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Gautham Vasudev Menon has tried a different genre with Nadunisi Naaygal. It is a psycho thriller that takes place one night in the life of a psychopath with multiple personalities.

It is bizarre and deals with the quirky side of human behaviour. The film moves at a rapid pace with running time of under two hours.

Don’t go expecting a typical Gautham romantic film laced with peppy songs, be prepared to try out something new and experimental. Be warned that there are no songs and background music; still it gives you the Goosebumps.

Gautham wants to shock his core audiences by doing a film in a genre that is alien to him. NN seems to be Gautham’s ode to Bharathiraja’s Kamal Haasan classic Sigappu Rojakkal (1978). The basic story is similar to a certain extent, but treatment and setting are modern.

Samar aka Veera (Veera) a psychopath and the protagonist of the film traces his life from the age of eight to 20. After his mother passed away at tender age of eight, he sees his father indulging in sexual orgies and a bohemian way of life and also gets sexually abused.

A beautiful, kind neighbour Meenakshi (Swapna Abraham) takes pity on him and reports to police the going on’s and takes custody of the young boy after his father commits suicide. But the animal instincts in the boy grows with him and leads to a dangerous situation.

The highlight of the film is the performances of the lead artists. Gautham’s casting is the major plus of the movie. For a first timer, Veera as the psychopath with split personality makes a lasting impression in a well-written role. He is riveting and holds the film together with his performance. Swapna who plays Meenakshi has come out with a stunning lifelike performance. Sameera as the feisty, frightened and helpless girl Sukanya is very good.

The film is technically chic. The camera work of Manoj Paramahamsa is awesome as most of the story happens in the night. His camera has made the film visually appealing along with Antony’s fast cuttings.

On the downside, the film looks more like it has been made for an elite multiplex audiences as camera movement and narration is typical Hollywood in style and technique. The film is definitely not for the family audiences, and in fact some of the scenes are Squamish and are a bit too explicit.

There are too many loopholes in the story, raising doubts about logic and how come the psychopath living in such a huge bungalow with no servants, did not raise any suspicion in the neighbourhood or among the cops.

On the whole, Gautham Menon has tried out a psycho thriller without using eerie music or special effects. Don’t miss it if you’re a fan of urban, psycho thrillers – this is as good as they come!

Samar (Veera) is forced to participate in sex orgies by his father even as an eight-year old. Some years later, a neighbour Meenakshi (Swapna Abraham) notices something amiss with him and decides to find out what is happening in his house.

She stumbles on an orgy in which the boy is being forced to take part. She calls in the cops to rescue the boy, but his father fires on the police team and ultimately commits suicide. Meenakshi takes in Samar, renames him Veera and tries to bring a semblance of normalcy in his life. He grows up into a young adult, but then Samar/Veera starts getting nightmares about his childhood and believes that only Meenakshi can save him. He develops feelings for her, and when she decides to get married, all hell breaks loose.

Gautham Menon takes up a very pertinent issue as the theme of 'Nadunisi Naaygal' (midnight dogs) — child sex abuse and the effect it has on children, even though they do not all grow up to be the monster portrayed in the movie.

The promotional advertisements claimed that the movie was based on a true story, but it seems heavily inspired from the characters with split personalities in Thomas Harris' books 'Red Dragon' and 'The Silence of the Lambs'. In the first, the protagonist is unable to control his violent, sexual urges because of abuse he suffered as a child, and in the second a serial killer kidnaps women and skins them. In 'Nadunisi Naaygal', Veera kidnaps, sexually abuses women, kills them and then removes their scalp for their hair.

Veera has tremendous screen presence and fulfils the faith reposed in him by the director. In his earlier avataar he was a production assistant to Gautham Menon, but he has taken to acting like a natural. Though he seemed a bit raw in the scenes where he was portrayed as a school student, he comes into his own in the later half of the movie. Sameera Reddy shines as Sukanya, one of the women kidnapped by Veera. At first she protests timidly to be let free but when she realises that there is no way out, she fights Veera like a wildcat. One of the best scenes of the movie is when, drenched to the skin, she tries to flee from captivity by evading the killer guard dogs. Deva, another assistant of the director, makes a confident debut as ACP Vijay, who rescues Sukanya and other women held captive by Veera.

Manoj Paramahamsa quite literally makes a splash from the first scene onwards when Veera shoots dead a cop who falls in a puddle of water. The close-ups of the mentally-ill protagonist and the shots inside his SUV, in which he kidnaps Sukanya, and his house add to the claustrophobic feel of the movie.

There are no songs nor any background music in the movie, and the audience gets to hear only the ambient noise in the surroundings where the scenes are shot. A novel attempt indeed.

But what was the need to have brought in Samantha (who had a guest appearance in 'Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya' also) for a single scene as an inmate of the mental asylum where Veera is also sent? Was it an indication of a 'Bonnie and Clyde' or 'Natural Born Killers' type sequel in the works?

In his earlier movies 'Vettaiyaadu Velayadu', 'Vaaranam Aayiram' and 'Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya', Gautham Menon had pushed the envelope when it came to presentation and themes, but in 'Nadunisi Naaygal' he takes it a bit too far. Best, let the sleeping dogs lie.

Just ask Swapna Abraham, the debutante, whose go-for-broke performance as Meenakshi Amma in Gautham Menon's latest flick Nadunisi Naaygal (NN) has audiences sitting up and taking note. Swapna, whose acting repertoire includes playing the lead in the stage production of Mamma Mia in Chennai, admits to being on a creative high, post the release of the film.

