Chennai 600028

Last updated

Chennai 600028
Chennai 600028.jpg
Poster
Directed by Venkat Prabhu
Written byVenkat Prabhu
Produced by S. P. B. Charan
J. K. Saravana
Starring Jai
Shiva
Premji
Nithin Sathya
Aravind Akash
Vijay Vasanth
Vijayalakshmi Feroz
Ajay Raj
Narrated by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Cinematography Sakthi Saravanan
Edited byFilm editor:
B. Lenin
Digital & Avid editor:
Praveen K. L.
N. B. Srikanth
Music byBackground score:
Premji Amaren
Original songs:
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Production
company
Distributed byTantra Films
Release date
  • 27 April 2007 (2007-04-27)
Running time
141 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget 1.65 crore [1]

Chennai 600028 is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language sports comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu in his directorial debut. It stars Jai , Shiva, Premji, Aravind Akash, Nithin Sathya and newcomers Ajay Raj, Vijay Vasanth, Prasanna, Inigo Prabakaran, Karthik and Arun in the lead along with Vijayalakshmi Feroz and Kristine Zedek, making their acting debuts as well. The film was produced by S. P. B. Charan along with J. K. Saravana, a Singapore-based award-winning producer. [2] The film's score and soundtrack were composed by Premji Amaran and Yuvan Shankar Raja respectively.

Contents

The film is based on street cricket played in India, focusing on various themes such as friendship, love and rivalry in a suburban area. [3] Following its theatrical release on 27 April 2007, it received critical acclaim and emerged as a surprise sleeper hit, running successfully for more than one year in theatres, [3] [4] while going on to achieve cult status in the subsequent years. [5] The film's title is derived from the pincode for Mandaveli, a suburb of Chennai, where the story takes place. The success of the film gained the relatively unknown actors – Jai, Shiva, Premji and Nithin Sathya, newcomers Vijayalakshmi and Vijay Vasanth and the director Venkat Prabhu popularity. [6]

The film was also remade in Bengali as Le Chakka (2010), in Sinhalese as Super Six (2012), and in Kannada as Bangalore 560023 (2015). A sequel to the film, Chennai 600028 II: Second Innings, was released in 2016.

Plot

The story revolves around two local cricket league teams that compete against each other in local matches and consider each other as sworn enemies. Royapuram Rockers are on top of the chain and keep bashing the Sharks year after year. The heroes of the movie are the Sharks' team.

The story begins when Raghu's parents move from Royapuram to Visalakshi Thottam, Chennai 600028. Raghu is a member of the Royapuram Rockers cricket team, and a college student living with his parents. He has no choice but to move with them, although he detests the area. He is not very excited at the prospect of living in the same area as his sworn enemies. Raghu is faithful to his teammates, but they ignore him because of the distance. Angered at being replaced by a new guy in the team in one of the matches, Raghu estranges himself from cricket and the Rockers.

Raghu informs him of Pazhani's sister Selvi's love for Karthik. This incident initiates Raghu's friendship with a few Sharks team players and eventually gets him induced into the team. Raghu practices with the Sharks to play against the Rockers in the upcoming Radio Mirchi trophy. Pazhani, who soon learns of his sister and Karthik's love affair is disappointed and then there is a tiff amongst the friends. The team splits up for a while, but Karthik apologises to Pazhani and they make up. The team reunites and starts practising for the trophy once again. Unfortunately, Karthik is stabbed by his brother's enemies and is rendered unfit to play the match. Pazhani replaces Karthik as the captain and the team heads for the match.

Under tight pressure and with a nail-biting finish, the Sharks finally defeated the Rockers in the semi-finals of the tournament. In the finals, they meet their enemies, a group of school kids named Bad Boys-II who practice by shirking school to play cricket on the beach. The kids are really good, and the Sharks know it because they have lost badly to them once before.

The movie ends with the team really struggling to keep up in the game.

