Aaranya Kaandam
Encyclopedia
Aaranya Kaandam is a 2011 Indian Tamil
action film
, written and directed by newcomer Thiagarajan Kumararaja
. It is supposedly the first neo-noir
film in Tamil cinema. The story takes place in a day in the lives of the six protagonists, played by Jackie Shroff
, Ravi Krishna
, Sampath Raj
and newcomers [Yasmin Ponnappa], Somasundaram and Master Vasanth. Produced by S. P. B. Charan
's Capital Film Works, the film features musical score by Yuvan Shankar Raja
and cinematography by P. S. Vinod
and editing handled by the duo Praveen K. L.
and N. B. Srikanth
.
The film was launched on 18 December 2008, with its principal photography
being completed by late 2009, which was followed by a lengthy post-production
phase. It ran into difficulties as the regional censor board
in Chennai raised objection against the film, giving it an adult rating besides demanding 52 cuts. After screening at and becoming approved by the Tribunal in Delhi, the film was released worldwide on 10 June 2011, to high critical acclaim. It had its world premiere on 30 October 2010 at the South Asian International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Award for Best Film.
Pasupathi and the men meet with the tipster and drive off to retrieve the stash. En route in the car, one of the men receives a call from Singaperumal, who orders him to bump off Pasupathi as soon as the stash is acquired. Pasupathi overhears this as the call is on speaker mode and gets into a Mexican standoff with others. In a desperate ploy he deliberately provokes a cop at a checkpoint, getting arrested and then later making an escape . The other men kidnap his wife, Kasturi, and use her as bait to lure Pasupathi. Singaperumal orders them to bring Kasturi to him.
Seeing Subbu in tears, Singaperumal asks one of his men, Sappai, to take her out and comfort her "so she is prepared to perform for him at night". Sappai takes her to the beach and tries to console her. Subbu hates being a plaything for Singaperumal. She years to be free and live life on her own terms. She tries to persuade Sappai to think for himself and realize that Singaperumal is merely using them. Sappai, however, is too fearful and weak to oppose Singaperumal. Subbu and Sappai become unlikely lovers, and Subbu continues to hope for a way out. We learn that Subbu is somewhat educated, and learns whatever she can about the world outside Singaperumal.
The film introduces Kalaya, a now destitute farmer, and his young, street-smart son Kodukapilli. They live in the slums and earn a meager living staging cockfights; as a coincidence, Singaperumal loves to watch these cockfights. One evening, a man arrives to bunk with Kalaya for the night. This man is the cocaine courier. He routinely transports various stashes of drugs in and out of the city, and collects a relatively small fee (10 thousand rupees) for each trip. That evening, after a long bout of drinking, he reveals that he has learnt the true value of the stash, and he now intends to sell it himself instead of delivering it to its true owner. He passes out. Kalaya stages his cockfight the following day. But this time, his prize cocks get killed. Kalaya is in serious financial trouble. Kodukapilli senses this and immediately goes to see if their visitor, still unconscious, has any money. They find out that the man had overdone his drink and died. Kalaya and Kodukapilli find the cocaine stash and the telephone number of a prospective buyer (Singaperumal and Pasupathi). Kalaya declares that his financial woes are at an end.
Singaperumal is worried. His stash has not arrived, nor has he got word that Pasupathi is dead. He gets an angry call from Gajapati (Gajendran's right hand man): if Pasupathi seizes Gajapati's stuff, Gajendran will unleash a terrible gang war. The cunning Singaperumal tells Gajapati that Pasupathi has gone rogue, and that Gajapati is free to take out Pasupathi. Singaperumal figures this will benefit him both ways: he will get the stash, and his avaricious general will be killed by Gajendran. Gajendran sends his thugs after Pasupathi. Pasupathi is on the run. Now that Singaperumal has become his enemy, Pasupathi figures that Gajendran could possibly become an ally.
Kalaya calls Singaperumal to meet and make a deal for the stash. While waiting for him, Singaperumal's thugs arrive and kidnap Kalaya at the rendezvous point. After continuous torture, Kalaya is unable to reveal anything as his son Kodukapulli has the stash. Kodukapilli ends up calling Pasupathi's number accidentally, and offers to trade the stash for his father. Pasupathi joins Kodukapilli and offers the same trade to Singaperumal: the stash in return for Kalaya and Kasturi. Pasupathi places a call to Gajendran and offers to reveal the location of the stash.
Gajendran and his gang arrive at the location to make the exchange with Pasupathi. Singaperumal's thugs also arrive at about the same time. Pasupathi pretends to offer the stash to Gajapati, but instead slices his throat right in front of Gajendran. An engraged Gajendran and his gang chase Pasupathi. Pasupathi leads them around the block where Singaperumal's gang lay waiting. Both gangs mistaking Pasupathi's loyalties charge at each other and ensue in a gangfight. Pasupathi gets out of the fray, and watches as Gajendran and the key generals of Singaperumal's hack each other to bits. Pasupathi's plan to decimate the two strong factions has succeeded. He returns to finish Singaperumal.
