Ayan (film)
Encyclopedia
Ayan is a 2009 Tamil action thriller film written and directed by K. V. Anand
. The film, starring Surya, Prabhu
, Tamannaah and Akashdeep Saighal
in lead roles, was produced by M. Saravanan and M. S. Guhan
, while distribution handled by Sun Pictures
. The film score was composed by Harris Jayaraj
, the soundtrack released on January 19, 2009. Edited by Anthony Gonsalvez, the film was filmed by M. S. Prabhu.
The film's story revolves around Deva, a youngster whose mother wants him to become a government official. He, on the other hand, works for a smuggling group run by Arumuga Dass who has been looking after him since childhood. Conflict occurs when Deva's arch rival, Kamalesh opposes and tries to eliminate Arumuga Dass from the smuggling business. Who wins in the conflict forms the climax of the story.
The film was launched in Chennai
, while filming also took place in various locations out of India, including Namibia
, Malaysia, Zanzibar
and South Africa
. It released on April 3, 2009 worldwide to highly positive reviews, emerging a high commercial success. It was also dubbed and released on May 1, 2009 in Telugu
as Veedokkade.
after running an errand for Arumuga Dass (Prabhu Ganesan
) of smuggling pre-release pirated movies
on DVD. The two leave for their hideout and instruct Dilli (Karunas
), a hearing-impaired assistant of Dass, to make copies of the DVD. Just when police crews arrive into their vicinity, Dass informs Deva and the rest to leave. Deva tells the others to leave while he quickly sets up the burning process. Deva also leaves the hideout just in time. However, the police officers arrive at the hideout, only to see the burning process of the DVDs complete. The police then seize the DVDs and computers. The inspector, who was a friend of Dass, tells him that he can close the case if one of Dass's men agrees to the crime. Deva attempts to go, but another man, Chitti (Jegan), who had no affiliation to them volunteers, takes the blame. Later, Chitti joins Dass's group.
Dass is a diamond
trafficker
who smuggles diamonds from Africa
. Deva's mother Kaveri (Renuka) does not appreciate his affairs with Dass, as she wants Deva, who holds a Master of Science
degree, to have a government job. He occasionally visits home and her roadside grocery shop, only to get scoldings from his loving mother. When Deva is invited to Chitti's house, he gets impatient and knocks on the door. As the door opens, Deva slips and falls on the bed, expecting to see Chitti but scaring his younger sister Yamuna (Tamannaah) instead. Just before he drives off, he curses himself for making such a stupid mistake. Yamuna catches this and accepts his apologies, slowly starting to fall in love with him. Meanwhile, Kamalesh (Akashdeep Saigal), the arch-enemy and competitor in smuggling of Dass slowly starts to try and foil Dass and his employees. A prank phone call from Chitti leads to a near-death experience for Deva and Kaveri. Escaping alive and outraged, Deva goes and confronts Chitti, releasing his anger to the full extent. Chitti then reveals that he was Kamalesh's personal spy and that even though that their bosses were foes, he was happy to be a friend of Deva. Disgusted, he leaves and Chitti too, and at that moment, Yamuna arrives, hearing everything. Thus, this stir of events causes the interval of the movie.
After some events, Deva and Yamuna break up. In Malaysia, under circumstances, Chitti and Deva meet. Chitti, who was fed with drugs fall prey to them and starts reacting. In a last attempt to rekindle their friendship, Deva attempts to save him. Chitti then explains that it was wrong of him to be a spy, but still admits that he was lucky to have him as a friend. He dies. Heartbroken, Deva returns to India.
When he arrives, Yamuna approaches him and asks the police officers to arrest him. While in jail, Dass approaches the police and brings out Chitti's phone, which contains a recording how Chitti died. It is here clear that Deva didn't kill him, but hid from Kamalesh's henchmen. Yamuna apologizes to Deva and the two come together again. Then later circumstances force Deva to become a part of the security squad in the airport as he is accused by Parthiban of carrying drugs. He denies it, saying that the packet of drugs was given by a passenger's relative as she had forgotten it. The drugs are opened and it is found that Heroin is sealed in them. Deva then realizes and explains that huge amount of drugs are being transported by distracting him with a small amount. The flight is delayed and all passengers are asked to take food from the canteen. There are a few who don't do so, and hence their stomach is X-Rayed and a huge packet of heroin is found. Then Deva is asked to help Parthiban for arresting Kamalesh.
Deva and Parthiban put a cab like room outside Kamalesh's house and with Yamuna's help, a transmitter is put in Kamalesh's study. Then, all his conversations with his clients are recorded but Kamalesh later finds out and attempts to kill them, which becomes a feeble attempt. He later finds out that idols made of heroin are compressed under high pressure to disguise their smell and properties. With this evidence, the police come to raid Kamalesh's house but he acts quickly and removes all the stuff. During a final attempt to arrest Kamalesh, the truth is forced out of his accountant but Kamalesh kills him to avoid any witnesses. Later, Deva's house is burnt and Dass is killed by Kamalesh, which infuriates Deva. He then is forced to go to Africa and confront Kamalesh.
