Time (1999 film)

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Time
Time 1999 poster.jpg
Poster
Directed by Geetha Krishna
Screenplay byGeetha Krishna
Story byGeetha Krishna
Dialogues by
Produced byVaddi Veerabadhra Rao
Starring Prabhu Deva
Simran
Radhika Chaudhari
Cinematography M. V. Panneerselvam
Edited by Suresh Urs
Music by Ilaiyaraaja
Distributed byLife Line Films
Release date
  • 3 December 1999 (1999-12-03)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Timeis a 1999 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Geetha Krishna. The film stars Prabhu Deva, Simran and Radhika Chaudhari in the lead roles. The film was produced by Vaddi Veerabadhra Rao, with cinematography by M. V. Panneerselvam and editing by Suresh Urs. [1] Chennai Online wrote "The locales are exotic, the frames beautiful and the costume colourful. But what the film lacks is cohesive narration". [2] The soundtrack and background score were composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Time was released theatrically on 3 December 1999 to mixed reviews. [3]

Contents

Plot

Srinivasa Murthy (Prabhu Deva) is a cheerful and carefree young man who lives with his widowed mother (Ambika). He spends most of his time with his close group of friends including Chittappa (Charle), Harikumar (Harikumar), Gopi (Gopi), Johnny (Johnny), Ajay (Ajay), Krishna (Krishna), and another close associate (Thadi Balaji). Srinivasa Murthy strongly believes that time determines destiny and that patience and honesty will eventually be rewarded.

Thulasi (Simran) is a gentle and traditional young woman who is the daughter of Govindarajan (Nassar) and Lakshmi (Manga Reddy). She has a younger brother (Master Bharathkumar). Though Thulasi develops feelings for Srinivasa Murthy, she hesitates to express her love due to her family’s conservative values and her father’s strict nature.

Priya (Radhika Chaudhari), the daughter of a wealthy businessman (Pandu) and his wife (Sharmili), becomes infatuated with Srinivasa Murthy. Priya lives with her younger sister (Baby Jennifer) and is surrounded by household servants (Vaiyapuri and Bhanusri). Her affection for Srinivasa Murthy gradually turns obsessive when he does not reciprocate her feelings.

Dhilip (Babloo Prithiveeraj), Priya’s possessive lover, becomes intensely jealous of Srinivasa Murthy. Dhilip is encouraged by his father Seetharaman (Devan), his mother (Sabitha Anand), and his controlling grandmother (Radhabhai), which fuels his aggressive behavior. Dhilip begins creating serious problems in Srinivasa Murthy’s life.

Several supporting characters influence the unfolding events. Natarajan (Moulee) and his wife (Kovai Sarala) often attempt to mediate family disputes. Appasamy (Manivannan) provides comic relief while also offering philosophical reflections on fate and time. Srinivasa Murthy’s life also intersects with ordinary people such as a car driver (Chandra Mohan), a shop owner (J. V. Ramana Murthi), postmen (Kallu Chidambaram, Sahadevan, and Mahadevan), and Govindarajan’s friend (Raviraj), reinforcing the theme that time connects lives in unexpected ways.

As tensions escalate, Priya seeks the help of a local don (Anandaraj) in a guest appearance, further complicating matters. Despite mounting pressure and threats, Srinivasa Murthy remains firm in his values and refuses to compromise his integrity.

In the climax, the truth behind Priya’s manipulations and Dhilip’s hostility is revealed. Govindarajan recognizes Srinivasa Murthy’s sincerity and accepts him as a suitable partner for Thulasi. Priya finally comes to terms with reality and understands that love cannot be forced. The film concludes with Srinivasa Murthy and Thulasi united, reinforcing the central message that time ultimately rewards truth, patience, and genuine love.

