Nanjupuram is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language thriller film directed by Charles, starring Raaghav and Monica in the lead roles, while Thambi Ramaiah and Aadukalam Naren play supporting roles. The film, which features music scored by Raaghav himself, was produced by his wife Preetha. It was released on 1 April 2011.
Plot Nanjupuram is a small village in Tamil Nadu surrounded by hills full of poisonous snakes. The village has two big shots. One is the president of the village, and the other one is a good man having a son named Velu. The president has an affair with the mother of a woman named Malar, and he often comes to Malar's house.
One day, while treating a snake-bitten girl from the village, the fearless Velu takes her to the opposite side of the hill, across the snakes. Malar also accompanies him. After getting treatment, Malar and Velu fall in love with each other. One day, when Malar is taking a bath with her friends in the river, a snake comes to attack her. Just then, Velu arrives and stamps the snake. The snake is brutally injured in its neck. The snake then slithers off, leaving Velu's parents and others struck in fear, as hurt snakes would take revenge on the assaulter by killing them within 40 days of the attack. They build Velu a hut above 30 feet with dug land beneath it, but Velu often gets down and goes to the riverside during the night to meet Malar when the guards are asleep.
One day, Velu's father finds about this and asks the president to warn Malar. The president goes to her house and threatens Malar and her mother to see a bridegroom for Malar quickly. They arrange her marriage, but Malar is not happy with this. At the same time, Velu is threatened with the return of the same snake trying to kill him, so he does not go to meet Malar in the banks. One day when Malar's engagement is also over, she asks Velu's friend, a thief, to speak to him and ask him to come and meet her. The thief tells Velu that Malar is waiting for him and that the snake's return and all is just a fear. Velu strengthens his heart and goes for Malar when the thief distracts the guards and makes them chase him. Velu and Malar decide to go out of the village to get married.
Just then, the snake comes and chases them. At the time, the villagers find out their escape and search for them around the village. When the snake was about to kill Velu, the sun rises, marking the end of the 40th day; thus, the snake goes away. Unfortunately, the president and his henchmen find out Malar and try to kill her. Velu shields her but gets attacked and dies. After Velu's death, Malar bears his child and gives birth to it. The film closes with Velu's little son playing with snakes, just like his dead father.
Cast Raaghav as Velu Monica as Malar Thambi Ramaiah as the president of Nanjupuram Aadukalam Naren as Velu's father Priya Anuya Bhagvath in a special appearance
Production After director Charles and actor Raaghav decided to make Nanjupuram, they were able to raise funds upto through crowdfunding facilitated by their mutual friends; Raaghav's wife Preetha produced the film. Numerous snakes from different regions were brought in for filming. Both trained snakes and wild, untrained ones were used by the makers. Monica, the lead actress, had no difficulty filming around snakes, in part because of her experience on the survival reality series Anu Alavum Bayamillai. The story revolves around the protagonist having to spend 40 days in the eponymous village, but scenes related to the character's stay there on the first and fortieth day were shot in four successive days; Raaghav lost a substantial amount of weight to look "weak and worn out" for his character's fortieth day.
Soundtrack The soundtrack was composed by Raaghav, the lead actor. It is his first full-length film album after he composed one song for Yai! Nee Romba Azhaga Irukey! (2002).
Release and reception
Nanjupuram was released on 1 April 2011 by Sri Thenandal Films. The New Indian Express wrote, "With a small budget, little-known actors and a debutant director at the helm, the film delivers much more than what one might expect." Writing for Sify, Udhav Naig wrote that Charles "needs a pat on the back for his efforts to showcase the perils of the society, in a rather highly fictional set up. Perhaps, a bigger budget, and a better back ground score (Raghav himself) would have enormously helped this film". Writing for Firstpost, Nandini Sen Gupta considered the film a success because of the popularity of snake-themed films in Indian cinema.
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