Asal
Encyclopedia
Aasal is a 2010 action-thriller film directed by Saran
. The film stars Ajith Kumar
in the lead role, who is also credited for the story, dialogues, screenplay and co-direction of the film, while Sameera Reddy
and Bhavana play the lead female roles. The film features an extensive cast, with Prabhu
, Suresh
, Sampath Raj
and Rajiv Krishna
playing prominent roles, among others. The film, produced by Prabhu Ganesan
of Sivaji Productions
, features music primarily composed by Bharathwaj
, cinematography by Prashanth D. Misale and editing by Anthony Gonsalves
.
The film revolves around the feud between the three brothers over property; two brothers, from their father's first wife on one side with their avarice for all the wealth with the righteous third, from his father's second marriage, trying to stop the family from breaking down. The feud that exists as an undercurrent in the presence of their father and turns ugly and personal after he passes away. It grows bigger with the two brothers joining in to elbow out the third but he graciously steps aside, only wanting to keep cordial relations. But, the two brothers are just not able to handle the huge wealth and the responsibility that it brings. Their wealth attracts trouble and it is up to the third to come back and save his brothers, against others who strive for the wealth while the crux of the plot revolves around if wealth does disintegrate the family.
Pre-production
for the project began in December 2007 when Sivaji Productions signed up Ajith for a film; however, because of a bevy of changes in the technical crew, shooting only began in April 2009. The filming took place in various locations: notably locally in Chennai
, and abroad in Paris
, Dubai
and Kuala Lumpur
. The film opened worldwide on 550 screens (including 350 screens in India) following its release on February 5, 2010 to mixed reviews.
Sarah (Sameera Reddy) is a cultural attaché at the Indian Embassy in Paris who has a soft spot for Shiva. There is a French police officer, Daniel (Suresh), who constantly hangs around with the family and is a partner in crime.
The bad sons want to deal in drugs and supply arms to terrorists; they work out a strategy to eliminate Shetty (Keli Dorji), who controls the Mumbai underworld, but the old man and Shiva oppose it. After the old man's death, Vicky is kidnapped by Shetty and his gang, who brutally torture him.
To save Vicky, Shiva goes to Mumbai. His local contact there is Mirasi (Prabhu), his father’s best friend. A local girl, Sulaba (Bhavana), falls for our hero, who daringly rescues Vicky with the joker Don Samosa (Yuhi Sethu).
Both brothers double crosses Shiva and they shoot Shiva drown him in sea. They torture Sarah and make her to sign as witness that Shiva dies naturally. As per Jeevanandam's will the property rights belongs to Shiva . Hence Sam and Vicky attempted to kill Shiva. With the help of Mirasi (Prabhu Ganesan), Sulabha (Bhavana) and Don Samosa all move to France to find the real enemies. Truth is found and revenge taken.
in December 2007, Ajith Kumar
was signed on by his co-star Prabhu
's Sivaji Productions
for a project touted to be directed by K. S. Ravikumar
. Three months later, the producers officially signed on Gautham Menon
as the director; Sameera Reddy
, the female lead for Menon's last film, was also finalized for the project. The film, which was due to start its first schedule during June 2008, had been built up as the final instalment in Gautham Menon
's police trilogy, following his two earlier ventures, Kaaka Kaaka and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu
, of which Ajith Kumar was originally meant to be a part. However, other indications suggested that the film was set to be the remake of the classic, Pudhiya Paravai starring Sivaji Ganesan
, which Ganesan’s son, Prabhu, denied. The film had been earlier titled by the media as Kanavugal Karpanaigal or Vaanam Kadandha Siragugal, but the team then finalized the title of Surangani, which was later abbreviated to Sura. However, the film's production failed to take off, with repeated dates being announced by the directors for the film's first schedule throughout 2009. Subsequently, Menon was removed from the project by the producers due to the film's inactivity, with directors Dharani
, Vishnuvardhan
and Saran
leading the race to take over.
