Love Action Drama | |
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Directed by | Dhyan Sreenivasan |
Written by | Dhyan Sreenivasan |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | |
Edited by | Vivek Harshan |
Music by | Shaan Rahman |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Funtastic Films Release |
Release date |
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Running time | 146 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Malayalam |
Love Action Drama is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Dhyan Sreenivasan in his directorial debut. Produced by Visakh Subramaniam and Aju Varghese, the film stars Nivin Pauly and Nayanthara in the lead roles. The music in the film was composed by Shaan Rahman. The film was released in India on 5 September 2019 and internationally on 13 September 2019.
This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed.(October 2022) |
Dinesh, a wealthy bachelor who is overconfident of himself tries to impress Shobha with the help of his best friend Sagar and hopes to marry her someday.
The movie takes place in a series of flashbacks, starting with Dinesh reminiscing about his first meeting with Shobha and their relationship. Dinesh comes from a very rich background and as such doesn't work, he is always engaged with partying and drinking with his friends. He's upset that his cousin Swathi is getting married. They were supposedly in a relationship until Swathi learned through google (when they were still kids) that people who are blood-relatives tend to have babies with higher probability in genetic disorders and breaks up with Dinesh (when they were still kids).
Dinesh is still upset about it and wants to break up the wedding at any cost. Shobha is one of Swathi's friends and she seems to like Dinesh on sight. Shobha definitely seems to find his antics funny, not getting mad when she gets hurt as a result of Dinesh's plan to hurt the bridegroom. He mistakenly enters Shobha's room and spills coconut oil on the floor (while drunk) hoping the bridegroom will get hurt and the marriage will be cancelled. Later, Dinesh is asked to accompany Shobha's friends in the hospital for her overnight stay and has a conversation with her. Shobha advises Dinesh to move on, get a haircut, shave and attend the wedding, saying some other girl is sure to fall for him. They flirt throughout the wedding and she indirectly invites him to meet up with her when he's in Chennai.
Dinesh finds a way to temporarily shift to Chennai with his friend&cousin Sagar, to woo Shobha. He hangs out with Shobha and her friends at first and things seem to be going fine for them. One day, Dinesh and Sagar start a fight during Shobha's friend Priya's birthday party and Shobha asks them to stay away. Her friends criticize her for introducing vagabonds to their group. Shobha learns that Dinesh is not pursuing master's like he told her, but is just wasting time drinking and spending money without a care in the world. Shobha, although wealthy too, works hard and runs her own business. Dinesh sets about trying to get back into Shobha's good graces. He starts with her friends first, and wins their trust. Shobha agrees to a relationship and potential marriage to Dinesh, placing one condition that he should give up smoking and drinking. Dinesh agrees to her condition but ends up getting drunk that very night. Shobha and Priya catch him in the act (he rents a house opposite to hers) and storms away in anger.
Dinesh manages to convince Shobha by donning on Sabarimala (religious oath to abstain from indulging alcohol-related activities for 41 days) and they get back together. This time, Dinesh becomes suspicious and too possessive of Shobha because she's always busy with work and avoids the topic of settling down, moving in together as well as eventually getting married then building a family. Some random guy implies to Dinesh that Shobha dates around a lot and he starts following her to find out what she's actually doing for a few days. Dinesh confronts the guy and he vaguely implies how beautiful girls like Shobha always have plenty of guys admiring her and it's common to throw away a partner when a better one comes around. Enraged, Dinesh gets rid of the chains and bracelet (religious constraint) and drinks an entire bottle of vodka. Sagar admits him to the hospital and calls Shobha and Priya. Shobha hits Dinesh and he walks away in anger. A few days later, Shobha calls and proposes marriage, to which he agrees.