Revealing how she bagged the role in NN, she says, "It was exactly a year back when I met Gautham. He told me he was in search of an actress who would appear youthful, but would nevertheless, be older in terms of age. And I seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Having said that, Gautham forewarned me — my role would require me to tonsure my head, which I certainly was not willing to do. And I had to wear make-up — lots of it."

She elaborates, "It took me four hours to put on my make-up and three hours to take it off. I'd finish my nine-to-five job, drive down to the sets on the ECR before everyone else arrived just to get my make-up on. But I am just glad I took up this role, warts and all. There is something mysterious about this film as it doesn't leave any room for easy answers, just like it is in real life."

The case in point here is that controversial scene which had audiences squirming in their seats. Swapna, who in real life, is a mother to a teenaged boy and girl, gives her take, explaining, "In that scene, Meenakshi is visibly uncomfortable as Veera makes his advances. Even then, her maternal instincts kick in and she tries pacifying him. But once Veera gets too close for comfort and gets invasive, her passive resistance gives way to a muted acceptance. However, the audiences are never made privy to Meenakshi's history, which raises doubts about that character's sanity."

Swapna adds that Gautham's sensitive treatment, coupled with the comfort level she shared with Veera prevented the scene from turning exploitative. She remarks, "Gautham conveyed his message in the best way he could — respectfully and unconventionally." When asked if she viewed this film as a launch pad for a blooming career as an actress, she says she wouldn't mind, provided something as challenging as this, came along.

He couldn't have asked for more. An onscreen debut in a Gautham Menon film and that too, in the role of an assistant commissioner of police (ACP)!

Needless to say, actor Deva is thrilled beyond words. The actor, who was an assistant to Gautham Menon, has debuted with his Nadunisi Naaygal (NN).

"I worked with Gautham in Vaaranam Aayiram. I took a break when he started work on Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. One night, he called me to his place and narrated the script of NN. I had told him earlier that I'd like to try my hand at acting. So, I was surprised when he remembered that and asked me to do the role of the ACP," begins Deva.

"I was shocked when Gautham narrated the script to me. The story was blatant and at the same time, gripping. I was a little apprehensive about doing a cop's role because actors like Kamal Haasan and Suriya have played the role to perfection. But Gautham had full confidence in me and said he knew what he was doing. So, I started hitting the gym and started preparing for my role," he says.

Deva admits it was easier for him to work with Gautham. "He never gets angry, and he gives an actor a lot of freedom to experiment. As a newcomer, I was lucky to work with him," he says.

Deva says that his family and friends are happy with his performance. "They always thought I would do a love story, but never expected me to play a cop! My sister, actress Maheswari, and aunt Sridevi, and her husband Boney Kapoor, praised me for my work. I called up Gautham to thank him for giving me this break," he answers.

Currently, Deva is busy listening to scripts. "I joined Gautham as an assistant to learn about filmmaking. But acting has always been my passion. Gautham might start work on

Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikkalam and he's told me he would like to cast me as one of the leads," he signs off.

When we hear the word Thriller movies, one would definitely think about English movies. Thriller movies in Indian cinema have not reached great heights yet. However there are many attempts made to match the international standard in the Thriller genre.

Goutham Vasudev Menon is back yet another trend setting script Nadunisi Naigal. Nadunisi Naigal will be a psychological thriller which is expected not to have any music in it. There is no need for a music director because Nadunisi Naigal will not even feature background score. The lead roles will be played by Sameera Reddy and Veera.

As Nadunisi Naigal will be screened without the support of music, the cinematography and other technical parts are given high importance. Cinematography is handled by Manoj Paramahamsa. The stunts are done by Selva and Gautham Menon's most reliable editor Antony is taking care of the editing part.

Nadunisi Naigal star cast:

Veera as Samar, Veera (hero), Sameera Reddy as Sukanya (Heroine), Ashwin as Arjun, Karthik as Vijay

Nadunisi Naigal technical crew:

Director – Gautham Menon

Producer – Kumar Jayaraman

Cinematography – Manoj Paramahamsa

Editing – Anthony

Gautham Menon's experimental offbeat film Nadunisi Naigal is said to be a psychological thriller film which bags Sameera Reddy and Gautham's associate Veera in lead roles. Gautham Menon, who is quite good in making stylish films has tried his hands in a new genre film which is a rare sight in Tamil cinema.

Nadunisi Naigal storyline:

Nadunisi Naigal is based on a true story in which a psychopath inflicts terror in women at night. The main theme of the story is said to be compulsive love and lust which makes men to indulge in violence. Gautham Menon who is well known for filming song sequences in stylish manner has given no room for music in Nadunisi Naigal.

The movie will go on for 90 minutes without any background scores too. All the sounds have been recorded live and the editing part is said to be a challenging task it is said. Besides Veera and Sameera Reddy Ashwin plays an important in this movie.

Since Nadunisi Naigal is an experimental movie Gautham Menon has planned to release it in limited number of theaters. The multiplex movie theaters will be the first target, says sources. Earlier rumors stated that Nadunisi Naigal is based on Bharathi Raja's Sigappu Rokjakkal, but Gautham Menon has rubbished such rumors.

Gautham Menon has produced Nadunisi Naigal under his home production house Photon Kathaas in collaboration with R. S. Infotainment. The movie is expected to be a trend setter in Tamil cinema and surely will trigger a thought for other directors to try out something different.