Aalamaram (transl. Banyan tree) is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language romantic supernatural thriller film directed by S. N. Duraisingh and starring Hemanth Kumar and Avanthika Mohan. The film was released to negative reviews and was a box office failure.[2]
| Aalamaram | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | S. N. Duraisingh |
| Written by | S. N. Duraisingh |
| Produced by | Sarvesh |
| Starring | Hemanth Kumar Avanthika Mohan |
| Cinematography | K. S. Udhayashankar |
| Edited by | KMK Palanivel |
| Music by | Ramjeevan |
Production company | Peacock Motion Picture |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editAalamaram refers to a banyan tree on the border of a village in Madurai district. The locals believe that the former village head, Karuthapaandi's, ghost still persists in the tree and so everyone avoids going near that tree, which is near a temple.
Malarkodi goes to the temple to do some poojas for her marriage. Malarkodi falls in love with Karthik, a stage artiste, and they meet each other under the banyan tree.
Meanwhile, Karthik's friend Sadaiyan takes money from two local goons and gives them a false promise that Malarkodi will marry one of them. After knowing the truth that Malarkodi is in love with Karthik, the goons plan to take revenge. How Karthik and Malarkodi escape forms the rest of the story.[3]
Cast
edit- Hemanth Kumar as Karthik
- Avanthika Mohan as Malarkodi
- Meiyappan as Sadaiyan
- Arumugam
- Thavasi
Production
editThe film marked the directorial debut of K. N. Duraisingh, who used to work as an assistant to K. Bhagyaraj.[4] Malayalam actress Avantika Mohan made her Tamil debut through this film.[2][5] A banyan tree was reported to play a significant role in the film.[6] The film was shot in Madurai and Theni.[7]
Soundtrack
editRamjeevan composed five tracks for the film.[6] Lyrics by Nandalala and Pa. Vijay.
- "Kuthu Rasikum" - Velmurugan, Anitha, Subhitsha
- "Alamara Kathada"
- "Thereri Vaararu" - Vijay Prakash, Anuradha Sriram, Subhitsha
Reception
editA critic from The New Indian Express wrote that "Falling somewhere between a supernatural thriller and a romantic saga, the film is neither blood curdling, nor is it engaging in its intrigue and romance".[8] A critic from The Hindu wrote that "Despite so many events in the film occurring right under the nose of the ghost-infested tree, it remains completely unconcerned. This is either the most indolent ghost in all of Tamil cinema or the most indifferent. You can’t but have similar sentiments about the film’s writing too".[9] A critic from iFlicks wrote that "The director fails to capture the audience's attention. Even the love scenes are not pictured that effectively. Udhayshankar's cinematography and Ramjeevan's music are average".[3]
References
edit- ^ "Friday Fury – October 10". Sify. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
- ^ a b Vasudevan, Shilpa Kappur (16 October 2014). "When Kollywood Called". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Aalamaram". iFlicks. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Vandhana (1 October 2014). "Aalamaram In October". Silverscreen India. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Pillai, Radhika C. (20 October 2014). "Avanthika Mohan is on a roll!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Banyan tree plays the lead in this film". The Times of India. 18 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "5 men and a Banyan". Behindwoods. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Mannath, Malini (11 October 2014). "Caught Between Horror and Romantic Genres". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Srinivasan, Sudhir (9 October 2014). "Aalamaram: Banyan blah". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2024.