The film's story is mostly recollected in flashbacks by the character Karthik (Madhavan). Karthik and Shakti (Shalini) fall in love against the backdrop of Chennai and its suburban trains, against the wishes of their parents. The film was well received by critics and it did well at the Tamil and Telugu box-offices primarily for its music and realistic portrayal of romance and married life. It was dubbed into Telugu as Sakhi.
The film made its European premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2001. It was shown at various film festivals nationally and internationally. It also carried a very popular soundtrack, composed by A. R. Rahman. Alaipayuthey was later remade in Hindi cinema as Saathiya, directed by Shaad Ali in 2002, starring Rani Mukherjee and Vivek Oberoi.
Contents
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Release
5 Soundtrack
6 References
7 External links
Plot
Karthik (Madhavan) is an engineering graduate who happens to lay eyes on Shakti (Shalini), a medical student, at a wedding. The two meet regularly after their that on suburban trains, to and from work and university. Karthik and Shakti eventually fall in love. Karthik's father Varadarajan, a lawyer, learns of the relationship and meets Shakti's dad Selvaraj. He asks Selvaraj, a railways employee, for his consent to a marriage between the two young lovers. However, upon meeting, the two parents disagree and the wedding is called off. Shakti decides not to get married without her parents' consent, and the relationship is called off altogether.
Unable to stay separated for very long, coupled with chance meetings, Karthik and Shakti find themselves resuming their relationship, albeit secretly, without the knowledge of their respective families. They decide to get married, without telling anyone, but carry on living with their parents, hoping that a time will come when both families will see eye to eye and can be told of the development. With the help of their friends, and Shakti's older sister Poorni (Swarnamalya), they marry legally, and they continue to meet without their parents' knowledge.
Poorni gets an engagement proposal soon after. Poorni is willing to marry the suitor - Raghu. The prospective groom's father offers his second son's hand in marriage to Shakti. Shakti's mother Saroja urges her to accept the marriage proposal, unaware of the fact that Karthik and Shakti are already together. Shakti eventually tells the truth, and Poorni's engagement is called off. Karthik and Shakthi are thrown out of their homes.
With the help of friends, Shakti and Karthik move into an apartment, in development. They cope for a while, however it's not too long before the couple start arguing over various issues that the two seemed so much more tolerant of before they got married. The tension escalates. Shakti learns that her father is seriously ill back home. She and Karthik decide it would be best to visit him. Upon arrival they get the news that her father has died. Wracked with guilt, the two return home, their relationship taking a turn for the worse.
The two stop talking to each other. Meanwhile, Karthik takes it upon himself to sort out Poorni's adjourned marriage proposal to Raghu. He arranges a blind date between the two, which initially fails, backfiring on Karthik, however, with more meetings, Poorni and Raghu become closer. This development takes place without Shakti's knowledge. She and her husband have not spoken to each other for a long time. Karthik waits until Poorni and Raghu's marriage is confirmed before telling Shakti. Poorni is desperate to tell her sister the news herself. Whilst hugging Karthik, thanking him for his efforts, Shakti witnesses their close contact and misunderstands it, leading to an even bigger argument, and a trade of insults.
Shakti eventually learns of her husband's efforts in getting her sister married, and wants to thank him. Karthik sets off to the railway station to get his wife. She had left the hospital where she works and neither is on the train she usually takes. Karthik waits for his wife.
Meanwhile, in a hurry to rush home, Shakti meets with a car accident, which leaves her fighting for her life. She is hit by a car driven by a lady (Kushboo in a special appearance). The woman's husband IAS Officer Ram (Arvind Swamy) ensures that Karthik is informed about the accident. Finally Karthik meets his wife in the hospital. In these turn of events Karthik understands the true meaning of love. The movie ends with Shakti coming out from coma and hugging Karthik on the hospital bed.
Cast
R. Madhavan as Karthik Varadharajan
Shalini as Shakthi Selvaraj
Jayasudha
Swarnamalya as Poorni
Vivek as Sethu
Pyramid Natarajan as Varadharajan
Raviprakash as Selvaraj
KPAC Lalitha
Sukumari
Azhagam Perumal as Nayar
Karthik Kumar
Venu Arvind as Arumugam
Arvind Swamy as Ram
Kushboo in a guest appearance
Sophiya Haque in a special appearance
Production
Mani Ratnam opted to make a romantic film with relative newcomers after the commercial failure of his 1998 Hindi film Dil Se.. and signed on small screen actor Madhavan to make his acting debut in Tamil films. Madhavan had done a sandalwood talc ad for Santosh Sivan in 1996 and the veteran cinematographer gave photographs of the actor to Mani Ratnam during the casting process of Iruvar. The director had made Madhavan audition for a role in the film but turned him down citing that "he thought his eyes were too young" and assured "that they would work together some other time". In 1999, Mani Ratnam rang Madhavan up suddenly and told him to "Come down and we will do a photo session. I am starting a film with you", much to the actors' surprise. Mani Ratnam initially wanted to cast a debutant in the lead female role as well and carried out a screen test with Vasundhara Das, before signing on Shalini to play the role in the film in April 1999. Swarnamalya was selected to play the role of Poorni after the director spotted her on a television show and subsequently asked her to screen test for the film. The actress appeared without make-up in the film and also dubbed her own lines. Theatre actor, Karthik Kumar of Evam, also marked his film debut with a minor supporting role as a potential suitor to Shakti. Prior to the release of his breakthrough film Sethu (1999), actor Vikram was approached by Mani Ratnam to play the role of Swarnamalya's fiance in the film but turned down the offer.
The film also required two leading actors to appear in supporting roles with Kushboo roped in to do a role. After considering either Shahrukh Khan, Mammooty or Mohanlal, Mani Ratnam signed Arvind Swamy to play another role, with Alaipayuthey becoming the pair's fourth production together. P. C. Sriram renewed his collaboration with Mani Ratnam after seven years, with the director toggling between Santosh Sivan and Rajiv Menon for his other projects. A. R. Rahman was initially signed on just to compose the background score for the film as the film was originally planned to be "songless", however after a change of heart, nine songs were recorded.
The film began without an official launch, like other Mani Ratnam projects, and it was initially expected that filming would be wrapped up under four months. During the first seven days of the shoot, Mani Ratnam filmed portions featuring Shalini and made Madhavan stay on the sets and watch his process of film-making. The first scene the actor shot was the post-interval scene featuring Shakti's mother played by Jayasudha. The team shot in Srinagar in late for 25 days, becoming the last production team to shoot in the area until 2003 as a result of the Kashmir conflict. A "meet the stars" publicity event was held at Music World in Spencer Plaza in March 2000, with the gathering being described as a success. About the production process, Madhavan revealed that he learnt about the technical aspects of film-making from the director and mentioned that he even learned the entire script of the film, irrespective of whether I was in the scene or not claiming that working with Mani Ratnam inspires that sort of involvement and dedication.
Release
The Hindu cited the film saying, "The wavy movements are not restricted to the title card alone. Alaipayuthey goes backward and forward in time and the movement holds a thin thread of suspense too. The oscillation from joy and levity to seriousness and sorrow creates impressive waves", The lead pair performance was praised saying, "Shalini once again proves that she is a natural performer while Madhavan sails through the litmus test with ease". Similarly Indolink.com mentioned that "Mani's directorial mind and heart sways beautifully like his film" and that the film is "worth seeing with the whole family". However Rediff.com gave the film a middling review citing that the film is "old wine in an old bottle" and that "the only person who scores good marks in the film is P. C. Sreeram", describing "he has used his camera like a paint brush and the strokes are so stunningly beautiful that, once the film is over, one remembers only the visual treat". In regard to performances, the critic mentions that Madhavan "looks pleasant and handsome and does his job splendidly until the end, where he looks totally lost in the most crucial scene" and that Shalini "is very beautiful but not as open as she used to be as a child star".
Alaipayuthey was dubbed and released as Sakhi in Telugu and was later remade in Hindi cinema as Saathiya, by Mani Ratnam's assistant Shaad Ali in 2002, starring Rani Mukherjee and Vivek Oberoi. It was the first time where the director had sold off production rights' of his films to be remade in another language as he had previously opted to dub and release the film himself.
The film began a successful film career for Madhavan and launched him as a "romantic hero". He has since gone on to become a regular part of the cast in Mani Ratnam's productions and featured in leading roles in Dumm Dumm Dumm (2001), Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Aaytha Ezhuthu (2004) and Guru (2007). Meanwhile Shalini had already agreed to call time on her career before release due to her pending marriage with Ajith Kumar and Alaipayuthey became her penultimate release. Swarnamalya also received several film offers after her critically acclaimed performance, but consecutive failures of eight of her ten movies since failed to catapult her into the leading bracket of actors.
Several other directors have made cultural references to Alaipayuthey, with both scenes and songs being alluded in their films. The scene where Madhavan proposes Shalini in the train was spoofed in Boss Engira Bhaskaran where Arya tries to do the same with Nayantara but fails. When Madhavan saw that film, he said "It was a plesant shock to see this clip feature in BEB. It was such a sweet tribute to me. After watching this sequence, I was quite amused to see how thin I was back then!"
