Kanimozhi | |
---|---|
![]() Kanimozhi theatrical poster | |
Directed by | Sripathy Rangasamy |
Written by | Sripathy Rangasamy |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | P. Chidamparam |
Edited by | |
Music by | Satish Chakravarthy |
Production company | Amma Creations |
Distributed by | Uniq Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 115 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
Budget | ₹30 million (US$360,000) [1] |
Kanimozhi is a 2010 Indian Tamil language musical romance film directed and written by Sripathi Rangasamy and jointly produced by T. Siva and Sona Heiden. It stars Jai, Shazahn Padamsee, and Vijay Vasanth in the lead roles. The film features music composed by Satish Chakravarthy, cinematography by Chidamparam and editing done by duo Praveen K. L. and N. B. Srikanth.
Kanimozhi was launched in March 2010 and shot in 46 days, being completed in August 2010. Following the release of Enthiran and post-production works, the film was delayed by three months and released on 26 November 2010. It received mixed reviews from critics and became a failure at the box office. However, in 2012 the film was dubbed in Telugu as Love Journey.
The film is based on the philosophy that dreams will be fulfilled, presenting Rajesh (Jai) as having a habit of writing his daily life in a diary, while interpreting negative incidents in his life into happy incidents. He comes across a pretty girl named Anu (Shazahn Padamsee), who he is intimidated by and cannot build up the courage to tell her his feelings. Meanwhile, Koushik (Vijay Vasanth) also takes a liking to Anu and uses a different method to convey his feelings. Whom Anu falls for forms the crux of the story.
After the success of T. Siva's production, Saroja , the director, Venkat Prabhu, recommended his assistant Sripathy Rangasamy to Siva for a potential collaboration. Venkat Prabhu also recommended Sona Heiden as a joint producer. [2] Sripathy had written the story of Kanimozhi in college and built the screenplay around a story based on philosophy. [3] Siva suggested the title, Kanimozhi, in hope to build anticipation and believed that titling the film after a prominent female politician in M. K. Kanimozhi would help publicity. After approaching her, she stated she had no objection with the title and praised the storyline. Subsequently, posters emerged around Chennai without any credits attached, only featuring the bold lettering of the film's name to create hype. [4]
After working in two films where Sripathy had been an assistant director, Jai was signed to play the leading role of Rajesh. The director suggested that he had wanted an actor who "looked 21" and Jai was "the best bet". [3] Swati Reddy, who featured opposite Jai in the 2008 blockbuster, Subramaniyapuram , was initially considered for the leading female role but was then dropped. [5] Swati later appeared in a guest appearance during the climax. Shazahn Padamsee, who had appeared opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year , subsequently signed on and made her début in Tamil films. [6] Shazahn was approached after Sripathy was sent images of her portfolio by a model-coordinator from Mumbai. She agreed to do the film after consent from her father, noted theatre personality, Alyque Padamsee. [3] Vijay Vasanth was signed on to play a significant role, while Ranga and Michael Thangadurai were selected to play Jai's friends. [7]
Sakthi Saravanan's associate P. Chidamparam was selected to make his début as cinematographer with Kanimozhi. Satish Chakravarthy was signed for the project ten minutes into a meeting with the makers of the film. [3] Notably, T. Siva's maiden production featured music composed by Satish Chakravarthy's father. Venkat Prabhu's editing team of Praveen K. L. and N. B. Srikanth was retained for the project.
The film was launched in a ceremony in Chennai on 25 March 2010 organised by the producers. The event was attended by prominent directors including Bala, K. S. Ravikumar and Venkat Prabhu, and several cast members from Jai's previous film, Chennai 600028 . [8] Satish Chakravarthy performed songs from the film at the event, while noted actor Nassar compered. [9]
Following the launch, the film started the first schedule in April and completed the shoot within 46 days, shorter than the average Tamil film takes. [10] Furthermore, unlike other most other Indian films, Kanimozhi was shot with live sound, while a special silent camera was also used. The sound was mixed at Yashraj Studios in Mumbai and audiographed by Anandar Chandrahasan. The cast had spoken their lines on the set, with only Shazahn Padamsee's voice being dubbed. [11] The song "Muzhumadhi" was dubbed as the "underwater song" and was completed entirely through the use of graphics, while final mixing for many scenes were record at the Sterling Sound studio, USA. [12] In April 2010, Jai celebrated his 25th birthday while at the filming location in Chennai, with the team throwing a party for him. [13] In June, the work progressed with Shazahn and Jai filming scenes at the AVM Studios in Vadapalani, Chennai. [14] The song recorded at the studio ended the filming portions of the project, which was wrapped up on 18 June 2010. [15]
Despite being a love story, the lead pair had only shot together for two weeks, although they have since stated that they bonded during the filming, helping the on-screen chemistry of the characters. [16] [17] Post production works began in July 2010, preparing for a release in August. However, the film was delayed and works finished in September 2010. [18] A final press meet, two weeks before release, was held on 13 November 2010 with most of the cast in attendance. [19] The producers released the video songs five days before the film released to gain publicity, with Kalaignar TV winning the screening rights; they also acquired the Behindwoods.com homepage for adverts during the time of release.
