Traffic | |
---|---|
Directed by | Rajesh Pillai |
Written by | Bobby Sanjay |
Produced by | Listin Stephen |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Sreenivasan |
Cinematography | Shyju Khalid |
Edited by | Mahesh Narayanan |
Music by |
|
Production company | |
Distributed by | Magic Frames |
Release date |
|
Running time | 122 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Malayalam |
Budget | ₹2.75 crore (equivalent to ₹5.7 croreorUS$710,000 in 2023) [1] |
Box office | ₹15 crore (US$1.9 million) [2] |
Traffic is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language road action thriller film written by brothers Bobby and Sanjay and directed by Rajesh Pillai. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Sreenivasan, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Rahman, Anoop Menon, Sandhya, Roma, Remya Nambeesan, Namitha Pramod, Lena, Jose Prakash and Krishna. [3] The film has its narrative in a hyperlink format. The film opened on 7 January 2011, to a positive reception. It is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the Malayalam New Wave. [4] A multi-narrative thriller that intertwines multiple stories around one particular incident, Traffic is inspired from an actual event that happened in Chennai. [5] [6] Owing to its critical and commercial success, Traffic was remade into Tamil as Chennaiyil Oru Naal , in Kannada as Crazy Star and is also remade in Hindi, with the same name. This was also the last film of the veteran actor Jose Prakash. [7] The film has a cult status.
On 16 September, superstar Sidharth Shankar gets ready for the release of his new film. On the same day, Traffic Constable Sudevan joins back on duty, after having been suspended from service for taking bribe as he wanted to pay the fees for his niece's admission. The day is special for Dr. Abel who is celebrating his first wedding anniversary. Raihan, an aspiring television journalist, starts his first job with an interview with Siddharth Shankar the very same day.
On the same day, at a crowded traffic junction in Kochi, Raihan and Rajeev, travelling in a bike are fatally hit by a speeding car at the signal, when Raihan was all set to interview, Siddharth. Also at the junction, in another car, is the Dr. Abel.
Raihan goes into coma and is declared brain dead although he is kept alive using ventilator in Lakeshore Hospital Kochi. Meanwhile, Siddharth's ailing daughter Riya's condition becomes worse. She is admitted to Ahalya Hospital Palakkad and she urgently needs a heart transplant. At first, Raihan's parents do not agree to take their son off the ventilator and donate their son's heart but Rajeev and Raihan's girlfriend Aditi persuade them into it. Now that the heart is available, the problem was with transporting it from Kochi to Palakkad. No helicopters or chartered flights are available due to bad weather and time concerns and so the heart will have to be taken by road. Someone will have to drive the 150 kilometres from Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi to Ahalya Hospital in Palakkad in under two hours during the rush traffic.
City Police Commissioner Ajmal Nazar is asked to carry out the mission. He initially refuses considering the complexity and risk involved in the mission. But finally, he heeds to the persuasion of Dr. Simon D'Souza. Sudevan, being an experienced driver who has driven as an escort for ministers, volunteers to be the driver of the Mahindra Scorpio which will transport the heart because he wanted to regain the name he lost due to the bribe incident. Accompanying him on this mission is Dr. Abel and Rajeev.
Everything goes smoothly for some time. But at a point Dr. Abel threatens Sudevan that he would kill Rajeev if he didn't comply, forcing Sudevan to deviate from the highway into a forest road (Puttukad forest area) in order to save himself from the police. However, Rajeev retaliates leading to a fight. He phones his sister Miriam and speaks that he had hit his wife Shwetha with a car as he was infuriated with the fact that she was cheating on him with his best friend Jikku and that she has possibly died, so he wishes to save himself from the clutches of the police. Here, Siddharth phones him and convinces him that he can save Abel, however, Abel is shown not to be so convinced. In the nick of time, Siddharth's wife Sruthi explains her mental traumatic condition due to the heart problem of her daughter for the last 13 years and explains that no other problem can be bigger than this one. Abel now convinced, advises Sudevan and Rajeev to leave. However, Sudevan decides to have Abel with them in the team and in spite of the repeated suggestions from the Commissioner Nazar to get him arrested.
They are then shown to enter a road 8 km ahead of the route time table, thus making up for the time they lost in the forest. However, after some time Riya's conditions worsen, forcing the team to take an alternate route through a communally sensitive place called Bilal Colony, where the police cannot enter the place due to its strong minority. Rajeev, who knew the place well and advises Siddharth Shankar to get the place cleared for the vehicle to move. Siddharth Shankar personally phones Thanzeer, his Fan Club President who goes out of his ways and means to clear roads for the vehicle. Rajeev exits the vehicle as soon as they enter the colony to ensure the roads are clear. In midway, Abel also exits the vehicle to remove two vehicles which are blocking the route. After which Abel boards the car with Thanzeer's assistance, however, Rajeev is unable to board the car. Sudevan drives at high speeds and ensures that they reach Ahalya Hospital on time. Covering the challenging 150 km feat in a daunting 1 hour and 58 minutes.