Cast

Production

Chennai 600028 is the directorial debut of Venkat Prabhu. [7] The film was initially Enga Area Ulla Varaadha (Do not enter our territory), but lyricist Vaali was critical of the idea, feeling that the title was "negative" sounding. Subsequently, the film was retitled Chennai 600028, with the idea of including the postal code taken from the title of the American television series Beverly Hills, 90210 . [8] Venkat Prabhu felt the new title was "more apt and universal". [9]

Soundtrack

The film's score was composed by Venkat Prabhu's brother, Premji Amaran, while his cousin, Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the soundtrack, which also featured two tracks that were rearranged by Premji. The soundtrack album, featuring 9 tracks, released on 19 February 2007 in India and four days later in Singapore and Malaysia, on 23 February 2007. [10] The audio was launched at the radio station Radio Mirchi, broadcasting all the songs live, which was said to be the first time in India. [10] The lyrics were written by 'Kavignar' Vaali and Gangai Amaran, father of Venkat Prabhu. Also, composer Yuvan Shankar Raja penned the lyrics for the song "Natpukullae", besides singing it. 19 singers had rendered their voice for the songs, including Yogi B, DJ Funky Sathiya and SilveStar, two Singaporean rappers, actor Karunas, director Venkat Prabhu and producer S. P. B. Charan.

The album was both critically acclaimed and gained immense popularity upon its release, being described as, "excellent", a "rocking album" [11] and one of the "aesthetic highlights" of the film. [12] The songs were said to be a big hit as reportedly 25000 CDs were sold on the very first day, [13] "ruling the charts" worldwide. [14] The songs "Jalsa" and "Saroja Saman Nikalo" were "rocking the dance floors". [15]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Ulle Vaa" Vaali Yuvan Shankar Raja Yuvan Shankar Raja, Yogi B, DJ Funky Sathiya, SILVEstar3:51
2."Un Parvai"VaaliYuvan Shankar Raja Vijay Yesudas 4:09
3."Natpukkullae" Yuvan Shankar Raja Yuvan Shankar Raja Yuvan Shankar Raja 2:36
4."Yaaro" (Love Theme)VaaliYuvan Shankar Raja S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra 5:15
5."Jalsa" Gangai Amaran Yuvan Shankar Raja Ranjith, Tippu, Premgi Amaren, Haricharan, Karthik 3:57
6."Oh! Oh! Ennanamo"VaaliYuvan Shankar Raja Anushka Manchanda 4:06
7."Yaaro" (Friendship Theme)Vaali Yuvan Shankar Raja S. P. B. Charan, Venkat Prabhu 5:01
8."Jalsa" (Remix)Gangai AmaranYuvan Shankar Raja (Remixed by Premgi Amaran) Sabesh, Gana Ulaganathan, Gana Pazhani, Karunas, Premgi Amaren 4:08
9."Saroja Saman Nikalo"Gangai AmaranYuvan Shankar Raja Shankar Mahadevan, Premgi Amaren 4:15
Total length:37:20

Release and reception

Chennai 600028 was released on 27 April 2007.[ citation needed ] Sify in their review stated that "All the guys who acted in the film are candid and have let their hair down. RJ Shiva is the surprise packet in the film. Venkat Prabhu deserves a pat on his back for making a breezy fun movie which highlights the fact that cricket in India which is a religion for many is also won through team spirit and sacrifice. So go ahead, make your matinee and enjoy the match." [16] Baradwaj Rangan reviewed the film as "A street-cricket saga from a bunch of no-names comes out of nowhere and knocks your socks off." [17] Writing for Rediff.com , Sriram Iyer stated "The movie is a result of a perfect team effort in every sense. A perfect entertainer, not to be missed." [18] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu wrote "Every city youngster would have experienced one or the other situation projected in `Chennai ... ' And that's the film's USP. Venkat Prabhu has shown that without a glowing star cast or formulaic gibberish, enjoyable films can be made. Down-to-earth approach and levity are Prabhu's strengths. `Chennai 600028' is proof enough." [19] Malini Mannath of Chennai Online wrote, "It's an interestingly scripted and narrated tale from producer-director duo of S P B Charan (his third production) and Venkat Prabhu. No doubt the takings at times are a bit amateurish. Also, the debutant director has done his bit of experimentation, breaking away from the grammar of conventional film-making. But all this has worked to the film's advantage. For, there is a candid, realistic feel to the whole narrative. The unconventional camera movements and angles (debutant Shakti Saravanan), and the slick editing (Lenin) all add to the effect. Yuvan Shanker Raja's songs too blend in well." [20] Lajjavathi of Kalki praised the acting of debutants, Venkat Prabhu's direction, Sakthi saravanan's cinematography and Yuvan Shankar Raja's music and concluded calling it perfect jolly treatment for youth. [21]