Soundtrack
Alaipayuthey
Soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman
Released March 27, 2000
Recorded Panchathan Record Inn
Genre Soundtrack
Length 42:52
Label Sa Re Ga Ma
Producer A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman chronology
Pukar
(2000) Alaipayuthey
(2000) Kandukondain Kandukondain
(2000)
The music score that accompanies the film was composed by A. R. Rahman. It met widespread critical acclaim, selling over six lakh cassettes, and went on to win the Filmfare Best Music Director Award for 2000 The soundtrack features 10 songs composed by Rahman, with lyrics by Vairamuthu, except for the title song "Alai Payuthey" (which was created by the 18th century Carnatic music composer Oothukkadu Venkatasubramanya Iyer, who also set it to the raagam Kaanada). The song "Yaro Yarodi" later appeared in the 2008 Hollywood film, The Accidental Husband.
Songs and background score of the film are still considered as A.R. Rahman's one of the finest work and are still very popular throughout Tamil Nadu.
Track listing
No. Title Singer(s) Length
1. "Endendrum Punnagai" Clinton Cerejo, Srinivas, Shankar Mahadevan, A.R.Rahman 4:00
2. "Pachchai Nirame" Hariharan, Clinton Cerejo, Dominique Cerejo
3. "Kadhal Sadugudu" S.P.B. Charan 4:35
4. "Evano Oruvan" Swarnalatha 5:56
5. "Alaipayuthey" Harini, Kalyani Menon, Neyveli Ramalaxmi 3:34
6. "Snehithane Snehithane" Sadhana Sargam, Srinivas 6:05
7. "Maangalyam" Clinton Cerejo, Srinivas, A.R.Rahman 1:41
8. "Yaro Yarodi" Mahalaxmi Iyer, Vaishali Samant, Richa Sharma 5:46
9. "September Madham" Asha Bhonsle, Shankar Mahadevan 5:08
10. "Snehithane Snehithane II" Ustad Sultan Khan, Sadhana Sargam, Srinivas 6:05
The film premiered at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival, and was selected as India's official entry to the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It also received a strong reception when screened at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 2003. The film received high critical acclaim upon release and went on to win six National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South and Best Film awards at six international film festivals.
Contents
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Soundtrack
5 Awards
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
Plot
The film begins in a small village in Sri Lanka called Mankulam, where a Sri Lankan Tamil woman Shyama (Nandita Das) gets married to Dileepan (J. D. Chakravarthy), who along with few other Sri Lankan Tamils in the village (including Shyama's elder brother) is part of the Tamil Tigers rebel association, which fights for the Eelam Tamil Nation. While romancing each other at a mud river after marriage, the couple hear sounds of Sri Lankan army troops approaching. He asks Shyama to leave for her safety while he remains in the forest. What happened to Dileepan after that remains a mystery. as Shyama realizes that she is pregnant and waits in vain for Dileepan to return. Her villagers begin fleeing to India to seek refuge as the war between LTTE and the Sri Lankan army goes full scale, affecting their village in the process. Shyama is initially stubborn to leave since one of the men says that he has seen Dileepan with bullet wounds in the forest near the mud lake, but her relatives convince her that she has to seek refuge for the sake of her to-be-born child. The villagers board a boat to the shores of Rameswaram, which is a famous refugee hub for Sri Lankan Tamils. While a local collector takes down the names of the refugees, Shyama's water breaks and she gives birth to a baby girl. However, as soon as the baby is born, her urge to find her husband and be with her people back home overwhelms her and she leaves behind the newborn girl in hopes that the girl will lead a better life.
The film later shifts focus to nine years later in Chennai where a young exuberant girl Amudha (P. S. Keerthana) narrates about her family life. She introduces her short-tempered but talented father, writer Thiruchelvan (R. Madhavan), who uses the pen name 'Indira' for his books. Indira (Simran Bagga) is Amudha's mother, while she has a younger brother named Vinay, with whom she always has childish frictions, and another younger brother called Akhil. Amudha's ninth birthday approaches and both her parents take her to the temple early in the morning. Indira later reminds Thiruchelvan that they have promised themselves to reveal 'the truth' to Amudha on her ninth birthday. After praying in the temple, Thiruchelvan brings Amudha to the beach, and she runs around in the beach, he reveals the truth that she was adopted and is not their biological daughter. She was adopted from a refugee camp in Rameswaram after her parents abandoned her. Amudha is heavily disturbed after hearing the news and begins comparing and distancing herself from the family, seeing herself as an outsider. Indira's father criticizes them for revealing the truth to her at such a young age, but Thiruchelvan and Indira are certain they have taken the right decision. Amudha asks her parents to tell her the story of how she comes to be adopted.
The film then flashes to nine years previously in Rameswaram, where Thiruchelvan, then a budding writer, constantly travels to the refugee camp and writes stories inspired by the people there. At one such instance, Thiruchelvan sees a newborn baby girl, and writes a short story about why her mother found the urge to abandon her child and return to a war-ridden land. Indira is his neighbour, and has always expressed interest in him. Thiruchelvan, after a while, finds the urge to adopt the small baby girl and raise her, but realizes that he will not be allowed to do so until he is married. He then proposes to Indira (in whom he is also interested) in order to be able to adopt the baby. Indira suggests the name 'Amudha' after seeing the baby once, and then adopt the baby after they marry each other. Vinay was born few years after their marriage, followed by the younger brother, and thus, the family happened.
Even after hearing this, Amudha is rebellious and dissatisfied. She requests to meet her biological mother at all costs despite Indira's insistence that they can't possibly find the mother even if they wanted to. Thiruchelvan finally gives in and promises to take Amudha to Sri Lanka to find her biological mother. The three of them (excluding the two boys who are left under the care of their grandfather) travel to Sri Lanka and are greeted by Dr. Herold Vikramsinghe (Prakash Raj) who is a Sinhalese, their guide during the trip. Dr. Herold Vikramsinghe too helps to find her biological mother. At Lanka, Amudha and Indira's relationship strains as Amudha becomes increasingly rude at her mother while urging to find her real mother, while the family witnesses civil violence first hand as they travel to a village that is being bombed by the army to find Shyama only to realize that they have discovered the wrong Shyama. While taking a walk in the jungles and ideologically talking about violence, civil war and western manipulation, Thiruchelvan and Vikramsinghe are captured by a group of LTTE rebels. Thiruchelvan immediately recites Tamil poetry and is identified as a Tamil writer by the group's leader (Pasupathy). Thiruchelvan explains his motives of coming to the country, and even mentions the only evidence that he has regarding Amudha's mother - that her name is Shyama. The group leader arranges a meet and says he will bring Shyama there, and it is later revealed that Shyama is the group leader's sister, with her also being part of the LTTE rebels living in seclusion.
The next day, on the meet, Vikramsinghe, Amudha, Indira, and Thiruchelvan wait at the told spot, but a sudden series of bombings break out at the place as the Sri Lankan army tries to infiltrate the hiding of the rebels in a building nearby. Vikramsinghe urges that they leave the place but Amudha stays stubborn, causing Indira to be shot in her arm. The family finally leaves the place, and Amudha, shaken by what she saw and what happened to her mother apologizes and asks that all of them leave the country and return home. The next day, the family leaves for the airport but unexpectedly, Indira requests that they drive through the meeting spot one more time. As they wait in the car parked at the spot, an auto comes by and Shyama gets down from the vehicle. The meeting finally takes place and Amudha asks Shyama a series of questions as to why Shyama abandoned her. Shyama is unable to answer to all of those questions, but also insists that her life will remain fighting for her people in her country and that Amudha should live happily with her adopted parents. Shyama leaves after that.
The film ends with Thiruchelvan, Amudha, and Indira hugging each other as Shyama leaves, and a teary-eyed Amudha kisses her parents, re-affirming her love for them.
Cast
Madhavan as Thiruchelvan
Simran as Indira
Prakash Raj as Herold Vikramsinghe
Nandita Das as M. D. Shyama
J. D. Chakravarthy as Dileepan
P. S. Keerthana as Amudha
Delhi Kumar as Ganesan
Easwari Rao as Shyama
Bala Singh as Devanathan
M. S. Bhaskar as Shankaralingam
Pasupathy as Pasupathy
Siddharth in an uncredited cameo
Production
Like other Mani Ratnam projects, the film began production with very little official publicity in early 2001 with the media covering the project as either Manjal Kudai (Yellow Umbrella) or Kudaigal (Umbrellas). The film was reported of a trilogy of films based on love and peace in the backdrop of war - after Roja (1992) and Bombay (1995) - with Mani Ratnam choosing to base the film with the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War. Madhavan was signed up to play a leading role in the film, with the venture becoming his third straight Mani Ratnam project after Alaipayuthey and the Mani Ratnam production, Dumm Dumm Dumm. For the role of Indira, Mani Ratnam considered casting either Rani Mukerji, Soundarya or relative newcomer Bhumika Chawla, before finalising Simran to portray the character. Madhavan and Simran thus shot for two films simultaneously together, as they had also been cast in K. Balachandar's Paarthale Paravasam as a married couple. Nandita Das was also roped in for the film, making her debut in Tamil films, and in a later interview mentioned that the team shot for nearly thirteen hours a day. P. S. Keerthana, the second daughter of actors Parthiban and Seetha, was cast the child artiste in the film, while Prakash Raj was also roped in to play a Sinhalese character. Mani Ratnam approached actor Vikram to make a special appearance as Keerthana's biological father in the film, but his refusal meant that J. D. Chakravarthy was later handed the role.
