New (film)

Last updated

New
New (film).jpg
Title card
Directed by S. J. Suryah
Written byS. J. Suryah
Produced byS. J. Suryah
StarringS. J. Suryah
Simran
Cinematography K. V. Guhan
Edited by Anthony
Music by A. R. Rahman
Production
company
Annai Mary Madha Creations
Release date
  • 9 July 2004 (2004-07-09)
Running time
167 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

New is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language science fiction comedy film directed, written and produced by S. J. Suryah, who also stars alongside Simran. Kiran Rathod and Devayani play supporting roles. In the film, an 8-year-old child gets an experiment done on him that requires him to live as himself during the day and like a 28-year-old man at night. Chaos begins after he toggles between two roles simultaneously.

Contents

New was simultaneously shot in Telugu as Naani with Mahesh Babu and Ameesha Patel, while Devayani reprised her role in Naani. The plot is adapted from the 1988 American film Big . It was released on 9 July 2004.

Plot

Eight-year-old Pappu always troubles his mother Indira and frequently gets scoldings due to his bed-wetting. Pappu's elder brother Kishore plans to watch a porno with his friends in his room. Pappu insists on joining them. When Kishore refuses and gets rid of him, Pappu cuts off the power out of anger, creating a short circuit at home. Indira scolds Pappu and shouts at her husband for not stopping with one child. Distraught, Pappu leaves to end his life near a river, but is stopped by a man who takes him to his home. The man is a scientist who has his own laboratory. He convinces Pappu to take a medicine invented by him which will transform a boy into a fully-grown man. Pappu agrees and turns into a young man. However, he still has the mind of a child. The only person other than the scientist who knows the truth is Pappu's classmate and friend, Deepak.

Now an adult, Pappu goes for an interview in a toy manufacturing company under the name of Vichu. The owner interviewing him demands that he empathise with children to understand their taste. Since Vichu is a child, he gets the job easily. He meets the owner's daughter Priya, whom Vichu helped to her feet at an amusement park earlier. The two fall in love. Their intimacy makes Raj, another employee enamored with Priya, jealous. Vichu eventually learns that his mother is depressed and sick following Pappu's disappearance. She laments being so strict with him. After learning of her love for him, Vichu asks the scientist to revert him to his eight-year-old self. The scientist transforms Vichu into Pappu, who reconciles with his mother. However, at night, he turns back to Vichu, and rushes to the scientist, who does not know what went wrong.

Pappu now lives as an eight-year-old boy during daytime and as a 28-year-old Vichu during the night. Priya expresses her love to him. Vichu tells her to love a man suitable for her age, but he reciprocates her love upon the scientist's coercion. One day, Priya asks him to accompany her to a matinee show, to which he rejects so she does not find out what is actually going on. Pappu's mother befriends Priya as they are neighbours. Priya likes Pappu, but is angered by Vichu's absence. After angrily hitting Vichu, she decides to marry him. Raj gets Vichu kidnapped on the day of marriage, but he changes to Pappu during the day. The kidnappers release him, thinking that they kidnapped a child by mistake. Pappu turns into Vichu and marries Priya that evening. Priya longs for a child, so they eventually have sex, which results in her becoming pregnant. Vichu/Pappu meets his mother and understands the difficulties of pregnancy, prompting him to take care of Priya with more affection.

Deepak demands ice cream but Vichu refuses, having a tight schedule as a son, employee, and husband. Deepak gets angry and, while fighting with Priya, reveals that Vichu is Pappu. She is shocked that she is bearing the baby of a child. Priya blames Pappu for ruining her life and making her pregnant, during which he transforms to Vichu. He gets angry and reveals that he started to love her when she got pregnant and saw his mother in her. Priya goes into labour, and Vichu takes her to the hospital. En route, Vichu is stopped by Raj and his men, who seek revenge. Vichu fights them and admits her in a hospital. There, everyone learns the truth about Pappu, and Priya gives birth to his son while being upset on her fate of being a child's wife.

Twenty years pass later, Pappu is an actual 28 year-old. He still is Priya's husband. He goes inside his room as a young man and comes out as the 48-year-old Vichu. His son is a 20-year-old who looks like him. Vichu contacts the scientist to see if he found a remedy for his transformation. The scientist replies that he did not.