In January 2009, the film was reannounced by Prabhu and the story was subsequently changed with Saran
being signed up as the film's director. Ajith Kumar also underwent an appearance change during the early months of 2009 to prepare for his role. The film was eventually launched on April 8, 2009 at Sivaji's
family residence Annai Illam in Chennai
. The film completed its production schedule by January 2010, and post-production
and release works began soon after.
, Ajith Kumar
and Gautham Menon
would come together, other technicians were added to the film. Menon’s usual collaborator, Harris Jayaraj
, was signed on as the music composer. However, after Menon's departure, Jayaraj also left the project due to his busy schedule with other films. After approaching Yuvan Shankar Raja
for the job, Saran finally confirmed Bharathwaj
as music director
. Asal was Bharathwaj's fiftieth film as composer; he had previously teamed up with Saran and Ajith on Kadhal Mannan
, Amarkalam
and Attagasam
. Ajith was under contract to be paid a remuneration of $1.25 million in cash plus a 30 per cent share of the profit from sales of rights of the film.
During the launch in April 2009, other film technicians were revealed. Y-Kinz, an international music group, were announced to be a part of the music album for the film headed with Bharathwaj. Ajith himself had recommended Prashanth D. Misale, an assistant to Nirav Shah
, to make his debut as a cinematographer. Anthony
was selected as editor; Prabakar was chosen to work as the art director and Vairamuthu
as the chief lyricist. Vivek Karunakaran, a Chennai
-based fashion designer, was selected to make his debut as the film's costume designer. Soon after the launch, co-producer Prabhu Ganesan
cast himself to play an important role in the film. Gautham Menon's original choice, Sameera Reddy
, was retained to star opposite Ajith Kumar in the film. Sameera appears alongside Ajith Kumar for the first time, despite previously being scheduled to appear opposite him in Citizen
, which eventually went ahead without her. Mamta Mohandas
was initially confirmed as the second heroine in Asal, but decided not to take the role. Sneha and Bhavana were also approached for the second heroine's role, however Sneha was unable to comply due to call sheet problems, so Bhavana was finalized. A plethora of antagonistic roles were handed out for the film, with the initial selction being Rajiv Krishna. Other cast members are Pradeep Rawat
, Keli Dorji, Karen Miao Sapru, Adithya
, Suresh, Sampath Raj
, Surendra Pal
and Yugi Sethu
.
of the film began in June 2009 at an undisclosed location in Malaysia. The first schedule was completed on 2 August 2009. After a hectic schedule from Malaysia, the shooting for the second schedule continued on 18 September 2009 at Paris
and Lyon
, France
. 30% of the scenes, including fight sequences and two song sequences, were canned there, including a duet song of Ajith and Sameera as pictured against the moonlit Eiffel Tower in Paris. After a 45-day shoot, the team returned to Chennai on 23 October 2009. Additional shooting was held in Harrington Road on 2 November. Asal's team later shot some of the important shots in AVM Studios. The film’s dubbing schedule took off on 19 November at Four Frames Preview Theatre Chennai with a simple pooja ceremony. Ajith, Saran, Arjun (Prabhu’s son), Dushyanth (Ramkumar’s son) and other members of the film were present there. On 24 November 2009, an important scene for the film was shot at Sivaji Ganesan’s house in T. Nagar, Chennai. A song sequence featuring Ajith and Bhavana was shot at the AVM Studios on 25 November 2009. The shooting of the final song was held at Binny Mills (Tambaram). The cast and crew of Asal went to a Middle East country for the remaining song shoot. The Asal unit left Chennai on 26 December and returned after a week. Shooting was finished on 31 December 2009 at Dubai, where a song sequence was filmed at Zabeel Park.
Upon release, the film generally received average reviews, with critics citing that the film is strictly for Ajith Kumar fans and that it couldn't live up to its expectations, whilst also criticizing its Billa
hangover. Sify
cited that the film, which "should have been called Billa-2", "falls flat due to lack of proper story and narration", adding, that the film "belongs to Ajith" and "it is a good ride if you keep your expectation meter low". A reviewer from Behindwoods gave the film 2 out of 5, claiming that this film "will gain no great interest". He adds that "Asal is a complete Ajith centric entertainer with lots of style and sophistication", that "the script is weak and there are other flaws too" and that "Ajith satisfies his fans, but Saran disappoints a bit". Pavithra Srinivasan from Rediff gave the film 2 out of 5 as well, citing that the film is for "die-hard Ajith fans", who would have "plenty of reasons to rejoice", whilst the others should "leave their brains at home". The reviewer, like Sify, also adds that the film has a "Billa hangover"..
