by S. Balachander

It is supposed to be based on a murder which happened in the USA at the early of 20th century. An executive killed his pregnant secretary on a boat trip to marry a rich woman. The story created such a sensation that it a spawned a best seller novel and a 1951 Hollywood hit, 'A Place in the Sun'.

The lone wolf, S. Balachander, wrote the screenplay for this film based the above hit, just that this Tamil version ended up as more of a children's show. Two children witness a brutal and fatal beating of a lady. They are totally composed throughout the event and afterwards, showing no emotional catastrophe but have the composure to narrate the whole incident to adults around them. Unfortunately, none the adults including the police take them seriously. Balachander, the flamboyant director, acts as the anti-hero to have committed the heinous for the same reason; to dispose of his pestering girlfriend to marry a rich man's daughter to win his business deals.

Interspersed in the narration is the evil wife of the businessman with her piercing tongue and incisive words, the daughter with her love of a commoner as well as the bane of being amongst the slave class. For comedic relief, there is the bumbling chef with his horrendous culinary skills and his antics of courting his neighbour!

Kudos go to the two child actors. One of them is Kutti Padmini, the child prodigy who went on to act in many more films later. Her magnum opus was 1965 hit 'Kulanthaiyum Deivamum, a Tamil version of 'Parent Trap' where she acts in a dual role.

S. Balachander gives a stellar performance as a killer without over-acting. He is likeable as an actor and is very comfortable in front of the camera. He even composed the music.

In the genre of comical suspense!

Naan Avan Illai (நான் அவனில்லை, I am not him, Tamil; 1974)

The Movie was in  Black & White, though!

Director: K Balachander
Gemini Ganesan had always played second fiddle in the limelight of the Tamil silver screen in the 60s. This king of romance (Kathal Mannan), both on and off screen, had always been overshadowed by thespians of that time, MGR with do-gooder holier than thou propaganda film actor and the over the top character  actor in Sivaji Ganesan. Gemini Ganesan had mostly acted in roles as a sacrificing love struck man for the sake of family or circumstantial situations.

If MGR could play double roles in scores of films as identical twins separated at twins and get away with it and Sivaji could give an absolutely stunning depiction of nine roles which signified nine values of human in 'Navarathiri', the filmmakers would have thought, "Why not cast him in a role a cheating lover in multiple roles?"

The story was actually a play in Marathi made in 1962. 

The whole story happens in a court room over a few days as the witnesses are called in one by one to unfold their side of the story. GG, as Nanjil Nambi, a simple but articulate seemingly God fearing (Hindu God) nationalistic appearing man from lower rung of society is put to the dock charged for cheating. Nanjil dismisses his court appoint lawyer and opts to defend himself. 

Albert Asirvatham (Asokan), a coffin maker takes the stand. He alleges that Nanjil is actually his long lost brother of 15 years by the name of David Asirvatham. He tells of his brother of being a rolling stone, never staying in one place. He accuses him of leaving his mute wife and two sons. Nanjil ridicules Albert and denies.

Then comes a Rao  from Delhi who tells of a certain Brahmin Government official who cheated him of Rp 15,000 whom he gave as an understanding of bribe to secure a project. Details of the events of the transaction is told in flashbacks as the testimony of the rest of the witnesses. Nanjil denies by asking him embarrassing questions which put the witness in a precarious position.

The presiding judge (Poornam Viswanathan), a North Indian Muslim, has a daughter (Lakshmi) who was also conned of some money when she met a suave Urdu speaking Casanova, Akbar Ali, on a train journey. And she knows it is GG. [Flashback: GG dressed in Northen Indian Muslim attire and mannerisms]

Then comes a matching agency agent (M.N. Rajam) who is called in to testify the accusation a Telugu lady who married GG and was cheated of her jewelry. A Malayalee also comes of being conned by a Shatru Menon- GG again.

Next, a trustee of a temple, accuses GG of masquerading as a holy man, Hari Hara Das,  and scooted off with her daughter and the temple jewelry. The daughter, later appears as a cabaret dancer, disillusioned with life after being duped and raped in the holy shrines!

Then comes in an Anglo-Indian widow, Mrs Kingsley, who swore that GG is indeed her new husband, Jack Solomon. Kannama, the histrionic lady from the slump, appears to vouch that GG is indeed her husband, alive and living with her all the while!

The case became more convoluted as the investigators could not identify GG's mother tongue. One smart alec suggested that upon intense provocation, jolt or pain, he would scream in his mother tongue. Even that felt flat - He yelled an undecipherable word which turned out to be Chinese. There is slight comedy relief brought by a couple in the public gallery. The wife spends all her time listening to trials with her bored husband. Thengai Sreenivasan comes as a mysterious witness, Johnny Walker, who turned out to be GG's accomplice. 

