Indian | |
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Directed by | S. Shankar |
Written by | Sujatha (Dialogues) |
Screenplay by | S. Shankar |
Story by | S. Shankar |
Produced by | A. M. Rathnam |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Jeeva |
Edited by | B. Lenin V. T. Vijayan |
Music by | A. R. Rahman |
Production company | Sri Surya Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 185 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
Indian is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language vigilante action film co-written and directed by S. Shankar and produced by A. M. Rathnam. The film stars Kamal Haasan in a dual role, alongside Manisha Koirala, Urmila Matondkar and Sukanya. The music composed by A. R. Rahman, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Jeeva and B. Lenin-V. T. Vijayan. [1] It revolves around a retired freedom fighter who rebels against corruption in India, especially bribery.
Indian was released on 9 May 1996 worldwide and became the highest-grossing Tamil film upon its release, beating the collections of Baashha until being surpassed by Padayappa . [2] The film was selected by India as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1996, but was not nominated. The film went on to win three National Film Awards including that of Best Actor for Haasan, while his performance also saw him win at the Filmfare Awards and the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. A sequel Indian 2 is in production, with Haasan reprising the title role.
A series of killings take place at Avadi in the same pattern; stabbing by a knife and the victim becoming paralysed before being killed. The Chennai Police Department, led by CBI officer Krishnaswamy suspects several people, where they narrow down the killer by his age, which should be more than 70 years based on the writing style of a letter left behind by the killer while killing an officer in the government treasury. The officer is killed by an old man who is later known to be Senapathy, a veteran Indian freedom fighter and a member of the INA led by Subhas Chandra Bose, for threatening a poor old woman to bribe him to hand over compensation amount of ₹10,000 (US$130) given by the government as her husband was killed in a riot.
Chandrabose alias Chandru is a small-time broker stationed outside the RTO at Chennai. Chandru and his assistant Subbaiah aids people in bribing the right officials inside the RTO in getting permits and licenses. Subbaiah and an RTO official named Paneerselvam are engaged in regular conflicts with one another. At the same time, Aishwarya, Chandru's love interest and an avid animal rights activist, also comes into conflict with Sapna, a medical student and the daughter of an RTO official. Chandru attempts to win over Sapna and her family to secure a job as a brake inspector at the RTO. Aishwarya is irked by the fact that Sapna and her mother are exploiting Chandru's situation, getting him to do household chores. Sapna realises that Chandru loves Aishwarya and gives up her love. It is revealed that Chandru is Senapathy's son. They both had fallen out due to Senapathy's excessive insistence on honesty and righteousness, which Chandru considers to be irrelevant in the present times.
Meanwhile, Krishnaswamy manages to trace his way to Senapathy's house posing as a freedom fighter eligible for Swathantra Sainik Samman Pension Scheme. When Krishnaswamy tries to arrest him, Senapathy and his wife Amirthavalli, a puppeteer, escape with his expertise in Varma kalai. Later, Senapathy murders a corrupt doctor in front of live television audience as the doctor refused to treat Senapathy's daughter Kasturi, who was suffering from third-degree burns unless given a bribe, but Senapathy refused and thus led to her death. The public support surges for Senapathy as he exposes many corrupt individuals. Senapathy does not do any favours for Chandru either. Chandru, who managed to bribe a job as a brake inspector, takes a bribe and gives a safety certificate to a bus with faulty brakes, which eventually kills 40 school children, including the driver.
Chandru tries to frame the driver for drunk driving and manages to bribe a cop and a doctor on the same. However, Senapathy catches him in the act and is bent on giving Chandru the same punishment that he gives others i.e. death. However, as he attempts to kill Chandru, Senapathy is caught by Krishnaswamy and sentenced to prison. Senapathy escapes and leaves to kill Chandru. Despite pleas from Amirthavalli and Aishwarya to spare Chandru's life, Senapathy heads for the airport where Chandru is attempting to flee to Mumbai. A chase culminates at the airport, where Senapathy tearfully kills his son and apparently dies in an explosion involving an aeroplane. While investigating recorded footage, Krishnaswamy discovers that Senapathy escaped moments before the jeep exploded. Senapathy calls Krishnaswamy from Hong Kong and says that he will be back whenever the need for his presence should arise.
