A1 (film)

Last updated

A1
A1 poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohnson K
Written byJohnson K
Produced byS. Raj Narayanan
Starring Santhanam
Tara Alisha Berry
CinematographyGopi Jagadeeswaran
Edited by Leo John Paul
Music by Santhosh Narayanan
Production
company
CircleBox Entertainment
Distributed by18 Reels
Release date
  • 26 July 2019 (2019-07-26)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

A1: Accused No. 1 is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Johnson K in his directorial debut. [1] The film stars Santhanam and Tara Alisha Berry. Producer S. Raj Narayanan of CircleBox Entertainment has produced this movie. The music for the film is composed by Santhosh Narayanan and cinematography is handled by Gopi Jagadeeswaran. The movie was edited by Leo John Paul, song lyrics were penned by Rokesh, art direction was executed by A. Raja, dance choreography by Kalyan and Sandy, and stunts by Hari Dinesh. Principal photography commenced around October 2018. The film was released on 26 July 2019. [2] A1 received positive reviews from critics and became a box-office success.

Contents

Plot

Saravanan a.k.a. Saro is a happy-go-lucky guy and retail cloth store owner, from North Chennai. IT employee Divya is the only daughter of an honest and respected Tehsildar Anantharaman. Divya wishes to marry a rogue but has a condition that he should be from her same Brahmin community. Divya spots Saro fighting with a few goons and immediately develops a liking towards him as she mistakes him to be a Brahmin since he is sporting a naamam on forehead that day. Divya proposes to Saro, and they both start dating.

Weeks later Divya finds out that Saro is not a Brahmin and decides to break up. Saro gets angry but decides to break up as Divya is strong in her decision of marrying only a Brahmin. Few days later Anantharaman gets a heart attack while walking on the street. Saro spots Anantharaman struggling and saves him by admitting in the hospital at the right time. Divya gets to know that it was Saro who saved her father in a timely manner, which makes her patch up with Saro again.

Saro and family meet with Anantharaman for a marriage proposal, but Anantharaman turns it down, citing caste differences. Divya does not want to go against her father's wishes as she respects her father a lot. Saro challenges Divya that every human has an evil side and her father is not an exception, to which Divya does not agree. Saro gets frustrated because of the breakup and is drunk. He discusses with his friends that he wants to kill Anantharaman as he is the main villain for his love.

The next day, Saro's drunk friends decide to kidnap and kill Anantharaman as they are thinking of helping Saro. They kidnap Anantharaman while he is out for jogging but forcefully feed him poison, following which he faints. Saro gets angered upon knowing his friends’ foolish plan and scolds them for their actions. However, to safeguard him and his friends, Saro takes Anantharaman's body to Divya's house and lies that her father passed away due to a heart attack while jogging.

Everyone gathers for the cremation ceremony of Anantharaman. Saro tries hard to pretend that no one finds out the truth about his friends’ involvement in the murder. A police inspector finds the suspicious and takes them to the spot where they supposedly found the body. He figures out their action and plans to arrest them. In the ensuing melee, the inspector accidentally shoots an ex-MLA who was peeing afar, and the gang escapes from him. As they reach Divya's house, Saro's friend discloses that they have mistakenly fed him anesthesia instead of poison, and so Anantharaman should only be in an unconscious state and is not dead yet. Saro gets even more angry as his friends have put him in bigger trouble.

Suddenly, there comes a couple of women claiming them to be Anantharaman's wives. One of them is a fish vendor, while other one is a young north India woman with an infant son. Divya gets shocked upon knowing that her father had extramarital affairs with a few women. Now slowly, Anantharaman wakes up as the anesthesia's effect is recovered and is shocked to see all of his women together. He tries to convince them but ends up getting bashed. Saro uses this situation to his advantage and informs Divya that this drama was set by him to prove that every human has an evil side. Finally, Saro joins with Divya.

Cast

Production

The film was announced by the production house "CircleBox Entertainment". Debutant director Johnson K who was known for his works in Nalaiya Iyakkunar has cast Santhanam in the lead role. The filming began during October 2018 with extensively set in North Chennai. [3]

Soundtrack

A1
Soundtrack album by
Santhosh Narayanan
Released24 May 2019
Recorded2019
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length12:01
Language Tamil
Label Think Music
Producer Santhosh Narayanan
Santhosh Narayanan chronology
Vada Chennai
(2018)		A1
(2019)		 Otha Seruppu Size 7
(2019)

The music is composed by Santhosh Narayanan and the lyrics were written by Rokesh, GKB and Sean Roldan. The audio rights were sold to Think Music. The songs were released on 24 May 2019, at Suryan FM Radio Station in Chennai with the film's cast and crew. [4] The track "Maalai Nera Mallipoo" is reused from the song "Melam Moge" from the Telugu film Billa Ranga (2013). Both songs composed by Santhosh Narayanan and sung by Chinna.[ citation needed ]