Shobha's father doesn't like Dinesh, after tricking and finding out that Dinesh still drinks despite several promises made to Shobha, but doesn't say no to the match because Shobha has faith "he will take care of" her. Two days before the wedding, Dinesh is approached by a stranger who has a few photographs of himself and Shobha together, stating Shobha cheated him after getting a better match in the form of wealthy Dinesh. This is where the flashbacks end as Dinesh is contemplating what to do next. He already calls off the wedding through a phone call with Shobha. When his mom asks Dinesh to meet and discuss in person the reason for calling off the wedding, Dinesh reminds Shobha's father about his failed marriage when he tries to give them advice. This pushes Shobha to give up changing him and she leaves with her father.
Dinesh is leaving the city with Sagar when he finds out through a selfie, drunkenly posted on Facebook by the stranger, Suman that he and the guy who implied Shobha dates a lot and another of Shobha's friend's husband are all friends. Turns out these three guys planned and ruined Dinesh and Shobha's relationship on purpose. Priya's ex-husband is mad that his marriage ended mainly because of Shobha. Initially, he and Priya have been so in love but because she spends most of the day with Shoba instead of him even after getting married, this creates tension between them. He had even expressed to her his discomfort feelings regarding this matter, however, she does not change and this frustration and disappointment lead him to slap Priya and Shobha came in just in time to see that and she forcibly brought Priya out of their home to keep her away from him permanently. Hence, he plotted this plan in revenge to make Shobha feel the pain he experienced after the separation.
Shobha and her friends are called to the police station after Dinesh beats those three guys up. Dinesh begs for forgiveness and expresses that he needs her, saying he's wrong to suspect her. Shobha resists at first, stating she doesn't trust him anymore and that faith in the relationship is crucial. She soon agrees, mentioning the same 'no drinking & smoking' conditions to which Dinesh agrees, and tells him to convince her father. Later, Dinesh begs Shobha's father for forgiveness.
Cut to Present: Dinesh takes an alcoholic drink and smokes a cigarette with Sagar before entering the marriage hall where he marries Shobha.
Love Action Drama marks the directorial debut of the actor Dhyan Sreenivasan, and his second screenplay after Goodalochana . The film also marks the debut production of Visakh Subramaniam and Aju Varghese under their newly formed production company Funtastic Films. It was during the time of Adi Kapyare Kootamani (2015) that Subramaniam and Aju decided to co-produce the film. [1] Love Action Drama was announced in July 2017, during the fifth anniversary of Thattathin Marayathu . The film, according to Dhyan, is a modern-day take on the 1989 film Vadakkunokkiyantram written, directed and starring his father Sreenivasan. Nivin's and Nayanthara's characters were named Dineshan and Shobha after the names of the lead characters in Vadakkunokkiyantram. [2]
It was Vineeth Sreenivasan who suggested the name of Nayanthara and she immediately agreed after hearing the screenplay. [1] Dhyan completed the screenplay by November 2017. The filming was expected to begin by the end of the year, but had to wait for the lead actors' availability. [3] In February 2018, Aju said that the shoot would begin by July 2018, once Nivin completes filming Kayamkulam Kochunni . He also revealed that Nivin was planning to lose weight for the role. [4] [5] A pooja function for the film was held at Anjumana Devi Temple in Kochi on 14 July 2018, with principal photography beginning the same day. [6] The first schedule ended on 27 July 2018. [7] After a delay, the second schedule began in February 2019 and the entire filming process was completed by early June 2019. [8]
Love Action Drama | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | 2019 | |||
Genre | Filmi | |||
Length | 23:08 | |||
Language | Malayalam | |||
Label | Muzik 247 | |||
Shaan Rahman chronology | ||||
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The music was composed by Shaan Rahman, with lyrics written by Manu Manjith, Preeti Nambiar, B. K. Harinarayanan, Santhosh Varma, and Vineeth Sreenivasan. The song teaser of "Kudukku" crossed 13 million views within its release. The audio rights were acquired by Muzik247. [9]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Raathein" | Preeti Nambiar | Narayani Gopan, Shaan Rahman | 3.03 |
2. | "Kudukku" | Manu Manjith | Vineeth Sreenivasan | 2.36 |
3. | "Varavaayi" | B. K. Harinarayanan | Shaan Rahman | 4.77 |
4. | "Aalolam" | Santhosh Varma | K. S. Harisankar, Gowry Lekshmi | 4.13 |
5. | "Churulariyaatha" | Vineeth Sreenivasan | Vineeth Sreenivasan | 1.85 |
6. | "Ponvilakkaayi" | B. K. Harinarayanan | Shaan Rahman | 2.29 |
7. | "Oru Swapnam Pole" | Manu Manjith | Bharath Sajikumar, Aswin Vijayan, Sreejish C. S., Nanda J. Devan, Narayani Gopan | 4.65 |
Total length: | 23.08 |
Love Action Drama was released in theatres across India on 5 September 2019 and in rest-of-India in the following day and was released internationally on 13 September 2019.
