Nedunchaalai

Nedunchalai () is a 2014 Indian Tamil language action drama film written and directed by N. Krishna and produced by Aaju, C. Soundarajan and Dheeraj Kher. The film stars Aari Arujunan and Sshivada in the lead roles, with Thambi Ramiah and Prashant Narayanan in other pivotal roles. It was released on 28 March 2014,^[1] by Red Giant Movies.^[2]

Plot

An old man hitch-hiking on a lorry on the route to Delhi recounts the story of Tharpai Murugan, an infamous dacoit that looted goods off trucks that passed through a desolate stretch of a highway. The old man, Settu was part of Murugan's group as well. Murugan was born in an accident that killed both his parents, and was taken in by an old man who raised Murugan as his own. Murugan was strong-willed and atheltic, however after the grandfather dies due to a faulty moonshine, he joins the group of Guru and eventually becomes the lead of the looting. After they sell the goods, they hand it over to Maattu Sekhar and collect their share of commission.

Manga opens a dhaba in the highway. Initially her business is slow but after lorries are rerouted to avoid Murugan, her business flourishes. Murugan eats at the Dhaba and leaves without paying and Manga gets him arrested.

The new inspector Masana who lusts after Manga uses Murugan to threaten her so he could spend time in her Dhaba. One day he attempts to molest her, and Manga attacks him and warns to never come by her hotel again. A vengeful Masana arrests her on grounds of prostitution and plants Murugan as the witness. However, Murugan exposes Masana infront of the judge that he staged it, for his personal revenge. Manga owes her life and dignity to Murugan and falls for him.

Masana provides the news of transport of several goods to Maatu Sekhar's gang. They reach the location, with plans of Murugan joining soon once he's sober. A constable leaks Masana's plan to Manga and she holds him back in the house. The gang continue without Murugan with Guru taking his place. However, the "goods" turn out to be toxic chemicals that instantly kills him. Murugan is furious and almost kills Masana but Sekhar hold his back and tells him that Guru was the one who actually killed his grandfather. A depressed and betrayed Murugan finds solace in Manga and they start a romance. Manga convinces Murugan to surrender to the collector, hence rendering Masana powerless.

Masana commits several lootings himself, which pressure the SP to start an operation to arrest Murugan. Murugan swears to kill Masana and spend life in jail, but Manga reveals she's pregnant and convinces him to start a new life away from the town. Masana captures him and plans to loot 4 crores that was being laundered. He hatches a plan to loot with Sekhar's group and pin it on Murugan and kill him. In a twist, Sekhar kills Masana, since he's aware Masana would kill him too once his plan is done. He convinces Murugan to loot one last time so they can share the 4 crores among themselves and Murugan and Manga can live a comfortable life. Murugan does so, but Manga begs him to not covet others money claiming they would never be able to live peacefully. They are captured by the owner of the money however but he lets them go after learning they're expecting a child. Things seem rosy for them but Settu kills Murugan since he robbed him of his chance of the 4 crores.

The story cuts back to present and Settu arrives in Delhi and looks at Manga from a distance, who is now running a successful restaurant in Murugan's name. Her son is preparing to be an athlete. Settu walks away without talking to her, explaining she's an example on how to live life, while theirs is an example on how not to.

Production

Nedunchalai is based on the life of a real person. The film's stunt sequences, choreographed by Dhilip Subbarayan, took 25 days to complete, during which he tried experimenting with different sequences.^[3] There was a title dispute between this film and another film titled Desiya Nedunchalai, but that film was later retitled Udhayam NH4.^[4]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album was composed by C. Sathya. It was released on 1 July 2013 at an event where A. R. Rahman, who had collaborated with director Krishna in Sillunu Oru Kaadhal (2006), was invited as chief guest.^[5][6]

Critical reception

Baradwaj Rangan from The Hindu wrote, "In his previous film, Sillunu Oru Kaadhal, the director Krishna lost his way in trying to balance an intimate story with the overblown must-haves of a star-driven movie. He doesn’t make that mistake in Nedunchalai, which is toplined by Aari Arujunan and a terrific newcomer named Shivada", calling it "a rock-solid B-movie" and "one of the season’s happiest surprises".^[7] Sify wrote "The over-the-top characters along with their spontaneous dialogues make Nedunchalai worth a look. Despite its minor flaws, it makes-up with style and excellence".^[8] The Times of India gave the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote, "From the characterization of the hero (right down to his costumes) to the tragic climax, the shadow of Ameer's Paruthiveeran looms large on Nedunchalai, and this is both its strength and weakness" and stated that "this film is certainly a surefooted effort that shows that this director can tell an engaging tale".^[9]

Accolades

At the 4th South Indian International Movie Awards, the film received two nominations: Best Debutant Actor – Tamil for Aari, despite this not actually being his debut film,^[10] and Best Actor in a Negative Role for Prashanth Narayanan.^[11]

References

1. ^ "Nedunchalai to release on March 28". The Times of India. 10 February 2014. Archived 30 January 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
2. ^ "Red Giant to distribute Nedunchalai". Deccan Chronicle. 20 March 2014. Archived 30 January 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
3. ^ S, Venkadesan (15 November 2012). "'Nedunchalai packs a punch'". The New Indian Express. Archived 25 September 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
4. ^ "Nedunchalai". The Times of India. 2 April 2014. Archived 30 January 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
5. ^ "AR Rahman to launch 'Nedunchalai' audio". Sify. 26 June 2013. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
6. ^ Naig, Udhav (3 July 2013). "One for the highway!". The Hindu. Archived 11 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
7. ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (29 March 2014). "Nedunchalai: Road rage". The Hindu. Archived 1 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
8. ^ "Nedunchalai". Sify. 28 March 2014. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
9. ^ Suganth, M (28 March 2014). "Nedunchalai". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
10. ^ "SIIMA 2015 nominations: Best Debutant Male". The Times of India. 29 August 2018. Archived 9 June 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
11. ^ "SIIMA 2015 Nominations: Best Actor in a Negative Role". The Times of India. 29 August 2018. Archived 9 June 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 January 2026.