The title of the film was finally announced as Kannathil Muthammittal (A peck on the cheek) in July 2001, after a famous phrase from a poem written by Subramanya Bharathi. Parts of the film shown to be Colombo in the film were shot in Puducherry. Further schedules were carried out in the forests of Kerala to depict the base of the LTTE in northern Sri Lanka.
As most of the cast were non-native Tamil speakers, dubbing artistes were used with actresses Suganya and Deepa Venkat lending their voices for Nandita Das and Simran respectively. Furthermore Mounika lent her voice for Easwari Rao's character, while Thalaivasal Vijay spoke lines for Chakravarthy.
Soundtrack
Kannathil Muthamittal
Soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman
Released 4 February 2002
Recorded Panchathan Record Inn
Genre Soundtrack
Length 32:14
Label TIPS
Producer A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman chronology
Alli Arjuna
(2002) Kannathil Muthamittal
(2002) The Legend of Bhagat Singh
(2002)
The film soundtrack features score and 6 songs composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Vairamuthu. Sinhalese lyrics for the song Signore Signore were by B. H. Abdul Hameed. It was released in India on 4 February 2002 by the label TIPS to acclaim, and quickly became popular. The score and soundtrack of the film fetched A. R. Rahman his fourth National Film Award for Best Music Direction and another National Film Award for Best Lyrics for lyricist Vairamuthu.
Original track
Track # Song Singer(s) Length Notes
1 "Vellai Pookal" A. R. Rahman 5:05
2 "Sundari" Hariharan, Tippu, Sujatha, Karthik, Madhumitha 4:39
3 "Kannathil Muthamittal" Chinmayi, P. Jayachandran 6:24
4 "Signore Signore" Rafique, Noel, Anupama, Swarnalatha, Devan Ekambaram 3:22
5 "Vidai Kodu Engal Naadae" M. S. Viswanathan, Balram, Febi, A. R. Reihana, Manikka Vinayagam 6:16
6 "Kannathil Muthamittal" P. Jayachandran, Chinmayi 6:28
7 "Sattena Nenaindhadhu Nenjam" Minmini 1:55 Additional soundtrack from OST
Amrutha (Telugu)
Track # Song Singer(s) Length
1 "Maru Mallelo" A. R. Rahman 5:05
2 "Sundari" Sujatha, Srinivas Murthy, Tippu, Karthik, Madhumitha 4:39
3 "Ye Devi Varamu" Chinmayi, Hariharan 6:24
4 "Signore Signore" Rafique, Noel, Anupama, Swarnalatha 3:22
5 "Kadasaridhi Veedkolu" S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Balram, Febi, A. R. Reihana 6:16
6 "Ye Devi Varamu" S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Chinmayi 6:28
Awards
The film has won the following awards since its release:
2002 Filmfare Awards South (India)
Best Director (Tamil) - Mani Ratnam
Best Actress (Tamil) - Simran
Best Cinematography (Tamil) - Ravi K. Chandran
2003 National Film Awards (India)
Best Feature Film in Tamil - Kannathil Muthamittal - Mani Ratnam
Best Audiography - A. S. Laxmi Narayanan
Best Child Artist - P. S. Keerthana
Best Editing - A. Sreekar Prasad
Best Music Direction - A. R. Rahman
Best Lyrics - Vairamuthu
2003 International Tamil Film Awards (ITFA)
Won - Best Movie - Mani Ratnam
Won - Best Director - Mani Ratnam
Won - Best Actress - Simran
Won - Best Supporting Actor - Prakash Raj
Won - Best Cinematographer - Ravi K. Chandran
2003 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (USA)
Won - Audience Award - Best Feature Film - Kannathil Muthamittal - Mani Ratnam
2003 Jerusalem Film Festival (Jerusalem)
Won - In Spirit for Freedom Award - Best Feature - Kannathil Muthamittal - Mani Ratnam
2003 Zimbabwe International Film Festival (Zimbabwe)
Won - Best Picture - Kannathil Muthamittal - Mani Ratnam
2004 Film Fest New Haven (USA)
Won - Special Award - Achievement Award - Kannathil Muthamittal - Mani Ratnam
Won - Jury Award - Features (International) - First Place Winner - Kannathil Muthamittal - Mani Ratnam
Won - Audience Award - Feature (International) - Kannathil Muthamittal - Mani Ratnam
2004 Westchester Film Festival (USA)
Won - Best International Film - Kannathil Muthamittal - Mani Ratnam
2004 RiverRun International Film Festival (USA)
Won - Audience Award - Best Feature - Kannathil Muthamittal - Mani Ratnam
See also
Madras Cafe
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Contents
1 Plot
2 Music
3 Production
4 Release
5 Awards
6 References
7 External links
Plot
Shiva comes to Chennai to continue his studies. He meets Jasmine and falls in love with her. Only after Meera warns Madhavan to stop his love by using her brother’s Atul Kulkarni's influence of willpowers and his way of idealising himself as a ‘big shot’, does Madhavan become very self certain that his love will become successful. She warns Madhavan that her brother is a gangster. Thereafter it immediately becomes, as glacial imperviousness that Madhavan will not let go off his love. It's after the infringe of cunning setups and many oppositions that he realizes to make true progressions to his love; he relentlessly works both physically and mentally, to portray his love as inevitable, as he tricks Meera’s brother. Her brother, however, still believes that he can separate their love by setting his men against Madhavan, but Madhavan beats them up. And soon Meera too starts loving him. Finally Madhavan elopes with Meera and how he overcomes her brother's opposition forms the rest of the story.
Music
The music was composed by Vidyasagar.
Song Title Singers
"Theradi Veethiyil" Karthik, Timmy, Manicka Vinayagam
"Ichhuthha Ichuthha" Devan, Sowmya Raoh, Naveen, Pop Shalini
"Kaadhal Pisase" Udit Narayan, Sujatha Mohan
"Poi Solla Koodadhu" Hariharan, Sadhana Sargam
"Panikkatre Panikkatre" Balram, Sadhana Sargam
"Minsaram En Meedhu" Harish Raghavendra, Sadhana Sargam, Jack Smely
Production
Vidya Balan was originally selected to play the lead role and Reema Sen too was considered but she was replaced by Meera Jasmine. The scenes were shot at locations in Chennai, Karaikudi, and Srirangam, among other places, the songs were shot abroad in Denmark and Switzerland, At the M.G. R. Film City, Chennai, some scenes were shot on Madhavan. It was of Madhavan fighting with some rowdies. Thirty cars, ten autos, some two-wheelers and buses were used for the scene.
Release
The film released to positive reviews and became a Huge Blockbuster. It was the year's 3rd biggest hit after Gemini and Villain. The film was dubbed and released in Telugu with same name with Vivek's comedy track being replaced with Sunil. Jeeva, cinematographer of this film remade the film in Hindi with same name starring Abhishek Bachchan and Bhoomika Chawla which was an average grosser.
Critical reception
Nowrunning wrote: "Director Linguswami has given a very enjoyable film with good music by Vidyasagar and a brilliant cinematography by Jeeva. Madhavan has proved in this film that he can also do action and that too convincingly".
Awards
Won - Filmfare Award South India 2002 - Best Comedien - Vivek
Won - Filmfare Award South India 2002- Best Female Debut - Meera Jasmine
The film addressed a series of themes including that of communism, atheism and altruism, bringing through the film writer Kamal Haasan's views as a humanist. The film released in January 2003 to critical acclaim, though became a box office failure. Post-release, the film has garnered "cult classic" status from critics and television audience.
Contents
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Release
5 Legacy
6 Soundtrack
7 References
8 External links
Plot
The film begins with ad filmmaker Anbarasu (R. Madhavan), who prefers the much-abbreviated A. Aras rather than his full name, arriving at the Bhubaneswar Airport in Odisha, India. He is about to board a flight back to Chennai for his wedding. However, he learns at the airport that his flight has been cancelled. While waiting for further announcements, Aras watches the television news about a terrorist threat at an airport in Mumbai. Remarking to himself that the country is going to the dogs, he looks around and sees a bespectacled man with scars taking out something rolled up in a newspaper from his bag. Pictures of a pipe bomb shown among the items seized by the Mumbai police flash through his mind. He informs the authorities, only to learn that the man was simply taking out a cucumber.
The man, who is physically challenged, is Nallasivam (Kamal Haasan). Nalla introduces himself to Aras, and they get to know each other. However, Aras underestimates Nalla, ignoring his sage advice and friendly overtures, resulting in some comical events in the airport. Then, announcements are made that all flights have been canceled due to the inclement weather and Aras realizes he needs a room in a nearby hotel for the night. He is informed, much to his consternation, that the five-star hotel where he was staying before is now fully booked, leaving him optionless. Nallasivam helps him find a place in a two-star hotel nearby, where Nalla and Aras are forced to share the same room. Aras' resentment of Nalla makes him act selfishly in trying to get rid of Nalla; at every juncture, Nalla does him a favor which leaves Aras with a guilt-ridden heart. The next morning, Aras takes a taxi without waking Nalla to find his own way to Chennai. Aras realizes that the floods have blocked most of the roads and even the train station is flooded. He gets mugged by a man at the station who offers to help him with his luggage but instead steals all his money. Nalla comes to the station and helps Aras regain the wallet, sans the money. It is then revealed that Nalla is a trade unionist and is traveling with a cheque worth Rs. 3 million to be delivered to some people after fighting a court case for union workers. The comical situations continue as the pair make it to another railway station in a bus. While awaiting their train, Nalla begins to tell Aras his story, but a tired Aras falls asleep and later walks away halfway through the story.