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Chitukku Chitukku" Rokesh Santhosh Narayanan 3:46
2."Maalai Nera" GKB Chinna, Arunraja Kamaraj 2:58
3."Priya Priya" Rokesh Gana Muthu, Isaivani3:26
4."Aatha Valikkudu" Sean Roldan Sean Roldan 1:41
Total length:12:01

Reception

Critical reception

A1 received positive reviews from the audience. [5] Anupama Subramaniam of Deccan Chronicle wrote "Santhanam delivers a stress-buster. If you'd want a movie that is akin to a stress buster, then A1 should be your choice after a heavy workday." [6] Sridhar Pillai in Firstpost says "Santhanam's film is an engaging slapstick comedy not concerned with drama or plot." [7] Thinkal Menon in The Times of India wrote "The plot as such offers nothing new, but A1 provides ample entertainment, thanks to the chemistry between Santhanam, MS Bhaskar, Thangadurai, Manohar and Saikumar." [8] Behindwoods rated 2.5 out of 5 stars stating "Santhanam & Co's comedy one-liners throughout make 'A1' an engaging watch". [9] The Hindu stated "At 109 minutes, this chaotic film is a careful manifestation of problematic ideas, masquerading in the name of harmless comedy". [10] IndiaGlitz rated 2.8 out of 5 stars stating "Go for it without any expectations and enjoy an energetic Santhanam and gang's time pass entertainer". [11] Film Companion stated "Does the story make sense? Not for a second. In fact the whole second half plays out like one long Lollu Sabha sketch. Do the characters have arcs? Not even remotely". [12] The New Indian Express rated 2.5 out of 5 stars stating "A1's teasers proclaimed that humour is the only thing that you should look for from it". [13] Sify rated 3 out of 5 stars stating "Popcorn entertainer". [14] The Indian Express rated 1.5 out of 5 stars stating "A1 has plenty of Lollu Sabha jokes and Santhanam delivers them in his style—but those are the same old things we saw in Inimey Ippadithaan, Sakka Podu Podu Raja and Dhilluku Dhuddu 2". [15] The News Minute rated 2 out of 5 stars stating "'A1' offers some laughs and exposes people's hypocrisy; the lack of layers is easily explained – this is a Santhanam film and not lasagna". [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santhanam (actor)</span> Indian actor and film producer

Santhanam is an Indian actor and producer who mainly works in Tamil cinema. Beginning his career as a comedian on television, he rose to fame through his performances in STAR Vijay's Lollu Sabha enacting the lead role in spoofs of Tamil films. He was subsequently given a chance by actor Silambarasan to feature in a supporting role in Manmadhan (2004) and then was signed on to appear in a host of films, notably winning good reviews for his work in Sachien (2005) and Polladhavan (2007). He appeared in a one-off leading role in Shankar's production Arai En 305-il Kadavul (2008) and became a staple feature as a comedian in successful Tamil films during the period, with his market popularity helping stuck films find distributors.

<i>Boss Engira Bhaskaran</i> 2010 Indian film

Boss Engira Bhaskaran is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by M. Rajesh who earlier directed Siva Manasula Sakthi (2009). Starring Arya, Nayanthara and Santhanam in lead roles, the film is produced by K. S. Sreenivasan and features music scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja and cinematography handled by Sakthi Saravanan.

<i>Siruthai</i> 2011 film directed by Siva

Siruthai (transl. Cheetah) is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Siva. It is a remake of the 2006 Telugu film Vikramarkudu, directed by S. S. Rajamouli. It stars Karthi playing dual roles, alongside Tamannaah Bhatia and comedian Santhanam. The film was produced by K. E. Gnanavelraja and features music by Vidyasagar. The story revolves around "Rocket" Raja, a petty thief who comes across a little girl says that he's her father. When he learns the truth about his lookalike Rathnavel Pandian, who's an honest cop, he decides to turn a new leaf and help get rid of a crime gang.

<i>Alex Pandian</i> 2013 film directed by Suraj

Alex Pandian is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Suraj and produced by K. E. Gnanavel Raja. The film features Karthi as the titular character along with Anushka Shetty, while Santhanam, Milind Soman, and Suman, among others, play supporting roles. The music was composed by Devi Sri Prasad. The film released on 11 January 2013.

<i>Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya</i> 2013 Tamil comedy film

Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya also known as KLTA, is an Indian 2013 Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by KS Manikandan. It stars Santhanam, Srinivasan, newcomer Sethu and Vishakha Singh. The film marked Santhanam's venture into film production with his Handmade Films. The film was co-produced by Rama Narayanan while S. Thaman scored the film soundtrack. The plot revolves around three friends who fall for the same girl, who has just moved into their neighbourhood. The movie released on 13 January 2013 to positive reviews and became a blockbuster and pongal winner of 2013 at the box office. The movie is based on Indru Poi Naalai Vaa by K. Bhagyaraj.