Soon after the release of Gentleman (1993), Shankar narrated a script titled Periya Manushan to actor Rajinikanth, but the pair did not end up collaborating. [3] He then considered making the film in Telugu with Rajasekhar in a leading role, alongside either Nagarjuna or Venkatesh, but the plans did not materialise. In June 1995, producer A. M. Rathnam signed on Shankar to make the venture featuring leading actor Kamal Haasan in the lead role. The film, retitled as Indian, was initially reported to be loosely based on the life of prominent Indian freedom fighter, Subhas Chandra Bose. [4]
Shankar tried to cast Aishwarya Rai to make her debut and portray the leading female role. Her commitment to her advertisement agency until October 1995 meant that she was unavailable to sign the film. [4] Subsequently, Manisha Koirala was selected after Shankar was impressed with her performance in Bombay. The producers wanted Radhika to play the pair of the older Kamal Haasan in the film, but her television commitments meant that she was unable to sign a contract. Urvashi's sister subsequently replaced her, only for Shankar to throw her out for missing a day's schedule to attend her wedding. The role was finally handed to Sukanya, who had previously appeared alongside Kamal Haasan in Mahanadhi . Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar was signed to play another leading role in the film after the producers were impressed with her performance and the success of her 1995 Hindi film, Rangeela . [4] Malayalam character actor Nedumudi Venu signed on to play the role of CBI officer Krishnaswamy at Haasan's recommendation, [5] while Nassar dubbed his voice. [6] The producers engaged Hollywood make-up artists Michael Westmore and Michael Jones to work on the designs for the senior Kamal Haasan's and Sukanya's look in the film. [7] Shankar initially wanted P. C. Sreeram to handle cinematography; however due to his other commitments, Jeeva was chosen as cinematographer. [8]
For production work, Shankar visited Las Vegas to learn about new technology and purchased cameras for production. Furthermore, the director visited Australia alongside cinematographer Jeeva and music director A. R. Rahman to location hunt and to compose tunes. [4] The film's unit was given strict orders to maintain privacy, with Hindi actor Jackie Shroff being notably turned away from visiting the shooting spot. A song for the film was shot at Prasad Studios featuring Haasan and Matondkar alongside 70 Bombay models. [9] This led to a protest from the Cine Dancers Union who argued that Tamil dancers should have been utilised instead, with Shankar opting to pay them off to avoid further hassle. Another duet between Haasan and Koirala was shot near the Sydney Opera House in Sydney and Canberra for fifteen days. [10] A flashback song was canned with four hundred dancers and a thousand extras at Gingee with Kamal Haasan and Sukanya, while another song featured shooting in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. [4] [7] The flashback sequences, set during pre-Independent India, were in black-and-white. [11] Graphic designer Venky noted that Indian was his most difficult project to date (in 1997) with a scene constructed to feature Kamal Haasan's character alongside Subhas Chandra Bose. Venky had to remove blemishes on the film reel of Bose provided by the Film Division's archive before merging Haasan on to the shot to make it appear that the pair were marching in tandem. [12]
Indian was the most expensive Indian film at the time. According to an estimate by critic G. Dhananjayan, the production budget was ₹8 crores (worth ₹96 crores in 2021 prices). [13] Rediff.com however estimated budget to be ₹15 crore. [14] [15] The music video for "Akadanu Naanga" directed by Padam Kumar and choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant, cost ₹1.5 crore. [16]
Indian | |||||||||
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Soundtrack album by | |||||||||
Released | 1996 | ||||||||
Recorded | Panchathan Record Inn | ||||||||
Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||||||
Length | 30:05 | ||||||||
Label | Pyramid Ayngaran Music Star Music Sa Re Ga Ma Aditya Music T-Series TIPS | ||||||||
Producer | A. R. Rahman | ||||||||
A. R. Rahman chronology | |||||||||
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The soundtrack album includes five tracks composed by A. R. Rahman, [17] and was released in 1996 by Pyramid. The soundtrack was also released in Hindi as Hindustani by TIPS and in Telugu as Bharateeyudu by T-Series. [18] The lyrics were written by Vaali and Vairamuthu for the original version, P. K. Mishra for Hindustani and Bhuvanachandra for Bharateeyudu.