The producers held a premiere for Kanimozhi on 25 November 2010 at Sathyam Cinemas, Chennai for special invitees including Silambarasan, Prasanna and most of Jai's co-stars from his previous films. [20] [21] Shazahn Padamsee, whose Telugu film Orange released on the same day, was unable to make the premiere after suffering from malaria. [22] The film was released throughout Tamil Nadu the following day, having a bigger release in multiplexes across Chennai than Myshkin's Nandhalala , which was released on the same day. Kanimozhi took an average opening at the Chennai box office, beginning in third position and completing 116 shows over the weekend, grossing 14 lakh rupees. [23]
Upon release, the film received mixed reviews from critics, mostly criticising the screen writing from the director. The review from Sify.com labelled the film as "OK" and that for "the intentions alone, the makers of Kanimozhi deserve a thumbs-up". [24]
Jai's role was appreciated and described as "endearingly likeable", while Shazahn Padamsee "looked pretty and was photographed well" but "could have invested more energy and expression to her character". [24] The review goes on to claim that Swati's scene in the climax "scores", and that music by Sathish Chakravarthy "are just about ok but come as speed breakers". The critic cites that "most scenes lack the energy that was required to elevate this film into a different level" and the final result is a "promising but sadly tiresome film" but that it will make you "leave the theatre with a smile on your face". [24]
The review site Top10cinema, branded the film as "average" claiming it "could have been much better". [25] Sripathy is praised, citing that "the debutant filmmaker’s portrayal of characters is appealing" but that "the film fails to offer grippingness at several points". [25] The performances from the actors received a mixed response with Jai dubbed as "too raw and naturalistic" and Shazahn Padamsee being likened to a "Barbie Doll without reaction". However, Vijay Vasanth's acting was described as "appeasing" and Swati's cameo in the climax was praised in the review. [25] It received a similar review from Rediff.com, praising the film's intentions but criticizing the final product. [26]
The Hindu newspaper gave it a more critical review, with a verdict that the film is "a real test of your patience" but revealed it was a "genuine attempt at creating realistic cinema that also entertains", praising the story and the screenplay. [27] The review, however, concludes the script was limited, and the actors' performances were therefore limited. [27]
The review from Behindwoods.com was much less favourable, giving the film 1 star out of 5, citing that is "disappointing" and that it fails to live up to expectations. [28] It cites that for Jai "it is just another film in his career" as per for Vijay Vasanth, [28] while Shazahn Padamsee's performance is particularly criticised with a claim that she "does not seem to know the spelling of emotion in any scene". [28] In regard to technical aspects, it claims that the music by Satish Chakravarthy is "good" but the cinematography "appears bleached throughout". The direction also gains criticism for a "screenplay fails to engage the viewer and is ineffective", describing the film "as a soul-less affair". [28]
In January 2012, it was announced that the film was being dubbed in Telugu by producer Jakkula Nageshwara Rao as Preminchava Nannu. [29] However, this led to Sona Heiden alleging that producer T. Siva had committed acts of fraud and forgery by trying to dub and sell the rights of Kanimozhi to others and thus requested the Tamil Nadu Film Producers' Council to take action. She claimed that she entered into an agreement with T. Siva, proprietor of Amma Creations, on 28 January 2010, for purchasing the entire rights to Kanimozhi and thus secured 50% for any subsequent dubbed versions. Heiden said that Siva had entered into an agreement with third parties for dubbing the film in Telugu, alleging that he forged her signature and sold the rights. [30]
