SKxARM | |
---|---|
Directed by | AR Murugadoss |
Written by | AR Murugadoss |
Produced by | N. V. Prasad |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Sudeep Elamon |
Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
Music by | Anirudh Ravichander |
Production company | Sri Lakshmi Movies |
Distributed by | see below |
Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
Budget | est.₹200 crore [1] |
SKxARM and SK23 are the tentative working titles of an upcoming Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by AR Murugadoss. It is produced by N. V. Prasad under Sri Lakshmi Movies. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan and Rukmini Vasanth in the lead roles, alongside Vidyut Jammwal, Biju Menon, Vikranth, Shabeer Kallarakkal, Sanjay and Sachana Namidass.
The film was officially announced in September 2023 under its working titles, as it is Sivakarthikeyan and Murugadoss's first collaboration and the former's 23rd film as a lead actor. Principal photography commenced in February 2024. It was shot in locations including Chennai and Pondicherry. The film has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography handled by Sudeep Elamon and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad.
In March 2020, director AR Murugadoss, who had previously collaborated with Vijay for three films, was reported to join hands with the latter for the fourth time. Sun Pictures, headed by Kalanithi Maran, would reportedly fund the venture, and it would mark the reunion of Murugadoss and Vijay after Thuppakki (2012), Kaththi (2014) and Sarkar (2018). [4] Tentatively titled Thalapathy 65, Thaman S was reportedly approached to score the music, in his first collaboration with Vijay and Murugadoss. [5] [6] On 24 August, Murugadoss confirmed the reunion with the actor, and dismissed the rumours of the film being a sequel to one of their previous projects. [7] In October, however, it was reported that the actor had opted out from the venture, due to a conflict between the director and the production house, about cutting Murugadoss' salary due to the failure of his previous film, Darbar (2020). [8]
On 10 December, the production house announced that director Nelson Dilipkumar had replaced Murugadoss. The film became Beast (2022). [9] [10] The same month, Murugadoss reportedly met Sivakarthikeyan and discussed a story. The story was speculated to be the same as the director narrated to Vijay. [11] [12] Production was reported to begin in 2023 as Sivakarthikeyan had completed most of his prior commitments. [13] During Murugadoss' production venture August 16 1947 's audio launch in 2023, Sivakarthikeyan hinted about his collaboration with the director. [14] That March, Murugadoss confirmed the project. [15] The project is funded by N. V. Prasad under Sri Lakshmi Movies. Known for mainly producing films in Telugu cinema, it marks their Tamil debut. [16] The company made a public announcement on 25 September, coinciding with the occasion of Murugadoss' birthday, confirming the project, known by the working titles SKxARM and SK23.
The project marks Sivakarthikeyan and Murugadoss's second collaboration, after Sivakarthikeyan entered Tamil cinema in 2012 with Marina, as Murugadoss previously worked as producer and co-writer in the Sivakarthikeyan-starrer Maan Karate (2014). But before the actor entered the industry, he worked as a host for Murugadoss' directorial film 7 Aum Arivu at its audio launch event in 2011 and the director's production venture Engaeyum Eppothum at a similar event in the same year. [17] A muhurat puja was held at a studio in Chennai on 6 February 2024 with the presence of the film's cast and crew. [18] [19]
In early-February 2023, Sudeep Elamon was announced as the cinematographer. As he predominantly works in the Malayalam cinema, it marks his first film in Tamil cinema. Anirudh Ravichander would score the music, in his third film with Murugadoss after Kaththi (2014) and Darbar. Murugadoss further retained editor A. Sreekar Prasad, stunt choreographer Dhilip Subbarayan and art director Arun Venjaramoodu. [20] Sivakarthikeyan went through a workshop with acting coach Rajesh Balachandiran to change his body-language. [21] [22] Reportedly made with a budget of ₹200 crore, Sivakarthikeyan and Murugadoss's remuneration are reported to be ₹40 crore and ₹50 crore respectively.[ citation needed ]
Sivakarthikeyan would sport a suave and thick beard, unlike any of the characters he had previously done before. [23] Despite earlier reports of Mrunal Thakur being cast, [24] Rukmini Vasanth was confirmed as the female lead in her first pairing with the actor as well as in her second Tamil film after Ace . [25] In November 2023, Vidyut Jammwal was reported to play an important role in the film. [26] In late April 2024, Malayalam actor Biju Menon revealed he would play an important role, marking his return to Tamil cinema after Porkkalam (2010). [27] His inclusion was also confirmed by the production house on 11 August. [28] On 9 June, Jammwal was confirmed as the film's main antagonist by the production house; reuniting with Murugadoss after playing the antagonist in Thuppakki. [29] Vikranth was announced on 15 June being part of the cast, [30] while Shabeer Kallarakkal was announced the following day. [31]
Principal photography began with the first schedule on 14 February 2024 at the Vellore Institute of Technology College. [32] [33] The second schedule commenced on 13 March in Pondicherry. On 24 March, Murugadoss posted on Instagram that a sequence was filmed at the Thirumayilai railway station, also penning an emotional note as he also shot a portion for Ramanaa (2002), which starred late actor-politician Vijayakanth, there. [34] [35] In early April, a portion featuring Sivakarthikeyan and Jammwal was reportedly shot, with the team also shooting a song sequence at a busy place in Chennai. [36] An action sequence was filmed on 6 June. [37] By late June, filming was paused to allow Murugadoss' commitments to Sikandar . [38] As of September, only 20 days of filming was left. [39]
The soundtrack is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, in his third collaboration with Murugadoss after Kaththi (2014) and Darbar (2020); eighth with Sivakarthikeyan. [15] [a]
Prathyangira Cinemas acquired the distribution rights of the film for the United States. [40]
Murugadas Arunachalam, known professionally as AR Murugadas, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for directing action films mainly on social issues. In addition, he has worked in Telugu films and Hindi films. Murugadoss won the Filmfare Award for Best Director for his 2014 Tamil action drama Kaththi.
