Veedu is a Tamil drama film written and directed by Balu Mahendra, starring Archana, which depicts the difficulties of a middle-class family in building a house. Mahendra, besides directing, worked as the script writer, cinematographer and editor as well. Featuring musical score by Ilaiyaraaja, the film earned high critical acclaim, securing two National Film Awards. It is widely considered as one of Mahendra's finest films & one of Tamil cinema's best films.Although filming began in 1987, the film was released only a year after. It turned out to be a box-office failure but won critical acclaim. N. Krishnaswamy of The Indian Express wrote, "With Veedu, Balu Mahenddra becomes the first auteur (author) in Tamil cinema [...] Balu Mahendra, always among the frontline directors in the South, has with Veedu set himself quite apart making it a tall order for others to bridge the gap".Balu Mahendra admitted that he did not expect the film to be a box-office success or a failure, but would have the satisfaction of having made a good film.[Archana's portrayal as a middle-class woman fetched her a lot of accolades from the critics. Chokkalinga Bhagavathar, who played her grandfather, received equal praise. He was a strong contender for that year's National Film Award for Best Actor, but eventually lost to Kamal Haasan. At the 35th National Film Awards, the film won in two categories - Best Feature Film in Tamil, and Best Actress for Archana. The film was among the 16 films to be screened at the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India in 1988. Balu Mahendra won the Cinema Express Award for Best Director - Tamil.In 2002, the film was screened at the "Indian Summer" section of the Locarno International Film Festival
15 окт 2014