Cast

Production

Suryah began pre-production work on a third story titled New in early 2001, which he would also produce. [1] Starring Ajith Kumar and Jyothika, composer Deva had composed ten songs for the film by June 2001. [2] [3] After Ajith Kumar had become busy with other commitments, Suryah decided to enact the lead role himself, revealing he had always wanted to be an actor. [4] [5] Simran signed on to play the leading female character, while Kiran and Devayani were cast in pivotal roles. A simultaneously shot Telugu version titled Naani featuring Mahesh Babu in the lead role was also made after Suryah felt that Babu would suit the character, and the Telugu version helped with finances. [6] Suryah noted that he was loosely inspired by the American film Big (1988). The film was shot in hundred days, with Suryah revealing he would often stop acting in between the scenes, when he knew that his performance was not up to his expectation as a director. [7] Suryah noted that script-writing began in 2001, while production with the final cast began in 2002. [8]

Music

The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman. [9] In an interview in 2001, Surya earlier stated that Deva had composed ten songs for the film, but he was later replaced by Rahman. [2] The song "Thottal Poo Malarum" reuses lyrics from the song of the same name from Padagotti (1964) but the tune is completely new. [10]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."New New"Vaali (English lyricsBlaaze) Blaaze, Karthik, Vijay Prakash, Sunitha Sarathy, Tanvi Shah 4:33
2."Sakkarai" Vaali S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sujatha Mohan 5:53
3."Thootal Poo Malarum" Vaali Hariharan, Harini 5:34
4."Kalayil Thinamum"Vaali Unnikrishnan, Sadhana Sargam 4:24
5."If You Wanna"Vaali Chinmayi, Anupama, Aparna4:18
6."Spiderman" Vairamuthu Kunal Ganjawala, Sadhana Sargam 5:59
7."Kumbakonam"Vaali Nithyasree Mahadevan, Manikka Vinayagam 6:12
Total length:36:54

Reception

Malathi Rangarajan from The Hindu claimed that "belonging to a genre that is rare to our cinema, "New" however, gets bogged down in a mire of duets and double entenders", but hinted at potential success citing that director "seems to have hit the bull's eye." [10] Visual Dasan of Kalki gave a negative review, criticising Suryah for ruining Big by adding vulgarity on the pretext of mother sentiment, while stating that Penny Marshall, the director of Big, would cry like M. R. Radha by seeing this adaptation. [11] Malini Mannath of Chennai Online wrote that "It's director Suriyah's third directorial venture after his highly successful 'Vali' and 'Khushi'. Wonder what made him rehash Big for his debut 'heroic' misadventure!" [12] The film grossed ₹18 crore from 120 screens on Day 1. [13]

Controversies

The film's adult theme generated controversy, and women activists in the state of Tamil Nadu demanded a ban on a film after release, which they say contained obscene scenes. Suryah responded by claiming that the scenes are there because the storyline requires them and described his film as "fiction laced with adult comedy". [14]

In August 2005, the Madras High Court revoked the film's censor certificate and directed the Chennai Commissioner of Police to investigate two criminal complaints registered against Suryah. They ruled that the film did not provide a "clean and healthy entertainment" and that it would be failing in its duty if it did not revoke the censor certificate, claiming it originally attained an "A" certificate "under questionable circumstances". Suryah was arrested by city police on 22 August 2005 in connection with allegedly throwing a mobile phone at a woman censor board official in a fit of anger during the post-production of the film. According to the complainant, Vanathy Srinivasan, Suryah was denied permission to add the "Kumbakonam" song to the film due to excessively obscene scenes and as a result he allegedly threw a mobile phone at her. [15] He was later released without charge. [16] A fresh case was launched in March 2006, with the Censor Board filing a complaint against Suryah for using stills from scenes that were deleted from the film, with a poster which showed Suryah resting on Simran's cleavage resurfacing. [17] He was arrested for the second time before being released. [18]

In 2017, the apex court set aside an August 5, 2005 direction of the Madras High Court to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of film Certification to revoke the censor certification issued to the Surya-starrer Tamil movie New . The Highest Court had also mentioned that "It is not for judges to make “piecemeal analysis” of a movie and apply their subjective views of life to revoke the censor certification issued to a film" [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Vaalee</i> (1999 film) 1999 film by S. J. Surya

Vaalee is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language psychological romantic thriller film written and directed by S. J. Suryah in his directorial debut. The film stars Ajith Kumar in dual roles with Simran and Jyothika in her Tamil debut while Vivek, Rajeev, Pandu and Sujitha appear in important supporting roles. A modern-day adaptation of the legend of Vali from the Ramayana, it revolves around identical twins Shiva and Deva, with Deva being deaf-mute. When Shiva marries Priya, Deva becomes obsessed with her and lusts for her.

<i>12B</i> 2001 film by Jeeva

12B is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written, cinematographed and directed by Jeeva, with dialogues by Sujatha; it is his directorial debut. The film stars Shaam in his debut with Simran and Jyothika in lead roles. Hindi actors Suniel Shetty and Moon Moon Sen play supporting roles, and the music was composed by Harris Jayaraj. The film was released on 28 September 2001 to above-average reviews. Critics praised the new concept but criticised the narrative, which they found confusing.

