Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan

Joseph is an intellectually disabled servant boy working at a lodge in Madras. An inebriated Sait, who arrives at the lodge to stay, gives his cash to the lodge owner for safekeeping. The next morning, the Sait has forgotten to whom he gave the cash, so he accuses Joseph. The owner exploits this situation and keeps the money. When interrogated, Joseph remains taciturn. A woman lodger who was deserted by her lover, tries to help, but only the return of the head cook Naidu, who was previously on vacation, discovers the truth and clears Joseph's name. == Cast ==

• Nagesh as Joseph • K. R. Vijaya as the woman lodger • T. S. Balaiah as the lodge owner • S. V. Sahasranamam as Naidu • Wahab Kashmiri as the Sait == Production ==

Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan was produced and directed by novelist Jayakanthan under his own banner Asia Jothi Films. It was his second directorial venture after Unnaipol Oruvan (1965), and based on his own novel of the same name. after principal photography began, Velumani backed out due to differences with Jayakanthan who took over as producer, with Nagesh and K. R. Vijaya cast instead. While primarily a melodrama, the film also included overtones of the thriller genre. Nagesh, then known primarily as a comedian, Since he was busy doing many films at that time, most of the shoot took place only at night. The cinematography was handled by Nemai Ghosh. == Release and reception ==

Yaarukkaga Azhudhaan was released on 22 July 1966. Though the experimental film received praise for its content and technique, it was a commercial failure. Kalki lauded the film for eschewing Tamil cinema conventions such as fights and song sequences, and Nagesh's performance. == Legacy ==

Writing for Madras Musings, Randor Guy praised the film for making a "strong socially relevant statement". Film historian S. Theodore Baskaran wrote that it brought a "whole new dimension" of Nagesh's acting ability, and that though film did not get much notice during its theatrical run, he was "lucky to catch it in its first few days in Chennai". praised Nagesh for "emoting more through body language than dialogue" and the cinematography by Ghosh, adding that the dialogues were "written so as to not divert the focus of the film." == References ==