& Y-Kinz with lyrics by Vairamuthu
. The audio distribution rights were given to ANAK Audio. Think Music, an association of Sathyam Cinemas and Hungama Technology. The audio was launched at Sivaji Ganesan’s house in T Nagar, Chennai by Prabhu, one of the producers, and was received by Ajith.
Saran (director)
Saran is a Tamil film director from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. He was once an assistant to K. Balachander. He now owns a production house called Gemini Productions.-Life and Career:...
. The film stars Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
in the lead role, who is also credited for the story, dialogues, screenplay and co-direction of the film, while Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
and Bhavana play the lead female roles. The film features an extensive cast, with Prabhu
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
, Suresh
Suresh (actor)
Suresh is an Indian film actor, primarily works in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Suresh is more popular as the Romantic hero of South India in 1980's. He is known for his outstanding performances in films like Panneer Pushpangal and Kozhi Koovuthu. He was the popular pair of actress Nadia Moidu...
, 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 Rajiv Krishna
Rajiv Krishna
Rajiv Krishna is an Tamil film actor in Chennai, India. He has appeared in Tamil films in leading and supporting roles.He also wrote screenplay for Hindi film Woodstock Villa. He is the nephew of famous actress Revathi.- Filmography :...
playing prominent roles, among others. The film, produced by Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
of Sivaji Productions
Sivaji Productions
Sivaji Productions is a film distributing and producing company of Tamil and Hindi language films.- History :Sivaji Productions company is owned by Prabhu Ganesan and his brother Ramkumar Ganesan. It is named after their father, the thespian Sivaji Ganesan...
, features music primarily composed by Bharathwaj
Bharathwaj
Bharathwaj is a Tamil film composer. He has since scored music in languages including Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. trained in Hindustani, Western and Carnatic music.He is a recipient of Kalaimamani Award for the year 2008 from Tamil Nadu Government...
, cinematography by Prashanth D. Misale and editing by Anthony Gonsalves
Anthony (film editor)
Anthony is a Tamil film editor. He has worked in over twenty Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu language films. This makes him one of the few editors to have worked for all the 3 biggest film industries in India.-Personal life:Anthony studied BA Lit in Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Chennai...
.
The film revolves around the feud between the three brothers over property; two brothers, from their father's first wife on one side with their avarice for all the wealth with the righteous third, from his father's second marriage, trying to stop the family from breaking down. The feud that exists as an undercurrent in the presence of their father and turns ugly and personal after he passes away. It grows bigger with the two brothers joining in to elbow out the third but he graciously steps aside, only wanting to keep cordial relations. But, the two brothers are just not able to handle the huge wealth and the responsibility that it brings. Their wealth attracts trouble and it is up to the third to come back and save his brothers, against others who strive for the wealth while the crux of the plot revolves around if wealth does disintegrate the family.
Pre-production
Pre-production
Pre-production or In Production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.- In film :...
for the project began in December 2007 when Sivaji Productions signed up Ajith for a film; however, because of a bevy of changes in the technical crew, shooting only began in April 2009. The filming took place in various locations: notably locally 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...
, and abroad in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. The film opened worldwide on 550 screens (including 350 screens in India) following its release on February 5, 2010 to mixed reviews.
Plot
Jeevanandham (Ajith) is an international negotiator and arms dealer based in Paris. He has three sons: Sam (Sampat) and Vicky (Rajiv) from his first wife, and Shiva (Ajith) from his second wife. Jeevanandham’s favourite is Shiva, who is gutsy and righteous, while the other two are immature and controlled by their uncle, the evil Kali Mamma (Pradeep Rawat), and will do any shady deals.Sarah (Sameera Reddy) is a cultural attaché at the Indian Embassy in Paris who has a soft spot for Shiva. There is a French police officer, Daniel (Suresh), who constantly hangs around with the family and is a partner in crime.