The Tamil soundtrack of Indian was a major success, having sold about 600,000 records within days of release. [19] The Hindi soundtrack, called Hindustani, sold a further 1.8 million units, [20] bringing total sales to at least 2.4 million units.
No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Akadanu Naanga" | Vaali | Swarnalatha | 5:44 |
2. | "Maya Mahindra" | Vaali | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Swarnalatha | 5:37 |
3. | "Pachai Kiligal" | Vairamuthu | K. J. Yesudas, Nirmala Seshadri | 5:50 |
4. | "Telephone Manipol" | Vairamuthu | Hariharan, Harini, Srinivas | 6:15 |
5. | "Kappaleri Poyaachu" | Vaali | P. Susheela, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 6:28 |
All lyrics are written by P. K. Mishra
No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Latka Dikha Diya Humne" | Swarnalatha | 5:44 |
2. | "Maya Mahindra" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Swarnalatha | 5:37 |
3. | "Pyaare Panchhi" | K. J. Yesudas, Nirmala Seshadri | 5:50 |
4. | "Telephone Dhoon Me" | Hariharan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Srinivas | 6:15 |
5. | "Kashtiyaan Bhi" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sadhana Sargam | 6:28 |
6. | "Latka Dikha Diya Humne (version-2)" | Suchitra Krishnamurthy | 5:48 |
All lyrics are written by Bhuvanachandra
No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Adireti" | Swarnalatha | 5:44 |
2. | "Maya Mahindra" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Swarnalatha | 5:37 |
3. | "Pachani Chilukalu" | K. J. Yesudas, Nirmala Seshadri | 5:50 |
4. | "Telephone Dhwani La" | Hariharan, Harini, Srinivas | 6:15 |
5. | "Teppalelli Poyaka" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sujatha Mohan | 6:28 |
Indian was released worldwide on 9 May 1996. [21] Prior to the release of the film, the team also planned a Hindi version of the film. It was partially reshot in Hindi as Hindustani with Aruna Irani in place of Manorama. The Hindi version also did well after its release on 23 August 1996. [22] The film was also dubbed in Telugu as Bharathyeedu and in Malayalam under the same title. In 2015, the Hindi version Hindustani was screened at the Habitat Film Festival. [23]
The film became an Industry hit at the box office by breaking the record for a Tamil film and earning over ₹50 crore in India and overseas. [13] The film ran to packed houses for several months in Tamil Nadu. Indian was also dubbed into Telugu as Bharatheeyudu and in Hindi as Hindustani. Both Telugu and Hindi dubbed versions also emerged blockbusters at the box office. [24]
Nirupama Subramanian from India Today praised Shankar's script, noting that "with the right mix of pop patriotism, anti-establishment diatribes and other commercial cinema ingredients, Shankar's latest creation has south India applauding" before adding that "the real triumph of the film is the effective make-over that believably transforms the actors". [25] Tharamani of Kalki praised for romance in dignified manner, for narrating flashback in black-and-white and keeping the beauty shining and budding everywhere without being blinded but panned the film for giving a wrong message of justifying the murders. [26] The Hindu wrote, "Shankar establishes himself as one who thinks big and executes what his mind has conceived in a lavish style on the screen be it the dance sequences or action and thrills the Tamil viewers have not witnessed before". The critic added, "Kamal is simply superb as Senapathy, his thick voice and the dhoti-jubba attire adding to his portrayal. As Chandru he underplays his part". [27]
Indian was selected by India as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1996, but was not nominated. [28]
List of awards and nominations | |||||
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Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
National Film Awards | July 1997 | Best Actor | Kamal Haasan | Won | [29] |
Best Art Direction | Thota Tharani | Won | |||
Best Special Effects | S. T. Venky | Won | |||
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards | – | Best Film (First prize) | A. M. Rathnam as a producer | Won | [30] |
Best Actor | Kamal Haasan | Won | |||
Filmfare Awards South | 30 August 1997 | Best Film – Tamil | A. M. Rathnam as a producer | Won | [31] [32] [33] |
Best Actor – Tamil | Kamal Haasan | Won | |||
Cinema Express Awards | – | Best Film | A. M. Rathnam as a producer | Won | [ citation needed ] |
Best Actor | Kamal Haasan | Won |
In September 2017, a sequel Indian 2 was announced jointly by Shankar and Haasan, with Dil Raju handling production. [34] The following month, Raju left the film which was then picked up by Lyca Productions. [35] The film has Haasan reprising his role as Senapathy. Production began in January 2019, [36] but progressed slowly for over four years. [37]
Kamal Haasan is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter, social activist and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil, he has also appeared in some Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali films. Considered as one of the finest actors in Indian cinema, Haasan is also known for introducing many new film technologies and film making techniques to the Indian film industry. He has won numerous accolades, including Four National Film Awards, Nine Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Four Nandi Awards, One Rashtrapati Award, Two Filmfare Awards and 17 Filmfare Awards South. He was awarded the Kalaimamani Award in 1984, the Padma Shri in 1990, the Padma Bhushan in 2014 and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier) in 2016.
