Bommai (1964 film)

Bommai (transl. 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 S. Balachander, L. Vijayalakshmi and V. S. Raghavan appeared in prominent roles. The film was an adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 British film Sabotage. It was released on 25 September 1964.

Bommai
Theatrical poster
Directed byS. Balachander
Written byVe. Lakshmanan (dialogue)
Produced byS. Balachander
Starring
CinematographyN. Prakash
Edited byK. Govintha Swami
Music bySongs:
S. Balachander
Background score:
D. B. Ramachandran
Production
company
SB Creations
Release date
  • 25 September 1964 (1964-09-25)
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

Production

Balachander, who was known for his critically acclaimed suspense thriller films Andha Naal (1954) and Avana Ivan!? (1962) made Bommai on the same genre.[3] The film was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 British film Sabotage.[4] Balachander made a few changes in the script to suit the tastes of 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, he found the right doll in a roadside shop and bought it.[5][6] While Balachander wrote the story and screenplay, his friend Ve. Lakshmanan wrote the dialogues.[4] Rochelle Shah appeared as an actress, this being the only film she ever acted in.[7] Bommai is the first Tamil film in which the director introduces the cast and crew verbally, rather than using film credits.[8]

Music

The 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.[9] 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.[10][11] The following song list was adapted from a book authored by K. Neelamegam.[12]

No.SongSinger/sDuration
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

Release and reception

Although completed and censored in 1963,[4] the film was released only on 25 September the following year.[13][14] The Indian Express wrote though "the film fails to grip"; however "A neat, tidy, suspense packet". The reviewer praised the film's cinematography but criticised the background score and editing.[15] On 11 October 1964, Ananda Vikatan wrote, "You will not realise how time flies by watching this film".[16] 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.[17]

References
  1. Dhananjayan 2011, p. 222.
  2. Dhananjayan 2011, p. 223.
  3. "Bang On With The Bioscope". Sruti. No. 65–76. 1990. pp. 34–35. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  4. 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.
  5. Sampath 2012, pp. 76–77.
  6. "S. Balachander's "BOMMAI" (Doll)". Conservative. Vol. 3. 1963. p. 40. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  7. Shah, Rochelle (21 January 2016). "A maestro for a best friend". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  8. Raman, Dharma (12 April 2016). "Celebrating S. Balachander". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  9. Sampath 2012, p. 76.
  10. "KJ Yesudas achieves a rare feat". Sify. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  11. Saraswathi, S. (13 September 2013). "Review: Moodar Koodam is hilarious". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  12. Neelamegam, G. (2016). Thiraikalanjiyam – Part 2 (in Tamil). Chennai: Manivasagar Publishers.
  13. "1964/1964 – பொம்மை – எஸ்.பி.கிரியேஷன்ஸ்" [1964/1964 – Bommai – S.B.Creations]. Lakshman Sruthi (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  14. "Many choices for Tamil film fans". The Indian Express. 26 September 1964. p. 3. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  15. "'Bommai' is a tidy suspense packet". The Indian Express. 2 October 1964. p. 3. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  16. Dhananjayan 2011, p. 224.
  17. Sampath 2012, p. 63.

Sources
  • Dhananjayan, G. (2011). The Best of Tamil Cinema, 1931 to 2010: 1931–1976. Galatta Media. OCLC 733724281.
  • Sampath, Vikram (2012). Voice of the Veena S Balachander. Rupa Publications. ISBN 978-81-291-2969-7.
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