{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}} {{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}} {{For multi|the 1966 film|Sandhya Raga|the 1977 film|Sandhyaraag}} {{Infobox film | name = Sandhya Raagam | image = Sandhya Raagam.jpg | caption = Title card | director = Balu Mahendra | screenplay = Balu Mahendra | story = Akila Mahendra | producer = Balu Mahendra | starring = {{ubl|Archana|Chokkalinga Bhagavathar |Oviyar Santhanam}} | cinematography = Balu Mahendra | editing = Balu Mahendra | music = L. Vaidyanathan | distributor = Doordarshan | released = {{Film date|1989}} | runtime = 84 minutes | country = India | language = Tamil }}
'''''Sandhya Raagam''''' ({{translation|Tune of the Twilight}}) is a 1989 Indian Tamil-language drama film produced, written and directed by Balu Mahendra.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ajith Kumar |first=P.K. |date=27 August 2010 |title=A life in cinema |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/08/27/stories/2010082750800200.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=21 December 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125060038/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/08/27/stories/2010082750800200.htm |archive-date=25 January 2013}}</ref> It stars Archana, Chokkalinga Bhagavathar and Oviyar Santhanam in prominent roles. Shot in black-and-white, the film was photographed and edited by Mahendra himself. At the 37th National Film Awards, it won the Award for Best Film on Family Welfare (1990).
== Plot == {{more plot|date=October 2023}} Chokkalingam, an octagenarian, leaves his village upon the death of his wife. He migrates to Madras, where his nephew Vasu, a lower-middle-class man lives along with his family. Chokkalingam becomes an additional burden for Vasu, who is not able to meet the demands of his own family.
== Cast == * Archana as Thulasi * Chokkalinga Bhagavathar as Chokkalingam * Oviyar Santhanam as Vasu * Baby Rajalakshmi as Valli
== Themes == The film's central theme revolves around old age.{{Sfn|Baskaran|2013|p=131}}
== Production == The film was made on a shoestring budget. Like his previous films, Mahendra wrote the screenplay, edited and photographed the film apart from handling the direction. Ramasamy was hired as the art director while V. S. Murthy and A. S. Laxmi Narayanan looked after the audiography.<ref name="iffi">{{Cite web |title=37th National Film Festival |url=http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm37NFAAward.aspx?PdfName=37nfa.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018073449/http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm37NFAAward.aspx?PdfName=37nfa.pdf |archive-date=18 October 2014 |access-date=21 December 2011 |publisher=Directorate of Film Festivals |page=22}}</ref> The film did not have any songs; L. Vaidyanathan composed the background score.<ref name="uv">{{Cite magazine |last=S. |first=Balu |date=21 January 1990 |title=அவார்டுக்கு அனுப்பப்பட்ட படங்கள்! |trans-title=Films sent for awards! |url=https://kalkionline.com/kalkionline_archive/imagegallery/archiveimages/kalki/1990/jan/21-01-1990/p38.jpg |url-status=dead |magazine=Kalki |language=ta |page=40 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220731051029/https://kalkionline.com/kalkionline_archive/imagegallery/archiveimages/kalki/1990/jan/21-01-1990/p38.jpg |archive-date=2022-07-31 |access-date=2022-06-16}}</ref>
== Reception == ''Sandhya Raagam'' is yet to have a theatrical release, but was regularly aired on Doordarshan.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Prasanna |first=R. S. |date=13 February 2009 |title=The calling cards for box office success |work=The New Indian Express |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2009/feb/13/the-calling-cards-for-box-office-success-25374.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107155039/http://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2009/feb/13/the-calling-cards-for-box-office-success-25374.html |archive-date=7 November 2016}}</ref> N. Krishnaswamy of ''The Indian Express'' said, "Balu Mahendra narrates the plight of his lead character with a tremendously observant eye. The celluloid breathes silence and beauty, and the humour and piquancy of the situations are striking".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krishnaswamy |first=N. |date=21 September 1990 |title=Sandhya Ragam |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19900921&printsec=frontpage |access-date=6 September 2020 |work=The Indian Express |pages=7 |via=Google News Archive}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
The film won the National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare in 1990.<ref name="iffi" /> A year later, it was screened at the International Film Festival of India along with ''Anjali'' (1990) as the only two Tamil films as part of Indian Panorama.<ref>{{Cite web |title=14th International Film Festival of India |url=http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm14IIFAAward.aspx?PdfName=14IIFA.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130012438/http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm14IIFAAward.aspx?PdfName=14IIFA.pdf |archive-date=30 January 2013 |access-date=13 July 2014 |publisher=Directorate of Film Festivals |page=124}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2 November 1990 |title=Anjali, Sandhya Raagam selected for Panorama |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19901102&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=27 December 2022 |work=The Indian Express |pages=7 |via=Google News Archive}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In a 2007 interview to ''The Hindu'', Mahendra said that ''Sandhya Raagam'' and ''Veedu'' were his two films "with the fewest compromises and mistakes".<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 January 2007 |title=Tamil books reviewed at Landmark |work=The Hindu |url=http://hindu.com/2007/01/10/stories/2007011020440200.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=21 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070121161207/http://www.hindu.com/2007/01/10/stories/2007011020440200.htm |archive-date=21 January 2007}}</ref>
In 2011, Mahendra said that there was no existing negative of the film.<ref>{{Cite news |last=N |first=Venkateswaran |date=14 February 2014 |title=Balu Mahendra, who made his visuals speak, dies at 74 |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Balu-Mahendra-who-made-his-visuals-speak-dies-at-74/articleshow/30363139.cms |url-status=live |access-date=13 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302182333/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Balu-Mahendra-who-made-his-visuals-speak-dies-at-74/articleshow/30363139.cms |archive-date=2 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 December 2011 |title=The digital picture: from reel to HD |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/the-digital-picture-from-reel-to-hd/article2748344.ece |url-status=live |access-date=13 July 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140715090421/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/the-digital-picture-from-reel-to-hd/article2748344.ece |archive-date=15 July 2014}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
== Bibliography == *{{Cite book |last=Baskaran |first=S. Theodore |title=The eye of the serpent: An introduction to Tamil cinema |publisher=Westland |year=2013 |isbn=978-93-83260-74-4 |author-link=S. Theodore Baskaran |orig-date=1996}}
== External links == * {{IMDb title|id=0235742}}
{{Balu Mahendra}}
Category:1989 Indian films Category:1989 Tamil-language films Category:1989 drama films Category:1989 films Category:1989 black-and-white films Category:Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award winners Category:Films directed by Balu Mahendra Category:Films scored by L. Vaidyanathan Category:Indian black-and-white films Category:Indian drama films Category:Tamil-language Indian films