Anbirkiniyal

Last updated

Anbirkiniyal
Anbirkiniyal poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Gokul
Based on Helen
Produced by Arun Pandian
Alankar Pandian
Starring Keerthi Pandian
Arun Pandian
Praveen Raja
Cinematography Mahesh Muthuswami
Edited by Pradeep E. Ragav
Music byJaved Riaz
Production
company
A&P Groups
Distributed bySakthi Film Factory [1]
Release date
  • 5 March 2021 (2021-03-05)
Running time
124 minutes [2]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Anbirkiniyal is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language survival thriller film directed by Gokul and produced by Arun and Alankar Pandian. A remake of the Malayalam film Helen (2019), it stars Arun's daughter Keerthi as a woman who accidentally gets locked in a freezer room and fights to stay alive. The film began production in February 2020, and was released in theatres on 5 March 2021 to positive reviews.

Contents

Plot

Anbirkiniyal Sivam, nicknamed Anbu, is a BSc Nursing graduate and attends IELTS coaching classes intended for a job in Canada. She works part-time at The Chicken Hub, a fried chicken fast food restaurant in a mall to pay off her father Sivam's debts. One night, while Anbu's boyfriend Charles Sebastian is driving her home, they are stopped by police who penalise Charles for drunken driving and not wearing a helmet; both are brought to the police station. Sivam is summoned to the station, and is in dismay of seeing his daughter and does not talk to her despite her several attempts of creating conversation.

One night, Anbu has no one to drop her off home from work. She tries to call Sivam, but he is still angry with her. Her workmates are told by their manager to put some stocks in the freezer room which they ask Anbu to do. When closing for the night, the manager unknowingly locks Anbu in the freezer, where the temperature is -18 °C. Unaware of Anbu's predicament, Charles and Sivam search for her, while Anbu fights to stay alive and not die from freezing. The security guard at the front of the mall tells the police that Anbu did not leave the mall. They start looking for her and eventually find her almost dead in the freezer. Anbu survives, and is hospitalised. Sivam thanks the security guard, who tells Sivam that Anbu was the only one who would smile and wave at him.

Cast

Production

In January 2020, it was reported that Arun Pandian would be remaking the Malayalam film Helen (2019), with his daughter Keerthi starring. The film would be his comeback after a long sabbatical, [6] and Keerthi's second film as actress after Thumbaa (2019). [7] It was directed by Gokul, and co-produced by Arun's other daughter Kavita under A&P Groups. [8] [9] The film is Gokul's fifth as director, and first one not based on an original idea. [5] Mathukutty Xavier, the director of the Malayalam original was offered to direct the remake, but refused since he was unable to "imbibe the changes they needed". [10] Cinematography was handled by Mahesh Muthusamy, and editing by Pradeep E Ragav. [8] Principal photography began in February 2020. [11] The film was near completion as of August 2020. [12] Filming ended by February 2021, and the title Anbirkiniyal was announced on 15 February. [8] [13]

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Javed Riaz, with lyrics by Lalithanand. [14]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Un Koodave"Prarthana Indrajith2:28
2."Sanjaaram" Sid Sriram 3:52
3."Aanakatti"Sriram Parthasarathy4:03
4."Deivangal"Sathyaprakash3:08
5."Andraadam"Prarthana Indrajith2:28
Total length:15:59

Release

A press screening for Anbirkiniyal was held on 27 February 2021 at Chennai. [15] [16] The film was released in theatres on 5 March 2021. [17] It was released on Amazon Prime Video on 4 April 2021. [18] The satellite rights were sold to Kalaignar TV. [19]

Reception

M. Suganth of The Times of India praised Anbirkiniyal for its faithfulness to Helen, noting that director Gokul was "content with ensuring that the emotional beats and the thriller elements of the original are transferred competently. The end result is a film that might not match the intensity of the original, but manages to be a compelling watch, especially for those who might not have watched the original". [3] Sify too praised the remake's faithfulness to the original, but said, "Though the remake falls short of the original in the first half, the thriller portions in the second half work well [...] Technically too, the film has matched the original and all the actors have done their parts well." [20] Navein Darshan of Cinema Express rated the film 3 stars out of 5, saying "The solid supporting cast compensates for the unconvincing lead performances in the beginning. They hold the film together". [4] Ranjani Krishnakumar of Firstpost rated it 3.5 stars out of 5, saying "Despite its shortcomings, Anbirkiniyal is a delightful story of a survivor. One that offers hope that with a little effort, all can be good in the world." [21] Critic Malini Mannath wrote, "For those who have watched the earlier version the reboot may seem a tad underwhelming. But for a first-time viewer it could be a refreshing experience." [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Pithamagan</i> 2003 film directed by Bala

Pithamagan is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language action crime drama film written and directed by Bala. The film stars Vikram, Suriya, Laila and Sangeetha. Based on Jayakanthan's short story Nandhavanathil Oru Aandi, it revolves around a man who grew away from civilisation with minimal human contact, and as a result is animalistic.