The film then flashes back to a few years in the past when a perfectly good-looking Nalla performs in street theatres protesting against the industrialization process which is marginalizing the labor force. He often gets into trouble due to this. Nalla is also a very talented painter. He is fighting mainly against the town's biggest business tycoon, the manipulative Kandasamy Padayachi (Nassar), whom he satirically imitates in many of his shows. However, an interesting turn of events sees Nalla and Kandasamy's daughter Bala (Kiran Rathod) fall in love with each other. Realizing Kandasamy's power would be too much to bear if they want to get together, Nalla and Bala decide to elope. While Nalla is on a bus on his way to meet Bala, the bus is in a terrible accident on a hillside which leaves him badly injured. Despite surgery, he is left partially paralyzed and badly scarred. Kandasamy informs his daughter Bala that Nalla is dead. It is also at this time that Nalla becomes a firm believer in kindness and love and, while suffering from an inferiority complex due to his scarred and paralyzed body, nevertheless engages with renewed fervour in performing community service and social work while continuing to fight for union causes.
The film then returns to the present, as Aras and Nalla prepare to board the train they have been waiting for. But as the train arrives, they get into an argument about communism, Karl Marx, and so on. Nalla accuses Aras of being an agent for the West and of being manipulated, while Aras defends himself and criticises communism as a whole, concluding that the Soviet Union doesn't exist anymore. Nalla argues that the idea of communism wouldn't die because the Soviet Union has broken up, just as people wouldn't stop loving if the Taj Mahal got destroyed. The argument turns heated, causing a short-tempered Aras to punch Nalla. After initially looking calm, Nalla punches Aras back even harder, causing Aras to bleed. Pretending to cool down and make up, Aras deceives Nalla into getting some bottled water for him and locks the train door, leaving Nalla stranded as the train leaves without him.
On the train, Aras meets a well-dressed corporate-type individual, Uthaman (Yugi Sethu), who seems to share the same interests as Aras. Uthaman asks Aras to throw away a pack of biscuits Nalla gave to Aras due to the risk of it being doctored and offers him whiskey. When Aras wakes up the next day, he learns from the conductor that he has been conned and that his fellow passenger man was a thief who stole all of his belongings. The train comes to a halt because a previous train has had an accident and it has to be cleared up first. There, Aras witnesses a slew of dead bodies and suffering people, causing him to suffer emotionally. To his surprise, he meets Nalla again at the treatment camp nearby. He apologizes to Nalla, who forgives him. Nalla proposes that he donate blood to a dying boy in need of AB blood, while Aras mentions that he is bloodsick. Nalla convinces him, and Aras donates. Aras also retrieves his belongings as he finds that the thief is around the camp. Nalla proposes that Aras travel with him in an ambulance which will be carrying the injured boy on its way to Chennai.
While on the journey the boy passes away causing Aras to cry. He calls God 'unjust' for giving the boy hope in the form of Aras' blood and then taking away his life. Nalla, who is an atheist, tells Aras that Aras himself is God, that the sadness he feels and the tears he sheds for the boy makes him God. Aras comes to terms with using his full name Anbarasu, a name he previously despised because he apparently doesn't like 'anbu' (love). On reaching Chennai, they go their separate ways, but Aras realizes that Nalla's union cheque is still with him and returns to the address Nalla had given him.
He realizes that Nalla had lied to him previously when he said that he had a wife and a son named 'Sangu'. The address is a place where injured labourers from Odisha camp while waiting for their legal funds (the money fought for and being brought to them by Nalla) and that 'Sangu' is the name of Nalla's dog, which incidentally had caused Nalla's accident. After giving the cheque to the office, he goes to the nearby shop to meet Nalla and scolds him for not telling him the truth. He asks Nalla to come with him for his marriage, but Nalla says he will 'come later'. In an emotional moment, Aras recounts the story of how his brother died from a freak accident when he was young (a story he had told Nalla before). He says that Nalla is his new-found brother and should stay with him as long as life permits. A clearly emotional Nalla accepts the invitation.
At the marriage, Nalla realizes that the girl Aras is about to marry is Bala. He takes this opportunity to appear in front of Kandasamy and threaten that he will stay on and make Bala realize what a cheat her father is unless Kandasamy signs all related documents for pay increment and bonuses for his company's labourers. Sacrificing himself for the workers, Nalla leaves after Kandasamy signs, leaving behind a letter for his 'brother' that he has missions to complete in this world, and that he'd rather travel as a free bird than be caged and tied to one place. He thanks Aras for the love and affection he has shown. Kandasamy meanwhile orders his assistant (Santhana Bharathi) to kill Nalla. As Nalla walks away, the assistant approaches him from behind. Hearing Sangu bark, Nalla turns around and sees his would-be assailant with a sickle in his hand. Requesting him not to hurt Sangu, who is barking and growling, he tells the assistant that he cannot fight like he used to and is ready to accept death. The assistant drops his weapon, weeps, and apologizes to Nalla. He tells Nalla that because he did all the dirty work for his boss, God has punished him by taking away his beloved daughter. He tells Nalla that he has read Nalla's letter to Aras. He also states that he has sinned much and doesn't want to commit any more sins on behalf of his boss. He asks Nalla to leave and that God will protect Nalla. Nalla refutes, saying that the assistant himself is God. He says that there is no greater God than the person who comes with the intent to kill but instead apologizes to the person he aimed to kill.
The film ends with Nalla walking away in the monsoon rains with his dog, Sangu.
Cast
Kamal Haasan as Nalla Sivam
R. Madhavan as Anbarasu
Kiran Rathod as Balasaraswathi
Nassar as Kandasamy Padayachi
Santhana Bharathi as Kandasamy's assistant
Seema
Yugi Sethu as Uthaman
K. Viswanath
Uma Riyaz Khan
Production
After finishing a script, Kamal Haasan approached Priyadarshan to direct the film in early 2002. The pair had been looking out for a storyline to work together since the late 1990s and Priyadarshan felt that Kamal Haasan's script had great value to be an 'emotional love story'. R. Madhavan was added to the cast in January 2002 and revealed his elation at working with the pair, while noting that a human drama film like Anbe Sivam was important for his career as an actor as it came after a successful masala film, Run. Cartoonist Madhan wrote the film's dialogues as Kamal Haasan continued writing the script, revealing that it would be a road film between two polar opposite characters. Kamal Haasan went to Los Angeles to test and select prosthetic make up for the film and was notably detained at a Toronto airport security centre in April 2002. Pre-production work commenced soon after but a difference of opinion between the director and the actor mean that Priyadarshan opted out of the project in June 2002. The director had wanted to work with Kamal Haasan in a bigger project than the current venture and instead began preliminary work on another film with Kamal Haasan on the caste system in India. Following this sudden setback which led to the whole crew being put off their schedule, the producers selected Sundar C. to direct the venture and filming started in July 2002. Kiran Rathod was selected to portray the leading female role, while Uma Riyaz Khan was also signed on to play a role and described the film as her "magnum opus".
The first scene the team shot was at a railway station in Pollachi with actor R. S. Shivaji, portraying a station master, joining the lead actors. Kamal Haasan and Madhavan interacted closely during the initial stages of the shoot in order to ensure that the on-screen chemistry between the pair was apparent. The film was shot on a restricted budget, with only the train disaster scenes involving the use of extensive art direction. The team also shot in relatively empty locations meaning that the time allotted for shooting was flexible, with one day being cancelled due to dialogues not being ready. Further schedules were held in Chennai, Visakhapatnam and on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border. Post-filming, Kamal Haasan revealed that he was impressed with Madhavan's enthusiasm and concentration during the making of the film and thus subsequently signed him on to appear in his production venture, Nala Damayanthi (2003).
Release
The film was released on 14 January 2003 coinciding with the Thai Pongal festival and opened alongside five other films at the box office, including the Vikram-starrer Dhool and the Vijay-starrer Vaseegara Anbe Sivam won primarily positive reviews from reviewers. The Hindu praised the film, noting that "well-defined characters, a strong storyline and intelligent screenplay are the other vital ingredients of Anbe Sivam". The critic revealed "Kamal Haasan's diligence that has gone into the chiselling of the story and screenplay is only too evident", while calling the film a "milestone" A reviewer from Bizhat.com noted "with a perfect script, screenplay, direction and music, 'Anbe Sivam' is sure to take its viewers for a roller coaster ride of all ages". Another critic also added "the wonderfully acted movie manages to be both touching and entertaining, while conveying a strong social message", adding it is a "movie that is difficult to pigeonhole into a genre". A reviewer from Sify.com, in comparison, labelled the film as "average" and noted that "despite the good performances the outcome is still stressful on the nerves." Similarly a reviewer from Rediff.com praised the film's lead performances but wrote the film "suffers from the disease of excess" and "tries to do too much".
