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Scene from Tamil cult film 'Andha Naal' is a viral Twitter meme, but what was it really about?

'My relatives when I say I don't want to get married.'
Scene from Tamil cult film 'Andha Naal' is a viral Twitter meme, but what was it really about?
Scene from Tamil cult film 'Andha Naal' is a viral Twitter meme, but what was it really about?
Written by:
TNM Staff

A scene from the S Balachander classic Andha Naal has been discovered recently by Twitterati, leading to hilarious memes about the picture.

Though the image looks absurd, showing as it does three women and two men pointing a gun at someone, it is an integral part of the film, and wasn't as over-the-top as it looks in context.

With Sivaji Ganesan in the lead, the murder mystery released in 1954 was the first film noir in Tamil. Interestingly, it was also the first film to be made without any songs — something which is unusual for Tamil cinema even now. Sivaji Ganesan played Rajan, a radio engineer who is found shot dead in his house.

The investigating officer, Sivanandam (Javar Seetharaman) examines the different suspects in the case and arrives at the truth: it was Usha (Pandari Bai), Rajan's wife, who'd murdered him.

The shot which has become a meme is from a scene when Sivanandam plays Rajan and gives all the suspects guns with fake bullets and asks them to shoot him. All except Usha, who bursts into tears, perform the task.

The truth is revealed at last — Rajan was a spy who sold Indian military secrets to Japan. Usha discovers this and tries to reform her husband, but he doesn't listen to her. She thinks of killing him but changes her mind. The trigger, unfortunately, is pulled by accident, and Rajan dies. Usha commits suicide after her confession.

Though the film was a flop in those times, it has achieved cult status since. Not surprisingly, it features in Kamal Haasan's recently published list of films which left a deep impact on him. The actor's descriptive note reads: "Balachander was an extraordinary, multi-talented man. He played the veena — he was to the veena what Ravi Shankar was to the sitar. The film is reminiscent of the Japanese film Rashomon but you can’t really call it a take on that."

The image has led to much mirth on Twitter and one must say the contemporary 'twists' given to it are quite hilarious! 

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