Abel finds out that Shwetha is out of danger and has no complaints regarding the accident against Abel, thus freeing him. Rajeev is offered a lift to Kochi by an unnamed man. Raihan's parents invite Aditi home as a symbol of acceptance and prepare for the last rites of Raihan. Riya opens her eyes, bringing joy to her family, Nazar feels a sense of satisfaction and phones Dr. Simon D'Souza to thank him. Sudevan en route to his home finds a few people fighting on the road regarding a minor accident, where he signals them to stop the fight. Thus the movie ends on a happy note.
The film is directed by Rajesh Pillai. [9] Writers of the film Bobby and Sanjay, who scripted Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum and Notebook explain: "The director wanted the film to be of a different mould altogether. Here every character is of equal importance as the story moves ahead. It was quite a challenging task but an enjoyable experience as well." [10] They add that the film is inspired by a true incident. A similar mission was successfully carried out by the Tamil Nadu police in a more complex Chennai city. [10] [ failed verification ] Also, in a scene, the character played by Anoop Menon talks about the incident.
Traffic is one of the first multi narratives made in this decade in Malayalam film. The film has Sreenivasan, Rahman, Kunchacko Boban and Asif Ali as the four lead protagonists whose stories are narrated through the sequences. [11] Vineeth Sreenivasan, who recently made his debut as a writer and director with Malarvadi Arts Club , says that it was the exciting script that attracted him to the project. "It is a particularly exciting day for my character as he is all set to join a news channel but as it turns out fate had other plans in store for him," adds the actor. [10] On the theme, Rajesh says, "I felt it was a theme that could connect with viewers regardless of their age. It's a contemporary theme that reassures us that if we approach something with honesty, even nature will come to our support." [12] The film will be the second on-screen pairing of Vineeth and Sreenivasan, after their first film Makante Achan . [9] Sandhya plays Aditi, who is in love with Raihan. "Aditi is perhaps more worldly-wise than usual for someone her age. But she has her own reasons for being so", says the Malayali actor who created quite a stir with her performance in the Tamil film. This movie was said to be better than its other remakes.
The film opened on 7 January 2011 to positive reviews. Veeyen of Nowrunning.com gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "Rajesh Pillai's Traffic is a brutally brilliant film in which he lends color to coincidence and unveils before us cogitation on the dynamics of chance. A strikingly crafted film that is raw and genuine, it crawls right under your skin and stays there." [13] IndiaGlitz enthusiastically praised the film's "riveting plot, great performances, soulful music... and skillful direction". [14] A review at Cinefundas also praised the acting, adding that "the real hero of the film is the script". [15] Sify.com called it "an overwhelming experience" and rated it as "very good." [16] The Malayalam website Movieraga called it an "excellent movie" and went on to state that the new blood of Malayalam cinema cannot be seen as second-grade any more. [17] The movie was part of the series of movies that began the New Generation Movement. [18]
Traffic was screened in the Malayalam Cinema Today section at the 16th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in 2011. [19]
The film received highly positive reviews and become a blockbuster at box office. [20] [21]
Traffic | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | 25 December 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Genre | Film soundtrack | |||
Length | 25:32 | |||
Language | Malayalam | |||
Label | Satyam Audios | |||
Producer | Mejo Joseph | |||
Mejo Joseph chronology | ||||
|
All lyrics are written by S. Ramesan Nair except where noted; all music is composed by Samson Kottoor except where noted
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Kannerinjal" | Mejo Joseph | Vipin Warrier, Hesham Abdul Wahab | ||
2. | "Pakalin" | Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma | Mejo Joseph | Sithara | |
3. | "Unaroo Mizhiyazhake" | Chinmayi | |||
4. | "Unaroo Mizhiyazhake" | Samson Kottoor | |||
5. | "Unaroo Mizhiyazhake" (Instrumental) | Kalyan | |||
6. | "Theme Music" (Instrumental) | Samson Kottoor |
Year | Film | Language |
---|---|---|
2013 | Chennaiyil Oru Naal | Tamil |
2014 | Crazy Star | Kannada |
2016 | Traffic | Hindi |
Owing to its critical and commercial success, Traffic was remade in Tamil as Chennaiyil Oru Naal (2013), which was a huge success at box office like Traffic. Kannada remake Crazy Star (2014) received negative reception from both critics and box-office. Traffic's Hindi remake was released in May 2016. [22] [23]