<i>Pandian</i> (film) 1992 film by S. P. Muthuraman

Pandian is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language action film produced and directed by S. P. Muthuraman and written by Panchu Arunachalam. The film stars Rajinikanth, Khushbu, Janagaraj and Prabhakar. It is a remake of the 1991 Kannada film Bombay Dada which starred Prabhakar, who portrayed the antagonist of this film. The film was released on 25 October 1992 during Diwali and achieved modest success due to competition from other Diwali releases.

<i>Asathal</i> 2001 film by P. Vasu

Asathal is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language comedy film written and directed by P. Vasu. The film stars Sathyaraj and Ramya Krishnan. Produced by Mala Cine Creations and featuring music composed by Bharadwaj, the film was released on 18 May 2001. It is a remake of the 1990 Malayalam film Thoovalsparsham which was earlier remade in Tamil as Thayamma.

<i>Banda Paramasivam</i> 2003 Indian film

Banda Paramasivam is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by T. P. Gajendran and produced by P. T. Selvakumar. The film stars Prabhu, Kalabhavan Mani, Abbas, Rambha, Abhinayashree, and Monica while Manivannan, Vinu Chakravarthy, P. Vasu, and Livingston, among others, play supporting roles. The music was composed by Sirpy, and editing was done by Ganesh Kumar. The film was released on 14 April 2003. It is a remake of the Malayalam film Mattupetti Machan (1998).

<i>Mercury Pookkal</i> 2006 Indian film

Mercury Pookkal is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film, directed by S. S. Stanley starring Srikanth, Meera Jasmine. The music is composed by Karthik Raja. The film's name is based on the Tamil novel of Balakumaran.

<i>Kannadi Pookal</i> 2005 Indian film

Kannadi Pookal is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language film released on 18 February 2005. It was directed by K. Shahjahan, who previously directed Punnagai Desam. The film was a remake of Malayalam film Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum, which in turn was inspired by a real-life incident in Kerala. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Arun Pandian is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician. He began his career as an actor as part of the critically acclaimed film Oomai Vizhigal (1986). After retiring from acting, he took the post of chief producer for the London-based Ayngaran International, a film production and distribution company, however, he later started his own production and distribution company A&P Groups.

<i>Virudhagiri</i> 2010 Indian film

Virudhagiri is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Vijayakanth, making his directorial debut, besides playing the title character as well. This was also his final film in his cinematic career before his full-fledged career into politics. It was later dubbed in Hindi as Inspector Dabangg. It is a remake of the English language French film Taken.

Anbu is a 2003 Indian Tamil romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Dalapathiraj. The film starred Bala and Deepu in the leading roles. It was a below average from films critics and audience.

<i>Rajadurai</i> (film) 1993 Indian film

Rajadurai is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language action drama film, directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar and produced by A. S. Ibrahim Rowther. The film stars Vijayakanth, Jayasudha, Sivaranjani and R. Sundarrajan. It was released on 16 September 1993.

<i>Aranmanai Kaavalan</i> 1994 Indian film

Aranmanai Kaavalan is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Selva Vinayagam. The film stars R. Sarathkumar and Sivaranjani. It was released on 25 February 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gokul (director)</span> Indian film director

Gokul is an Indian film director who works in Tamil cinema. He is known for making entertaining and commercially successful films. His works include Rowthiram, Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara, Kaashmora, Junga, Anbirkiniyal. His upcoming projects include Singapore Saloon and Corona Kumar.

<i>Mutrugai</i> 1993 Indian film

Mutrugai (transl. Siege) is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film, directed by Manobala. The film stars Arun Pandian, Bhanupriya, Ranjitha and Geetha. It was released on 14 January 1993. The film was remade in Hindi as Janta Ki Adalat.

Kaatrukkenna Veli is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language war drama film directed by Pugazhendhi Thangaraj. The film stars Sujitha and Sriman, with Khushbu, C. Arun Pandian, Chandrasekhar, Sudhangan, Sakthi Kumar, Arulmani, Kalairani, Diana and Premi playing supporting roles. The film, produced by T. Vellaiyan, was released on 14 November 2001.

