Bommai(1964)
Bommai is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language thriller film directed by S. Balachander. The cast includes S. Balachander, L. Vijayalakshmi, V. S. Raghavan, and Ramesh. The story follows a wealthy businessman whose partner and employees plot to kill him using a bomb hidden inside a walking doll. The doll gets lost in a taxi, leading to a tense search across Chennai. The film is an adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 film Sabotage. It was praised for its suspenseful narrative and innovative use of a doll as the central character. Bommai was a commercial success and completed 100 days in theatres. It was released on 25 September 1964.
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- Airtel Xstream Play
- Theatrical Release
- 31 December 1964
- Director
- Veenai S. Balachander
- Language
- Tamil
- Runtime
- 2h 20m
- Rating
- 7.5/10
Storyline
A wealthy businessman plans to expose his partner's past murder. The partner and three employees hide a bomb inside a walking doll. They plan to give the doll to the businessman at the airport. But the doll gets lost in a taxi. Now a kind employee and the villain's sister must find the doll before it explodes.
“The doll that carries death”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Bommai
Cast reunions in this film: V. S. Raghavan & V. Gopalakrishnan (3 films together).
Trivia
- The film's title 'Bommai' means 'doll' in Tamil, which is the central object of the thriller plot.
- Director S. Balachander was also a renowned veena player and composer, but he did not score the music for this film.
- The movie is a remake of the 1960 Hindi film 'Bombai Ka Babu', which itself was inspired by a Hollywood film.
- This was one of the few Tamil thrillers of its era to revolve entirely around a suspenseful object, the bomb-filled doll.
- Actor M.R. Radha, known for villainous roles, played a key character in the cat-and-mouse chase for the doll.
- The film's climax and the handling of the ticking bomb were considered technically advanced for mid-1960s Tamil cinema.
- Despite the thriller genre, the movie included signature comedy scenes typical of Tamil films of that period.