<i>Anbe Aaruyire</i> (2005 film) 2005 film directed by S. J. Suryah

Anbe Aaruyire (transl. Darling) is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by S. J. Suryah. The film stars him and debutant Nila, along with Urvashi, Santhana Bharathi and Santhanam. The score and soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman. It was released on 9 September 2005.

<i>Nerrukku Ner</i> 1997 film directed by Vasanth

Nerrukku Ner is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam. The film stars Vijay and Suriya in the lead roles alongside Simran and Kausalya. Raghuvaran, Shanthi Krishna, Baby Jennifer, Karan, Vivek, Manivannan and Prakash Raj play supporting roles. Deva and K. V. Anand handled the music and cinematography respectively. It is the debut film for Suriya, the eldest son of actor Sivakumar. The film opens with the separation of a married couple due to adultery. They soon apply for a divorce, and there is a dispute over the custody of their daughter. When the girl disappears, their respective families realize that she has been kidnapped by a corrupt businessman who seeks revenge against the girl's father.

<i>Viyabari</i> 2007 film by Sakthi Chidambaram

Viyabari ( transl. Businessman) is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language science fiction comedy film directed and produced by Sakthi Chidambaram. The film stars S. J. Suryah in a dual role as a businessman and his clone, alongside an ensemble cast that includes Tamannaah Bhatia, Prakash Raj, Namitha, Malavika, Vadivelu, Santhanam, Seetha, and Nassar. The musical score was composed by Deva. Cinematography was handled by M. V. Panneerselvam, and editing was done by S. Suraj Kavee. The film was released on 11 July 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. J. Suryah</span> Indian actor and film director

Selvaraj Justin Pandian, known by his stage name S. J. Suryah, is an Indian actor, lyrcist, film director, film producer, screenwriter, playback singer, composer, narrator and philanthropist who predominantly works in Tamil films and in few Telugu films. He sought to become an actor but started out directing, assisting Vasanth and Sabhapathy.

<i>Vaaranam Aayiram</i> 2008 film by Gautham Vasudev Menon

Vaaranam Aayiram is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and produced by V. Ravichandran of Aascar Films. The film stars Suriya in the main dual lead role as father and son alongside Simran, Sameera Reddy and Ramya. The film features music composed by Harris Jayaraj, making Vaaranam Aayiram his last project with Menon before the formal break-up of their partnership, until they worked together again in Yennai Arindhaal (2015). The cinematography for the film was handled by R. Rathnavelu and the editing was done by Anthony Gonsalvez.

<i>Naani</i> 2004 Indian film

Naani is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language science-fiction romantic comedy film directed by S. J. Surya and starring Mahesh Babu, Ameesha Patel and Devayani. The film is a bilingual, simultaneously shot in Tamil as New with a slightly different cast and features music composed by A. R. Rahman. Made on a budget of ₹12 crore, the film released on 14 May 2004. It was a disaster at the box-office.

<i>V. I. P.</i> (1997 film) 1997 Indian film

V. I. P. is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Sabapathy Dekshinamurthy. The film stars Prabhu Deva and Abbas with Rambha and Simran, while Rami Reddy, Anupam Kher and Manivannan play other pivotal roles. Ranjit Barot composed the music, while Arthur A. Wilson handled the cinematography. The film was released on 4 July 1997. This is one of the first two Tamil films of actress Simran, along with Once More.

<i>Aanandham</i> 2001 film by N. Linguswamy

Aanandham (transl. Joy) is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language drama film co-written and directed by N. Lingusamy in his directoral debut and produced by R. B. Choudary. The film features an ensemble cast including Mammootty, Murali, Abbas, Devayani, Rambha, Sneha, Delhi Ganesh and Srividya. Arthur A. Wilson handled cinematography, while S. A. Rajkumar composed the film's score and soundtrack. The film was released on 25 May 2001 to positive reviews, and became one of the highest grossing Tamil films of the year. It was remade in Telugu as Sankranti (2005).

<i>Ramanaa</i> 2002 film by A. R. Murugadoss

Ramanaa is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language vigilante action film written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss, stars Vijayakanth and Ashima Bhalla in lead roles,while actress Simran appears in a cameo role. The film is about a man named Ramana who decides to abolish corruption completely with the help of his ex-students who are working in various government offices. The film released on 4 November 2002. It received positive reviews from critics and became a superhit. It was awarded the 2002 Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film and A. R. Murugadoss won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer. The film was dubbed and released in Hindi as Mar Mitenge 3 in 2015.

<i>Jodi No.1</i> (TV series) Indian reality dance television show

Jodi Number One is an Indian Tamil-language dance competition reality television show broadcast on Star Vijay starting in 2006. The contestants are couples who are generally television stars in their own right, often from the television industry. Over twelve years, Jodi Number One has rolled out ten seasons.

