Aval Oru Thodharkadai is a 1974 Tamil film directed by K. Balachander. The story revolves around a working middle class woman, who sacrifices her life and desires to support her large family. The lead role was played by Sujatha in her first Tamil film, which was also her first starring role. Kamal Haasan, Vijayakumar, Jaiganesh, M. G. Soman and Sripriya played key roles. The film was shot in black-and white. The film is considered to be one of Balachander's as well as Sujatha's best films. Several directors like Mani Ratnam, K. Bhagyaraj and K. S. Ravikumar named Aval Oru Thodar Kathai as one of their favorite films. It ran for 25 weeks and was remade or dubbed in five other Indian languages.