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Uchi Veyil

aka High Noon 1989 100’ col Tamil d/sc Jayabharati pc Jwala st Indira Parthasarathy c Ramesh Vyas m L. Vaidyanathan lp Kuppuswamy, Uma, Delhi Ganesh, Vijay, Srividya, Usha, Preeta, Baby Rukmini, Rajamani, Saranath

A gentle village family drama shot in real time (emphasised by a ticking clock). An old grandfather and former Gandhian freedom- fighter, Doraiswamy (Kuppuswamy), lives with his impecunious married son and granddaughter Mallika. To make a little money they take a lodger, a young executive, Shankar (Vijay). The old man falls ill but nevertheless sets out for the city with Mallika and Shankar to be honoured for his services to the Independence struggle. He then disappears. An understated story performed by non-star actors, using Madras street noises and the ticking clock instead of songs. It is the best-known film by the noted writer (cf. his Oomai Janangal, 1984, about bonded labourers in the British Raj)

Film