He narrated a story which was reminiscent of the 'Madu Tiga' where all of GG's wives coming together to trash out the truth! The judge passed a judgement of guilty with 7 years of imprisonment.
As he is led out of the court house, GG is stabbed by his brother Albert Asirvatham. Only then the viewers realise GG's true identity as he crosses his chest in a crucifix and dies. So GG is David Asirvatham after all and is a pathological liar.
We saw Gemini in the roles of a) a bumpkin, b) Brahmin Govt servant, c) Urdu poet,  d) a Telugu man, e) a Malayalee naval officer, f) a pious holy man, g) an Anglo-Indian gentleman and 2 others. I think missed two, 9 altogether!
At a time when lip sync and voice overs were unheard off, GG excelled in his rendition of dialogue in various intonations and dialects. Maybe I am biased, they were some overlaps in mannerisms of the different roles.
For a person who started his career in a villain's role, he had no qualms of assuming the role of an antihero at time in Tamil movies where a hero is either good or bad! Here the hero assumed the role of an anti-hero quite convincingly.
N.B. The 2007 remake by new generation of actors was a big hit! 

Another social satire

Ethir Neechal (Swimming against the current, எதிர் நீச்சல்  Tamil; 1968)

Story, Screenplay, Direction: K. Balachander

This is one of the few movies in which Nagesh, the evergreen comedian who jolts his shoulder at his every stroke of his punchline, assumes the role of the main character. The style of acting is reminiscence of his acting in his 1966 blockbuster Server Sundram, the self pitying, low self esteemed orphan who takes the brunt of everybody else's idiosyncrasies and loathing just because he is a lowly life form! An orphan, who has no soul to care and no money to his name. Again and again, this theme is ridiculed upon in Tamil movies for generations. The biggest insult in a child's life, it seems, is not knowing your parents' name. Scores, if not hundreds of movies have been made along this line.

In a way, this film is Balachander's social satire done in an almost full length comedy. It pokes fun at how the society takes in or abhors people based on their own preset ideals, depending on the conditions that suit their needs.
Unlike most Indian movies, this one is not your typical hero meets heroine, falls in loves, meets resistance and finally loves prevails kind of story. For a start, there are many important characters who play equally important roles for the continuity of the story line.

Maadhu (Nagesh) is an orphan college student who stays below the staircase of a double storey house which houses at least 5 families. Maadhu is the run around kid who does odd jobs around the house in reluctant exchange for meagre food and the space under the stairs to stay. The occupants of the house all have different backgrounds.

Pattu and Chittu 

Central to the story is a husband and wife team who brings in a young mentally girl Paro, (Jayanthi) and the wife's brother Thengai Srinivasan) to stay there. Next is a forever quarreling Brahmin couple (Pattu and Chittu) acted beautifully by Srikanth and Sowkar Janaki. Srikanth who had spates of stereotyping pea-brained negative roles in his acting career really show his true versatility here. His role of being a gossipy husband is memorable. Pattu is his cinema crazy wife who often quotes scenes from famous Tamil movie scenes does an excellent job as an inquisitive busybody.
Then there is Major Sunderarajan, a retiree, who has a soft spot for Maadhu. Muthuraman, a single Malayalee man (Muthuraman) stays on the top floor builds a friendly bond with him. Then there is the Kumarasen brother and sister team (Manorama and MRR Vasu) who are out to stir trouble at the lightest hint. Manorama, here does not act her usual well meaning comedienne but rather a fire brand loud trouble maker. A group of college student also occupy one of the rooms.

When in high stature, relatives would
hang around like crows around food!

Trouble brews when Paro is matched to marry MRR Vasu but Chittu identifies her as a former inmate of a lunatic asylum. At the same time, small things begin disappearing and Maadhu is  the fall guy to be accused of theft. Paro, the lunatic, even though recovered, is still labelled a lunatic and is matched to marry Maadhu as no one wants to marry as the news of her medical condition is general knowledge now.
In the sly, Maadhu and Paro discover genuine love.
One thing leads to another but Maadhu passes his examination with flying colours (1st class honours, what else). At about that time, a millionaire from Kuala Lumpur claiming to be Maadhu's long lost father who had realised his wayward ways coming knocking and wants to be with his long lost son.
Suddenly, all the occupants of the house wants to be Maadhu's best guardian hoping for a piece of his fortune. All of them bend over backward to appease Maadhu to be in his good books. Just then, everybody is told it is all a hoax, set up by Paro to get back at all the occupants of the house.
Finally, to cut the long story short, Maadhu gets a high paying job and marries Paro! A good entertaining if you do not mind the occasion melodrama and overacting that builds along the course of the film.
P.S. Amma used to say: When you laugh, everyone will laugh with you; when you cry, you cry alone. But FG says: When you laugh, everyone will laugh with you; when you cry, everyone will laugh AT you!