Nammavar is an adaptation of the 1987 Mohanlal-starrer, Cheppu, written by V. R. Gopalakrishnan, and directed by Priyadarshan.
Cheppu itself was inspired by the 1982 Canadian film Class of 1984.Kamal, impressed with Cheppu, rewrote the script to suit his sensibilities, and signed up acclaimed Malyalam filmmaker, KS Sethumadhavan, to direct the Tamil version.Nammavar's script is credited to Kamal Haasan, along with his mentor Ananthu, and lyricist Kanmani Subbu (one of Kannadasan's sons).Gautami was Kamal and Sethumadhavan's first choice for the role of the English Professor, Vasanthi.Karan, who had acted as child actor under the name Master Raghu in more than 70 films in Malayalam and Tamil, debuted in Tamil with Nammavar.Though Karan had earlier appeared in a small role as Sarath Babu's son in Rajinikanth's Annamalai, he was not credited for the film, practically making Nammavar his debut and breakthrough.Choreographer Ramji, who often appeared in Tamil dance numbers like 'Vellarika' from Kadhal Kottai, amd 'Easwara' from Kannedhirey Thondrinal, made his acting debut in Nammavar.Renowned choreographer, Brinda Master, also made her acting debut, essaying Nagesh's daughter role in Nammavar. It was her only acting assignment, after which she became a full-time choreographer.Sethumadhavan had later revealed that it was Kamal's idea to cast Brinda in the role of the college student, who commits suicide after being wrongly implicated in a brothel raid.Nagesh, who was very selective in his roles in the 90s, was chosen to portray the role of Brinda's dad.Though the stalwart was hesitant about taking up a out-and-out serious role, Kamal, apparently, was adamant on having him in the film.The iconic sequence, where he reacts to his daughter's death, was shot in a single take, with Sethumadhavan refusing to say cut for the scene.Bollywood producer and director, Bobby Bedi, known for films like Honeypie, Kutch and The Myth (2005), also played a role in Nammavar.The first day shoot for Nammavar was at held at the Vijaya Vauhini studios, with director K Balachander wielding the clap-board.Nammavar features 6 songs composed by Mahesh Mahadevan, while the lyrics were written by Pulamaipithan and Vairamuthu.Mahesh, prior to signing Nammavar, had been diagnosed with blood cancer and since, it has been suggested that Kamal's cancer-ridden role in the film was a tribute to the composer.Mahesh, after working in Nammavar, went on to collaborate with Kamal Haasan in Kuruthipunal and Aalavandhan, before his death in 2002.The music in one of the songs in the film, Ethilum Vallavan Da, was performed only with mouth sounds, without the use of instruments. This was sung by Kamal, SPB, and SwarnalathaNammavar also marked the debut of noted singer, Srinivas, who crooned the 'Sorgam Enbathu Namakku' track.The film, which was made in a budget of ₹3.7 crore, made ₹9.75 crore at the box-office, thereby becoming one of the biggest hits of the year.Nammavar was dubbed in Telugu as Professor Viswam, where it was a moderate success.Nammavar won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil, and the best film at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.In 1995 at the National Film Awards, Nagesh was awarded the Best Supporting Actor award for his stunning performance. He also won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his portrayal.According to film historian S. Theodore Baskaran, Oru Thalai Ragam and Nammavar were the 'two most representative Tamil films about students' before the new millennium kicked in.While Mohanlal was killed in the climax of Cheppu, Nammavar had a more open-ended climax, with Kamal taking on life, as it comes.Here are some rare posters and paper-ads from the 1994 film...