Production work continued and the Telugu version's producer held the logo launch of the film during a Celebrity Cricket League match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium with actresses Bhavana, Charmy Kaur, Sonia Agarwal, Madhu Shalini and Archana being the chief guests. [31] It was retitled as Love Journey to capitalize on the success of Jai's previous Telugu dubbed film Journey. [32] The audio was released after a function held at another CCL match in Visakhapatnam with CCL director Srinivasa Murthy and Srikanth being prominent guests. [33] The Telugu version geared up for release in March 2012, but the Madras High Court issued a stay order against the release of the film's Telugu version as per Heiden's complaint. [34]
Kanimozhi | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | 22 July 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Genre | Film soundtrack | |||
Length | 21:01 | |||
Label | Think Music | |||
Producer | Satish Chakravarthy | |||
Satish Chakravarthy chronology | ||||
|
The soundtrack to Kanimozhi was composed by Satish Chakravarthy, for whom it became his first theatrical release, as his previous album Leelai was delayed. [35] The soundtrack album features four songs and an additional musical version of another song. The lyrics are penned by Na. Muthukumar and Pa. Vijay while the audio rights were bought by Think Music. The songs were appreciated from critics with a review citing "the music is tidy and uncluttered" and Sathish Chakravarthy's "creativity comes to the fore in a couple of songs", concluding that the "album certainly does not disappoint". [36]
The audio was released in a large function on 22 July 2010 at Kalaignar Arangam, with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi and noted actor Vijay being the chief guests and receiving the first copy of the soundtrack. [37] An animated trailer, the first of its kind in Indian cinema, featuring lead actors Jai and Shazahn Padamsee was screened with three songs from the film. [18] Closer to the release in mid October, a theatrical trailer was released.
The Telugu version of the audio was released at a Celebrity Cricket League match in Visakhapatnam. All the songs from the original version were retained with different singers for the Telugu version, while lyrics were written by Vennelakanti and Bhuvanachandra.
No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Penne Pogathey" | Pa. Vijay | Clinton Cerejo, Sam Keerthan, Timothy Madhukar, Sunitha Sarathy | 4:34 |
2. | "Muzhumadhi" | Na. Muthukumar | Vijay Yesudas, Bela Shende | 3:51 |
3. | "Yaaro Ival Ival" | Na. Muthukumar | Mukesh Mohamed, Bela Shende, Parthiv Gohil | 3:58 |
4. | "Thada Thada Endru" | Na. Muthukumar | Clinton Cerejo, Satish Chakravarthy, Leo James | 4:47 |
5. | "Muzhumadhi (instrumental)" | Satish Chakravarthy, Nathan | 3:51 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Punnami Punnami" | Vennelakanti | Vijay Yesudas, Swetha Mohan | 3:51 |
2. | "Evaro Ee Cheli" | Vennelakanti | Mukesh Mohamed, Niveditha | 3:58 |
3. | "Dhada Dhada" | Bhuvanachandra | Satish Chakravarathy | 4:47 |
4. | "Manasey Poyindhey" | Vennelakanti | Christopher Stanley | 4:34 |
5. | "Punnami Punnami (instrumental)" | Satish Chakravarthy, Nathan | 3:51 |
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer-songwriter. 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.
Saravanan Sivakumar, known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor and film producer. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He has received numerous awards including two National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South, five Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and two South Indian International Movie Awards. Suriya has featured six times in the Celebrity 100 list of Forbes India, which takes into account the earnings of Indian celebrities.
Kandaen is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Mugil, and produced by TCS. It stars Shanthnoo Bhagyaraj and Rashmi Gautam in lead along with Santhanam, Vijayakumar, nirmala kumari and Ashish Vidyarthi in pivotal roles. The film, which was launched in May 2010, created curiosity after noted film-maker Gautham Vasudev Menon's newly launched audio label selected the film's soundtrack to be its first release. It was released on 20 May 2011 to average reviews from critics and was performed averagely at the box office, but Shanthnu's and Santhanam's comedy was appreciated. The film was dubbed and released in Telugu as Balapam Patti Bhama Odilo in 2016.
Harris Jayaraj is an Indian composer from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He composes soundtracks predominantly for Tamil films, while also having composed for a few films in Telugu and two films in Hindi.