The Telugu dubbed version of the film, Satyame Sivam, was released on 28 February 2003 to positive reviews, with a critic claiming "this film is strictly for the elite audience who does not mind having a look at the philosophical films" adding that the "story of the film is just wonderful". The producers of the film sold the Hindi dubbing rights at a low price and the film was released as Shivam in Hindi in 2005, much to irking of the lead actors.
The film did not perform well commercially and lost the producers significant investment. An estimated Rs 6.5-crore loss was made through the film by Lakshmi Movie Makers, effectively stopping the production house from investing in other ventures during the period. Director Sundar C also revealed that the failure of the film meant that he went unpaid for his work, and producers were unwilling to fund his other ventures. It was later screened at the 2003 International Film Festival of India.
Post-release the film has garnered critical acclaim from belated critics and television audiences and is considered as one of the "cult classics" of Tamil cinema. The film's DVD also sold well and was made widely available in North India, earning the film more critical acclaim. Film critic Baradwaj Rangan wrote that the film "was leagues ahead of the average Tamil and Indian film", though felt that "the masses were unwilling to accept the experimental nature of the film", while talking about the film's box office failure. During his acceptance speech after winning the Vijay Award for Best Director in 2010 for Naan Kadavul (2009), director Bala revealed that a scene in Anbe Sivam had inspired him to make his film, referring to a scene where Kamal Haasan states to Madhavan that "when we love others unconditionally without any expectation, we become Gods".
In September 2013, producer V. Swaminathan announced his plans of digitally converting the film and re-releasing it to cash in on the post-release cult classic status.
The music for the film was composed by Vidyasagar, while lyrics were written by Vairamuthu. The titular song was initially written to be sung in a third person tone and thus Kamal Haasan was reluctant to do perform the track to avoid his character being reflected in the song. Subsequently after being convinced by Vidyasagar, he agreed to render the version.
Anbe Sivam
Soundtrack album to Anbe Sivam by Vidyasagar
Released 2002
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Language Tamil
Producer Vidyasagar
Vidyasagar chronology
Karmegham
(2002) Anbe Sivam
(2003) Anbu
(2003)
No. Title Singer(s) Length
1. "Anbe Sivam " Kamal Haasan, Karthik 4:18
2. "Ela Machi" Kamal Haasan, Udit Narayan, 4:35
3. "Mouname" S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Chandrayee 4:36
4. "Naatukkoru Seithi" Kamal Haasan, Chandran 8:08
5. "Poo Vaasam" Vijay Prakash, Sadhana Sargam 4:27
6. "Poo Vaasam - 2" Sriram Parthasarathy, Sadhana Sargam 4:27
Evano Oruvan (Tamil: எவனோ ஒருவன்) (English: Some One) is a 2007 Tamil drama film directed by Nishikanth Kamat who made his debut in the Tamil film industry with the film. It is a remake of Kamat's acclaimed Marathi film, Dombivli Fast, which itself was heavily influenced by the Michael Douglas starrer 1993 Hollywood film Falling Down. It stars Madhavan and Sangeetha in the lead roles, with director Seeman acting in a pivotal role. The film's music is composed by P. Sameer and the title song by G. V. Prakash Kumar. It is produced by noted Hindi directors Abbas Burmawalla and Mustan Burmawalla as they make their debuts as Tamil film producers under the distribution of their home banner, Burmawalla Limited. It had been previously named, Ivan Yaaro.
Contents
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Reviews
4 Music
5 Box office
6 References
Plot
Sridhar Vasudevan (Madhavan) is a middle-class family man employed in a bank. Sridhar is very idealistic, principled and recognises a deep sense of belonging with the society he is part of. He gets annoyed and flustered by illegal and semi legal activities happening around him. His wife persistently demands that he should be more 'flexible' and make more money, but Sridhar does not accede. He endures the illegal and semi legal activities around him because he anticipates a change in the mindsets of people. He feels that over time, they will become more honest, socially aware and willing to make small personal sacrifices for the greater good of all (like him).
Sridhar's wife Vatsala (Sangeetha) is a typical middle-class housewife and a caring mother of two children, Varsha and Varun. Societal imperfections and related problems matter very little to her. She is more concerned about her reactive husband, thinking about ways to save him from the effects of his angry outbursts and to steer him away from his impractical thoughts and deeds.
At a certain point in life, Sridhar faces a case of deceit that compels him to take action. Provoked by his deep anger and guilt, Sridhar decides to retaliate for wrongs done to him, violently if required. When charged two rupees extra for a cool drink, he picks up a cricket bat and smashes the shop. From that incident onwards, Sridhar progresses, taking the law in his own hands and tries bringing about instant changes, wherever needed. A string of incidents occur; he thrashes the Area Counseller, the insincere hospital employees, water-supplier and many more.
Sridhar's anger goes beyond these incidents, targeting individuals who do not follow norms created for their own benefit. The director has presented Sridhar as a representative for every common man in today's society, who, even after seeing and going through such wrong things, tolerates them to avoid getting his settled routine disturbed. Because of his behaviour and approach, Sridhar is termed as a criminal, harmful to his fellow men.
Inspector Vetri Maran (Seeman) is appointed to shoot him in an arranged 'encounter'. Vetri Maran, though not of the incorruptible kind, feels bad about the police-corruption nexus. He is a good-hearted cop, and inwardly feels justified by Sridhar's approach. He comes to a quiet agreement with the young man, personally approves his action, then arranges for the 'encounter killing'. At the end Sridhar (Madhavan) is shot dead by the Inspector Vetri Maran (Seeman).
Cast
Madhavan as Sridhar Vasudevan
Sangeetha as Vathsala Vasudevan
Seeman as Vetri Maran
Devadarshini
Payilwan Ranganathan
Reviews
Evano Oruvan got very favourable reviews, with Rediff calling it a "must-watch" and Sify Moviebuzz giving it a "very good" rating Madhavan considers Evano Oruvan to have been one of his favorite films, after Anbe Sivam.
Music
The film features only one song "Unathu Enathu Endru" composed by Prakash Kumar and penned by Na. Muthukumar, a soundtrack was not released. The film score (played at the end) was composed by P. Sameer plays a very important role in expressing the complete view and message of the movie.
Box office
The film grossed $9 million at the box office.
Yavarum Nalam (English: All is well) is a 2009 Tamil psychological horror film directed by Vikram Kumar, starring R. Madhavan and Neetu Chandra in the lead roles. Produced by Suresh Balaje and George Pius, the film was simultaneously filmed and released in Tamil and also Hindi as 13B with a slightly different cast. The film's soundtrack was composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and background score by Tubby Parik. The film was released on 6 March 2009 to highly positive reviews from critics in Tamil and mixed reviews in Bollywood.
Contents
1 Cast
2 Plot
3 Production
4 Reception
5 Release
6 Soundtrack
7 References
8 External links
Cast
Actor
(Tamil version) Actor
(Hindi version) Role
R. Madhavan Manohar
Neetu Chandra Priya
Ravi Babu Murali Sharma Siva
Sachin Khedekar Dr. Balu / Dr. Shinde
Sanjaih Bokaria Manoj
Amitha Rajan Deepa
Saranya Poonam Dhillon Manohar's mother
Dhritiman Chatterjee Mr. Kamdhar
Deepak Dobriyal Senthil / Ashok
Sampath Raj Ramachandran
Kushboo Sundar Roshan Abbas Show host
Rachana Maurya an item number
Plot
Manohar (Madhavan) moves into a new apartment (Flat No. 13B) on the 13th floor with his family, fulfilling his life's biggest dream. But his family is greeted by a series of small trivial incidents- such as, milk getting spoiled, etc. which are regarded as inauspicious by his family but shrugged off by an excited Manohar. The elevator in the apartment does not operate for Manohar alone which is shown to be bothering him a lot in the beginning of the movie.
The women in the family get hooked on to a new TV show Yavarum Nalam (Everyone Is Well, or Sab Khairiyat in Hindi). The show is about a family eerily similar to theirs who have also just moved into a new house just like they have. As the serial unfolds, Manohar notices that the incidents that happen in the serial are a reflection of what is happening to his family. For example, his sister graduating with a Class I Distinction, his wife getting pregnant and later suffering a miscarriage. The rest of the family remains oblivious to the similarities and Manohar prefers it that way to avoid panic. He also notices that his camera takes distorted pictures of him while he is in the apartment, but not while he is outside the apartment.
As Manohar fights the uneasy feeling in his mind, things start taking a turn for the worse in the serial. He is now terrified that the same might happen to his family as well. Manohar now wants to know who is behind the making of the TV show and what their intentions are. As Manohar explores the mysterious happenings, he unravels a terrifying secret.
The apartment they live in shared their address with a house where a family of eight was butchered back in 1977. It was the family of a TV news anchor named Chitra. On the day of Chitra's engagement, an ardent fan (Shriram Shinde in the 13B version) of Chitra wanted to stop the engagement and he failed in doing so. Disheartened, he committed suicide. Subsequently, all members of that family were murdered with a hammer in a single day. The blame rested on the crazy brother in the family, as he had been seen with the hammer last. The police officer investigating the case also committed suicide by hanging himself in the same house.
