Achamundu Achamundu
Encyclopedia
Achchamundu! Achchamundu! (There is fear! There is fear!) 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. The film was released on 17 July 2009 worldwide, receiving generally highly positive reviews. This film was reportedly one of the rare main stream Tamil films to deal with the subject of pedophiles.
) and Malini (Sneha) are a happily married couple in New Jersey
, living life like any other born-in-India, arrived-in-the-US couple do. He submerges himself in the office and eats sambhar rice at home and she never misses a bhajan
at the temple and shops at Indian stores. They have a daughter Rithika (Akshaya Dinesh), 5 years old, the apple of their lives (their car's registration number carries the name of their daughter.)
They have just settled down in a new, spacious home about which Malini, understandably, has fears. The couple squabble amicably about everything from her perpetual laundry and cooking; while Senthil argues with friends about the significance of viboothi
(holy ash, usually applied on forehead) and takes his family on weekend trips and birthday parties. It is a normal, happy life in the US until Robertson (John Shea
) arrives, to paint the basement. Now, things are never the same at home again.
Robertson's unusually kind behaviour towards children sets off warning bells in your head especially when he is shown to be a pedophile who exercises like mad within the confines of his home, always moving on towards his next target. How the couple save their child forms the rest of the story.
The film was premiered in New Jersey's Garden State Film Festival, and shared 'Best Homegrown Feature Film' award with Dorothy Lyman
's Split Ends'. The filmmakers have plans to dub the movie in toSpanish, French, German, Creole, Mandarin, Mende/Temne, Arabic, Bangla, Burmese, Vietnamese and Urdu. A Telugu-dubbed version is expected in theaters shortly.
The film was selected for the Shanghai International Film Festival in International Panorama Category. The film's audio and trailer were launched by Academy Award winner Resul Pookutty
. The movie was released on 17 July 2009 in Chennai and USA.
The film was officially selected for screening at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival, where Academy Award-winner Danny Boyle
headed the jury. The film was selected under the International Panorama category.
The film had a successful reception and the audience shared their appreciation with director Arun Vaidyanathan in a Q & A session.
The film received the Best Homegrown Feature Film award at the Garden State Film Festival, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The film also won critical acclaim at New York
on its official release.
The film was selected for the Digital Cinema Film Festival in Japan and was well received.
Achchamundu Achchamundu was selected for screening at the 33rd Cairo International Film Festival.
It was selected for screening in the Goa film festival on 23 November 2009, along with the only Tamil film Pasanga
.
AA was selected for screening in the Chennai International Film Festival along with Ayan
, Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru
and Pokkisham
. It won best feature film award. Pasanga won the second best feature film award.
1. The director of the movie Arun Vaidhyanadhan received a Media Guild Award for creating public awareness of child sex abuse.
2. Actress Sneha won the best actress award at the Global awards function that was organized by United Artistes of India and Alandur Fine Arts.
3. Sneha was nominated for 57th Filmfare Awards South
under Filmfare Best Actress Award
Category held on August 7, 2010, in Chennai
.
http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-slide-shows/movie-4/top-100-movies/top-100-movies-19.html
Karthik Raja
's music for the film was well received.
.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
social thriller directed by Arun Vaidyanathan
Arun Vaidyanathan
Arun Vaidyanathan is an Indian-American film director, producer and screenwriter of predominantely short films and television dramas...
, starring 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...
, Sneha and Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning American film actor John Shea
John Shea
John Victor Shea III is an American actor and director who has starred on stage, television and in film. He is best known for his role as Lex Luthor in the 1990s TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and also starred in the short lived 1990s TV series WIOU as Hank Zaret...
. It is the first film in Indian cinema to be shot with the Red One camera system. A Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
dubbed version is to be released as Bhayam. The film was released on 17 July 2009 worldwide, receiving generally highly positive reviews. This film was reportedly one of the rare main stream Tamil films to deal with the subject of pedophiles.
Plot
Senthil Kumar (PrasannaPrasanna (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...
