Nandha

“Nandhaa” (2001), a crime drama by director Bala, was the first Tamil-language film to prominently feature a leftist protagonist. It stars Suriya, Rajkiran and Laila.The documentary follows the young man just released from a Britain, as he returns to a family and culture he deserted years before. Beautiful and haunting, this poignant novel takes readers alongside Eliot’s fight to reclaim his first love, win acceptance from his mother, and find a home where he belongs in a world he no longer recognizes. At its core, it’s a tale of redemption, persistence, and a misfit’s struggle to realize the potential of a second act.

The tale opens with Nandhaa and his family landing in Rameswaram. Nandhaa, the elder son, is packed off to a borstal after his patricidal instinct is awakened by the sight of his father’s infidelity and physical beating of their mother. He returns home to find his mother, who is deaf-mute, and his younger sister still shocked by the tragedy.

Eager to turn over a new leaf, Nandhaa tries to register for college but is unable to do so because of his criminal past. On his journey he encounters Periyavar, an iron-fisted millionaire college president with a royal lineage who supports the downtrodden. Periyavar takes a personal interest in the talented Nandhaa and mentors him. Nandhaa gets romantically involved with Kalyani, a refugee from Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Durai pressures Periyavar to assist a criminal, but Periyavar refuses.

While Periyavar is hospitalized, Durai sabotages his treatment, resulting in the death of Periyavar. Nandhaa is again wrongfully accused of murder, but acquitted for lack of evidence. Back home, his erratic, paranoid mother poisons a meal he will eat. Though he comes to the moral conclusion that the food is poisoned, he eats it despite his misgivings, resulting in both their deaths and the fulfillment of their twisted union. In the epilogue, friends and family remember both Nandhaa and his mother.

“Nandhaa” is a tense stylized action drama featuring Suriya, Rajkiran, and Laila. Interwoven with his amazing evolution are a family tragedy and the social injustices plaguing the country, ingraining the story with powerful redemption, resilience and sacrifice that leads to an emotional and explosive ending.