Back in his rooms, Singaperumal discovers that the bag with the loan money is missing. He rushes to the conclusion that Sappai took it. When Sappai returns (having been sent by Subbu to fetch fruits), Singaperumal beats him up severely. Sappai's faith is shattered. In his first moment of independence, he grabs a pistol and shoots Singaperumal dead! Subbu emerges from the shadows. She is proud of Sappai, but in a stunning twist, she shoots and kills Sappai! When Pasupathi arrives, he finds Sappai and Singaperumal dead and Subbu in tears. Having always been sympathetic to Subbu's suffering with Singaperumal, he says she is free to go. Subbu leaves. Pasupathi summons the remaining thugs of Singaperumal's gang and assumes command. Kasturi is unharmed. Pasupathi gets the stash and pays Kodukapilli a fair commission.
It is finally revealed that Subbu had planned the whole thing. She sent Sappai with the bag containing the loan money to provoke Singaperumal's temper. She retrieves the bag with the loan money and quietly leaves the city to begin her new life. She remarks that the men basically mistrusted, misused and slaughtered each other. In her view, Sappai, too, was not really an innocent victim. The film ends with her line: Sappai is also a man.but all men are sappai (Tamil for simpleton) .
(2007), speculation over S. P. B. Charan
's next production venture arose. While initial reports suggested that he would produce Achamundu Achamundu
, starring Sneha and Prasanna
, Charan opted to produce a film titled Aranya Kandam, to be directed by a newcomer Kumar Raja
and starring newcomers. However, despite announcing the project, it was called off later that year and Charan started producing the film Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum
in May 2008.
In late 2008, while Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum was in post-production
stage, reports surfaced that Charan and Kumararaja were going to revive the project, with noted Bollywood
actor Jackie Shroff
being roped in for a leading role, making his debut in Tamil cinema
. Director Thiagarajan Kumararaja
was revealed to be a former Loyola College
student, and popular advertisement filmmaker, who has also directed several short films, including the short film Becky, which was awarded the first prize at the one-minute film competition 60 Seconds to Fame. Kumararaja had previously written the dialogues for the 2007 comedy film
Oram Po as well. He got the opportunity to work with Charan, when Pushkar-Gayathri
, the director duo of Oram Po, had suggested him to approach Charan, who listened to the storyline and immediately agreed to produce the film, "in a matter of time" as Kumararaja cites. The film was formally launched on 18 December 2008 at the Kodandapani Studios in Chennai
.
part first, which would be the "raciest part of a film". He then wrote "multiple story lines with three climaxes" as he felt that one climax was "not enough for a feature film", which eventually turned out to be a "leisurely paced film, taking its own time to unfold" and not a racy film as intended. He cited that, while writing the script, he was sure that it was meant for a matured audience and not for children, "primarily because of the content". the film was an adult film for a mature audience and not for children, "primarily because of the content".Kumararaja went on to add that there were "no hero and no villain introduction scenes, there are no love scenes, no sentimental scenes" but nonetheless considered his film a masala film
and not an experimental film
. His inspiration behind the film was revealed to be The Godfather
as well as the thought of "how someone becomes a gangster and continues to be one", clarifying that Aaranya Kaandam was not a biography or history of a gangster but "a page out of the life of a gangster".
, debuting in the Tamil film industry, Ravi Krishna
, Sampath Raj
of Saroja
fame along with Guru Somasundaram from the Chennai
based theatre group Koothu-P-Pattarai
. Shroff was said to play the role of a "hoodlum", who was chosen after Kumararaja had apporached several other Tamil actors, who refused the offer, fearing of their "image". According to the director, the role required a senior person and Shroff had fit the role "completely". Speaking of his role, Shroff remarked that he had done things in the film that he hadn't dared to do in the past 30 years of his career, quoting "I am literally a monster in the film. Actually, I am more like a coconut — hard on the outside, but a veritable softie inside". Ravi Krishna
plays a "lover boy", whose role, he claimed would be totally different from his earlier roles. Ravi Krishna was Kumararaja's first choice for the character as he had written it with keeping Ravi Krishna in mind. Sampath Raj
enacts the role of a gangster named Pasupathy. Kumararaja finalized Guru Somasundaram for the character of Kaalayan, after he had seen him performing the titular character in Koothu-P-Pattarai's play Chandrahari. Kumararaja had stated that the voice modulation and pattern of the Kaalaiyan character was based on Somasundaram's performance in the play Chandrahari, which eventually resulted in casting him in the film. Somasundaram cited that the dialogues were also written "keeping the artist in mind".