) and Malini (Sneha) are a happily married couple in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, living life like any other born-in-India, arrived-in-the-US couple do. He submerges himself in the office and eats sambhar rice at home and she never misses a bhajan
Bhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
at the temple and shops at Indian stores. They have a daughter Rithika (Akshaya Dinesh), 5 years old, the apple of their lives (their car's registration number carries the name of their daughter.)
They have just settled down in a new, spacious home about which Malini, understandably, has fears. The couple squabble amicably about everything from her perpetual laundry and cooking; while Senthil argues with friends about the significance of viboothi
Vibhuti
Vibhuti is a word that has several meanings in Hinduism.-Sacred ash:Vibhuti is the sacred ash used in religious worship in Hinduism. The main ingredient of Vibuthi is a special kind of wood, but several other substances, such as milk and ghee, prescribed in scriptures are also added...
(holy ash, usually applied on forehead) and takes his family on weekend trips and birthday parties. It is a normal, happy life in the US until Robertson (John Shea
John Shea
John Victor Shea III is an American actor and director who has starred on stage, television and in film. He is best known for his role as Lex Luthor in the 1990s TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and also starred in the short lived 1990s TV series WIOU as Hank Zaret...
) arrives, to paint the basement. Now, things are never the same at home again.
Robertson's unusually kind behaviour towards children sets off warning bells in your head especially when he is shown to be a pedophile who exercises like mad within the confines of his home, always moving on towards his next target. How the couple save their child forms the rest of the story.
Cast
- PrasannaPrasanna (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...
as Senthil Kumar - Sneha as Malini Kumar
- John SheaJohn SheaJohn Victor Shea III is an American actor and director who has starred on stage, television and in film. He is best known for his role as Lex Luthor in the 1990s TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and also starred in the short lived 1990s TV series WIOU as Hank Zaret...
as Theodore Robertson - Akshaya Dinesh as Rithika
Filming
For the first time in Indian cinema, Red One camera was used for filming. The film was shot in New Jersey and New York during early 2008. Color correction and sound mixing were done in Los Angeles.The film was premiered in New Jersey's Garden State Film Festival, and shared 'Best Homegrown Feature Film' award with Dorothy Lyman
Dorothy Lyman
Dorothy Lyman is an American television actress, director and producer. She is most commonly known for her work as architect Gwen Parrish Frame in Another World and in All My Children as Opal Sue Gardner, and on the syndicated sitcom Mama's Family, as Naomi Harper.Lyman was born in Minneapolis,...
's Split Ends'. The filmmakers have plans to dub the movie in toSpanish, French, German, Creole, Mandarin, Mende/Temne, Arabic, Bangla, Burmese, Vietnamese and Urdu. A Telugu-dubbed version is expected in theaters shortly.
The film was selected for the Shanghai International Film Festival in International Panorama Category. The film's audio and trailer were launched by Academy Award winner Resul Pookutty
Resul Pookutty
Resul Pookutty is an Indian film sound designer, sound editor and mixer. He, along with Richard Pryke and Ian Tapp won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing for the film Slumdog Millionaire...
. The movie was released on 17 July 2009 in Chennai and USA.
Reception
- Shanghai International Film Festival
The film was officially selected for screening at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival, where Academy Award-winner Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle
Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
headed the jury. The film was selected under the International Panorama category.
The film had a successful reception and the audience shared their appreciation with director Arun Vaidyanathan in a Q & A session.
- United States
The film received the Best Homegrown Feature Film award at the Garden State Film Festival, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The film also won critical acclaim at New York
New 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...
on its official release.
- Digital Cinema Film Festival, Japan
The film was selected for the Digital Cinema Film Festival in Japan and was well received.
- Cairo International Film Festival
Achchamundu Achchamundu was selected for screening at the 33rd Cairo International Film Festival.