Santhanam is an Indian actor and film 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.
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. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by Premji Amaran and Yuvan Shankar Raja respectively.
Dharan Kumar is an Indian music composer, who mainly produces film scores and soundtracks in the Tamil film industry. He made his film debut Parijatham, featuring the hit single "Unnai Kandene". He credits director and actor K. Bhagyaraj as his guru.
Jaikanth Sampath also known as Jai is an Indian actor and musician working in Tamil films. The nephew of noted composer Deva & the cousin of Srikanth Deva, Jai had made his acting debut in a supporting role in Bagavathi (2002). In 2007, he successfully auditioned for a leading role in Venkat Prabhu's sports film Chennai 600028. His movie Subramaniapuram (2008) was also a big success, and Jai was praised for his performance.
Anjali is an Indian actress and model who appears in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. Following a stint in modelling, she was cast in starring roles in two Telugu productions; her debut film was the Telugu thriller film Photo (2006). She then bagged a role and gained attention in the film Kattradhu Thamizh (2007) with Jiiva. In 2010 and 2011, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil, for her performances in Angaadi Theru and Engaeyum Eppothum, respectively, and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Angadi Theru, subsequently recognised as one of the "finest young actors" in Tamil cinema, and noted for mostly playing "performance-oriented roles".
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.
Orange is a 2010 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Bhaskar. The film stars Ram Charan, Genelia D'Souza, and Shazahn Padamsee, while Prabhu and Prakash Raj play supporting roles. The film, whose music was composed by Harris Jayaraj and was released on 26 November 2010. The film was a box office failure upon release but became a cult film over time. It was dubbed and released in Tamil as Ramcharan in 2011 and its Malayalam dubbed version titled Hai Ramcharan was released on 18 April 2012.
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.
Ko (transl. 'King') is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language political action thriller film directed by K. V. Anand, and written by Anand and the duo Suresh and Balakrishnan. The film stars Jiiva, Ajmal Ameer, Karthika Nair, and Piaa Bajpai in lead roles, while Prakash Raj and Kota Srinivasa Rao appear in supporting roles. The film follows Ashwin (Jiiva), a photojournalist working for Dina Anjal who covers the Tamil Nadu State Election. The core plot of the movie was reported to be based on the 2009 movie State of Play.
Shazahn Padamsee is an Indian actress and model who primarily worked in Hindi films. Daughter of noted actors Alyque Padamsee and Sharon Prabhakar, she made her first film appearance in the 2009 Hindi film Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. After her début film, she went on to appear in two non-Hindi Indian films, gaining credit from critics for her performance, before featuring in Madhur Bhandarkar's Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji in a prominent role.
Nanban (transl. Friend) is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age comedy drama film directed by S. Shankar and produced by Gemini Film Circuit. The film stars Vijay, Srikanth, Jiiva, Sathyaraj, Ileana D'Cruz, Sathyan and Anuya, with S. J. Suryah and Vijay Vasanth in cameo appearances. It is a remake of the Rajkumar Hirani's 2009 Hindi-language film 3 Idiots, which itself is based on Chetan Bhagat's novel Five Point Someone. The film follows Venkat, Senthil and Srivatsan, who are on the search for their long lost friend, Panchavan Parivendhan.
Engaeyum Eppothum is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy drama road film written and directed by M. Saravanan in his Tamil debut, he had earlier directed the Telugu film Ganesh (2009). Starring Jai, Sharwanand, Anjali and Ananya, it was produced by A. R. Murugadoss in association with Fox Star Studios, marking the studio's entry into Tamil cinema.
Satish Chakravarthy is an Indian composer, who mainly produces film scores and soundtracks in the Tamil film industry. He composed music for the films, Leelai and Kanimozhi.
Vaalu is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language romantic action comedy film written and directed by debutante Vijay Chandar. The film stars Silambarasan and Hansika Motwani, with Santhanam, VTV Ganesh and Brahmanandam portraying supporting roles. The film was produced by S. S. Chakravarthy under the banner NIC Arts. S. Thaman composed the music while Sakthi and T. S. Suresh handled the cinematography and editing respectively.
Puthagam (transl. Book) is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language film directed by television personality Vijay Adhiraj and produced by S. Manjula for Ram Pictures Private Limited.
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.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)