The bad sons want to deal in drugs and supply arms to terrorists; they work out a strategy to eliminate Shetty (Keli Dorji), who controls the Mumbai underworld, but the old man and Shiva oppose it. After the old man's death, Vicky is kidnapped by Shetty and his gang, who brutally torture him.
To save Vicky, Shiva goes to Mumbai. His local contact there is Mirasi (Prabhu), his father’s best friend. A local girl, Sulaba (Bhavana), falls for our hero, who daringly rescues Vicky with the joker Don Samosa (Yuhi Sethu).
Both brothers double crosses Shiva and they shoot Shiva drown him in sea. They torture Sarah and make her to sign as witness that Shiva dies naturally. As per Jeevanandam's will the property rights belongs to Shiva . Hence Sam and Vicky attempted to kill Shiva. With the help of Mirasi (Prabhu Ganesan), Sulabha (Bhavana) and Don Samosa all move to France to find the real enemies. Truth is found and revenge taken.
Cast
- Ajith KumarAjith KumarAjith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
as Shiva Jeevanandham and Jeevanandham - PrabhuPrabhu GanesanPrabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
as Mirasi - Sameera ReddySameera ReddySameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
as Sara - Bhavana as Sulaba Pillai
- SureshSuresh (actor)Suresh is an Indian film actor, primarily works in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Suresh is more popular as the Romantic hero of South India in 1980's. He is known for his outstanding performances in films like Panneer Pushpangal and Kozhi Koovuthu. He was the popular pair of actress Nadia Moidu...
as Daniel Dharmaraj - 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 Sam Jeevanandham - Rajiv KrishnaRajiv KrishnaRajiv Krishna is an Tamil film actor in Chennai, India. He has appeared in Tamil films in leading and supporting roles.He also wrote screenplay for Hindi film Woodstock Villa. He is the nephew of famous actress Revathi.- Filmography :...
as Vicky Jeevanandham - Pradeep RawatPradeep RawatPradeep Singh Rawat is an Indian actor. He is a Rajput and notable for playing villainous roles in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil films.Rawat's first appearance was in Mahabharat as 'Ashwathama', Dronacharya's son...
as Kalivardhan - Yugi SethuYugi SethuYuhi Sethu is a Tamil actor, director and screenwriter. He has appeared in a few films in main and supporting roles and has contributed to films as a screenwriter. Yuhi Sethu had written and directed a less known movie named "Maathangal Aezhu" in Tamil with actors Nassar and Ramya Krishnan, and...
as Don Samsa - Kelly DorjiKelly DorjiKelly Dorji is a Bhutanese actor and model based in Mumbai, India. He studied at St. Paul's School, Darjeeling and later St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. Dorji got his break into the mainstream through the Gladrags Manhunt Contest....
as Brijesh Shetty - Karmanya Sapru as Lee
Development
Following the success of BillaBilla (2007 film)
Billa is a 2007 Tamil gangster-thriller film directed by Vishnuvardhan. Based on the 1980 Tamil film of the same name and the 2006 Hindi film, Don: The Chase Begins Again, it was adapted by the director, who rewrote portions of the film from the original...
in December 2007, Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
was signed on by his co-star Prabhu
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
's Sivaji Productions
Sivaji Productions
Sivaji Productions is a film distributing and producing company of Tamil and Hindi language films.- History :Sivaji Productions company is owned by Prabhu Ganesan and his brother Ramkumar Ganesan. It is named after their father, the thespian Sivaji Ganesan...
for a project touted to be directed by K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar is an Indian film director and actor, primarily working in Tamil cinema. He has directed numerous films ranging from comedy and drama to action thrillers. His film Dasavathaaram went on to gross $16 million worldwide in the first four weeks and eventually became one of the...