Sivakarthikeyan Doss, also known by the initialism SK, is an Indian actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer and television presenter, who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. In 2021, he won the Kalaimamani Award.
Anirudh Ravichander, also credited mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian composer and playback singer who works primarily in Tamil cinema, in addition to Hindi and Telugu films. He has won two Filmfare Awards South, ten SIIMA Awards, six Edison Awards and five Vijay awards.
Vidyut Dev Singh Jammwal is an Indian actor, martial artist and film producer who predominantly works in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films. He is also a practitioner of Kalaripayattu, which he showcased in the film Junglee (2019). He is best known for his roles in the Commando film series, and is a recipient of several accolades, including a Stardust Award, FICCI Frames Award, Filmfare Award, and IIFA Award.
Maan Karate is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language sports comedy film written and directed by Krish Thirukumaran in his directoral debut. The film was written and co-produced by AR Murugadoss and produced by P. Madhan under banner of Escape Artists Motion Pictures. It stars Sivakarthikeyan, Hansika Motwani, and Vamsi Krishna, with Sayaji Shinde, Yogi Babu, Sathish, Shaji Chen, Preethi Shankar, Ashwathy Ravikumar, Rajesh Gopalan, and Vinu Karthik in supporting roles. The soundtrack and background score composed by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography handled by M. Sukumar, editing by Sreekar Prasad and stunt choreography by Dhilip Subbarayan. The film was released theatrically on 4 April 2014 to mixed reviews from critics. It was remade in Telugu as Tuntari (2016).
Kaththi (transl. Knife) is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by AR Murugadoss. It is produced by Subaskaran Allirajah's Lyca Productions. The film stars Vijay in dual roles, alongside Samantha, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Sathish, Sudip Mukherjee, Rama, and Jeeva Ravi. In the film, a petty thief assumes the identity of his lookalike and attempts to lead a rebellion by farmers from the latter's village, Thanoothu, and helps them fight against an entrepreneur who exploited Thanoothu's water resources.
Kabilan is an Indian lyricist, poet and actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Born in the Indian coastal city of Pondicherry, he started writing lyrics for films and television in the early 2000s and gradually moved to acting as well. He won the Vijay Award for Best Lyricist for the song "Aaathangara Orathil" from Yaan (2014). He had mostly collaborated with Composer Vidyasagar followed by Srikanth Deva. He had penned super hit songs for Ilayaraaja and A.R.Rahman. Kabilan is known for his mass introduction songs, among which maximum hits are for Vijay.
Arun Kumar, known professionally as Atlee, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer best known for his work in Tamil cinema and Hindi Cinema. He initially worked as an assistant director under S. Shankar in the films Enthiran (2010) and Nanban (2012). He made his directorial debut with the film Raja Rani (2013), produced by Fox Star Studios, for which he was awarded Best Debut Director by the Vijay Award and the Tamil Nadu State award for best dialogue writer.
Nelson Dilipkumar is an Indian director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He started his career with a feature film in 2010 with Vettai Mannan, starring Silambarasan. However, it was shelved due to various reasons. He later directed Kolamaavu Kokila (2018), making his debut in the industry. He directed Doctor (2021) featuring Sivakarthikeyan, which emerged a commercial success during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was followed by Beast (2022), with Vijay in the lead role, which emerged as one of the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2022. He then worked on Jailer (2023), which became his most successful film; it became one of the highest-grossing Indian film, earning over ₹600 crore (US$70 million) worldwide, collaborating with Rajinikanth. He is one of the highest paid director in India.