The film emerged a sleeper hit at the box office, and also attained cult status, in coming years. [4] [3] The film's 100th day celebrations, took place in early August 2007 at Chennai Trade Centre, with Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan being the chief guest. [22] The film was later dubbed in Telugu as Kodithe Kottalira in 2009. [23]

Remakes

The film was remade in Bengali as Le Chakka (2009), [24] and in Kannada as Bangalore 560023 (2015). The film was also remade in Sinhalese as Super Six in 2012. [25]

Awards and nominations

Vijay Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards

Sequel

A sequel to Chennai 600028 was released on 9 December 2016. It features several cast members from the earlier film including Jai, Shiva, Premji, Aravind Akash and Nithin Sathya. Actors Vaibhav, Subbu Panchu, Abhinay Vaddi were chosen to play supporting roles in the film. [26] [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuvan Shankar Raja</span> Indian composer and playback singer (born 1979)

Abdul Khaliq, known professionally by his birth name Yuvan Shankar Raja, is an Indian composer and playback singer. He mainly scores music for Tamil films along with few Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi films. Considered a versatile composer, he is particularly known for his use of Western music elements and often credited with having introduced hip hop to the Tamil film and music industry and started the "era of remixes" in Tamil Nadu which included mixed EDM and jazz. He is frequently referred to as the "BGM King" and the "Young Maestro" of Tamil Film Music. Yuvan has won two Filmfare Awards South, five Mirchi Music Awards South, three Vijay Awards and two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venkat Prabhu</span> Indian film director, actor, playback singer (born 1975)

Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren(born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian film director, actor and playback singer in Tamil cinema. After completing his education, he began pursuing an acting career, with his first three ventures featuring him in a starring role, failing to release, following which he began appearing in character roles.

Prem Kumar Gangai Amaren, better known as Premgi or Premji is an Indian singer, composer, songwriter, actor and comedian. The son of composer and director Gangai Amaran, he often composes rap songs in Tamil cinema and is known for his comical performances in his elder brother's films. His stage name, Premgi, is actually a spelling error, as it is meant to be "Prem G.", the G standing for his father. He is also best known for his catchphrases Enna Koduma Sir Idhu ? and Evvalavo pannitom, itha panna mattoma, the former being a modified version of a famous dialogue used by Prabhu in Chandramukhi (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nithin Sathya</span> Indian actor

Nithin Sathya is an Indian actor, film producer. He works primarily in Tamil Cinema. He made his film debut in Kalatpadai, directed by J. Ramesh, in 2003. He acted with Kamal Hassan in a small role in the Tamil comedy film Vasool Raja MBBS, directed by Saran. His next film was Ji (2005), with Ajith Kumar, directed by N. Linguswamy.

<i>Saroja</i> (2008 film) 2008 Indian Tamil-language comedy thriller film by Venkat Prabhu

Saroja is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language comedy thriller film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by T. Siva. It stars Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Shiva, Vaibhav, Premji, S. P. Charan and Vega Tamotia as the title character, while Sampath Raj, Nikita Thukral, Bose Venkat and Kajal Aggarwal play other vital roles. Several other popular Tamil television artists and crew members make special appearances throughout the film. The score and soundtrack were composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja with cinematography by Sakthi Saravanan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiva (actor)</span> Indian film actor, comedian, radio jockey, dialogue writer

Shiva is an Indian actor, radio jockey, and dialogue writer. He has featured in several Tamil language films. Prior to his acting career, Shiva worked as a radio jockey with Radio Mirchi. Acting mainly in comedy films, he rose to fame following his performances in the Venkat Prabhu directorials Chennai 600028 and Saroja, before also featuring in Thamizh Padam. His tenure with Radio Mirchi earned him the nickname Mirchi Shiva. He is humorously called by fans as Agila Ulaga Superstar.

<i>Goa</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Venkat Prabhu

Goa is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written by Sampath Ravi and directed by Venkat Prabhu in his third directorial project. Starring his regular cast consisting of Jai, Vaibhav, and Premji along with Aravind Akash, Sampath Raj, Piaa Bajpai, Sneha, and the debutant Australian model Melanie Marie in other roles, the film is the first production of Soundarya Rajinikanth's Ocher Picture Productions. Actors Silambarasan Rajendar, Nayantara and Prasanna make guest appearances in the film, which features music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, whilst cinematography is handled by Sakthi Saravanan and the film is edited by K. L. Praveen and N. B. Srikanth.

