Pillai Nila

Waxing Crescent) is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language psychological horror film[1] directed by Manobala, produced and written by P. Kalaimani.

When Dolly returns from abroad on her birthday, she expresses her love to Mohan, but he rejects her because his wife is pregnant.

After his directorial debut Agaya Gangai (1982) failed, Manobala did not get any further offers to direct which left him depressed and he contemplated suicide.

The makers sought to avoid clichéd horror film tropes such as haunted houses, "sex-charged teenagers" and "unrealistic monsters in rubber masks".

The duo praised Ashok Kumar's cinematography, the performances of Mohan, Nalini and Shalini but felt the climax was absurd.