The film was officially announced in January 2023 under the tentative title D50,[a] as it is Dhanush's 50th film as a leading actor, and the official title was announced in February 2024. Principal photography commenced in July 2023 at East Coast Road in Chennai along with Adhitya Ram Studios, where most of the filming took place. This was followed by another schedule held in Karaikudi, and wrapped by mid-December. The film has music composed by A. R. Rahman, cinematography handled by Om Prakash and editing by Prasanna GK.
Raayan was released worldwide on 26 July 2024 in theatres. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over ₹160 crores worldwide, emerging one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2024.
Kathavaraayan “Raayan” grows up in a village, caring for his brothers, Manickavelraayan "Manickam" and Muthuvelraayan "Muthu", and his newborn sister Durga, after their parents mysteriously disappear. When a priest tries to abduct the infant Durga, Raayan kills him. The siblings flee to the city and meet a market businessman named Sekhar, who takes them in.
Years later, Raayan is a food truck owner in North Chennai, Manickam is a college student, and Muthu is a hot-headed alcoholic who is in love with Meghalai. Sekhar supports Raayan and his family as a good family friend.
Durai and Sethuraman "Sethu" are two rival gangsters whose conflict is tied to Durai’s murder of Sethu’s father. R. Sargunam, a recently transferred police commissioner who seeks revenge on Durai for killing his own father, attempts to exploit the rivalry by provoking both sides in hopes of eliminating them. One day, Sargunam sends a group of hired goons to ambush Sethu, but they are all killed. Sethu, believing that Durai was responsible for the attack, sends his men to kill Durai's son, who was at the local bar. Muthu, who was also present at the bar, gets into a broil with Durai's son and his gang. Seeing this, Sethu's gang infiltrates the altercation and kills Durai's son, leaving Muthu as the sole survivor. While most people believe that Sethu killed Durai's son, Durai finds out about Muthu and tells Raayan to hand over Muthu within 24 hours, but Raayan instead kills Durai and his gang with the help of his brothers.
This incident draws suspicion from Sethu, who finds out about Raayan and his brothers' involvement in Durai's death and calls Raayan for a meeting. He requests Raayan to join his side and promises him and his family protection from the police, but Raayan refuses. Sethu begins to threaten Raayan, who also starts to threaten Sethu indirectly, without stating that he is the killer. Sethu then attempts to assassinate Raayan by sending his goons, but a remaining henchman flees back to Sethu with the news that he witnessed Raayan singlehandedly killing all his henchmen there. Around that time, Raayan was planning Durga's wedding and agreed to shoulder the responsibility of the event expenses, totaling around ₹5 lakhs and dowry, leaving him in dire need of money. At the groom's family's request for dowry, Raayan agrees to hand over his profitable mobile hotel and all their bank savings to the groom's family.
Believing Sethu’s threats will endanger his family, Raayan plans to kill Sethu the night before Durga's marriage by entering Sethu's second wife, Annam's, house in an ambush attack. However, Raayan finds Durga tied up in that house, realises it is a trap set by Sethu, and fights Sethu's henchmen who ambushed him. However, on escaping, Sethu's henchman Guru abducts and sexually assaults Durga. Meanwhile, it was revealed that both Muthu and Manickam, who were not able to land a job quickly, were now working for Sethu to supplement their household expenses; upon realizing their target was their brother, they panicked and stabbed him.
After escaping from Guru, Durga runs back to where she left Raayan and admits him to a nearby clinic. Sethu's gang tries to kill Raayan in the clinic, but Durga and Sekhar save him. The trio escapes to an isolated house far from the city. There, Durga learns about Muthu and Manickam's betrayal. Meanwhile, Muthu and Manickam continue to work for Sethu, while Meghalai gives birth to Muthu's child. After almost a year, Raayan recovers from his injuries and kidnaps Annam; he asks Sethu to send Guru to him in place of Annam, as he was behind Durga's rape. Sethu accepts, and Guru gets killed by Durga for assaulting her.