<i>Vaanavil</i> 2000 Indian film

Vaanavil (transl. Rainbow) is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language film produced and directed by Manoj Kumar. The film stars Arjun, Abhirami and Prakash Raj. It was released on 26 October 2000, and won four Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.

<i>Idhu Kadhal Varum Paruvam</i> 2006 Indian film

Idhu Kadhal Varum Paruvam is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age film directed by Kasthuri Raja. The film stars several newcomers including Harish and Lakshmi Priya alongside Kiran Rathod. It chronicles the coming-of-age of a teenager who is a school student.

Maanada Mayilada is an Indian dance competition show airing from 2007 till 2015 on Kalaignar TV. The show was conceived, produced and directed by noted choreographer Kala Master. She is also one of the judges and the only constant judge throughout the show. Other judges have been Brinda, Khushbu, Rambha, Namitha, Simran, Mumtaj, Sudha Chandran, Meena. Prashanth and Srikanth. Sanjeev and Kiki Vijay have been the hosts for all seasons.

<i>Samasthanam</i> 2002 Indian film

Samasthanam (transl. Throne) is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Raj Kapoor. The film stars Suresh Gopi, Sarath Kumar, Devayani, and Abhirami. It was released on 26 September 2002.

<i>Vivaramana Aalu</i> 2002 Indian film

Vivaramana Aalu is a 2002 Indian Tamil language comedy drama film directed by K. Selva Bharathy. The film stars Sathyaraj, Vivek, Devayani and Mumtaj, with Ponnambalam, Prathap K. Pothan, Kanal Kannan and Manochithra playing supporting roles. The film, produced by V. A. Durai, was released on 14 January 2002.

<i>Yaaruda Mahesh</i> 2013 film by R. Madhan Kumar

Yaaruda Mahesh is a 2013 Tamil-language adult comedy film directed by R. Madhan Kumar, starring Sundeep Kishan and Dimple Chopade. The film was shot around Chennai and Kerala. It was produced by Red Studios and Colour Frames. Its soundtrack and background score were composed by Gopi Sunder, while Raana handled the cinematography. The film released on 26 April to below average reviews. It did average business at the box office.

<i>En Purushan Kuzhandhai Maadhiri</i> 2001 film by S. P. Rajkumar

En Purushan Kuzhandhai Maadhiri is a 2001 Indian Tamil language comedy film directed by S. P. Rajkumar. The film stars Livingston, Devayani and Vindhya in lead roles. The music was composed by Deva. The film was released in 2001 with mixed reviews from critics. The film was remade in Telugu as Maa Ayana Chanti Pilladu.

<i>Trisha Illana Nayanthara</i> 2015 film directed by Adhik Ravichandran

Trisha Illana Nayanthara is a 2015 Indian Tamil language sex comedy film written and directed by Adhik Ravichandran. The film stars G. V. Prakash Kumar, Manisha Yadav and Anandhi, with VTV Ganesh and Simran portraying supporting roles. The film was a box-office hit.

References

  1. ↑ "Madhavan is at once a jolly person and a tense person". Cinematoday2.itgo.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 Jeevi (12 June 2001). "Interview with SJ Surya". Idlebrain.com . Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  3. ↑ "Simran". Cinematoday3.itgo.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  4. ↑ "From 'Itihasam' to 'Mirattal': Check out 11 movies of Ajith that were shelved". The New Indian Express . 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  5. ↑ Rasika. "Facing the camera?". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 28 September 2006. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  6. ↑ Mannath, Malini (20 April 2004). "Director S J Surya". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 16 October 2006. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "'New' will be a trendsetter: S.J.Surya". Sify . Archived from the original on 11 April 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  8. ↑ S.R., Ashok Kumar (2 July 2004). "Here's something 'new'". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  9. ↑ "New". JioSaavn . January 2004. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  10. 1 2 Rangarajan, Malathi (16 July 2004). "New". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 20 August 2004. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  11. ↑ தாசன், விசுவல் (25 July 2004). "நியூ". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 96. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023– via Internet Archive.
  12. ↑ Mannath, Malini (22 July 2004). "New". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  13. ↑ "Chennai Box Office". Sify . 3 August 2004. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  14. ↑ "'Obscene' Tamil film angers women". BBC News. 29 July 2004. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  15. ↑ "S.J. Surya arrested, released on bail". The Hindu . 24 August 2005. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  16. ↑ "Tamil actor arrested, released on bail". Rediff.com . 23 August 2005. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  17. ↑ "S J Surya again in clutches of law". Behindwoods. 21 March 2006. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  18. ↑ "S J Surya is arrested again". Behindwoods. 19 September 2005. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  19. ↑ "Supreme Court sets aside HC order on revocation of censor certificate to Tamil film 'New'". The Hindu. 19 December 2017.
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.