Kadhal Samrajyam (transl. Empire of Love_ is an unreleased Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film which was shot from 2001 onwards. The film, directed by Agathiyan and produced by Panchu Arunachalam's son, Subbu Panchu, starred an array of children of famous actors and technicians. The film was launched and completed in 2002 and is ready for release, but, despite the release of the soundtrack and the trailer, it is yet to see the lights of day. It should have been the debut film of Aravind, Charan, Anjana, Venkat Prabhu and Santhoshi, but due to the delay of the film's release they got introduced into the film industry in different ways and through other films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vijay Vasanth</span> Indian politician

Vijay Vasanth is an Indian politician who is a Member of Parliament from Kanyakumari Loksabha constituency. He contested and won the bypoll that took place for Kanyakumari Loksabha constituency in May 2021. He is a former actor who had worked in Tamil language films. He is the son of the late politician and entrepreneur H. Vasanthakumar and is the managing director of Vasanth & Co.

The Vijay for Best Director is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films.

<i>Goa</i> (soundtrack) 2010 soundtrack album by Yuvan Shankar Raja

Goa is the soundtrack album by Yuvan Shankar Raja to the 2010 romantic comedy film of the same name, directed by Venkat Prabhu, and produced by Soundarya Rajinikanth's Ocher Studios, starring Jai, Vaibhav, Premji Amaran, Sneha, Piaa Bajpai and Melanie Marie Jobstreibitzer in prominent roles.

<i>Mankatha</i> 2011 film by Venkat Prabhu

Mankatha is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by Dayanidhi Azhagiri under Cloud Nine Movies. The film stars Ajith Kumar in his 50th credited film, alongside an ensemble cast of Arjun Sarja, Trisha, Raai Laxmi, Anjali, Andrea Jeremiah, Ashwin Kakumanu, Vaibhav Reddy, Premji Amaren, Mahat Raghavendra, Jayaprakash, Aravind Akash and Subbu Panchu. The music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, while cinematography and editing were handled by Sakthi Saravanan and Praveen K. L.-N. B. Srikanth. Set in Mumbai, the film revolves around a heist of cricket betting money, carried out by a gang of four thieves, who are joined by a fifth man, and its aftermath. The title is a reference to a card game used in betting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuvan – Live in Concert</span>

Yuvan – Live in Concert is a concert by Indian musician Yuvan Shankar Raja. The concert, Yuvan's second in his career, took place on Pongal, 16 January 2011 at the YMCA Grounds, Nandanam, Chennai. Following the announcement, popular Tamil television STAR Vijay agreed to collaborate, sponsoring, organising and marketing the concert, while airing a special television series about Yuvan Shankar Raja, with family members and prominent celebrities closely associated to him participating, besides producing a promotional music video, titled "I'll be there for you". The five-hour show, which was attended by 20,000 people, including several noted film personalities, was received very positively and considered a highly successful event. The concert was aired on 11 and 12 February, Friday and Saturday at 2000 hrs on Vijay TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vasuki Bhaskar</span> Indian costume designer

Vasuki Bhaskar is an Indian fashion and costume designer, working in the Tamil film industry. She is the daughter of film producer R.D. Bhaskar and Pavalar Creations is their own production house.

<i>Mankatha</i> (soundtrack) 2011 soundtrack album by Yuvan Shankar Raja

Mankatha is the soundtrack album, composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, to the 2011 film of the same name, directed by Venkat Prabhu starring Ajith Kumar. The album features eight tracks, with lyrics penned by Vaali, Gangai Amaran, and Niranjan Bharathi. Following a number of postponements, it was finally released on 10 August 2011 by Sony Music India.

<i>Biriyani</i> (film) 2013 film by Venkat Prabhu

Biriyani is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action comedy thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by Studio Green. It stars Karthi and Hansika Motwani alongside an ensemble cast including Premji, Nassar, Ramki, Sampath Raj, Madhumitha, [[Jayaprakash]], Prem, and Mandy Takhar. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the score and soundtrack of Biriyani, which marks his 100th film, while Sakthi Saravanan and Praveen-Srikanth handled cinematography and editing, respectively.

Theriyama Unna Kadhalichitten is a 2014 Indian Tamil film written and directed by Ramu. The film features Vijay Vasanth and Resna Pavithran in the lead roles, and was released in October 2014.