Cast

Production

The film marked the directorial debut of Geetha Krishna in Tamil, and began as a quadrilingual venture in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam. Prashanth was initially announced as the hero in the film as early as November 1997 when the film's launch took place. Prashanth started working for the film in Kodaikanal during October 1998 but later backed out, while Ajith Kumar also refused the film due to lack of time. After several delays, Prabhu Deva was subsequently selected to play the lead role and the film was shot only in Tamil. [4] [5] Two debutant actresses were announced to portray the lead female roles, Menaka Senail and Radhika Chaudhari, though the former was later replaced by Simran. Model Bobbu Poonai made his acting debut as the antagonist. Filming mainly took place in and around Annavaram, Vishakhapatnam and Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, while minority of scenes were shot in and around Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta in Kerala. [6] [7]

Soundtrack

The songs were composed by Ilaiyaraaja and lyrics were written by Palani Bharathi. [8] To compose the songs, Ilaiyaraaja and Geetha Krishna went on a recce to Maldives and had longlisted thirty songs for the film, before picking six. [9] [10] For the Telugu version, the lyrics were written by Veturi and Vanamali. [11] The song "Kadhal Neethana" later used as a background score in the 2022 film Love Today . [12]

SongSingersLength
"Kadhal Neethana" Unni Krishnan, Sujatha 05:01
"Muthu Nilave" Karthik Raja, Gopika Poornima 05:50
"Naan Thanga Roja" Swarnalatha, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam 05:10
"Ninachapadi" Unni Menon, Devan, Malgudi Subha 05:42
"Niram Pirithu"Sujatha05:16
"Thavikkiren Thavikkiren" Bhavatharini, Hariharan 05:11

Critical reception

Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu wrote, "Two aspects of Time stand out – Ilaiyaraja's re-recording and M. V. Paneer's camera work. As for the rest, there isn't much to be said". [13] K. N. Vijiyan of New Straits Times wrote the film has shades of Kadhal Kottai (1996), but "the story gets a little muddled in the end". [14] Chennai Online wrote "The locales are exotic, the frames beautiful and the costume colourful. But what the film lacks is cohesive narration". [15]

Regarding the Telugu dubbed version, Grdiddaluru Gopalrao of Zamin Ryot wrote that this is not a typical love story and also praised the music and cinematography. [11] Reviewing the same, Kiran of Telugucinema.com wrote, "The movie has a wafer thin story line. The first half is too slow. The story doesn't move anywhere. The second half is too confusing and complex. The ending is abrupt. Probably, Geetakrishna should go back to some film institute and learn direction". [16]

References

  1. ↑ Vijiyan, K. N. (18 December 1999). "Clarity missing in 'Time'". New Straits Times . pp. Reel Stuff 4. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
  2. ↑ "Time". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 10 July 2003. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  3. ↑ "டைம் / Time (1999)". Screen 4 Screen. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  4. ↑ Rajitha (28 October 1998). "Prashant makes his point". Rediff.com . Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  5. ↑ "Potti Tamil Movie News (Films in Production in 1999)". Indolink. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  6. ↑ "On the sets". Screen . 4 December 1998. Archived from the original on 2 March 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  7. ↑ "Time: Second schedule at Vizag". Screen . Archived from the original on 1 March 2000. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  8. ↑ "Time (1999)". Raaga.com . Archived from the original on 27 July 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Rajitha (10 November 1998). "An embarrassment of musical riches". Rediff.com . Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "12/14 – An embarrassment of Ilayaraja". Tamil Movie Online. Archived from the original on 3 March 2000. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  11. 1 2 Gopalrao, Griddaluru (31 December 1999). ""టైమ్" చిత్రానికి కలిసిరాని టైమ్" [Time is an integral part of the film](PDF). Zamin Ryot (in Telugu). p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  12. ↑ Madhu, Vignesh (5 November 2022). "Love Today review: A rollicking new-age entertainer". The New Indian Express . Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  13. ↑ Rangarajan, Malathi (10 December 1999). "Cinema: Time \ Unnarugae Naanirunthal". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 16 February 2001. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  14. ↑ Vijiyan, K. N. (18 December 1999). "Clarity missing in 'Time'". New Straits Times . pp. Reel Stuff 4. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023– via Google News Archive.
  15. ↑ "Time". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 10 July 2003. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  16. ↑ Kiran. "Time". Telugucinema.com . Archived from the original on 6 June 2002. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
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