Yasmin Ponnappa, a popular Bangalore
based model, who had appeared in television advertisements and won many beauty pageants, was selected for the role of the lead female character. Her role was, however, written for Pooja Umashankar
, keeping her in mind, who couldn't accept the offer as she had given her dates to Bala's
magnum opus Naan Kadavul
. The details about the crew members were also published, when the film was announced in early December. P. S. Vinod
was chosen as the cinematographer, who had earlier shot films like Musafir and My Wife's Murder
, while Videsh was announced as the art director, 'Super' Subbarayan as the stunt master and Kalyan and Ajay Raj as choreographers. Vasuki Bhaskar was appointed as the costume designer. However, during the making of the film 'Super' Subbarayan was replaced by his son Dilip Subbarayan.
was signed as the music director, who was working on a gangster film again after the likes of Pattiyal
and Pudhupettai
. Kumararaja divulged that he actually hadn't anyone in mind, but joined with Yuvan Shankar, following producer Charan's recommendation, who shared a "good working relationship" with the composer. Initially a soundtrack
was also planned to be composed, with Gangai Amaran
being roped in to pen lyrics, however Charan disclosed later that the film would feature no songs at all, becoming Yuvan Shankar Raja's second film project after Adhu
without a soundtrack. Charan told that background music of this film will be released in CD's.
. The film was incomplete at that time, with post-production
works pending and a low quality version without colour correction and without a film score was projected at the festival. Despite the drawbacks, the film gained positive feedbacks and went on to win the Grand Jury prize for Best Film.
After completion, the film was screened to the regional censor board
in Chennai, who refused to clear it. The committee had demanded 52 cuts
and several consequential sub-cuts, particularly due to profanity
and excessive violence, before permitting a theatrical release. Kumararaja, who admitted that he had expected difficulties in the censorship
, disapproved of the board's demands as he wanted to present the film uncompromisingly to the audiences. He claimed that the usage of "bad language" was "part of developing the characters" in his story, while he also disagreed with bleeping out the "objectionable" words since he felt "it throws audiences off the film's narrative". Producer Charan voiced the same opinion, citing that he had made the film for a "mature audience", took the film to the Central Tribunal at Delhi
.
s reviewer appreciated Kumararaja for "taking the road less travelled", however criticized the large amount of violence in the film, terming it the "most violent and bloody film ever to get through Chennai regional censors". In regard to the performances of the cast, he cited that the best performance came from Sampath, who "just smirks throughout the film", while claiming that Yasmin was "fantastic in her debut role".
NDTV
s critic described the film as a "gangster movie which stands out with its realistic portrayal and no-nonsense treatment", further addding that "good performances, effective dialogues, slick editing and amazing camerawork help the movie stand out from the crowd". A reviewer from Chennaionline wrote that the film was made "near-perfect" featuring "some stunning performances, sharp dialogues and excellent camera work and music". Jackie Shroff and P. S. Vinod, in particular, won high praise from the critic, who wrote that the former "proves his class" and "shines in the don’s role", while they had done a "terrific job and should be considered a major factor for the film’s success at the box-office". N. Venkateswaran from Times of India rated the film 4 out of 5, while The Hindustan Times critic Gautaman Bhaskaran gave 3.5 out of 5. Rohit Ramachandran of nowrunning.com, too, rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stating that "Aaranya Kaandam is a neo-noir film that runs at breakneck speed only to be slowed down and stopped at an unwelcome destination. But why think of the destination when the journey is one that you've thoroughly enjoyed?" Baradwaj Rangan commended the film, citing that "with most mainstream films, especially in Tamil, you know some fifteen minutes in if they’re working for you (or not) [...] But there are a few that leave you hanging until almost the end [...] and then, gradually, things begin to cohere and reshape your entire thus-far experience, and you slap your forehead and smile and say wow! This is one of those films.
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
, written and directed by newcomer Thiagarajan Kumararaja
Thiagarajan Kumararaja
Thiagarajan Kumararaja, 1976 born and raised in Chennai, dropped out of an undergrad in visual communications from Loyola College and started work as a freelance copywriter and photographer for a while. He directed a five part documentary on South Indian Temples ”Sthala Puranam” for Vijay TV...
. It is supposedly the first neo-noir
Neo-noir
Neo-noir is a style often seen in modern motion pictures and other forms that prominently utilize elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in films noir of the 1940s and 1950s.-History:The term Film Noir was coined by...
film in Tamil cinema. The story takes place in a day in the lives of the six protagonists, played by Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...
, Ravi Krishna
Ravi Krishna
Ravi Krishna is an Indian actor who works in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. Son of noted producer A. M. Rathnam, he made his acting debut in Selvaraghavan's critically acclaimed 7G Rainbow Colony.-Early life:...
, Sampath Raj
Sampath Raj
Dr.Sampath Raj is an Indian film actor who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for appearing in each film of director Venkat Prabhu's comedy trilogy, consisting of Chennai 600028, Saroja and Goa. He has also acted in supporting roles in various other films. He is mostly...
and newcomers [Yasmin Ponnappa], Somasundaram and Master Vasanth. Produced by S. P. B. Charan
S. P. B. Charan
Charan Sripathi Panditharadhyula Balasubrahmanyam, better known and creditted as S. P. B. Charan , is an Indian actor, producer and a playback singer. Son of popular Indian singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, he first worked as a playback singer in the Tamil and Telugu film industries...