Now Manohar and his friend, Shiva (Murli Sharma), who is a policeman, are in the process of unraveling the mystery. Manohar researches the madman Senthil/Ashok, who apparently goes crazy after seeing the TV show in an asylum. Manohar then meets Senthil, who extends a hand for Manohar but drags him inside, but his friend Shiva keeps him from being dragged. They then met Chitra's former fiance Ramchandar, who tries to plead for Senthil's innocence because he got covered in blood while he hugged the bodies, failed in the case.
After researching one night, Manohar has a nightmare of the 13B murderer climbing the stairs to kill his family. When Manohar tries to climb the stairs, he always ends up on the 2nd floor and after a few moments he wakes up. He then goes to the hall and witnesses the climax of Yavarum Nalam/Sab Kheriyat when they are showing the murderer's identity; he sees two hammers, one pointed hammer and a blunt sledge-hammer, then showing Manohar's face as the killer.
What follows is the climax that ties up all the loose ends. The 13B murderer is Dr Balu/Dr Shinde, who sees the family members' faces as serial family members.It was he who killed them in 1970's on the behalf of his brother and also killed the police officer who caught him red-handed. Manohar kills him.
The story ends with Manohar living a normal life with a new dog in the family; the milk is not getting spoiled anymore. They bring Senthil/Ashok home and the lift in the apartment finally works for Manohar. Manohar receives a call from Dr Balu/Dr Shinde while in the lift, who says that while the 13B family haunts the TV, he haunts Manohar's phone.
Production
Development
The director of the film, Vikram Kumar, won a National Award for his short film "Silent Scream". Here he teamed up with cinematographer P. C. Sreeram, editor Sreekar Prasad, sound designer A. S. Lakshminarayanan and art director Sameer Chanda, who also happen to be National Film Award winners. The Hindi working title was Channel.
Casting
Esha Deol and Kareena Kapoor were originally considered for the lead role which eventually went to Neetu Chandra. Lead actress Neetu Chandra made her Tamil debut with Yaavarum Nalam. She has starred in successful Hindi films like Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! and Traffic Signal. Lead actor Madhavan and cinematographer P. C. Sreeram had previously worked together on the hit movie Alaipayuthey. Veteran Bengali actor Dhritiman Chaterjee made his Tamil cinema debut in Yaavarum Nalam, but Tamil was not a new language for him, as he is a resident of Chennai. He played the same role in the Hindi version of the film. Veteran Marathi actor Sachin Khedekar, who made his debut in Tamil cinema with Yaavarum Nalam, took great effort in learning his lines. A voice CD was sent to him with his lines read out so that he would get familiar with the Tamil dialogue. He plays the same character in the Hindi version as well.
Filming
The majority of the film takes place inside an apartment. A temporary shooting floor was created from scratch in Egmore, Chennai, inside which an elaborate apartment set was erected.
Reception
The film received a warm welcome from the audience
Release
The satellite rights of the film's tamil version were bagged by Kalaignar. The film's tamil version was given a "U/A" certificate by the Indian Censor Board.
Box Office
The movie turned out be a Hit at the Tamil box office, grossing INR16 crore. The Hindi version was a hit netting INR8.1 crore.
Soundtrack
The film's music was composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy while the lyrics in Hindi and Tamil were penned by Neelesh Mishra and Thamarai respectively.
13B/Yaavarum Nalam
Soundtrack album by Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Released 6 February 2009
Recorded 2008
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length 39:33
Language Hindi
Tamil
Label Big Music
Producer Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Shankar Ehsaan Loy chronology
Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam
(2009) 13B/Yaavarum Nalam
(2009) Shortkut
(2009)
Hindi
No. Title Artist(s) Length
1. "Sab Khairiyat Hai" Shankar Mahadevan 1:46
2. "Bade Se Shehar Mein" Karthik 4:30
3. "Oh Sexy Mama" Anushka Manchanda, Baba Sehgal, Loy Mendonsa 4:06
4. "13 B - Theme" 4:57
5. "Aasma Odhkar" K.S. Chitra, Shankar Mahadevan 4:25
6. "Sab Khairiyat Hai (Remix)" Shankar Mahadevan 4:04
7. "Aasma Odhkar (Remix)" K.S. Chitra. Shankar Mahadevan
8. "Oh Sexy Mama (Remix)" Anushka Manchanda, Baba Sehgal, Loy Mendonsa 4:37
9. "Bade Se Shehar Mein (Remix)" Karthik 5:08
Tamil
No. Title Artist(s) Length
1. "Yavarum Nalam" Shankar Mahadevan 1:46
2. "Chinnakkuyil Koovam" Karthik 4:30
3. "Oh Sexy Mama" Anushka Manchanda, Jassie Gift 4:06
4. "Yavarum Nalam - Theme" 4:57
5. "Kaatrilae Vaasame" K.S. Chitra, Shankar Mahadevan 4:25
6. "Yaavarum Nalam (Remix)" Shankar Mahadevan 4:04
7. "Kaatrilae Vaasame (Remix)" K.S. Chitra. Shankar Mahadevan
8. "Oh Sexy Mama (Remix)" Anushka Manchanda, Jassie Gift 4:37
9. "Chinnakkuyil Koovam (Remix)" Karthik 5:08
After significant pre-production which included rehearsals of the entire script before filming, the film was extensively shot across Europe and on a cruise ship, whilst scenes were also canned across Chennai and Kodaikanal. It was produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin, Manmadan Ambu released worldwide on 23 December 2010. It was dubbed into Telugu as Manmadha Banam and distributed by Gemini Film Circuit. Upon release, the film opened to mixed reviews and had an average run at the box office.
Contents
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Release
5 Soundtrack
6 Controversies
7 References
8 External links
Plot
Ambujakshi alias "Ambu" (Trisha), a film actress, arrives in Europe to spend the vacations with her friend Deepa (Sangeetha), a divorcee and her two children. While going in a taxi, Ambu recalls an early incident regarding her ex-boyfriend Madanagopal alias Madan (Madhavan), a wealthy entrepreneur: Three years ago, she was shooting for a film with actor Surya in a bright park and Madan was suspicious of her relationship with the actor. While returning, he however let Ambu drive his car. Madan advised Ambu to stop acting, but Ambu claimed it as her profession which she can't give up, leading to an argument that caused the car to crash near a rock. At the same time they blamed a small white car that just passed by, to be the reason for the crash. Unable to bear any more arguments, Ambu broke her relationship with Madan and walked away.
Madan now suspects that Ambu may be having a relationship with her colleagues in the film industry. To end that, he hires detective Major Raja Mannar (Kamal Haasan) to follow her when she goes on a cruise for vacation in Barcelona. Mannar accepts, as he needs money to pay the hospital bills of his friend Rajan (Ramesh Arvind), who is afflicted with cancer, and his wife Mallika (Urvashi). Contrary to Madan's suspicions, Ambu is loyal and virtuous; when Mannar reports this, Madan refuses to pay him as his suspicions were unfounded.
Disappointed, Mannar to save his dying friend Rajan fabricates a story and tells Madan that she is having a secret affair during her trip. In the process, he introduces himself as a tourist to Ambu, Deepa and Deepa's children, and becomes close to the group. While getting closer to Ambu, Mannar says to Madhan that Ambu is good but the other guy is bad, but Madhan does not want to hear that and eventually breaks up with Ambu. While recollecting his past as an Army officer, Mannar reveals that he lost his wife three years ago in a car accident. Ambujakshi realises to her horror that the accident was caused by herself during the argument with Madan. Both of them decide to confront each other with the truth, but Ambu misunderstands Kurup (Kunchan) as Madhan's detective and slaps him and tells that she loves Mannar. Meanwhile Rajan should undergo an operation immediately after the chemotherapy to keep him alive. To make things worse Madan announces that he will visit them in person at Venice. Ultimately, Mannar and Deepa stage a plan with the help of Kurup to deceive Madhan for the final break-up with Ambu.
Madhan arrives at the place and various mix-ups and misunderstandings take place among the characters. Finally, Madhan realises that Ambu has fallen in love with Mannar and accepts it with a heavy heart. At the same time, Rajan recovers from cancer. The film ends as everyone returns to India on the cruise, with Madhan and Deepa starting a relationship.
Cast
Kamal Haasan as Major. R. Mannar
Trisha Krishnan as Ambujakshi
Madhavan as Madanagopal
Sangeetha as Deepa
Ramesh Arvind as Rajan
Urvasi as Mallika
Kunchan as Kunju Kurup
Manju Pillai as Manju Kurup
Biriyaalayam Thurai as Thurai
Usha Uthup as Indira (Madhan's Mother)
Oviya as Sunanda
Caroline as Juliet (Mannar's deceased wife)
Aasish Mahesh as Viswanath Srinivasan
Sriman as Madanagopal's friend
Suriya in a guest appearance as himself
K. S. Ravikumar in a guest appearance as himself
Devi Sri Prasad in a cameo appearance
Emma De Courcel in a guest appearance (frightened Persian girl with a dog)
Production
After Unnaipol Oruvan, Kamal Haasan opted against reviving his home production Marmayogi, and signed on for a film produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin. While the film went through months of pre-production, Trisha Krishnan, in December 2009, and then R. Madhavan, in February 2010, were added to the project, with K. S. Ravikumar being chosen as the director. Though early indications suggested the film would be titled Yaavarum Kaelir or Karunyam, the launch ceremony of the film, held on 3 June 2010, confirmed the title as Manmadan Ambu.[12] During the launch, Kamal Haasan said that prior to the shoot rehearsals were performed. Haasan, along with Crazy Mohan, wrote the film's screenplay and dialogues.