Manickam attempts to rectify the situation with Raayan and Durga, so he requests Sekhar to arrange a meeting with Raayan. Sethu overhears the request, tricks Manickam, and attempts to make Sekhar reveal Raayan's whereabouts, but Sekhar refuses and is then killed by Sethu. His body is hung for public display and forces Raayan and Durga out of hiding. Sargunam uses this chance to arrange a meeting with Raayan and Sethu for a public compromise; however, he was secretly planning on killing them all in a common location. However, Sargunam changes his plan as there were many goons of Sethu with him and carries out his backup plan, a deal he made with Raayan: if Raayan eliminates Sethu and his gang, Raayan and Durga would be promised freedom, safety, and a new identity. During Bhogi celebrations, Durga kills Manickam for betraying Raayan, while Raayan kills Sethu, his gang members, and Muthu.
The next day, Sargunam waits for Raayan with the money, but he actually wanted to kill him so that Sargunam's deals would not be leaked. However, Raayan was clever enough to anticipate the setup and not arrive at their meeting spot. Meghalai, unwilling to raise a child of Raayan's bloodline, gives her child away to Raayan and Durga. Raayan and Durga pack their belongings and leave for Coimbatore for a peaceful life.
On 29 December 2017, Dhanush announced that for his second directorial after Pa Paandi (2017), he would collaborate with Hema Rukmani and Murali Ramasamy, headers of Thenandal Studio Limited.[6] He further stated that he would play the lead and the production would begin the following year.[7][8] To which, on 7 September 2018, a muhurat puja was held in Chennai.[9] Touted to be a bilingual film released in Tamil and Telugu-languages, it would feature Nagarjuna, Aditi Rao Hydari, S. J. Suryah, R. Sarathkumar and Srikanth.[10] Music composer Sean Roldan, cinematographer Om Prakash and editor Prasanna GK were brought on board. Rukmani stated "It's an impressive story and is Dhanush's dream project that he's had in mind for a long time. He's very passionate about the film and when we heard the script, we understood why", during the press launch of the venture.[11][12]Tentatively titledDD2, principal photography began the same month.[13]
In early March 2019, some reporters claimed that the venture was shelved, saying it was only shot in few bits, mainly due to the cast's schedule. Others reported that it was not shelved, but was instead put on hold, as Dhanush was busy filming for Asuran (2019).[14] In June 2020, Dhanush's elder brother Selvaraghavan was reported to have been approached by the actor to direct a part of venture, as Dhanush was busy with other commitments.[15] The project was later put on hold. However, it was reported that it would begin after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, which was later proven false.[16] In January 2023, it was reported that instead of reviving the script, Dhanush would write a new script, to be funded by Kalanithi Maran of Sun Pictures.[17] The production house officially announced the project on 18 January, and was tentatively titled D50.[18] The film's official title, Raayan, was revealed on 19 February 2024.[19]
Casting
Dhanush would sport a tonsured head and stubble with a thick handlebar mustache for his character.[20]Vishnu Vishal was initially attached to act in the film but was unable to commit due to scheduling conflicts;[21] the role went to Sundeep Kishan,[22] reuniting with Dhanush after Captain Miller (2024).[23]Kalidas Jayaram learned the North Chennai dialect for his role, and also trained in Madras Bashai under Dhanush.[24]G. V. Prakash Kumar stated that he was offered to play one of Dhanush's brothers, but declined because of his friendship with Dhanush, and the fact that the character betrays Dhanush's character. Prakash Kumar did not reveal if the role offered was eventually played by Kishan or Kalidas.[25]
S. J. Suryah, who was part of Dhanush's shelved venture, was retained for this project.[26]Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, who acted with Dhanush in Maari 2 (2018), reunited with him for this film.[27] Selvaraghavan had previously written or directed many films starring Dhanush, and Raayan is the first film where he appeared under his brother's direction. He also dismissed rumours of being part of the writing team.[28]Dushara Vijayan called being part of the film a "goal come true moment" as Dhanush was a major inspiration for her to pursue an acting career.[29] Since Aparna Balamurali could not read Tamil, Dhanush wrote her Tamil dialogues in English.[30] Dhanush had initially approached musician Deva to play the antagonist due to his profiency in the North Chennai dialect;[31] Deva declined due to his lack of interest in acting.[32]
Filming
Principal photography began with an inaugural puja ceremony on 5 July 2023 at East Coast Road in Chennai with the presence of the film's cast and crew. Filming also went on there for a while,[33] before they moved to a massive set with around 500 houses at Adithya Ram Studios in ECR, Chennai, where the rest of the schedule continued to be shot at.[34] The schedule featured scenes involving Suryah and Sundeep.[35] The second schedule commenced in mid-November in Karaikudi, which went on for a week. The team had invested ₹30 crore (US$3.5million) in the sets of the backdrop of Royapuram, where the events in the film would mostly take place at.[36] The filming reached near ending, as stated by Dhanush, on 1 October.[37] On 14 December, Dhanush tweeted that the shooting had wrapped.[38]
