Neenga Nalla Irukkanum

Neenga Nalla Irukkanum (transl. You Should Live Long) is a 1992 Tamil film written and directed by Visu. It stars Nizhalgal Ravi and Bhanupriya in the lead with Visu, Chandrasekhar and Manorama forming the supporting cast. Produced by G. Venkateswaran under his banner G. V. Films, the film won the award for Best Film on Other Social Issues at the 40th National Film Awards. The film was the first to be sponsored by the Tamil Nadu Government and had Jayalalithaa, its Chief Minister then, in a brief appearance playing herself.

Neenga Nalla Irukkanum
Directed byVisu
Produced byG. Venkateswaran
Written byVisu
Starring
Music byM. S. Viswanathan
CinematographyN. Balakrishnan
Edited byGanesh Kumar
Production
company
Release date
1992
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget₹8.5 million (about 0.277 million USD)[lower-alpha 1]

Plot

Anjalai, a village woman marries a drunkard Manickam, with a hope of changing his behavior post marriage. But Manickam continues drinking and goes to a level where he steals Anjalai's jewels before losing his job. During this time, his mother dies in a fire accident after which he vows not to drink anymore. Meanwhile, Manickam falls sick after damaging his liver as a result of excessive drinking. In order to safeguard his life, Anjalai collects money by begging in the streets and donation from the chief minister of the state. Manickam is sent to the United States for treatment. When the couple return to India after Manickam gets cured, he starts drinking again and gets addicted to it. Unable to tolerate his change in behaviour, Anjalai ends her life. This forces all the women in the village join together to protest against alcohol.

Cast

Production

Actress-turned politician Jayalalithaa who was the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu played herself in the film.[2][3] This was also her final film as an actress.[4]

Soundtrack

Soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan and lyrics for all songs were written by Vaali.[5]

Reception

Released on 2 October 1992, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti, Neenga Nalla Irukkanum focused on Prohibition and was the first Tamil film to be sponsored by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The film was budgeted at a cost of ₹8.5 million (about US$ 0.277 million in 1992–93).[lower-alpha 1][6]

Despite being launched with much "fanfare" and media acclaim,[2] the film did not make any impact among the audience as it turned out to be a box-office failure.[3] It won the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues in 1993 and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award. The jury noted the film for its "effective and purposeful plea for prohibition".[7] K. Vijiyan of New Straits Times wrote "This is not the usual Visu fare were are used to [...] Visu has made sure this is not just an educational movie with an anti-alcohol message. There is an Indian saying that it is difficult to straighten a dog's tail and the story seems to subscribe to the fatalistic view that drunkards cannot quit.".[8] However Ayyappa Prasad for The Indian Express wrote that the film "fails to impress" and "The director in a bid to do propaganda-cum-commercial has ended up with a product that is neither".[9]

Notes
  1. The exchange rate in 1992–93 was 30.64 Indian rupees (₹) per 1 US dollar (US$).[1]

References
  1. "Exchange Rate of the Indian Rupee Vis-a-Vis the SDR, US Dollar, Pound Sterling, D. M./Euro and Japanese Yen (Financial year — Annual average and end-year rates)" (PDF). p. 264. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2012.
  2. India Today. Aroon Purie for Living Media India Limited. 1992. p. 126.
  3. Mannath, Malini (1 January 1993). "Run-of-the-mill fare". The Indian Express. p. 7.
  4. "1960 - 1992: Jayalalithaa's journey as a movie star". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  5. "Neenga Nallairukanam songs". Raaga.com. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  6. "Social realism". India Today. 15 June 1992. Retrieved 3 April 2014. Jayalalitha acts as Jayalalitha in an anti-hooch film
  7. "40th National Film Festival 1993". Directorate of Film Festivals. p. 154. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  8. Vijiyan, K. (26 December 1992). "Tamil movie with a hard message against drinking". New Straits Times. p. 20.
  9. Prasad, Ayyappa (27 November 1992). "Fails to impress". The Indian Express. p. 7.
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