Aval Appadithan

Aval Appadithan
Theatrical release poster
Directed byC. Rudraiah
Screenplay byC. Rudraiah
Somasundareshwar
Vanna Nilavan
Ananthu
Story byAnanthu
Produced byC. Rudraiah
StarringSripriya
Kamal Haasan
Rajinikanth
CinematographyNallusamy
M. N. Gnanashekaran
Music byIlaiyaraaja
Production
company
Kumar Arts
Release date
  • 30 October 1978 (1978-10-30)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Aval Appadithan (transl. That is how she is) is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by C. Rudraiah in his directorial debut, and co-written by him with Somasundareshwar. The film was produced by Rudhraiya in association with the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute. It stars Sripriya, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth, while Ilaiyaraaja composed the film's music. The plot revolves around Manju (Sripriya) and the difficulties she faces in her life, due to her romantic relationships, resulting in her developing an aggressive and cynical nature towards men.

Aval Appadithan was released on 30 October 1978, on Diwali day. Although the film received positive critical reception, it was not a box office success at the time of its release. However, the film began to develop an audience after directors Bharathiraja and Mrinal Sen commented positively about it. The film was noted for its stylish filmmaking, screenplay, and dialogue, a large portion of which was in English.

Aval Appadithan was the first film made by a graduate of the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute. It received the second prize for Best Film at the 1978 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, while Nallusamy and M. N. Gnanashekharan won the Best Cinematographer award. Additionally, Sripriya received a Special Award for the Best Actress of 1978. In 2013, News18 included the film in its list of, "The 100 greatest Indian films of all time."