Achchamundu! Achchamundu!

<p>Senthil Kumar ( ) and Malini ( ) are a happily married couple in , living life like any other born-in-India, arrived-in-the-US couple do. Senthil submerges himself in the office and eats rice at home, and Malini never misses a at the temple and shops at Indian stores. They have a 10-year-old daughter Rithika (Akshaya Dinesh), the apple of their eyes (their car’s license plate carries the name of their daughter). The family has just settled down in a new, spacious home about which Malini, understandably, has fears. The couple squabbles amicably about everything from Malini’s perpetual laundry and cooking; while Senthil argues with friends about the significance of and takes his family on weekend trips and birthday parties. It is a normal, happy life in the US until Robertson ( ) arrives, to paint the basement. Now, things are never the same at home again. Robertson’s unusually kind behavior towards children sets off warning bells in your head, especially when he is shown to be a pedophile who exercises like mad within the confines of his home, always moving on towards his next target. How the couple saves their child forms the rest of the story. The film’s title is the inverse of the phrase “Achamillai Achamillai” coined by poet , and later used as the title of directed by . The film was made in 28 days on a budget of ₹3.25 crore (worth ₹11 crore in 2021 prices). For the first time in Indian cinema, camera was used for filming. The film was shot in New Jersey and New York during early 2008. Color correction and sound mixing were done in . The movie was released on 17 July 2009 in and select markets in the United States. The film was officially selected for screening at the 12th (under the International Panorama category), the Digital Cinema Film Festival in Japan, the , the in Goa, and the . The soundtrack was composed by . wrote “For the guts in coming up with a unique, important theme that needs to be addressed sensitively, this movie works. A must-watch”. wrote “The average Indian may shy away from paedophilia, but director Vaidyanathan makes a compelling case to watch this film. Subtlety is the byword here rather than gory, knife-edge moments. The approach makes a deeper impression than a dramatic one could have.” A critic from opined that “Despite its shortcomings, ‘Achamundu Achamundu’ deserves a dekko”.</p>