's Capital Film Works, the film features musical score by Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
and cinematography by P. S. Vinod
P. S. Vinod
P. S. Vinod is an Indian cinematographer from Tamil Nadu. He debuted as an independent cinematographer with the 2000 Tamil film Rhythm and went to work for several Bollywood projects, including Musafir, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat and Tees Maar Khan....
and editing handled by the duo Praveen K. L.
Praveen K. L.
Praveen K. L. is an Indian film editor, working primarily in the Tamil film industry. After working under Balu Mahendra for his television series, Kadhai Neram, he shifted to feature films and has mostly worked together with N. B. Srikanth on several successful Tamil films, most notably for Venkat...
and N. B. Srikanth
N. B. Srikanth
N. B. Srikanth is an Indian film editor, working primarily in the Tamil film industry. He has mostly worked together with Praveen K. L. on several successful Tamil films, most notably for Venkat Prabhu's directorials...
.
The film was launched on 18 December 2008, with its principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
being completed by late 2009, which was followed by a lengthy post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
phase. It ran into difficulties as the regional censor board
Central Board of Film Certification
The Central Board of Film Certification is a Government of India regulatory body and censorship board of India controlled by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It reviews, rates and censors motion pictures, television shows, television ads, and promotional material...
in Chennai raised objection against the film, giving it an adult rating besides demanding 52 cuts. After screening at and becoming approved by the Tribunal in Delhi, the film was released worldwide on 10 June 2011, to high critical acclaim. It had its world premiere on 30 October 2010 at the South Asian International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Award for Best Film.
Plot
The film opens with the aging gangster, Singaperumal, forcing himself on a young girl, Subbu. He is unable to perform, and vents his anger by slapping the helpless Subbu. Singaperumal is the grand don of crime in Madras. His lieutenant, Pasupathi, brings a proposal. A large stash of cocaine, worth about 20 million rupees, has entered the city. The guy bringing the stash wants to sell it for 5 million rupees. Pasupathi sees the immediate easy profit, as well as the long term benefit (to control the cocaine market with such a large supply) and the recognition that they are able to pull off such a deal. The drawback is that the stash really belongs to their arch rival Gajendran. Singaperumal knows that Gajendran is a vicious and unpredictable adversary, and the venture is risky and likely to become messy. He decides to pass. Pasupathi dourly suggests Singaperumal is getting old and rusty. He asks Singaperumal to loan him the five million so he can do the job himself. Pasupathi is prepared to face the risks, and in return for the loan, he offers Singaperumal a cut of the profits. Singaperumal agrees to the loan, but, instead asks Pasupathi to first get the stash and then think of the profit distribution. The money for the loan is brought to Singaperumal.Pasupathi and the men meet with the tipster and drive off to retrieve the stash. En route in the car, one of the men receives a call from Singaperumal, who orders him to bump off Pasupathi as soon as the stash is acquired. Pasupathi overhears this as the call is on speaker mode and gets into a Mexican standoff with others. In a desperate ploy he deliberately provokes a cop at a checkpoint, getting arrested and then later making an escape . The other men kidnap his wife, Kasturi, and use her as bait to lure Pasupathi. Singaperumal orders them to bring Kasturi to him.
Seeing Subbu in tears, Singaperumal asks one of his men, Sappai, to take her out and comfort her "so she is prepared to perform for him at night". Sappai takes her to the beach and tries to console her. Subbu hates being a plaything for Singaperumal. She years to be free and live life on her own terms. She tries to persuade Sappai to think for himself and realize that Singaperumal is merely using them. Sappai, however, is too fearful and weak to oppose Singaperumal. Subbu and Sappai become unlikely lovers, and Subbu continues to hope for a way out. We learn that Subbu is somewhat educated, and learns whatever she can about the world outside Singaperumal.
The film introduces Kalaya, a now destitute farmer, and his young, street-smart son Kodukapilli. They live in the slums and earn a meager living staging cockfights; as a coincidence, Singaperumal loves to watch these cockfights. One evening, a man arrives to bunk with Kalaya for the night. This man is the cocaine courier. He routinely transports various stashes of drugs in and out of the city, and collects a relatively small fee (10 thousand rupees) for each trip. That evening, after a long bout of drinking, he reveals that he has learnt the true value of the stash, and he now intends to sell it himself instead of delivering it to its true owner. He passes out. Kalaya stages his cockfight the following day. But this time, his prize cocks get killed. Kalaya is in serious financial trouble. Kodukapilli senses this and immediately goes to see if their visitor, still unconscious, has any money. They find out that the man had overdone his drink and died. Kalaya and Kodukapilli find the cocaine stash and the telephone number of a prospective buyer (Singaperumal and Pasupathi). Kalaya declares that his financial woes are at an end.