<i>Chennai 600028 II</i> 2016 Indian film

Chennai 600028 II is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language sports comedy film co-produced, written and directed by Venkat Prabhu, who also produces the film along with S. P. B. Charan under Black Ticket Company and Capital Film Works. The film, which is a sequel to Chennai 600028 (2007), features Vaibhav in a prominent role in addition to several cast members from the earlier film including Jai, Shiva, Premji, Aravind Akash, Inigo Prabakaran and Nithin Sathya. The film's score and soundtrack is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. The film was released on 9 December 2016 to mixed to positive reviews and performed well at the box office.

Ajay Raj is an Indian actor and choreographer who appears in Tamil language films. While working as a dance choreographer, Ajay made his acting debut with Agathiyan's Selvam (2005), before appearing in Chennai 600028 (2007) and has since appeared regularly in films associated with director Venkat Prabhu and his team.

<i>Party</i> (upcoming film) Unreleased film by Venkat Prabhu

Party is an unreleased Indian Tamil-language comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by T. Siva. The film stars Jayaram, Sathyaraj, Jai, Shiva, Shaam, Ramya Krishnan, Regina Cassandra, with Sanchita Shetty, Nivetha Pethuraj, Nandha Durairaj, Nassar and Chandran appear in supporting roles. After the release of his seventh directorial and debut production venture, it was announced that director Venkat Prabhu will do a film for Amma Creations banner of T.Siva which is celebrating its 25th year in film industry. Despite having completed filming, the film remains unreleased due to economic issues.

References

  1. Krishnamurthy, Akhila (9 July 2011). "The new darlings of Kollywood". Tehelka . Vol. 8, no. 27. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  2. "A creative force from Singapore". IndiaGlitz.com. 4 January 2008. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 "BOX OFFICE TOP 10 Movies OF 2007 | CHENNAI 28". Behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  4. 1 2 JBR (11 July 2007). "Tamil cinema in 2007 – half year report". Cinesouth. Archived from the original on 11 August 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  5. "Movies that beat the odds | Chennai 600028". Behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  6. "Cricket theme goes on". The Hindu . 13 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
  7. "Don't expect another Chennai 28 from Saroja". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  8. Mani, Bhargavii (30 January 2016). "The kadalai man". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  9. "'Rajni Sir enjoyed Chennai 600028'". Rediff.com . 11 July 2007. Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Chennai-600028 audio on 19 Feb". IndiaGlitz.com. 21 February 2007. Archived from the original on 23 February 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  11. "Chennai 600028 – A youthful musical journey". IndiaGlitz.com. 26 February 2007. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  12. "Leading a winning team – Chennai 600028". The Hindu . 4 May 2007. Archived from the original on 5 May 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  13. "Chennai-600028 audio a big hit". IndiaGlitz.com. 28 February 2007. Archived from the original on 2 March 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  14. "Chennai 600028's Audio Rules Top 10 List Worldwide!". IndiaGlitz.com. 30 March 2007. Archived from the original on 6 April 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  15. "'Jalsa Pannungada' rocks dance floors!". IndiaGlitz.com. 10 April 2007. Archived from the original on 15 April 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  16. "Chennai-600028". Sify . Archived from the original on 29 April 2007. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  17. Rangan, Baradwaj (31 May 2007). "Review: Chennai 600028". Baradwaj Rangan. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  18. Iyer, Sriram (30 April 2007). "Chennai 600028 -- a potential blockbuster". Rediff.com . Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  19. Rangarajan, Malathi (4 May 2007). "Leading a winning team – Chennai 600028". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  20. Mannath, Malini (15 May 2007). "Chennai 600028". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 17 July 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  21. லஜ்ஜாவதி (13 May 2007). "சென்னை 600028". Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 50–51. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024 via Internet Archive.
  22. "Kamal, Rajni attend Chennai – 600028 celebrations". Nowrunning. 16 August 2007. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  23. "Audio launch – Kodithe Kottalira". Idlebrain.com . 27 July 2007. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  24. "Copycat chronicles". The Telegraph . Calcutta. 12 September 2010. Archived from the original on 15 September 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  25. Sharma, Suparna (18 November 2023). "10 must-watch cricket films in the lead up to the World Cup final". Rolling Stone India . Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  26. Subhakeerthana, S. (20 April 2016). "Abhinay plays baddie in Chennai-28 sequel!". Deccan Chronicle . Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  27. "Chennai 600028 boys meet to celebrate three years of the sequel". The Times of India . 10 December 2019. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2024.