The film got mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success at the box office and ran for 100 days.The film collected ₹1.8 crore from Kerala box office on its first day of release. [10]
The film grossed US$387,185 from 46 screens in the opening weekend (12 – 15 September) in the United Arab Emirates and US$528,340 in four weeks. [11] In the opening weekends in other territories in the following weeks, it grossed A$15,914 (₹7.83 lakh) from six screens in Australia, [12] US$34,021 (₹24.14 lakh) from 34 screens in the United States, NZ$13,265 (₹5.91 lakh) from 8 screens in New Zealand, and US$6,625 (₹4.7 lakh) from four screens in Canada. [13] It grossed NZ$19,378 (₹8.58 lakh) in New Zealand in two weeks, A$25,361 (₹12.1 lakh) in Australia in three weeks, [14] and US$53,887 (₹38.15 lakh) in the US in five weeks. [15]
Malayala Manorama rated 3 in a scale of 5, and said: "as a simple fun-filled movie, Love Action Drama stands out. There are things that keep us interested in proceedings as Dhyan Sreenivasan focuses on making an out-an-out entertainer than delivering so-called realistic or sensible content. As a debutant director, Dhyan has managed to make an enjoyable film with ease". [16] Calling the film "entertaining", Sify rated 3 out of 5 and wrote, "Love Action Drama is a romantic comedy that is a fine watch that ensures some good laughs and some fine moments". [17] Anna Mathews of The Times of India rated 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Love Action Drama is a simple, in fact, old fashioned tale, but it has many laugh out loud moments and, apart from the lead acts, who have great charisma and chemistry, Aju Varghese who plays Sagar, Nivin Pauly’s cousin and confidante, adds great entertainment". [18] Rating 3 out of 5, Manoj Kumar R. of The Indian Express said: "Dhyan smartly weaves some effective observations on the battle of the sexes into an entertaining romantic comedy, which feels more like pop-corn blockbuster than a comment on the complexity of today's relationships". [19]
Deccan Chronicle rated 3 out of 5 and wrote: "Dhyan's direction is above average and the film hardly offers any boring or dead sequence ... Delicious visuals in Chennai and decent music make it a worthy one-time watch. [20] Sajin Shrijith of The New Indian Express rated 2.5 out of 5, stating "It's obvious that the goal of the film is only to entertain us and not be too intellectual. Even so, there has to be a certain degree of emotional conflict to get us invested in the drama". [21] Behindwoods.com rated 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote: "Love Action Drama is a watchable entertainer with elements appealing to youth and family audiences". [22] Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute rated 2 out of 5 and stated "LAD is like a stuck record, playing the one line story of the film over and over again". [23] Gulf News critic said "'LAD' is all frills with little substance", adding that "there seems to have been an urge to fill it with as many commercial elements possible. The resulting cocktail tastes insipid". [24]
The Hindu wrote: "Even for a movie which doesn't take itself too seriously, which is a good thing, the lack of seriousness in having a solid script hurts it sorely. This is especially evident in the second half, when even the peppy song numbers and the jokes thrown in mechanically at regular intervals fail to excite". [25] HuffPost wrote: "Dhyan Sreenivasan is definitely inspired by his brother Vineeth Sreenivasan's sense of humour in cinema. But unlike him, Dhyan is more inclined towards the social media troll/meme version of comedy. So, what we get are already seen and heard, just that Dhyan copy-pastes it at various scenes. It's easy and lazy writing. Few of the gags work, most fall flat". [26] Anna M. M. Vetticad from Firstpost awarded 1.5 in a scale of 5 and said: "Love Action Drama taps his [Nivin Pauly's] versatility with a narrative that repeatedly breaks its own mood by jumping from extreme intensity to extreme frivolity without warning often within the same scene. The switches are fun at first because they signal the writer-director's keenness that we not take his film too seriously. Fair enough. The technique wears thin though as Love Action Drama's lack of substance becomes increasingly obvious and it wanders about aimlessly, wanders again, then wanders some more". [27]
Vineeth Sreenivasan is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter, playback singer and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He is the eldest son of actor and screenwriter Sreenivasan.