Award | Category | Result | Recipient | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Best Screenplay | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | [24] | |
Best Director | Won | Rajesh Pillai | ||
Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Won | Lena | ||
Best Film | Won | Listin Stephen | [25] | |
Best Supporting Actress | Won | Lena Abhilash | ||
Best Script | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | [26] | |
Second Best Actor – Male | Won | Anoop Menon | ||
Second Best Actor – Female | Won | Lena Abhilash | ||
Lohithadas Award | Best Script | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | [27] |
Best Film | Nominated | Listin Stephen | [28] | |
Best Director | Nominated | Rajesh Pillai | ||
Best Screenplay | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | Anoop Menon | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | Remya Nambeesan | ||
Best Character Actor | Nominated | Sreenivasan | ||
Asiavision Movie Awards | Best Popular Movie | Won | Listin Stephen | [29] |
Second Best Actor | Won | Anoop Menon | ||
Best Screenplay | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | ||
Special Performance Award | Won | Rahman | ||
Trendsetter Award | Won | Listin Stephen | ||
Nana Film Awards | Best Film | Won | Listin Stephen | [30] |
Best Director | Won | Rajesh Pillai | ||
Best Editor | Won | Mahesh Narayanan | ||
Mathrubhumi Kalyan Silks Film Awards | Best Screenplay | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | [31] |
Best Path Breaking Film of the Year | Nominated | Listin Stephen | ||
Surya Film Awards | Most Popular Director | Nominated | Rajesh Pillai | |
Best Editor | Won | Mahesh Narayanan | ||
Kochi Times Awards | Best Script | Won | Bobby – Sanjay | [32] |
Amrita Film Awards 2012 | Best Supporting Actor (Female) | Won | Lena Abhilash | [33] |
Best Script | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | ||
Trendsetting Film Director | Won | Rajesh Pillai | ||
Jaihind Film Awards 2012 | Best Director | Won | Rajesh Pillai | [ citation needed ] |
Film Guidance Chalachitra Awards 2011 | Best Supporting Actress | Won | Remya Nambeesan | [34] |
Reporter TV Film Awards 2012 | Best Film | Won | Listin Stephen | [35] |
Best Director | Won | Rajesh Pillai | ||
Best Script | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | ||
Best Editor | Won | Mahesh Narayanan | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Won | Lena Abhilash | ||
Thikkurissy Awards 2011 | Best Second Actress | Won | Sandhya | |
Vineeth Sreenivasan is an Indian playback singer, actor, film director, screenwriter, producer, lyricist, creative director and dubbing artist. He predominantly works in the Malayalam cinema. He is the elder son of actor and screenwriter Sreenivasan.
Rekhitha R. Kurup, better known by her stage name Bhamaa, is an Indian former actress who predominantly appeared in Malayalam and Kannada-language films. She made her cinematic debut in 2007 with the Malayalam film Nivedyam, directed by A. K. Lohithadas and had acted in over 42 films.
Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language mystery film written and directed by Ranjith, starring Mammootty, Shwetha Menon and Mythili. It is based on the novel of the same name by T. P. Rajeevan, which said the true story of the first recorded murder case in Kerala. Mammooty plays three characters in the film. The film was Mythili's debut in cinema. Ranjith also introduced about thirty Malayalam stage artists through this film. The film tells the story of a private detective, who returns to his birthplace, a village called Paleri, to solve a murder mystery that occurred on the same night he was born. Upon the release of the movie, it got an 'A' certificate due to its violent and adult content.
Aju Kurian Varghese better 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. In a career spanning over a decade, he has acted in more than 130 Malayalam films. He owns a production company named Funtastic Films along with actor Dhyan Sreenivasan and producer Visakh Subramaniam.
Chaappa Kurishu is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language thriller film co-written and directed by Sameer Thahir and starring Vineeth Sreenivasan, Fahadh Faasil, Roma Asrani, Remya Nambeesan and Nivetha Thomas in the lead roles.
Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language parody film .The movie was directed by Sajin Raaghavan in his directorial debut. The movie stars Sreenivasan as the titular superstar with Vineeth Sreenivasan, Fahadh Faasil, Jagathy Sreekumar, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Mukesh. The film is a spin-off of popular 2005 film Udayananu Tharam. Sreenivasan reprises the role of Saroj Kumar from the original. The director announced that this is not a sequel: Only some characters from Udayananu Tharam were used. In the film, Renowned actor Saroj Kumar is ousted from his film following a quarrel with a co-actor. He then goes on to try many tricks to sabotage the project but meets failure when the movie becomes a success.