Singaperumal is worried. His stash has not arrived, nor has he got word that Pasupathi is dead. He gets an angry call from Gajapati (Gajendran's right hand man): if Pasupathi seizes Gajapati's stuff, Gajendran will unleash a terrible gang war. The cunning Singaperumal tells Gajapati that Pasupathi has gone rogue, and that Gajapati is free to take out Pasupathi. Singaperumal figures this will benefit him both ways: he will get the stash, and his avaricious general will be killed by Gajendran. Gajendran sends his thugs after Pasupathi. Pasupathi is on the run. Now that Singaperumal has become his enemy, Pasupathi figures that Gajendran could possibly become an ally.
Kalaya calls Singaperumal to meet and make a deal for the stash. While waiting for him, Singaperumal's thugs arrive and kidnap Kalaya at the rendezvous point. After continuous torture, Kalaya is unable to reveal anything as his son Kodukapulli has the stash. Kodukapilli ends up calling Pasupathi's number accidentally, and offers to trade the stash for his father. Pasupathi joins Kodukapilli and offers the same trade to Singaperumal: the stash in return for Kalaya and Kasturi. Pasupathi places a call to Gajendran and offers to reveal the location of the stash.
Gajendran and his gang arrive at the location to make the exchange with Pasupathi. Singaperumal's thugs also arrive at about the same time. Pasupathi pretends to offer the stash to Gajapati, but instead slices his throat right in front of Gajendran. An engraged Gajendran and his gang chase Pasupathi. Pasupathi leads them around the block where Singaperumal's gang lay waiting. Both gangs mistaking Pasupathi's loyalties charge at each other and ensue in a gangfight. Pasupathi gets out of the fray, and watches as Gajendran and the key generals of Singaperumal's hack each other to bits. Pasupathi's plan to decimate the two strong factions has succeeded. He returns to finish Singaperumal.
Back in his rooms, Singaperumal discovers that the bag with the loan money is missing. He rushes to the conclusion that Sappai took it. When Sappai returns (having been sent by Subbu to fetch fruits), Singaperumal beats him up severely. Sappai's faith is shattered. In his first moment of independence, he grabs a pistol and shoots Singaperumal dead! Subbu emerges from the shadows. She is proud of Sappai, but in a stunning twist, she shoots and kills Sappai! When Pasupathi arrives, he finds Sappai and Singaperumal dead and Subbu in tears. Having always been sympathetic to Subbu's suffering with Singaperumal, he says she is free to go. Subbu leaves. Pasupathi summons the remaining thugs of Singaperumal's gang and assumes command. Kasturi is unharmed. Pasupathi gets the stash and pays Kodukapilli a fair commission.
It is finally revealed that Subbu had planned the whole thing. She sent Sappai with the bag containing the loan money to provoke Singaperumal's temper. She retrieves the bag with the loan money and quietly leaves the city to begin her new life. She remarks that the men basically mistrusted, misused and slaughtered each other. In her view, Sappai, too, was not really an innocent victim. The film ends with her line: Sappai is also a man.but all men are sappai (Tamil for simpleton) .
Cast
- Jackie ShroffJackie ShroffJackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...
as Singaperumal - Ravi KrishnaRavi KrishnaRavi Krishna is an Indian actor who works in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. Son of noted producer A. M. Rathnam, he made his acting debut in Selvaraghavan's critically acclaimed 7G Rainbow Colony.-Early life:...
as Sappai - Sampath RajSampath RajDr.Sampath Raj is an Indian film actor who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for appearing in each film of director Venkat Prabhu's comedy trilogy, consisting of Chennai 600028, Saroja and Goa. He has also acted in supporting roles in various other films. He is mostly...
as Pasupathy - Yasmin Ponnappa as Subbu
- Guru Somasundaram as Kaalayan
- Master Vasanth as Kodukkapuli
- Rambo RajkumarRambo RajkumarRambo Rajkumar , born Rajkumar, was an Indian Stunt coordinator. Rajkumar, dubbed with the prefix Rambo after the films, produced notable work in action films, Pudhupettai and Kadhal Kondein...
as Gajendran - Ajay Raj
Development
In August 2007, following the success of his film Chennai 600028Chennai 600028
Chennai 600028 is a 2007 Tamil sports comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu, making his directorial debut. The film stars Shiva, Jai, Premji Amaran, Aravind Akash, Nithin Sathya and newcomers Ajay Raj, Ranjith, Vijay Vasanth, Prasanna, Karthik and Arun in the lead along with...
(2007), speculation over S. P. B. Charan
S. P. B. Charan
Charan Sripathi Panditharadhyula Balasubrahmanyam, better known and creditted as S. P. B. Charan , is an Indian actor, producer and a playback singer. Son of popular Indian singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, he first worked as a playback singer in the Tamil and Telugu film industries...