Nayanthara is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam cinema. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, Nayanthara was the only South Indian actress to be featured in the Forbes India "Celebrity 100" list of 2018. She has acted in more than 75 films in a career spanning over two decades and has won numerous awards, such as five Filmfare Awards South, one Tamil Nadu State Film Award, a Nandi Award and seven SIIMA Awards.
Vadakkunokkiyantram (transl. Compass) is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language black comedy film written and directed by Sreenivasan, who also stars in the film along with Parvathy. The film is about the marital discord caused by a husband's Othello syndrome. The film won three Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Film. It was dubbed in Telugu as Sandeham and remade in Tamil as Dindigul Sarathy, in Kannada as Nanjangudu Nanjunda, and in Hindi as Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh.
Malarvadi Arts Club is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan in his directorial debut and produced by actor Dileep. In the film, five friends take the responsibility of reviving their favourite hang-out as they are unhappy with its functioning. However, they end up facing various problems while trying to keep the club alive.
Nivin Pauly is an Indian actor and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He is the recipient of two Kerala State Film Awards, three Filmfare Awards South, two Kerala Film Critics Association Awards, and six SIIMA Awards. He made his acting debut in Vineeth Sreenivasan's directorial debut, Malarvaadi Arts Club, in 2010 and made his breakthrough in the 2012 film Thattathin Marayathu.
Aju Kurian Varghese, better known as Aju Varghese, is an Indian actor, producer and singer who appears in Malayalam cinema. He made his debut in 2010 in Malarvadi Arts Club, directed by his collegemate Vineeth Sreenivasan. In a career spanning over a decade, he has acted in more than 145 Malayalam films. He owns a production company named Funtastic Films along with actor Dhyan Sreenivasan and producer Visakh Subramaniam.
Thattathin Marayathu is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, starring Nivin Pauly and Isha Talwar. The supporting cast includes Aju Varghese, Manoj K. Jayan, Sunny Wayne, Sreeram Ramachandran, Bhagath Manuel, Manikuttan, Sreenivasan, and Niveda Thomas. The film was produced by actors Mukesh and Sreenivasan. The film is about a Hindu boy, Vinod, and a Muslim girl, Aisha, and the conflict arising out of this inter-faith relationship.
Bhoopadathil Illatha Oridam is a 2012 Malayalam-language film written and directed by Joe Chalissery based on the short story "Deshathinte Vijayam" by Sethu. A political satire by genre, the film stars Sreenivasan, Nivin Pauly, Iniya, and Rajsri. It was released on 14 September 2012, and the critical reaction to the film was mostly negative.
Chapters is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language film written and directed by debutant director Sunil Ibrahim. The dialogues were written by duo M. R. Vibin and Suhail Ibrahim. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Sreenivasan, Nivin Pauly, Hemanth Menon, Vijeesh, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Vineeth Kumar, Shine Tom Chacko, Aju Varghese, Riya Saira, Rejith Menon, Gauthami Nair, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, and Lena. In a narrative structure similar to hyperlink cinema, the film consists of four "chapters", each related to the other in some or the other way. The film is produced by Shafeer Sait under the banner of Qurban Films in association with Campus Oaks and features music composed by Mejo Joseph. The cinematography is handled by Krish Kymal and editing by V. Saajan. Campus Oaks is an entertainment company, conceptualised and driven by students of the 1995 batch of NSS College of Engineering, Palakkad.