. Three months later, the producers officially signed on Gautham Menon
Gautham Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer. Mainly working in Tamil cinema, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu films which are remakes of his Tamil films...
as the director; Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
, the female lead for Menon's last film, was also finalized for the project. The film, which was due to start its first schedule during June 2008, had been built up as the final instalment in Gautham Menon
Gautham Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer. Mainly working in Tamil cinema, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu films which are remakes of his Tamil films...
's police trilogy, following his two earlier ventures, Kaaka Kaaka and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu
Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu
The soundtrack of the film consists of 5 songs, composed by Harris Jayaraj and the songs were appreciated very much as soon as the audio was launched. Behindwoods was highly pleased with the album commenting,"The album has not let down expectations. It is the usual mix by Harris...
, of which Ajith Kumar was originally meant to be a part. However, other indications suggested that the film was set to be the remake of the classic, Pudhiya Paravai starring Sivaji Ganesan
Sivaji Ganesan
Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai Ganesan Manrayar , commonly known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan , was an Indian stage and film actor active during the latter half of the 20th century. He is one of the most respected film actors in India. He is well known for his versatility and acting skills with...
, which Ganesan’s son, Prabhu, denied. The film had been earlier titled by the media as Kanavugal Karpanaigal or Vaanam Kadandha Siragugal, but the team then finalized the title of Surangani, which was later abbreviated to Sura. However, the film's production failed to take off, with repeated dates being announced by the directors for the film's first schedule throughout 2009. Subsequently, Menon was removed from the project by the producers due to the film's inactivity, with directors Dharani
Dharani (director)
Dharani is an Indian film director, who primarily directs action-masala films. He is best known for directing the blockbuster films Dhill, Dhool and Ghilli.-Career:...
, Vishnuvardhan
Vishnuvardhan (director)
Vishnuvardhan Kulasekaran, often credited simply as Vishnuvardhan, is an Indian film director. A one-time associate of Santosh Sivan he made his directorial debut in 2003 with Kurumbu, which did not fare well at the box office...
and Saran
Saran (director)
Saran is a Tamil film director from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. He was once an assistant to K. Balachander. He now owns a production house called Gemini Productions.-Life and Career:...
leading the race to take over.
In January 2009, the film was reannounced by Prabhu and the story was subsequently changed with Saran
Saran (director)
Saran is a Tamil film director from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. He was once an assistant to K. Balachander. He now owns a production house called Gemini Productions.-Life and Career:...
being signed up as the film's director. Ajith Kumar also underwent an appearance change during the early months of 2009 to prepare for his role. The film was eventually launched on April 8, 2009 at Sivaji's
Sivaji Ganesan
Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai Ganesan Manrayar , commonly known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan , was an Indian stage and film actor active during the latter half of the 20th century. He is one of the most respected film actors in India. He is well known for his versatility and acting skills with...
family residence Annai Illam 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...
. The film completed its production schedule by January 2010, and 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...
and release works began soon after.
Casting
Following the announcement that Sivaji ProductionsSivaji Productions
Sivaji Productions is a film distributing and producing company of Tamil and Hindi language films.- History :Sivaji Productions company is owned by Prabhu Ganesan and his brother Ramkumar Ganesan. It is named after their father, the thespian Sivaji Ganesan...
, Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
and Gautham Menon
Gautham Menon
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director and producer. Mainly working in Tamil cinema, he has also directed Hindi and Telugu films which are remakes of his Tamil films...
would come together, other technicians were added to the film. Menon’s usual collaborator, Harris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj is an Indian film composer. He has written scores and soundtracks for Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films.- Early life :Harris Jayaraj hails from a pious Christian Nadar family and was born and brought up in Chennai. Harris studied at Krishnaswamy Matric School, Nungambakam. His father,...
, was signed on as the music composer. However, after Menon's departure, Jayaraj also left the project due to his busy schedule with other films. After approaching 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...
for the job, Saran finally confirmed Bharathwaj
Bharathwaj
Bharathwaj is a Tamil film composer. He has since scored music in languages including Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. trained in Hindustani, Western and Carnatic music.He is a recipient of Kalaimamani Award for the year 2008 from Tamil Nadu Government...
as music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
. Asal was Bharathwaj's fiftieth film as composer; he had previously teamed up with Saran and Ajith on Kadhal Mannan
Kadhal Mannan
Kaadhal Mannan is a 1998 Tamil romantic film directed by Saran, which features Ajith Kumar and Maanu in the lead roles. The film also saw prominent music composer M. S. Viswanathan make his debut in a supporting role, whilst Vivek, Karan and Girish Karnad also played other roles...