Urmila Matondkar is an Indian actress and politician. Known for her work primarily in Hindi films, in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi and Tamil films, she has received numerous accolades, including the Filmfare Award and the Nandi Award. Having established a distinctive on-screen persona, she is known for her acting skills, style statements and dancing skills.
Shankar Shanmugam, credited as S. Shankar or his mononymShankar, is an Indian filmmaker who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He is one of the most prolific and highest paid film directors in India. His films typically deal with the contemporary social issues, vigilante themes and the usage of state of the art technology and VFX. He has won one National Film Award, four Filmfare Award South and six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards in his career.
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Mahanadhi is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film directed by Santhana Bharathi and co-written by Kamal Haasan. The film stars Haasan and Sukanya, with S. N. Lakshmi, Tulasi, Shobana Vignesh, Dinesh, Poornam Viswanathan, Rajesh and V. M. C. Haneefa in supporting roles. It revolves around a widower and his family going through many miseries due to the machinations of a con artist.
Aalavandhan is a 2001 Indian action thriller film directed by Suresh Krissna and produced by S. Thanu. It is an adaptation of the novel Dhayam that was written by Kamal Haasan in 1984 and has elements of magic realism. The film stars Kamal Haasan in dual roles, with Raveena Tandon, Manisha Koirala, Sarath Babu, Gollapudi Maruti Rao, Madurai G.S. Mani and Milind Gunaji in supporting roles. The film was simultaneously shot in Hindi with the title Abhay (transl. Fearless) with three different actors.
Michael Madana Kama Rajan is a 1990 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao and written by Kamal Haasan, with Crazy Mohan penning the dialogues. The film stars Haasan in four roles alongside Urvasi, Rupini and Khushbu, while Manorama, Delhi Ganesh, Nassar, Vennira Aadai Moorthy, S. N. Lakshmi, Jayabharathi, R. N. Jayagopal, Nagesh, Praveen Kumar, Santhana Bharathi and R. S. Shivaji play supporting roles. It revolves around quadruplets who get separated at birth and cross paths as adults.
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Yeh To Kamaal Ho Gaya is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language film directed by T. Rama Rao. It stars Kamal Haasan in a double role, with Poonam Dhillon in the lead roles and is a remake of his own acted Tamil film Sattam En Kaiyil (1978).
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Indian 2 is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language vigilante action film directed by S. Shankar, who co-wrote the screenplay with B. Jeyamohan, Kabilan Vairamuthu, and Lakshmi Saravana Kumar. It is jointly produced by Subaskaran Allirajah's Lyca Productions and Udhayanidhi Stalin's Red Giant Movies. The sequel to Indian (1996), Kamal Haasan reprises his role as Senapathy, an ageing freedom fighter turned vigilante who fights against corruption and comprises of an ensemble supporting cast including S. J. Suryah, Kajal Aggarwal, Siddharth, Rakul Preet Singh, Nedumudi Venu, Vivek, Kalidas Jayaram, Gulshan Grover, Samuthirakani, Bobby Simha, Brahmanandam, Zakir Hussain, Piyush Mishra, Guru Somasundaram, Delhi Ganesh, Jayaprakash, Manobala, and Ashwini Thangaraj.
The following is a list of unproduced Kamal Haasan projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, Indian film actor-director Kamal Haasan has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his acting commitments or direction. Some of these projects fell into development hell or were officially cancelled.
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