- Goa Film Festival
It was selected for screening in the Goa film festival on 23 November 2009, along with the only Tamil film Pasanga
Pasanga
Pasanga is a 2009 Tamil film directed by debutant Pandiraj, who worked as an erstwhile assistant to Cheran. It stars numerous debutant child artists in the lead roles along with newcomer Vimal and Saroja fame Vega Tamotia in supporting roles...
.
- Chennai International Film Festival
AA was selected for screening in the Chennai International Film Festival along with Ayan
Ayan
Ayan is a rural locality and the administrative center of Ayano-Maysky District of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located on the shore of a well-protected bay of the Sea of Okhotsk, from Khabarovsk and by sea from Nikolayevsk-on-Amur...
, Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru
Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru
Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru is a 2009 Indian Tamil romantic comedy film written and directed by newcomer J. S. Nandhini. Starring Ajmal Ameer of Anjathey fame and newcomer Rupa Manjari, the film, produced by Sathyam Cinemas, was released on 25 September 2009. this film was average...
and Pokkisham
Pokkisham
Pokkisham is a 2009 Tamil-language film directed by Cheran. The feature flopped miserably the box office compared to Cheran's previous work, Autograph due to the slow pace of the movie...
. It won best feature film award. Pasanga won the second best feature film award.
- Awards won in Tamil Nadu
1. The director of the movie Arun Vaidhyanadhan received a Media Guild Award for creating public awareness of child sex abuse.
2. Actress Sneha won the best actress award at the Global awards function that was organized by United Artistes of India and Alandur Fine Arts.
3. Sneha was nominated for 57th Filmfare Awards South
57th Filmfare Awards South
The 57th Filmfare Awards South ceremony honoring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian cinema in 2009 was held on August 7, 2010 in Chennai, India.-Nominations:...
under Filmfare Best Actress Award
Filmfare Best Actress Award (Tamil)
The Filmfare Best Actress Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil films. The Award was first given in 1953...
Category held on August 7, 2010, 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...
.
- Rated as Top 100 movies must watch in the past decade - Behindwoods
http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-slide-shows/movie-4/top-100-movies/top-100-movies-19.html
- Music
Karthik Raja
Karthik Raja
Karthik Raja is a Tamil musician from Chennai, India. He made his debut as music composer in the Tamil film Alexander.-Personal life:Karthik Raja is the eldest son of musician Ilaiyaraaja and Jeeva. His brother Yuvan Shankar Raja and sister Bhavatharini, who are also Kollywood music directors and...
's music for the film was well received.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by Karthik RajaKarthik Raja
Karthik Raja is a Tamil musician from Chennai, India. He made his debut as music composer in the Tamil film Alexander.-Personal life:Karthik Raja is the eldest son of musician Ilaiyaraaja and Jeeva. His brother Yuvan Shankar Raja and sister Bhavatharini, who are also Kollywood music directors and...
.
| No. | Song | Singers | Length |
| 1 | "Kanavugal Kaatril" | Rahul Nambiar Rahul Nambiar Rahul Nambiar is an Indian playback singer and live performer. A MBA and M.Com-graduate, he won the Swapthaswarangal show in 2001 and began singing live... , Anupama Anupama "Anupama" is a Sanskrit word meaning "unparalleled", or "uncomparable" . It has a feminine gender and refers to the goddess or Shakti. It is also a given name.... , Krish |
4.18 |
| 2 | "Kannil Dhaagam" | S. Sowmya S. Sowmya S. Sowmya is a Carnatic music singer. She learnt music initially from her father Dr. Srinivasan, and later from S. Ramanathan and Smt.T. Muktha. In 1998, Sowmya co-founded Carnatica - an online institution dedicated to classical music & dance instruction, archival, talent search and other related... |
3.42 |
| 3 | "Parvai Vali Sumandhal" | Rahul Nambiar Rahul Nambiar Rahul Nambiar is an Indian playback singer and live performer. A MBA and M.Com-graduate, he won the Swapthaswarangal show in 2001 and began singing live... |
1.25 |
| 4 | "Theme Music" | 3.35 | |