Alaigal (film)

Alaigal is a 1973 Indian Tamil-language film written, produced and directed by Sridhar. The film stars Vishnuvardhan and Chandrakala. It was the first Tamil film of Vishnuvardhan.

Production
After the average response to his previous film Avalukendru Or Manam (1971), Sridhar decided to make a Tamil-Telugu bilingual titled Thulasi with A. V. M. Rajan starring in Tamil and Sobhan Babu in Telugu. Sridhar developed a story from the Hindi film Aadmi (1939) and the American film Waterloo Bridge (1931), retaining only the basic premise. However, after canning 4000 feet, he decided to drop the film, uncertain whether the audience would accept a film with anti-sentimental elements. Sridhar restarted the same film with changes in the script and cast. The title was changed to Alaigal, with Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan in the lead which marked his debut in Tamil cinema.

Soundtrack
The music was composed by M. S. Viswanathan, while the lyrics were written by Kannadasan.

Reception
Kumudham called the story ordinary, criticising it for lack of originality. Kalki praised Sridhar for directing a film with a different kind of plot without including any cinematic elements. However the film failed at the box office.