's next production venture arose. While initial reports suggested that he would produce Achamundu Achamundu
Achamundu Achamundu
Achchamundu! Achchamundu! is a Tamil social thriller directed by Arun Vaidyanathan, starring Prasanna, Sneha and Emmy Award-winning American film actor John Shea. It is the first film in Indian cinema to be shot with the Red One camera system. A Telugu dubbed version is to be released as Bhayam...
, starring Sneha and Prasanna
Prasanna (actor)
Prasanna is an Indian actor in the Tamil film industry. He made his debut in Five Star in 2002, which was produced by Mani Ratnam. Apart from lead roles, he has also played supporting roles. His film Achchamundu! Achchamundu!, in which he starred alongside Sneha and American actor John Shea, was...
, Charan opted to produce a film titled Aranya Kandam, to be directed by a newcomer Kumar Raja
Thiagarajan Kumararaja
Thiagarajan Kumararaja, 1976 born and raised in Chennai, dropped out of an undergrad in visual communications from Loyola College and started work as a freelance copywriter and photographer for a while. He directed a five part documentary on South Indian Temples ”Sthala Puranam” for Vijay TV...
and starring newcomers. However, despite announcing the project, it was called off later that year and Charan started producing the film Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum
Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum
Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum is a 2009 Indian Tamil drama film, directed by debutante Rajamohan, who earlier worked under renowned directors like A. Venkatesh and S. D. Vijay Milton, which stars newcomers Ramakrishnan and Thananya in lead roles. It is produced by SPB Charan under his banner...
in May 2008.
In late 2008, while Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum was in post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
stage, reports surfaced that Charan and Kumararaja were going to revive the project, with noted Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
actor Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...
being roped in for a leading role, making his debut in Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
. Director Thiagarajan Kumararaja
Thiagarajan Kumararaja
Thiagarajan Kumararaja, 1976 born and raised in Chennai, dropped out of an undergrad in visual communications from Loyola College and started work as a freelance copywriter and photographer for a while. He directed a five part documentary on South Indian Temples ”Sthala Puranam” for Vijay TV...
was revealed to be a former Loyola College
Loyola College, Chennai
Loyola College is a Jesuit institution in Chennai, India. The college admits undergraduates and post-graduates and offers degrees in the liberal arts, sciences and commerce. It is an autonomous institution affiliated with the University of Madras.-History:...
student, and popular advertisement filmmaker, who has also directed several short films, including the short film Becky, which was awarded the first prize at the one-minute film competition 60 Seconds to Fame. Kumararaja had previously written the dialogues for the 2007 comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
Oram Po as well. He got the opportunity to work with Charan, when Pushkar-Gayathri
Pushkar-Gayathri
-Filmography:...
, the director duo of Oram Po, had suggested him to approach Charan, who listened to the storyline and immediately agreed to produce the film, "in a matter of time" as Kumararaja cites. The film was formally launched on 18 December 2008 at the Kodandapani Studios in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
.
Writing and inspiration
The script was written by Kumararaja himself, which he had finished in 2006. He cites that he wanted to make a "racy film" and wrote the climaxClimax
- Common general uses :* Climax * Climax * Climax community* Climax vegetation in an ecosystem* Sexual climax, another term for orgasm- Brand names and titles :* The Climax, a 1944 film...
part first, which would be the "raciest part of a film". He then wrote "multiple story lines with three climaxes" as he felt that one climax was "not enough for a feature film", which eventually turned out to be a "leisurely paced film, taking its own time to unfold" and not a racy film as intended. He cited that, while writing the script, he was sure that it was meant for a matured audience and not for children, "primarily because of the content". the film was an adult film for a mature audience and not for children, "primarily because of the content".Kumararaja went on to add that there were "no hero and no villain introduction scenes, there are no love scenes, no sentimental scenes" but nonetheless considered his film a masala film
Masala (film genre)
Masala is a term given to films of Indian cinema that mix various genres in one film. Typically these films freely mix action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. These films tend to be musicals that include songs filmed in picturesque locations...
and not an experimental film
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
. His inspiration behind the film was revealed to be The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
as well as the thought of "how someone becomes a gangster and continues to be one", clarifying that Aaranya Kaandam was not a biography or history of a gangster but "a page out of the life of a gangster".
Casting
When announcing the film, Kumararaja had already roped in Jackie ShroffJackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...
, debuting in the Tamil film industry, Ravi Krishna
Ravi Krishna
Ravi Krishna is an Indian actor who works in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. Son of noted producer A. M. Rathnam, he made his acting debut in Selvaraghavan's critically acclaimed 7G Rainbow Colony.-Early life:...