<i>Attakathi</i> 2012 Indian film

Attakathi is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Pa. Ranjith, a former assistant of Venkat Prabhu. Produced by C. V. Kumar, it stars Dinesh, Nandita Swetha and Aishwarya Rajesh. The film garnered attention after being praised and promoted by several acclaimed directors. Attakathi fetched positive reviews and emerged successful at the box office.

<i>Pattathu Yaanai</i> 2013 Indian film

Pattathu Yaanai is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by Boopathy Pandian and produced by Michael Rayappan.

<i>Enakkul Oruvan</i> (2015 film) 2015 Indian film

Enakkul Oruvan is a 2015 Tamil-language psychological drama film directed by debutant Prasad Ramar and produced by C. V. Kumar. A remake of the 2013 Kannada film Lucia directed by Pawan Kumar, the film stars Siddharth and Deepa Sannidhi, with Santhosh Narayanan composing the film's music. It is the 25th film of Siddharth. The film was released on 6 March 2015. Telugu version of the film is titled as Naalo Okkadu.

<i>Vasuvum Saravananum Onna Padichavanga</i> 2015 film directed by M. Rajesh

Vasuvum Saravananum Onna Padichavanga also known by the initialism VSOP, is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by M. Rajesh. It stars Arya, Tamannaah Bhatia, Santhanam and Muktha. Arya produced the film through his studio The Show People, associating with Prasad V Potluri's PVP cinema. The soundtrack was composed by D. Imman. Nirav Shah and Vivek Harshan handled cinematography and editing, respectively. The film began production in November 2014 and was released on 14 August 2015 to mixed reviews.

<i>36 Vayadhinile</i> 2015 Indian Tamil-language film by Rosshan Andrrews

36 Vayadhinile is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by Rosshan Andrrews, which is a remake of his own Malayalam film How Old Are You (2014), and produced by Suriya Sivakumar under his production studio 2D Entertainment, marking his debut as a producer. The film stars Jyothika marking her comeback to films after an eight-year hiatus, while Rahman, Abhirami, Nassar, Delhi Ganesh and Siddhartha Basu appear in other prominent roles. The film's soundtrack was composed by Santhosh Narayanan, with cinematography and editing handled by R. Diwakaran and Mahesh Narayanan respectively. The film released on 15 May 2015 and met with positive reviews by praising Jyothika's performances, emotional weight, social message. she was awarded Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress at 63rd Britannia South Filmfare Awards.

<i>Inimey Ippadithan</i> 2015 film

Inimey Ippadithan is a 2015 Indian Tamil language romantic comedy film written and directed by the duo Muruganand of Lollu Sabha fame. Santhanam, who also produced the film, plays the lead role in it, alongside Ashna Zaveri and Akhila Kishore. The film opened to positive reviews and became a commercial hit. It was dubbed in Hindi as Hyper 2 by Goldmines Telefilms on 9 January 2020.

<i>Dhilluku Dhuddu</i> 2016 Indian film

Dhilluku Dhuddu is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film directed by Rambala and produced by Sri Thenandal Films. The film features starring Santhanam and Anchal Singh in the leading roles, while Saurabh Shukla appears in a pivotal role. Featuring music composed by S. Thaman, Dhilluku Dhuddu began production in November 2015 and released on 7 July 2016 to positive response and turned to be successful at box office. The film was later dubbed in Hindi as Raj Mahal 3 in 2017. The film was dubbed in Telugu as Dammunte Sommera in 2018. The film was remade in Kannada in 2019 as Gimmick starring Ganesh.

<i>Server Sundaram</i> (unreleased film) Indian film

Server Sundaram is an unreleased Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Anand Balki, and produced by J. Selvakumar. The film stars Santhanam, Vaibhavi Shandilya and Snehan. It was filmed in 2016, but failed to have a theatrical release due to distribution issues.

<i>Enakku Vaaitha Adimaigal</i> 2017 Tamil film by Mahendran Rajamani

Enakku Vaaitha Adimaigal is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film written and directed by Mahendran Rajamani and produced by Shan Sutharsan. The film stars Jai and Pranitha, with Karunakaran, Kaali Venkat and Naveen George Thomas in supporting roles. Featuring music composed by Santhosh Dhayanidhi and cinematography by Mahesh Muthuswami, the film began production during June 2016 and was released on 2 February 2017.

