Avana Ivan!? (transl. Is that him!?) is a 1962 Indian Tamil-language thriller film directed by S. Balachander. The film was an adaptation of the 1951 American film A Place in the Sun, itself adapted from the novel An American Tragedy written by Theodore Dreiser. The novel itself was based on the Gillette murder case that happened in the early 20th century.

Avana Ivan!?
Theatrical release poster
Directed byS. Balachander
Screenplay byS. Balachander
Viduvan K. Lakshmanan
Based onAn American Tragedy
by Theodore Dreiser
Produced byS. Balachander
StarringS. Balachander
Music byS. Balachander
Production
company
SB Creations
Release date
  • 31 August 1962 (1962-08-31)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

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Kumar kills his wife Sumathi to marry another woman, Vaasanthi. The murder is witnessed by two children, who are on a picnic along with other children who later expose the truth. In the end, the murderer is arrested and taken away by the police; he winks at the children who exposed him and says "ta ta".

Cast

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Production

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The film was an adaptation of the American film A Place in the Sun, based on the novel An American Tragedy written by Theodore Dreiser.[2] The novel was inspired by the Gillette murder case that shook America in the early part of the 20th century. The original film was a major success in India. S. Balachander was much impressed with the film and tried to remake the film in Tamil, thus making his production debut. He named his company S. B. Creations, the first time the word "Creations" was used in a South Indian film for a film production company.[3]

Soundtrack

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The soundtrack was composed by S. Balachander, with lyrics by Vidhvan Ve. Lakshmanan.[1]

Song Singer Length
"Kalyaana Ponnu Kalangaathey Kannu" L. R. Eswari & Renuka 04:07
"Kalyaana Tirunaal" P. Susheela
"Manam Vittu Siritthittu" Renuka, Seetha & Kamala 03:07
"Vali Vali Valli" Pattom Sadan & Renuka 03:33
"Varanamayeram Soozha Valam Sei" Radha Jayalakshmi

Release and reception

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The Indian Express wrote, "In story, treatment, music and in the style of dialogue delivery, Avana Ivan? is said to set a new pattern in film-making".[4] Before the making of the film, it was reported that Balachandar sent blank cheques to the cast and crew. The film failed to make an impact at the box office.[3][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c அவனா இவன்!? (PDF) (song book) (in Tamil). SB Creations. 1962. Retrieved 5 July 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ "Bang On With The Bioscope". Sruti. No. 65–76. 1990. pp. 34–35. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  3. ^ a b Guy, Randor (17 September 2011). "Avana Ivan 1962". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Avana Ivan? Opens New Chapter In Film History". The Indian Express. 31 August 1962. p. 3. Retrieved 2 May 2019 – via Google News Archive.
  5. ^ V, Lakshmi (10 March 2010). "Horror films disappoint movie buffs". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
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