, Amarkalam
Amarkalam
Amarkalam is a 1999 Tamil action film directed by Saran and produced by Venkateswaralayam. The film featured Ajith Kumar and Shalini in the lead roles with Raghuvaran, Raadhika and Nassar in other pivotal roles...
and Attagasam
Attagasam
Attahasam is a 2004 Tamil film directed by Saran featuring Ajith Kumar in dual lead roles with Pooja playing the female lead. Sujatha, Karunas and Ramesh Khanna play pivotal roles in the film, while the score and soundtrack are composed by Bharathwaj....
. Ajith was under contract to be paid a remuneration of $1.25 million in cash plus a 30 per cent share of the profit from sales of rights of the film.
During the launch in April 2009, other film technicians were revealed. Y-Kinz, an international music group, were announced to be a part of the music album for the film headed with Bharathwaj. Ajith himself had recommended Prashanth D. Misale, an assistant to Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah is an acclaimed Indian cinematographer. He has worked on a number of major box office hits in Hindi and Tamil since his debut with the 2004 Hindi film Paisa Vasool.-Career:...
, to make his debut as a cinematographer. Anthony
Anthony (film editor)
Anthony is a Tamil film editor. He has worked in over twenty Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu language films. This makes him one of the few editors to have worked for all the 3 biggest film industries in India.-Personal life:Anthony studied BA Lit in Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Chennai...
was selected as editor; Prabakar was chosen to work as the art director and Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramaswamy Thevar is an award-winning Tamil poet and lyricist.Debuting in the film Nizhalgal with the lyrics for the song "Ponmalai Pozhudhu", he has now about 5800 songs to his credit as of January 2009. His partnership with the composers Ilaiyaraaja, and later A. R...
as the chief lyricist. Vivek Karunakaran, a 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 fashion designer, was selected to make his debut as the film's costume designer. Soon after the launch, co-producer Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
cast himself to play an important role in the film. Gautham Menon's original choice, Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy is an Indian film actress, primarily working in the Hindi film industry and Tamil industry. Apart from Bollywood, Reddy has also appeared in a number of Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam films.-Early life:...
, was retained to star opposite Ajith Kumar in the film. Sameera appears alongside Ajith Kumar for the first time, despite previously being scheduled to appear opposite him in Citizen
Citizen (film)
Citizen is a 2001 Tamil action film directed by Sharavanan Subbaiya and produced by S. S. Chakravarthy. The film features Ajith Kumar in the lead role as a social activist with Vasundhara Das, Meena and Nagma playing supporting roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Deva, whilst...
, which eventually went ahead without her. Mamta Mohandas
Mamta Mohandas
Mamta Mohandas is an Indian film actress and playback singer. She has mainly acted in Malayalam films, besides few Telugu and Tamil productions and one Kannada film...
was initially confirmed as the second heroine in Asal, but decided not to take the role. Sneha and Bhavana were also approached for the second heroine's role, however Sneha was unable to comply due to call sheet problems, so Bhavana was finalized. A plethora of antagonistic roles were handed out for the film, with the initial selction being Rajiv Krishna. Other cast members are Pradeep Rawat
Pradeep Rawat
Pradeep Singh Rawat is an Indian actor. He is a Rajput and notable for playing villainous roles in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil films.Rawat's first appearance was in Mahabharat as 'Ashwathama', Dronacharya's son...
, Keli Dorji, Karen Miao Sapru, Adithya
Adithya
Adithya , is an Indian film actor who appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. He is an atheist.- Filmography:-External links:...
, Suresh, 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...