<i>Thumbaa</i> 2019 Indian film directed by Harish Ram

Thumbaa is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language adventure film written and directed by Harish Ram L. H. on his directorial debut. The film stars Darshan, newcomer Keerthi Pandian and Dheena. Produced by Surekha Nyapati, the film was distributed by KJR Studios. The film is set against the backdrop of Western Ghats, and mostly consists of VFX and computer graphics. Principal photography began on 27 December 2018, and was completed on 11 April 2019.

<i>Veettai Paaru Naattai Paaru</i> 1994 film by Thulasidas

Veettai Paaru Naattai Paaru is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language political satire film directed by Thulasidas. A remake of the Malayalam film Sandesam (1991), it stars Sivakumar, Saravanan, Thalaivasal Vijay and Jayanthi. The film was released on 5 February 1994.

Ulla Kadathal is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Pugazhendhi Thangaraj. The film stars Vignesh, Yugendran, and Kutty Radhika, with Pandu, Suja Varunee, Priyadarshini and Malaysia Vasudevan playing supporting roles. It was released on 18 February 2005.

<i>Helen</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Mathukkutty Xavier

Helen is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language survival thriller film directed by Mathukutty Xavier and produced by Vineeth Sreenivasan under the companies Habit of Life and Big Bang Entertainments. The film stars Anna Ben in the title role, while Lal, Noble Babu Thomas, Aju Varghese, Rony David and Binu Pappu appears in supporting roles. It was written by Alfred Kurian Joseph, Noble Babu Thomas and Mathukutty Xavier. Its soundtrack was composed by Shaan Rahman.

Pradeep E. Ragav is an Indian film editor, who works predominantly in the Tamil film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keerthi Pandian</span> Indian actress

Keerthi Pandian is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Tamil films. After a brief career as a dancer and theatre actress, she made her film acting debut in 2019 with Thumbaa. She then garnered critical acclaim for her performance in the survival thriller film Anbirkiniyal directed by Gokul. She is also the daughter of actor and politician Arun Pandian and the cousin of actress Ramya Pandian.

References

  1. ↑ Sakthi Film Factory [@SakthiFilmFctry] (24 February 2021). "We are extremely elated to bag Tamil Nadu Theatrical rights of #Anbirkiniyal. A beautiful tale about power of a woman A @SakthiFilmFctry @sakthivelan_b Release" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Mannath, Malini (5 March 2021). "Review- Anbirkiniyal". Malini Mannath. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Suganth, M (27 February 2021). "Anbirkiniyal Movie Review : This remake of Helen is an engaging watch". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Darshan, Navein (5 March 2021). "Anbirkiniyal Movie Review: A satisfying remake with an extra pinch of drama". Cinema Express . Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 நாகப்பன், க. (2 March 2021). "முதல் பார்வை: அன்பிற்கினியாள்". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  6. ↑ "Arun Pandian to remake this blockbuster for his daughter". Thandora Times. 27 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "Keerthi Pandian signs her second film in Tamil". DT Next . 8 February 2020. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 "Tamil remake of 'Helen' titled 'Anbirkiniyal'". The Times of India . 16 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Arun Pandian to make a comeback with Helen remake". Cinema Express . 7 February 2020. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  10. ↑ Pellissery, Deepthi (30 November 2021). "How 'Helen' reached Bollywood as 'Mili' | Interview with Mathukutty Xavier". Onmanorama . Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "Malayalam film 'Helen' gets a Tamil remake!". Sify . 7 February 2020. Archived from the original on 9 March 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  12. ↑ "Keerthi Pandian & Arun Pandian's Tamil remake of Helen nearing completion". The Times of India . 3 August 2020. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  13. ↑ "Helen Tamil remake titled Anbirkiniyal". Cinema Express . 15 February 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "Anbirkiniyal". Gaana . Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  15. ↑ Sreedhar Pillai [@sri50] (28 February 2021). "#Anbirkiniyal From March 5th in theatres worldwide. It had a big premiere on Saturday evening" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ↑ "என் மகளுக்கு கொடுத்த பரிசு – Arun Pandian நெகிழ்ச்சி..!". Kalakkal Cinema (in Tamil). 28 February 2021. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  17. ↑ "Keerthi Pandian's Anbirkiniyal gets U certificate; all set to release on THIS date". Zoom . 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  18. ↑ "New on Amazon Prime this week: 'Manifest', 'Anbirkiniyal' and more". The Hindu . 30 March 2021. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  19. ↑ "Back-to-back business for Kalaignar TV with new Tamil movies!". Moviecrow. 14 August 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  20. ↑ "Anbirkiniyal review: A feel-good survival drama". Sify . 1 March 2021. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  21. ↑ Krishnakumar, Ranjani (4 April 2021). "Anbirkiniyal review: Keerthy Pandian shines in this chilling, satisfying film featuring vignettes of urban life". Firstpost . Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
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.