<i>Silukkuvarupatti Singam</i> 2018 film directed by Chella Ayyavu

Silukkuvarupatti Singam is a 2018 Indian Tamil language action comedy film written and directed by Chella Ayyavu. Produced by Vishnu Vishal, the film also features Vishnu in the lead role alongside Regina Cassandra. P. Ravi Shankar, Anandaraj, Yogi Babu, Karunakaran, Livingston, and Mansoor Ali Khan, among others, form an ensemble cast. The film features Leon James as composer, Ruben as editor, and Laxman Kumar as cinematographer. The venture began production in February 2017 and released on 21 December 2018. Upon release, the film received mixed to positive reviews from the critics.

<i>50/50</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Krishna Sai

50/50 is an 2019 Indian Tamil-language horror comedy film directed by Krishna Sai, who previously directed the Kannada film Traya (2019). The film stars Yogi Babu, Sethu, Shruthi Ramakrishnan, Bavithra, and Shreya Gupta. This film marks Ramakrishna's return to Tamil cinema after a sabbatical and Bavithra's lead film debut. This was Sethu's final film as actor.

<i>Kaatteri</i> 2022 film directed by Deekay

Kaatteri is an 2022 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film written and directed by Deekay and produced by K. E. Gnanavel Raja under his production banner Studio Green. The film stars Vaibhav, Sonam Bajwa, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Aathmika, while Karunakaran, Ravi Mariya, and Kutty Gopi play supporting roles. The film's music is composed by S. N. Prasad with editing by Praveen K. L. and cinematography by Vignesh Vasu. The film released theatrically on 5 August 2022 and was a box-office bomb.

<i>Maniyarayile Ashokan</i> 2020 Malayalam romantic comedy film

Maniyarayile Ashokan is a 2020 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film directed by Shamzu Zayba. The film stars Jacob Gregory and Anupama Parameswaran. The cast also includes Krishna Sankar and Shine Tom Chacko. The film was produced by Gregory and Dulquer Salmaan, in his newly established production company Wayfarer Films, who made a cameo appearance along with Nazriya Nazim and Anu Sithara as other characters.

<i>Parris Jeyaraj</i> 2021 Indian film by Johnson K

Parris Jeyaraj is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film, directed by Johnson K, and produced by K Kumar. The film stars Santhanam and Anaika Soti, with Prudhvi Raj and Motta Rajendran appearing in supporting roles. The film's music is composed by Santhosh Narayanan, with cinematography handled by Arthur A. Wilson and editing by Prakash Babu. It was released on 12 February 2021, opening mixed to positive reviews and it became a success in the box office.

<i>Gulu Gulu</i> 2022 Indian film

Gulu Gulu is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language road action comedy film written and directed by Rathna Kumar and produced by Raj Narayanan's banner Circle Box Entertainment. The film was distributed by Udhayanidhi Stalin under his banner Red Giant Movies. The film stars Santhanam and Athulya Chandra. The music is composed by Santhosh Narayanan with cinematography handled by Vijay Kartik Kannan and editing by Philomin Raj. The film was released theatrically on 29 July 2022 to mixed reviews from critics and audiences.

References

  1. ↑ Lakshmi, V (2 March 2019). "Santhanam's next titled 'A1'". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  2. ↑ "வித்தியாசமான டைட்டிலுடன் வெளியான சந்தானம் படத்தின் ஃபர்ஸ்ட் லுக்!". News18 Tamil. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  3. ↑ Subramanian, Anupama (3 March 2019). "Santhanam as North Chennai guy in A 1". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  4. ↑ A1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Santhosh Narayanan , retrieved 10 January 2020
  5. ↑ Upadhyaya, Prakash (26 July 2019). "A1 - Accused No 1 movie review: Here's what cine-goers say about Santhanam's film". www.ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  6. ↑ Subramanian, Anupama (28 July 2019). "A1 movie review: Santhanam delivers a stress-buster". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Accused No 1 movie review: Santhanam's film is an engaging slapstick comedy not concerned with drama or plot". Firstpost. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  8. ↑ A1: Accused No. 1 Movie Review {3.0/5}: Critic Review of A1: Accused No. 1 by Times of India , retrieved 22 March 2020
  9. ↑ "A1 MOVIE REVIEW". Behindwoods. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  10. ↑ "'A1' movie review: Santhanam destroys every woke mind with a barrage of regressive tropes". The Hindu. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "A1 Review". IndiaGlitz. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "A1: Accused No.1 Movie Review: A Pointless, But Wildly Funny Comedy That's Impossible To Take Seriously". Film Companion. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  13. ↑ "'A1' review: Santhanam's humour bails this film out". The New Indian Express. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "A1: Accused No.1 review: A jolly timepass entertainer". Sify. 26 July 2019. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  15. ↑ "A1 movie review: No magic, no logic". The Indian Express. 28 July 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "'A1' review: Santhanam's comedy film is half-boil only". The News Minute. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.