Alphonse Puthren is an Indian film director, film producer, actor, editor, screenwriter and ad film maker. He works mainly in the Malayalam Cinema. He made his directional debut with the critically acclaimed Malayalam - Tamil bilingual suspense-thriller Neram (2013). His second film was the sensational blockbuster coming-of-age romantic film Premam (2015). After 7 years, he came back with Gold starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Nayanthara in the lead roles.
Dhyan Sreenivasan is an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer who works in Malayalam films. He made his acting debut with Thira (2013), directed by his elder brother Vineeth Sreenivasan. He made his directorial debut with Love Action Drama (2019).
Oru Vadakkan Selfie is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language road-comedy film directed by G. Prajith and scripted by Vineeth Sreenivasan. The film features Nivin Pauly, Manjima Mohan, Aju Varghese, Neeraj Madhav, and Vineeth Sreenivasan. The music was composed by Shaan Rahman. It was released on 27 March to positive reviews, and became one of the biggest grossing Malayalam films of the year. Some news media and the Kerala Film Producers Association called it the first successful Malayalam film of 2015. This movie marks the debut of Manjima Mohan as an actress in a Malayalam movie. Earlier, she appeared as a child artist in films, including Priyam and Sundara Purushan. The film was remade in Telugu as Meda Meeda Abbayi. The 2017 Bengali movie Bolo Dugga Maiki was partially based on this movie.
Jacobinte Swargarajyam is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan. The film stars Nivin Pauly and Renji Panicker. It revolves around a wealthy businessman and the struggles faced by his son to clear his father's debts after a business associate cheats him. The film was released on 8 April 2016 in India and later in foreign countries.
Kayamkulam Kochunni is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language period action film directed by Rosshan Andrrews and written by Bobby & Sanjay. It is based on the life of Kayamkulam Kochunni, a famed highwayman who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor during the British Raj in the early 19th century Central Travancore. The film stars Mohanlal in an extended cameo as Ithikkara pakki along with Nivin Pauly in the title role as Kayamkulam Kochunni. It also features Priya Anand, Sunny Wayne and Babu Antony in supporting roles.
Goodalochana (transl. Conspiracy) is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Thomas Sebastian and written by Dhyan Sreenivasan from a story by Anoop Joseph. The film stars Dhyan Sreenivasan, Aju Varghese, Sreenath Bhasi, and Hareesh Perumanna, along with Alencier Ley Lopez and Niranjana Anoop. The music was composed by Shaan Rahman along with Gopi Sundar
Visakh Subramaniam is an Indian film producer, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry. He is the grandson of P. Subramaniam who founded Merryland Studio, the second film studio in Kerala. He is a partner of the production company Funtastic Films along with actors Aju Varghese and Dhyan Sreenivasan.
Varshangalkku Shesham is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language period comedy-drama film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan. It was produced by Visakh Subramaniam under Merryland Cinemas. The film stars Pranav Mohanlal and Dhyan Sreenivasan in the lead roles, alongside Nivin Pauly, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Aju Varghese, Neeta Pillai, Basil Joseph and Neeraj Madhav in supporting roles. The soundtrack and background score were composed by debutant Amrit Ramnath.
Malayalee from India is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Dijo Jose Antony, written by Sharis Mohammed, and produced by Listin Stephen for Magic Frames. It stars Nivin Pauly, Dhyan Sreenivasan and Anaswara Rajan in lead roles, while Deepak Jethi and Shine Tom Chacko play the supporting roles. The film's music was composed by Jakes Bejoy.
Aju Kurian Varghese, known as Aju Varghese, is an Indian actor and producer who appears in Malayalam cinema. He made his debut in 2010 in Malarvadi Arts Club, directed by his college classmate Vineeth Sreenivasan.