, Sampath Raj
Sampath Raj
Dr.Sampath Raj is an Indian film actor who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for appearing in each film of director Venkat Prabhu's comedy trilogy, consisting of Chennai 600028, Saroja and Goa. He has also acted in supporting roles in various other films. He is mostly...
of Saroja
Saroja
Saroja is a 2008 Tamil comedy thriller film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by T. Siva. It stars Shiva, Vaibhav Reddy, Premji Amaren, S. P. B. Charan and Vega Tamotia in the lead roles and Prakash Raj, Jayaram, Kajal Aggarwal, Sampath Raj, Nikita Thukral and Nagendran in other...
fame along with Guru Somasundaram from the Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
based theatre group Koothu-P-Pattarai
Koothu-P-Pattarai
Koothu-P-Pattarai is a prominent Tamil theatre group that has organised plays for 31 years. The group has its base in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in South India....
. Shroff was said to play the role of a "hoodlum", who was chosen after Kumararaja had apporached several other Tamil actors, who refused the offer, fearing of their "image". According to the director, the role required a senior person and Shroff had fit the role "completely". Speaking of his role, Shroff remarked that he had done things in the film that he hadn't dared to do in the past 30 years of his career, quoting "I am literally a monster in the film. Actually, I am more like a coconut — hard on the outside, but a veritable softie inside". Ravi Krishna
Ravi Krishna
Ravi Krishna is an Indian actor who works in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. Son of noted producer A. M. Rathnam, he made his acting debut in Selvaraghavan's critically acclaimed 7G Rainbow Colony.-Early life:...
plays a "lover boy", whose role, he claimed would be totally different from his earlier roles. Ravi Krishna was Kumararaja's first choice for the character as he had written it with keeping Ravi Krishna in mind. Sampath Raj
Sampath Raj
Dr.Sampath Raj is an Indian film actor who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for appearing in each film of director Venkat Prabhu's comedy trilogy, consisting of Chennai 600028, Saroja and Goa. He has also acted in supporting roles in various other films. He is mostly...
enacts the role of a gangster named Pasupathy. Kumararaja finalized Guru Somasundaram for the character of Kaalayan, after he had seen him performing the titular character in Koothu-P-Pattarai's play Chandrahari. Kumararaja had stated that the voice modulation and pattern of the Kaalaiyan character was based on Somasundaram's performance in the play Chandrahari, which eventually resulted in casting him in the film. Somasundaram cited that the dialogues were also written "keeping the artist in mind".
Yasmin Ponnappa, a popular Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
based model, who had appeared in television advertisements and won many beauty pageants, was selected for the role of the lead female character. Her role was, however, written for Pooja Umashankar
Pooja Umashankar
Pooja Gauthami Umashankar is an actress of Kannadiga Lingayat origin who has appeared in Tamil, Malayalam, Sinhala and Amateur films...
, keeping her in mind, who couldn't accept the offer as she had given her dates to Bala's
Bala (director)
Bala is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer, working in Tamil cinema. Bala is frequently credited with having "revolutionized Tamil cinema", through his realistic, dark and disturbing films that have garnered high critical acclaim...
magnum opus Naan Kadavul
Naan Kadavul
Naan Kadavul is a 2009 Indian Tamil film co-written and directed by Bala, based on the Tamil novel Yezhaam Ulagam by Jayamohan who also penned the dialogues for the film. The film stars Arya and Pooja in the lead roles...
. The details about the crew members were also published, when the film was announced in early December. P. S. Vinod
P. S. Vinod
P. S. Vinod is an Indian cinematographer from Tamil Nadu. He debuted as an independent cinematographer with the 2000 Tamil film Rhythm and went to work for several Bollywood projects, including Musafir, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat and Tees Maar Khan....
was chosen as the cinematographer, who had earlier shot films like Musafir and My Wife's Murder
My Wife's Murder
My Wife's Murder is a 2005 Bollywood film. It was directed by Jijy Philip. The cast includes Anil Kapoor, Suchitra Krishnamurti, Boman Irani and Nandana Sen.- Plot :...
, while Videsh was announced as the art director, 'Super' Subbarayan as the stunt master and Kalyan and Ajay Raj as choreographers. Vasuki Bhaskar was appointed as the costume designer. However, during the making of the film 'Super' Subbarayan was replaced by his son Dilip Subbarayan.
Music
Yuvan Shankar RajaYuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
was signed as the music director, who was working on a gangster film again after the likes of Pattiyal
Pattiyal
Pattiyal is a 2006 Indian Tamil gangster film directed by Vishnuvardhan. The film tackles the issue of dons. It stars Arya, Bharath, Pooja Umashankar, Padmapriya Janakiraman, Cochin Haneefa and Santhana Bharathi in pivotal roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja...
and Pudhupettai
Pudhupettai
Pudhupettai is a 2006 Indian Tamil gangster film written and directed by Selvaraghavan, starring his brother Dhanush in the lead, whilst Sneha and Sonia Agarwal enact the lead female character roles...