Shoots were subsequently held aboard on a cruise liner from Dubai, and the film was shot across various regions of Europe including Paris and Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain and Rome and Venice in Italy. Parts of the film were also shot in Kodaikanal in South India; remaining portions were completed in Chennai.
Release
The satellite rights of the film were bagged by Kalaignar. The film was given a "U" certificate by the Indian Censor Board.
Reception
Manmadhan Ambu received mixed reviews from critics. Behindwoods gave 2.5 out of 5 and stated "Overall, Manmadhan Ambu is an entertainer but in parts", while Sify wrote "Manmadhan Ambu does impress but it lacks the punch to captivate the audiences". Rediff gave 3 out of 5, claiming that "Manmadhan Ambu defies characterization as either a romantic film or a comedy, largely because the two don't mix." Indiaglitz said, "Manmadhan Ambu may not be a Panchathanthiram or Dasavatharam, but a perfect holiday entertainer with Kamal stamp all over it." Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu stated that, "Sprinkled with humour, joy, love, sadness and sentiment with an undercurrent of jealousy running through it, MMA [Manmadhan Ambu] is a cocktail of emotions – tasty, but at times queer!" NDTV resident editor T.S. Sudhir wrote, "Don't go expecting a Panchatantiram from the Kamal-KS Ravikumar combo, for you will be disappointed. MMA has starting trouble and one hour into the film, you are desperately waiting for the comic fireworks to start, given that the film has been marketed as a laugh riot. The riot, when it happens post the interval, leaves you with a feeling of being shortchanged." He further mentioned, "The problem with MMA is as much with Kamal as with the audience for you expect nothing short of brilliance from this Master of all trades. In MMA, Kamal has shot the Cupid's arrow (which is what Manmadhan Ambu means) rather lazily. Go without expecting a world record in archery!"
The Telugu dub version of the film, Manmadha Baanam also opened to mixed reviews from critics. Jeevi from Idlebrain gave the film 3 out of 5 rating and stated "The comedy in this film is predictable at times and fresh in certain scenes. The plus points of the movie are main leads and comedy quotient. On the flipside, the characters and narration becomes confusing towards end and the editing should have been smoother. On a whole, Manmadha Banam is a decent comedy." Reviewer from 123 Telugu also gave the film 3 out of 5 and said "Manmadha Banam is an interesting movie. It has flaws, but its good parts outweigh them by far." Deepa Garimella from Full Hyderabad gave the film 7 out of 10 rating and stated that "While the movie is immensely enjoyable, thanks to the well-conceptualized scenes and the stellar performances all round, it is slow. So slow, in fact, that it feels like 2 movies – pre-interval being a drama and post-interval a comedy." and she also praised the performances of the actors. Y. Sunita Chowdary from Cinegoer said "Manmadha Banam does have a plot but the character development, narration and the pace makes it a very restless and a tedious watch." and was critical about the dubbing. She finally concluded by stating that "The film could have drawn a little wider audience than the filmmakers intended, if the length would have been a half an hour shorter."
Box office
Manmadhan Ambu INR46.2 million (US$770,000) in Chennai alone over a period of 4 weeks. In UK, it grossed $77,360 and in Malaysia $653,942. Sify declared the film as "average".
Soundtrack
Manmadan Ambu
Soundtrack album by Devi Sri Prasad
Released 20 November 2010
Recorded Panchathan Record Inn and AM Studios
Label Venus
Producer Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad chronology
Singam
(2010) Manmadan Ambu
(2010) Mr. Perfect
(2011)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Behindwoods 3/5 stars
Rediff 3/5 stars
The film's music was scored by Devi Sri Prasad, after initially Shruti Hassan and later Thaman were reported to be the music composer. The controversial song Kamal Kavidhai, had come under criticism due to lines about a woman's desire and for references to Hindu deities like Aranganathar and Sri Varalakshmi. Therefore, producer Udhayanidhi Stalin opted to remove it from the film.
All lyrics written by Kamal Haasan, except where noted.
No. Title Lyrics Singer(s) Length
1. "Dhagudu Dhattham" Kamal Hassan 4:57
2. "Who's The Hero" Andrea Jeremiah 4:26
3. "Neela Vaanam" Kamal Hassan, Priya Himesh 4:27
4. "Oyyale" Viveka Mukesh, Suchitra 3:55
5. "Kamal Kavidhai" Kamal Hassan, Trisha Krishnan 5:12
6. "Manmadan Ambu" Devi Sri Prasad 4:21
7. "Theme Music" Instrumental 1:49
Critical response
The album received average reviews from music critics. C. Karthik from Behindwoods rated the album 3/5 and quoted "Overall, DSP can be very proud of this album as he has deviated from his normal offerings. A westernised folk song, jazz, melodies, a poem and a kuthu...an album could not ask for more variety and DSP has delivered. Though the music gets a little heavy at times, he has Kamal, with his voice and lyrics, to save him. The new experiments shows his maturity and his intention for being innovative. With the movie's release soon, the songs must be playing non-stop on air." Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff also gave the album 3/5 saying that "DSP has a reputation for sticking with his regulation format of tunes and here too, you can see it pop up at certain places but there's also a departure from the usual, mostly an influence of Haasan in both lyrics and music. Whatever the reason, the end result is an album that provides you a treat. Go for it." Indiaglitz said "Overall, this film must have been a different experience for DSP who all along dwelled in fast rhythmic world. The whole album has an up market western jazz feel except for that one song. For a story that happens in Europe, DSP has done it right, we guess."
Controversies
Though the Censor Board of India cleared the song Kamal Kavidhai penned by Kamal himself, it courted controversy after right wing groups protested against the lyrics of song as obscene. However the song made in to the movie but a short version with modified lyrics played in the background with the end credits. There have also been several discussions as to how the picturisation of Neela Vaanam (sung by Kamal Haasan himself) has been slightly inspired from official video of Coldplay's The Scientist. The whole song has been depicted in such a way so as to highlight the events that led to the death of Mannar's (Kamal's character) French wife Juliet, in reverse.
The film revolves around two brothers, the elder being sensitive to violence and the younger being a jobless rogue, settled in Thoothukudi. After the death of their father, a police officer, the elder brother takes on the same job by request of the younger. The older brother rises to fame in his job by having his younger brother secretly punish suspects and save victims for him. This angers two of the village's biggest mob bosses, who begin to seek revenge on the elder brother. After getting severely beaten by them, the elder brother loses his fear and becomes physically stronger through training from his younger brother. How the brothers get back at two gangs and protect their families form the rest of the story.
Contents
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Soundtrack
5 Release
6 Remake
7 Awards
8 References
9 External links
Plot
Thirumurthy and Gurumurthy are two brothers in Thoothukudi, with Thirumurthy being the elder. He is however sensitive to violence and his younger brother is brave and rogue. Whenever Thirumurthy is beaten by anyone, he has Gurumurthy to finish them. However, Gurumurthy gets frequently punished by his policeman father (Nagendra Babu) for beating up the local people, while Thirumurthy only feels for him.
After the death of their father, the now grown-up Thirumurthy (R. Madhavan) takes on the same job by request of Gurumurthy (Arya), who remains a jobless rogue. Meanwhile, Thirumurthy falls for Vasanthi (Sameera Reddy) and Gurumurthy falls for her younger sister Jayanthi (Amala Paul). Subsequently, Thirumurthy marries Vasanthi and both the brothers shift to Vasanthi and Jayanthi's house. A number of humorous incidents follow, such as Jayanthi's to-be husband is actually revealed to be a clumsy NRI Gautham, who she disapproves of. She openly expresses her love for Gurumurthy, and hence he subsequently marries her. After this, the NRI takes leave.
Thirumurthy rises to fame in his job by having his younger brother secretly punish suspects and save victims for him. Everyone believes that Thirumurthy actually fought the criminals himself, but in reality took credit for Gurumurthy's doings, unknown to them. One of the village's biggest mob bosses Annachi (Ashutosh Rana) finally discovers the truth via a CCTV showing Gurumurthy's face. Enraged, he has his men to severely beat up Thirumurthy, making the latter confident that his brother will continue his job. Gurumurthy, now enraged, proclaims that he made his elder brother a policeman not for fake, but to overcome the fears he had and to become stronger. Thus, he begins training up his elder brother, who subsequently overcomes his fear and manages to defeat a few of Annachi's men.
Eventually, Annachi and his men break into the brother's house and cause havoc. Thirumurthy and Gurumurthy arrive and defeat all of Annachi's men, however they seem to be no match for Annachi. Finally after Annachi falls for a trap set by the brothers, he is defeated but the two brothers quarrel whether to kill him or arrest him. Thus, Gurumurthy declares that they will role a gun and when the gun stops rolling at the brothers, they will arrest Annachi. Bu if it stops at Annachi, he will be killed. The gun stops rolling at Annachi and Thirumurthy shoots him dead.
