Naalaiya Theerpu (transl. Tomorrow's Verdict) is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language vigilante action film directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar and produced by his wife Shoba Chandrasekaran, which marked the debut of their son Vijay as a leading actor. The film which also starred Keerthana and Easwari Rao, with Srividya, Radha Ravi and Sarath Babu in supporting, had music composed by newcomer Manimekalai, cinematography by R. P. Imayavaramban and editing by Gautham Raju. The story revolves around a businessman who has many extra-marital affairs and molests his wife. However, things take an unexpected turn when she gets pregnant and has a son who later avenges against the deeds of his father.
| Naalaiya Theerpu | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | S. A. Chandrasekhar |
| Screenplay by | S. A. Chandrasekhar |
| Story by | Shoba Chandrasekaran |
| Produced by | Shoba Chandrasekaran |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | R. P. Imayavaramban |
| Edited by | Gautham Raju |
| Music by | Manimekalai |
Production company | V. V. Creations |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
The film was released on 4 December 1992 to mostly negative reviews and became a box-office bomb, though Vijay won the Cinema Express Award for Best New Face Actor.
Plot
Mahalakshmi endures abuse from her husband, Arun Mehta, who is unfaithful to her with multiple women. Despite this, Mahalakshmi independently raises her son Vijay. As Vijay grows up, he seeks revenge for his father's wrongdoings.
Cast
- Vijay as Vijay
- Keerthana as Priya
- Easwari Rao as Rani
- Srividya as Mahalakshmi Mehta
- Radha Ravi as Arun Mehta
- Vinu Chakravarthy as Sundaramoorthy
- Gowtham Sundararajan as Rocky Mehta
- K. R. Vijaya as a Judge
- Sarath Babu as Priya's brother
- Dhamu as Dhamu, Vijay's friend
- Srinath as Vijay's friend
- Mansoor Ali Khan as an Inspector
- Major Sundarrajan as D.P
- V. Gopalakrishnan as Commissioner of police
- S. S. Chandran as Meenatchisundaram MLA
- Jai Ganesh as Rajasekhar, College Principal
- Pandu as Lecturer
- Typist Gopu as Police Constable
- S. N. Surendar as Press Editor
- K. S. Jayalakshmi as Ambika
- Chaplin Balu as Vijay's friend
- Kavitha
Production
Vijay made his debut as a leading actor with the film, aged eighteen. A fan of Rajinikanth, he told Chandrasekhar that he wanted to headline a film. Vijay enacted a scene from Annaamalai (1992), the one in which the title character (Rajinikanth) challenges Ashok (Sarath Babu). Chandrasekhar recalled, "He did it exactly the way it was in the film [...] That's when I realised that he had talent, a fierce passion".
Soundtrack
The music was composed by M. M. Srilekha, under the name of Manimekalai at the age of 12. The film featured lyrics written by Pulamaipithan, P. R. C. Balu and Bharani. The latter went on to become a popular music composer.The audio rights were acquired by Pyramid Music and Phoenix Music.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aayiram Erimalai" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4:49 |
| 2. | "Ammadi Rani" | S. N. Surendar, Minmini | 4:51 |
| 3. | "Maapillai Naan" | S. N. Surendar, Minmini, Manimekalai | 7:41 |
| 4. | "Vaadai Kulirkatru" | K. S. Chithra | 4:58 |
| 5. | "MTV Parthuputta" | Sangeetha Sajith | 5:06 |
| 6. | "Udalum Intha Uyirum" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 4:35 |
| 7. | "Udalum Intha Uyirum" (Sad) | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 4:30 |
| Total length: | 36:30 | ||
Release and reception
Naalaiya Theerpu was released on 4 December 1992. Ayyappa Prasad of The Indian Express wrote, "Many tongue-in-cheek remarks on the prevailing political and economic climate makes the film worth watching". However, other reviews were mostly negative, including the magazine Kumudam which wrote, "Should we pay to see this face in theaters?" Despite Chandrasekhar's confidence, Naalaiya Theerpu became a box-office bomb. Chandrasekhar recalled in 2018, "To be honest, I shouldn’t have made that film for him especially when he was just 18 [...] I thought now that my son is also becoming an actor, I could continue to practise my style of filmmaking and pass on socially relevant messages to the audience through him. Maybe the timing wasn't right". Despite the film's failure, Vijay won the Cinema Express Award for Best New Face Actor.