Nidra is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language romantic thriller film directed by Sidharth Bharathan in his directorial debut. A remake of the 1981 film of the same name directed by Sidharth's father Bharathan, it stars Sidharth alongside Rima Kallingal and Jishnu in the main roles. Sidharth co-wrote the adapted screenplay with noted author Santhosh Echikkanam. The songs were composed by Jassie Gift and the background score was by Prashant Pillai. The cinematography was handled by Sameer Thahir.
Shutter is a 2012 Indian Malayalam thriller film written and directed by theater actor and playwright Joy Mathew in his directorial debut. The film set and filmed in Kozhikode, stars Lal, Sreenivasan, Vinay Forrt, Sajitha Madathil and Riya Saira. Renganaath Ravee does the sound design, and Hari Nair is the cinematographer. The film notably features a poem by Pablo Neruda, set to music and sung by Shahabaz Aman. Biby Sam and Jacob Panikker composed the background score for the film.
Traffic is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language road thriller film directed by Rajesh Pillai. It is a remake of the 2011 Malayalam film of same name. Originally written by brothers Bobby and Sanjay, the film's screenplay has been adapted into Hindi by Suresh Nair, while the dialogues were penned by Piyush Mishra.
Shaan Rahman is an Indian composer and singer, best known for his compositions in the Malayalam cinema. Shaan made his debut as a music director in the 2009 film Ee Pattanathil Bhootham directed by Johny Antony. He got the chance to work in the film after the wide acceptance and popularity of his 2008 music album "Coffee at MG Road" which he did along with his friend, singer, and director Vineeth Sreenivasan.
New generation films is a Malayalam film movement developed in the early 2010s, characterized by fresh and unusual themes and new narrative techniques. Films of the new wave differ from conventional themes of the past two decades and introduced several new trends and techniques to the Malayalam film industry. While the new generation formats and styles are deeply influenced by global trends, their thematics are firmly rooted in Malayalee life and mindscapes.
Alphonse Puthren is an Indian film director, producer, actor, editor, writer, 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.
Thira (transl. Wave) is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language mystery-thriller drama film directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan and scripted by his cousin Rakesh Mantodi. It stars Shobana alongside debutant Dhyan Sreenivasan in the lead roles. The film was produced by Manoj Menon under the banner ReelsMagic and distributed by LJ Films.
Dhyan Sreenivasan is an Indian actor, and film director who works in Malayalam films. He made his acting debut with Thira (2013), directed by his elder brother Vineeth Sreenivasan.
Rasam (transl. Taste) is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language film based on food, tastes, restaurants and catering services. The film was directed and co-written by Rajeev Nath. Nedumudi Venu, Rajeev Nath and Sudip Kumar co-written the screenplay of the story written by Sudip. It stars Mohanlal and Indrajith Sukumaran in lead alongside Nedumudi Venu, Devan and Varuna Shetty in supporting roles.
Nirnaayakam is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written by Bobby–Sanjay and directed by V. K. Prakash. The film features Asif Ali and Prem Prakash in the lead roles and Nedumudi Venu, Malavika Mohanan, Tisca Chopra and Sanusha in supporting roles. It was produced jointly by Jose Simon and Rajesh George Under the banner Jairaj Films. The film was released on 5 June 2015.
Aravindante Athidhikal is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by M. Mohanan and produced by Pradeep Kumar Pathiyara and co-produced by Noble Babu Thomas under the studios Pathiyara Entertainments and Big Bang Entertainments, respectively. The film stars Vineeth Sreenivasan, Sreenivasan, Nikhila Vimal, Shanthi Krishna and Urvashi. This film is credited as the 200th film of Sreenivasan.
Akashadoothu is 2011 Malayalam language Television drama produced by M.Renjith aired on Surya TV. It is a sequel to 1993 Indian Malayalam-language drama film Akashadoothu directed by Sibi Malayil.The film tells the tale of a widow suffering from leukemia, the series takes off exactly 16 years after we saw the children going their separate ways after the funeral of their mother.
Hridayam (transl. Heart) is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language coming-of-age romantic drama film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan. It was produced by Visakh Subramaniam through Merryland Cinemas and co-produced by Noble Babu Thomas through Big Bang Entertainments. The film stars Pranav Mohanlal, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Darshana Rajendran. The film's songs and background score was composed by Hesham Abdul Wahab.
Noble Babu Thomas is an Indian film producer, screenwriter, and actor who works in Malayalam films. He started his career as a film producer and founded the film production company Big Bang Entertainments in 2015. His debut production was Jacobinte Swargarajyam (2016), starring Nivin Pauly and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan. The film grossed ₹25 crore at the box office and completed 100 days in Kerala.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)