As the credits roll, scenes show that Thirumurthy is again congratulated by the local police, but gives equal credit to his brother as well. Through this praise, Gurumurthy also gets to join the police force.
Cast
Arya as Gurumurthy
R. Madhavan as Thirumurthy
Sameera Reddy as Vasanthi
Amala Paul as Jayanthi
Ashutosh Rana as Annachi
Nassar as DGP
Thambi Ramaiah as Constable
Sreejith Ravi as Surulai
Nagendra Babu as Gurumurthy and Thirumurthy's father
Muthukumar
Rajeev Ravindranathan as NRI Gautham
Shanmugarajan as Kulasekara Pandian
N. Linguswamy in a special appearance
Raju Sundaram in a special appearance
Production
Development
In April 2010, following the success of Paiyaa, Cloud Nine Movies, who had distributed the film, announced a successive collaboration with the film's director N. Linguswamy, who would make a romantic action film with Silambarasan in the lead role. For pre-production works, the crew of the team subsequently headed to Macau to work out the script, following which Lingusamy moved to the Orange County resort in Coorg, Karnataka to finalise the script. Later that month a photo shoot was completed, with Silambarsan sporting the get up of an NCC cadet, However, in July 2010, reports suggested that Silambarasan was dropped from the project, since he suddenly, without informing Lingusamy and Dhayanidhi, signed himself up and began working in Vaanam (2011). Silambarasan, in return, revealed that he had not officially signed Cloud Nine Pictures' film, and only decided to work on Vaanam, since Lingusamy was not able to narrate the complete script, despite making him wait for over 100 days. Controversially, Silambarasan later signed another film in September 2010, which was similarly titled as Vettai Mannan.
Eventually in September 2010, the film was official announced at a press meet with the title Vettai, with Arya replacing Silambarasan. At the press meet, he revealed that he worked for over three months on the script, keeping his editor Anthony Gonsalvez and cinematographer Nirav Shah updated about the developments. The film's principal photography was initially supposed to commence in June 2010, but due to pre-production works, it got delayed further and was postponed to December. The film was announced as a bilingual project, to be shot separately in Tamil and Telugu. The Telugu version was supposed to be produced by Tirupati Prasad of Mega Supergood Films and feature Mahesh Babu in the lead role, with Madhavan reprising his role. In March 2011, Cloud Nine Movies stepped out of the project, which prompted Linguswamy to produce Vettai, too, under his home banner Thirupathi Brothers along with his brother Subash Chandra Bose.
Casting
After Silambarasan's exit, Vijay was expected to enact the lead role, who had earlier agreed to star in a Lingusamy film in future, and was subsequently approached by the team. He, however, declined the offer, not willing to play a role that was "originally written keeping in mind the image of another actor". Only in September 2010, during the official announcement, it became apparent that Arya was signed on to reprise the lead role. Furthermore, Linguswamy was trying to rope in Madhavan for another leading role, while, several days later, sources reported that Madhavan definitely had rejected the offer. The next month, however, it was confirmed that Madhavan was roped in to enact the role as a police officer and brother of Arya's character. Madhavan accepted the film as he was 'blown' away by the story.
The lead female role was reported to be essayed by Tamannaah Bhatia, who had been part of Linguswamy's Paiyaa as well. In an interview later, she disclosed that she was not approached earlier and though she liked the script, she could not take the offer due to her prior commitments. Anushka Shetty then accepted the offer while Sameera Reddy was signed to play Madhavan's pair in the film, as a village girl. In late November 2010, Anushka pulled out and Amala Paul, following her critically acclaimed performance in Mynaa, was roped in to essay a leading character, as the love interest of Arya's character.
Filming
Originally planned to commence in June 2010, the filming was postponed several times either due to pending pre-production works and unavailability of the artists. After Arya had finished shooting and dubbing for Avan Ivan, the first schedule was planned to begin on 2 March, which however, was also cancelled as Dhayanidhi wanted the filming to be pushed by another two months, which supposedly was the reason for Linguswamy's decision to produce the film himself. Shooting eventually started on 16 March 2011 in Karaikudi, with Madhavan, Arya, Sameera Reddy and Amala Paul participating A song "Dumma Dumma Dummaa", choreographed by Brindha, was shot first, with nearly 2000 people being part of the shoot along with the four lead actors. A fight sequence, involving Arya and Madhavan, was shot in the Pondicherry University sports complex on 24 April. In June 2011, other key action sequences were filmed at Madurai, Thoothukudi, Thanjavur and Aruppukottai The introduction song of the film was also shot in Thanjavur. Some action sequences were shot in Madanapalle, a town located in the Chittor district, Andhra Pradesh, while the climax was shot at Binny Mills in Chennai under the supervision of stunt director Silva.
Vettai
Soundtrack album to Vettai by Yuvan Shankar Raja
Released 12 December 2011 (Single release)
16 December 2011 (Soundtrack release)
Recorded 2010–11
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length 24:13
Language Tamil
Label Sa Re Ga Ma
Producer Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja chronology
Rajapattai
(2011) Vettai
(2011) Mr. Nookayya
(2012)
Following successful collaborations with director Linguswamy in Sandakozhi (2005) and Paiyaa (2010), Yuvan Shankar Raja was signed up to produce the film score and soundtrack for Vettai as well. In November 2010, the duo along with lyricist Na. Muthukumar left for Malaysia to compose the first tunes. The soundtrack album was launched on 16 December 2011 at the Anna Centenary Auditorium in Kotturpuram, Chennai, with several lead actors and directors from the Tamil film industry attending the event. Four days prior to the soundtrack release, the song "Pappappa" was launched as a single track at the studios of Radio Mirchi, with a making-of video of the recording being simultaneously uploaded on YouTube. The song, which was sung by Yuvan Shankar Raja himself along with Renu Kannan, a finalist of the second season of the reality-based singing competition Airtel Super Singer, quickly gained attention and became very popular.
All lyrics written by Na. Muthukumar.
Track listing
No. Title Singer(s) Length
1. "Dham Dham" Karthik, Krish 4:35
2. "Damma Damma" Haricharan, Shweta Mohan 4:51
3. "Kattipidi Enna" Vijay Prakash, Shweta Pandit 5:09
4. "Pappappa" Yuvan Shankar Raja, Renu 4:07
5. "Thaiya Thakka" Harini, Saindhavi 5:22
Total length:
24:13
Reception
Behindwoods said "Vettai has some peppy likeable soundtracks to its credits. Even if it’s not Yuvan's best, Vettai packages all genres of folksy music well. With songs like 'Pappa Pappa' and the romantic 'Kattipudi', the album is all set to turn out to be a commercial winner".
Release
Produced on a budget of INR250 million (US$4.2 million), The satellite rights of the film were bought by STAR Vijay for INR75 million (US$1.3 million) and audio/DVD rights were sold for INR45 million (US$750,000).[46]The film was given a "U" certificate by the Indian Censor Board. It released on the Pongal weekend on 14 January 2012. Vettai was released in 650 screens worldwide on 15 January 2012 including 300 screens in Tamil Nadu, 250 screens in the rest of India, and about a 100 screens overseas Vettai sold 4.3 million tickets worldwide,
Vettai received mixed to positive reviews. Behindwoods rated the film 2.5/5 and called it a "light hearted film for the holiday season". Sify's critic wrote: "Lingusamy's Vettai is a racy mass entertainer with all the ingredients mixed in the right proposition. No doubt that the director understands the pulse of the common man and has beautifully packaged it with all the essential commercial elements to suit the taste of the masses". Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff gave 2.5/5 and noted: "Vettai is no classic, but it is good fun." The Times of India wrote: "Though there is nothing new in terms of the story or screenplay, the movie is a fun ride as long as it lasts". Rohit Ramachandran of Nowrunning.com rated it 3/5 stating that "Vettai is regular Kollywood stuff superiorly packaged with insurmountable energy.".[52] Deccan chronicle wrote:"The first half moves fast with unlimited entertainment, while the post-interval portions falls along predicted lines and pace suffers". Hindu wrote:"The story isn't out of the ordinary, but Lingusamy knows where to place twists and how. From Run to Sandakkozhi and now to Vettai, his action ventures, with the exception of Bheema and Ji, have screenplays that sustain the interest of the viewer".
Rachel Saltz of The New York Times wrote: "Vettai partakes of the something-for-everyone formula, mixing the serious — corruption, evil gangs and limb-threatening fights — with the less so: songs, romance and comedy. It entertains without breaking any new ground, though it can also surprise".
Remake
The film's remake rights were sold for INR30 million (US$500,000) to Bellamkonda Suresh. The Telugu version was titled Tadakha, directed by Kishore Kumar, casting Naga Chaitanya (playing Arya's role) and Tamannaah (playing Amala's role). The film is also planned to be remade in Hindi by Linguswamy himself with Shahid Kapoor (playing Arya's role).
Awards
Ceremony Category Nominee Result
2nd South Indian International Movie Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role R. Madhavan Won
Best Actor in a Negative Role Ashutosh Rana Nominated
Sources from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhavan
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