, Surendra Pal
Surendra Pal
Surendra Pal is an Indian film and television character actor who is best known for his television roles of Dronacharya in Mahabharat, Amatya Rakshas in Chanakya and Tamraj Kilvish in Shaktiman.Surendra Pal was born in 1953....
and Yugi Sethu
Yugi Sethu
Yuhi Sethu is a Tamil actor, director and screenwriter. He has appeared in a few films in main and supporting roles and has contributed to films as a screenwriter. Yuhi Sethu had written and directed a less known movie named "Maathangal Aezhu" in Tamil with actors Nassar and Ramya Krishnan, and...
.
Filming
Principal photographyPrincipal 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....
of the film began in June 2009 at an undisclosed location in Malaysia. The first schedule was completed on 2 August 2009. After a hectic schedule from Malaysia, the shooting for the second schedule continued on 18 September 2009 at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. 30% of the scenes, including fight sequences and two song sequences, were canned there, including a duet song of Ajith and Sameera as pictured against the moonlit Eiffel Tower in Paris. After a 45-day shoot, the team returned to Chennai on 23 October 2009. Additional shooting was held in Harrington Road on 2 November. Asal's team later shot some of the important shots in AVM Studios. The film’s dubbing schedule took off on 19 November at Four Frames Preview Theatre Chennai with a simple pooja ceremony. Ajith, Saran, Arjun (Prabhu’s son), Dushyanth (Ramkumar’s son) and other members of the film were present there. On 24 November 2009, an important scene for the film was shot at Sivaji Ganesan’s house in T. Nagar, Chennai. A song sequence featuring Ajith and Bhavana was shot at the AVM Studios on 25 November 2009. The shooting of the final song was held at Binny Mills (Tambaram). The cast and crew of Asal went to a Middle East country for the remaining song shoot. The Asal unit left Chennai on 26 December and returned after a week. Shooting was finished on 31 December 2009 at Dubai, where a song sequence was filmed at Zabeel Park.
Release and Reception
The movie earned more than was spent on it during the first two weeks of its theatrical run. The film was declared an average grosser at the box office.Upon release, the film generally received average reviews, with critics citing that the film is strictly for Ajith Kumar fans and that it couldn't live up to its expectations, whilst also criticizing its Billa
Billa (2007 film)
Billa is a 2007 Tamil gangster-thriller film directed by Vishnuvardhan. Based on the 1980 Tamil film of the same name and the 2006 Hindi film, Don: The Chase Begins Again, it was adapted by the director, who rewrote portions of the film from the original...
hangover. Sify
Sify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
cited that the film, which "should have been called Billa-2", "falls flat due to lack of proper story and narration", adding, that the film "belongs to Ajith" and "it is a good ride if you keep your expectation meter low". A reviewer from Behindwoods gave the film 2 out of 5, claiming that this film "will gain no great interest". He adds that "Asal is a complete Ajith centric entertainer with lots of style and sophistication", that "the script is weak and there are other flaws too" and that "Ajith satisfies his fans, but Saran disappoints a bit". Pavithra Srinivasan from Rediff gave the film 2 out of 5 as well, citing that the film is for "die-hard Ajith fans", who would have "plenty of reasons to rejoice", whilst the others should "leave their brains at home". The reviewer, like Sify, also adds that the film has a "Billa hangover"..
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was released on 4 January 2010. The soundtrack has music by BharathwajBharathwaj
Bharathwaj is a Tamil film composer. He has since scored music in languages including Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. trained in Hindustani, Western and Carnatic music.He is a recipient of Kalaimamani Award for the year 2008 from Tamil Nadu Government...
& Y-Kinz with lyrics by Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramaswamy Thevar is an award-winning Tamil poet and lyricist.Debuting in the film Nizhalgal with the lyrics for the song "Ponmalai Pozhudhu", he has now about 5800 songs to his credit as of January 2009. His partnership with the composers Ilaiyaraaja, and later A. R...
. The audio distribution rights were given to ANAK Audio. Think Music, an association of Sathyam Cinemas and Hungama Technology. The audio was launched at Sivaji Ganesan’s house in T Nagar, Chennai by Prabhu, one of the producers, and was received by Ajith.