Post-production
Sumesh Gopal and Anish Dayanandan are the visual effects supervisors,[39] under Digital Bricks Entertainment Pvt Ltd., the film's principal visual effects studio. The dubbing began works in late February 2024,[40] and was completed by early March.[41] Rahman concluded the re-recording session on 28 May, which was confirmed by Dhanush through his social media pages.[42]
The music and background score is composed by A. R. Rahman, in his fourth collaboration with Dhanush after Maryan(2013), Raanjhanaa (2013) and Atrangi Re (2021).[43] The first single, "Adangaatha Asuran", was released on 9 May 2024,[44] the second single "Water Packet" on 24 May,[45] and the third single, "Raayan Rumble" released on 5 July.[46] The audio launch was held on 6 July 2024 at Sri Sai Ram Engineering College in Chennai, releasing the album.[47]
Release
Theatrical
Raayan was initially scheduled to release on 13 June 2024 in theatres, but was postponed due to reasons unknown.[48] It was released worldwide on 26 July 2024, two days before Dhanush's 41st birthday.[49] Apart from its original Tamil language, dubbed versions in the Telugu and Hindi languages were also released.[50] The film received an A (adults only) certificate from the censor board, being the first Dhanush film since Vada Chennai (2018) to do so.[51] The film also received a 15 by the British Board of Film Classification for strong violence and bloody images.[52]
Raayan grossed ₹23.75 crore (US$2.8million) worldwide on its opening day, surpassing Karnan (2021) to become the biggest opening for one of Dhanush's film.[61] It grossed an estimated ₹75.42 crore (US$8.9million) worldwide on its opening weekend of three days.[62] The film earned ₹122.75 crore (US$15million) in ten days and ₹126.75 crore (US$15million) in next two days days.[63][64] By the third weekend film total collection stood at ₹109.50 crore (US$13million) in India and ₹149 crore (US$18million) worldwide.[61]Raayan grossed an estimated revenue of ₹160 crore (US$19million) in its final run, becoming the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year to that point,[4] and the highest-grossing A-certified Tamil film to that point.[65] until it was surpassed by Coolie
Critical response
Raayan received mixed reviews from critics.[66] Rohit Panikker of Times Now gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Raayan is a bloodbath that even the most ardent fan of such blood and gore would find exhausting, especially since it falls in the line of a long spate of recent releases that are similarly-conceived."[67] Divya Nair of Rediff gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Raayan is an interesting one-time watch written for the masses with a little meat here and there for the critics to bite on."[68] M Suganth of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Raayan has a raw and rage-filled setting, and is populated by characters who are rugged, violent, deceptive and also vulnerable."[69] Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Dhanush, the actor and director, stands tall in a film powered by AR Rahman's brilliant music, and top-notch performances only to fall just short of realising its potential."[70]
Anusha Sundar of OTTplay gave 3/5 stars and wrote "[...] Yes, the writing is bogged down by certain uncertainty and convenience, which does not let many characters to get developed, and in fact get eliminated before they are got to known. But Raayan is also a valiant effort of Dhanush's that lets many departments shine through, and plays out a canvas for a experimentation in commercial cinema."[71] Janani K of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Dhanush's 50th film is a simple revenge story. The interval block shows streaks of brilliance of his directorial skills. However, as a writer, 'Raayan' lacks emotional depth. For the revenge angle to work, emotions matter."[72] B. V. S. Prakash of Deccan Chronicle gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Dhanush turned director for this film and relied on gore and violence revolving around a wafer-thin plot. This is truly disappointing since some of his films like Asuran and Karnan had boasted of bold themes in the past."[73] Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times wrote "Dhanush's Raayan totally packs a punch and is a must-watch for its captivating performances and unexpected story twists. It's a stellar 50th career film for Dhanush."[74] Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote "In his sophomore directorial, Dhanush attempts to turn an ordinary story into something more with a well-written setting and measured storytelling, but falls disappointingly short."[75]
Notes
↑ The project was also referred under the working titleDD2, as it also is Dhanush's second directorial venture.[5]
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