Darbar ( transl. Court) is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by AR Murugadoss, and produced by Allirajah Subaskaran under the banner Lyca Productions. The film stars Rajinikanth, Suniel Shetty, Nayanthara and Nivetha Thomas. It follows Aaditya Arunasalam (Rajinikanth), the commissioner of Mumbai Police, who sets out to curb the city's rampant drug-trafficking and prostitution. When he uncovers a deep controversy linked to an international drug lord, however, he tries to fulfill his secret agenda.
Master is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and produced by XB Film Creators. The film stars Vijay in the lead role as the protagonist and Vijay Sethupathi as the antagonist. Malavika Mohanan, Andrea Jeremiah, Arjun Das, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj and Gouri G. Kishan play supporting roles. It is also co-produced by Vijay's manager, Jagadish Palanisamy, jointly with Seven Screen Studio, which also distributed the film. The film follows an alcoholic professor, who takes a three-month teaching job in a juvenile home, and clashes with a ruthless gangster who uses the children as the scapegoat for his criminal activities.
Beast is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. It is produced by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures. The film stars Vijay and Pooja Hegde in the lead roles, alongside Selvaraghavan, Shaji Chen, VTV Ganesh, Ankur Vikal, Aparna Das, Sathish Krishnan, Shine Tom Chacko, Yogi Babu and Redin Kingsley. In the film, an ex-RAW agent seeks to rescue the hostages in a shopping mall which is hijacked by terrorists with the intentions of freeing their leader, who was previously captured by the agent.
Master is the soundtrack album composed by Anirudh Ravichander, for the 2021 Indian Tamil-language film of the same name, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, and produced by Xavier Britto under his production house XB Film Creators, starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi. This film marks Anirudh's first collaboration with Lokesh Kanagaraj and his second collaboration with Vijay after Kaththi and third collaboration with Vijay Sethupathi after Naanum Rowdy Dhaan and Petta. The soundtrack album features eight songs written by Arunraja Kamaraj, Gana Balachandar, Arivu, Vignesh Shivan, Vishnu Edavan and Bjorn Surrao, with three of them were released as singles. The tracks were released digitally through Sony Music India on 15 March 2020. The film also features an extended soundtrack album with two songs "Vaathi Kabaddi" and "Master The Blaster" being released on 13 and 14 January 2021. The soundtrack album has been streamed by 1.5 billion times in music platforms, and was the highest-streamed Tamil album of the year 2020.
Don is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age comedy drama film written and directed by Cibi Chakaravarthi in his directorial debut. Produced by Lyca Productions and Sivakarthikeyan Productions, it stars Sivakarthikeyan in the main lead role alongside S. J. Suryah, Samuthirakani, Priyanka Mohan, and Soori. The film revolves around a reluctant engineering student repeatedly clashing with his college's discipline mentor, while still trying to discover his passion in life and prove his eligibility to his father.
Beast is the soundtrack composed by Anirudh Ravichander for the 2022 Tamil-language film of the same name directed by Nelson; starring Vijay and Pooja Hegde, the film is produced by Kalanithi Maran under the studio Sun Pictures. The film, under the tentative title Thalapathy 65, initially had S. Thaman reported to score for the film. In a turn of events, the makers roped in Anirudh for the production of songs and film score. This film eventually marked Anirudh's third collaboration with Vijay after Kaththi (2014) and Master (2021), and with Nelson after Kolamaavu Kokila (2018) and Doctor (2021).
Varisu is the soundtrack album composed by S. Thaman for the Tamil-language film of the same name, directed by Vamshi Paidipally starring Vijay. The album consisted of five songs written by Vivek in Tamil, Ramajogayya Sastry for the Telugu dubbed version Vaarasudu and Nishant Singh, Raqueeb Alam and Vaibhav Joshi for the Hindi dubbed version. The album was released on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2022 by T-Series, and is accompanied by three singles—"Ranjithame", "Thee Thalapathy" and "Soul of Varisu"—being released on 5 November, 4 and 20 December, respectively.
Anirudh Ravichander, made his music debut in 2012, with the Tamil film 3. During the course of his decade-long career, he has composed and produced original scores and songs for more than 30 films in various languages, predominantly in Tamil, in addition to Hindi and Telugu.
Leo is the soundtrack album composed by Anirudh Ravichander for the 2023 Tamil-language film Leo, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj starring Vijay, alongside Sanjay Dutt, Arjun and Trisha. The film is produced by S. S. Lalit Kumar under Seven Screen Studio.
Kolamaavu Kokila is the soundtrack to the 2018 Tamil-language black comedy film of the same name directed by debutant Nelson Dilipkumar and produced by Lyca Productions, starring Nayanthara. The film's musical score is composed by Anirudh Ravichander whose soundtrack consisted of six songs written by Vivek, Vignesh Shivan, Arunraja Kamaraj and Sivakarthikeyan. After the release of three singles—"Edhuvaraiyo", "Kalyana Vayasu", "Orey Oru"—the soundtrack in its entirety released through Zee Music Company on 1 July 2018.