'Nooravathu Naal' left me sleepless: Rajhesh Vaidhya

The veena maestro discusses the films that he cherished watching growing up

Rajhesh Vaidhya

I’ve watched a lot of movies during my growing-up years. So, it’s hard to recollect my first movie-watching experience. But I’m someone who prefers watching horror movies.

One film that deeply affected me was Nooravathu Naal . I was really young (maybe eight or nine) when I watched it along with my parents at Jeeva Theatre in Puducherry. For those who grew up in that era, they would know the impact Nooravathu Naal created when it released.

File Photo: Actors Nalini and Mohan receiving instructions from the director of ‘Nooravathu Naal’, the late Manivannan, on the film set

I vaguely remember the scenes inside the theatre, and how all of us were constantly playing the guessing game. If anything, the theatrical experience was spine-chilling to say the least. Remember the scene where Nalini has premonitions about the killer? It was so triggering that my mom shouted midway through the movie, saying, “

Avan un pinnadi than di nikkaraan !” (He’s standing right behind you!).

I couldn’t sleep for days after watching that movie. In fact, I skipped school for the next two days. At that point, it was a fresh attempt in the horror genre and it was something different from other films. Be it Sathyaraj’s makeover or the character played by Mohan, everything was done effectively. Of course, the movie has evolved over the years, just like me. And if I were to watch it today, I would be reliving those memories.

Urmila Matondkar in a still from the film ‘Bhoot’

Another movie that was equally haunting was Bhoot . I’m a great fan of Ram Gopal Varma, and I still think Bhoot is one of the finest horror films made in India. It released around the time when I got married. I caught up with Bhoot only after our marriage. And I make no bones about admitting the fact that I didn’t let my wife sleep for days!

As told to Srivatsan S