. Kumararaja divulged that he actually hadn't anyone in mind, but joined with Yuvan Shankar, following producer Charan's recommendation, who shared a "good working relationship" with the composer. Initially a soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
was also planned to be composed, with Gangai Amaran
Gangai Amaran
Gangai Amaran is a Music director, Lyricist, Script writer, Actor and Film director in Tamil films. He is the younger brother of noted music director Ilayaraaja and father of actors Venkat Prabhu and Premji Amaren.-As script writer:...
being roped in to pen lyrics, however Charan disclosed later that the film would feature no songs at all, becoming Yuvan Shankar Raja's second film project after Adhu
Adhu
Adhu is a 2004 Tamil horror film directed by Ramesh Krishnan, starring Sneha in the lead role, who plays the role of a spirit possessed girl...
without a soundtrack. Charan told that background music of this film will be released in CD's.
Release
The film was first screened on 30 October 2010 at the South Asian International Film Festival in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The film was incomplete at that time, with post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
works pending and a low quality version without colour correction and without a film score was projected at the festival. Despite the drawbacks, the film gained positive feedbacks and went on to win the Grand Jury prize for Best Film.
After completion, the film was screened to the regional censor board
Central Board of Film Certification
The Central Board of Film Certification is a Government of India regulatory body and censorship board of India controlled by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It reviews, rates and censors motion pictures, television shows, television ads, and promotional material...
in Chennai, who refused to clear it. The committee had demanded 52 cuts
Cut (filmmaking)
In the post-production process of film editing and video editing, a cut is an abrupt, but usually trivial film transition from one sequence to another. It is synonymous with the term edit, though "edit" can imply any number of transitions or effects. The cut, dissolve and wipe serve as the three...
and several consequential sub-cuts, particularly due to profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
and excessive violence, before permitting a theatrical release. Kumararaja, who admitted that he had expected difficulties in the censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
, disapproved of the board's demands as he wanted to present the film uncompromisingly to the audiences. He claimed that the usage of "bad language" was "part of developing the characters" in his story, while he also disagreed with bleeping out the "objectionable" words since he felt "it throws audiences off the film's narrative". Producer Charan voiced the same opinion, citing that he had made the film for a "mature audience", took the film to the Central Tribunal at Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
Critical response
Aaranya Kaandam opened to strong critical acclaim. The India Daily lauded the director and the producer for making a "strikingly different film that is raw, realistic and is just like watching angry men up close", further adding that "picturising crude realities of life so real needs amazing guts". The leading actors, particularly Jackie Shroff and Sampath, were appreciated for their performances, being labelled as "perfect", while film score and cinematography were praised as well, citing that "Yuvan Shankar Raja deserves all accolades for a fantastic re-recording" and that "Vinod's lens captures the darker sides of city life well". Rediffs Pavithra Srinivasan gave the film 3 out of 5, claiming that film "bypasses gangster cliches". The reviewer also spoke in high terms of the cast and crew, pointing out Guru Soma Sundaram's performance whose "gleeful cackles at the rooster fight, pathetic rumblings to his son and wide-eyed act in the Lodge are wonderful to behold" and Yuvan Shankar Raja's score, described as "easily [one of] the movie's biggest strengths". Behindwoods claimed the film to be an "intelligently made gangster flick", giving it 3.5 out of 5. Director Kumararaja was praised for that having structured "every frame and character in his film with brilliant dexterity", adding that the manner of narration and screen play was "commendable", while also acknowledging aspects such as dialogues, music and cinematography. SifySify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
s reviewer appreciated Kumararaja for "taking the road less travelled", however criticized the large amount of violence in the film, terming it the "most violent and bloody film ever to get through Chennai regional censors". In regard to the performances of the cast, he cited that the best performance came from Sampath, who "just smirks throughout the film", while claiming that Yasmin was "fantastic in her debut role".
NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...
s critic described the film as a "gangster movie which stands out with its realistic portrayal and no-nonsense treatment", further addding that "good performances, effective dialogues, slick editing and amazing camerawork help the movie stand out from the crowd". A reviewer from Chennaionline wrote that the film was made "near-perfect" featuring "some stunning performances, sharp dialogues and excellent camera work and music". Jackie Shroff and P. S. Vinod, in particular, won high praise from the critic, who wrote that the former "proves his class" and "shines in the don’s role", while they had done a "terrific job and should be considered a major factor for the film’s success at the box-office". N. Venkateswaran from Times of India rated the film 4 out of 5, while The Hindustan Times critic Gautaman Bhaskaran gave 3.5 out of 5. Rohit Ramachandran of nowrunning.com, too, rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stating that "Aaranya Kaandam is a neo-noir film that runs at breakneck speed only to be slowed down and stopped at an unwelcome destination. But why think of the destination when the journey is one that you've thoroughly enjoyed?" Baradwaj Rangan commended the film, citing that "with most mainstream films, especially in Tamil, you know some fifteen minutes in if they’re working for you (or not) [...] But there are a few that leave you hanging until almost the end [...] and then, gradually, things begin to cohere and reshape your entire thus-far experience, and you slap your forehead and smile and say wow! This is one of those films.