When he returns to India, he is again inspected by Parthiban. Deva learns that it was his mother this time who exposed his smuggling mission. He has no choice but to surrender the diamonds, and so he does. Parthiban hands Deva to sign a form, which Deva hesitates. He then learns that is a government security job application form. Parthiban says that Deva's criminal mind is required for such a job. He then asks what had happened to Kamalesh to which Deva replies that he had gone to Congo only to get revenge on Kamalesh. Then a flashback shows that when Kamalesh was returning from stealing the diamonds, his gang is killed by Deva and he is pushed off the cliff. The film ends on a happy note as Deva leaves the airport with his mother and Yamuna.
starring Srikanth
and Gopika
, cinematographer K. V. Anand
expressed his desire to commence his second film as director. It was later announced that Anand would be directing his next film, produced under the AVM Production banner, titled Ayan. The film was inaugrated at AVM Studios on March 24, 2008 with the presence of most of the unit members. On the occasion, Anand announced the film's genre to be an action thriller interlaced with romance and comedy. He also suggested Ayan meant "outstanding", excellence" or can be the name for sun rays in five different languages. However, this was later doubted by a few critics, raising a point saying Ayan was not necessarily a Tamil language
word. Despite the film's lyricst Vairamuthu
's calls for the word to be a Tamil word, it was argued that Ayan was a nickname for the Hindu
deity Lord Brahma
. Since the word was then touted to be borrowed from the Sanskrit language, the film was prone to a title change, in light of Tamil Nadu
's Entertainment Tax Exemption Act, which was passed in 2006. A similar problem was faced by the producers of Aegan
, which was also under production at the time. The controversy was later dropped. Ayan was announced to be predominantly set in various locations of both South Asia and Africa
.
announced the film with both Surya Sivakumar and Tamanna Bhatia
to play the lead roles in the film. Surya was initially expected to play the lead role in Anand's earlier film, but was not able to do so. Anand expressed his thoughts during the film's inaugration that "Surya was apt for the title role" since the film's title meant "sun rays" and the name "Surya" refers to the sun. Ayan would also make Surya's second film with AVM Productions
, after their previous partnership in Perazhagan
. Furthermore, Surya had worked with Anand since Surya's debut in the 1997 film Nerukku Ner for which Anand was the film's photographer. Surya's physique was key for his character, as he would be acting as a powerful and active youngster. During the film's launch, he announced that he would give the film his best, understanding the nature of the producers, who previously presented the big-budget film Sivaji. Tamanna, after starring in the Tamil films Kalloori
(for which she was nominated for a Filmfare Award
) and Padikathavan
, was cast in Ayan. Prabhu Ganesan
was consecutively cast in Ayan in a pivotal role, as per his previous films, in which he played important supporting characters. It was later announced that Anand would introduce a new actor to Tamil cinema
in the film, who will be playing a negative role, which was later known to be Akashdeep Saighal
, who predominantly works in Bollywood
films.
Apart from the film's cast, the film's crew consisted of Harris Jayaraj
as the film composer along with Vairamuthu
, Pa. Vijay and Na. Muthukumar
as the lyricists. M. S. Prabhu was chosen as the film's cinematographer, who is a friend of Anand and worked with him under the guidance of National Film Award-winning cinematographer P. C. Sriram
.
to Sun Pictures
for 18 crore. In Chennai alone, box-office totals were reported as 7.43 crore in theatrical revenue. International distribution rights were sold to Ayngaran International
. Ayans revenue exceeded 5 crore in Malaysia and 50 lakhs in UK. The film's Telugu version, Veedokkade, was sold to Hyderabad-based producer Bellamkonda Suresh. The movie crossed 100 days in Kerala..
. The Times of India credited the popularity of the film for the popularity of songs including "Nenje Nenje" and "Vizhi Moodi", stating that "music critics were impressed with the songs".
K. V. Anand
K. V. Anand is an Indian cinematographer, film director and former photo journalist. After working for a short period as a journalist, he became a cinematographer in the early 1990s, working for about fifteen films in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu...
. The film, starring Surya, 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...
, Tamannaah and Akashdeep Saighal
Akashdeep Saighal
Akashdeep Saigal is an Indian model and a television actor. He is well known for the role of Ansh Gujral from the popular serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi on Star Plus....
in lead roles, was produced by M. Saravanan and M. S. Guhan
M. S. Guhan
M. S. Guhan is a producer of Tamil films. He has been involved in hits such as Sivaji: The Boss, Thirupathi and Minsaara Kanavu, and recently Ayan. He is the son of noted producer M. Saravanan, who owns the AVM Studios in Chennai. His grandfather was Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar.-References:...
, while distribution handled by Sun Pictures
Sun Pictures
Sun Pictures is a film distribution and production studio unit of Chennai, based Sun Network owned by Kalanidhi Maran. Founded in 2008, it started distributing low-budget Tamil-language films, Kadhalil Vizhunthen being the first, and holds the credit of producing India's costliest film Enthiran...
. The film score was composed by 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,...
, the soundtrack released on January 19, 2009. Edited by Anthony Gonsalvez, the film was filmed by M. S. Prabhu.
The film's story revolves around Deva, a youngster whose mother wants him to become a government official. He, on the other hand, works for a smuggling group run by Arumuga Dass who has been looking after him since childhood. Conflict occurs when Deva's arch rival, Kamalesh opposes and tries to eliminate Arumuga Dass from the smuggling business. Who wins in the conflict forms the climax of the story.
The film was launched 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...
, while filming also took place in various locations out of India, including Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, Malaysia, Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It released on April 3, 2009 worldwide to highly positive reviews, emerging a high commercial success. It was also dubbed and released on May 1, 2009 in 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...
as Veedokkade.
Plot
Deva (Surya Sivakumar) arrives at the Chennai International AirportChennai International Airport
Chennai International Airport , formerly known as Madras International Airport is located in Tirusulam, south of Chennai , India...
after running an errand for Arumuga Dass (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 smuggling pre-release pirated movies
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
on DVD. The two leave for their hideout and instruct Dilli (Karunas
Karunas
Karunaas is a Tamil comedic film actor in the Tamil film industry. He has acted with many prominent actors and starred in successful films. Appearing mostly in supporting roles and providing comical relief, he also played lead roles in Dindigul Sarathy and Ambasamudram Ambani...
), a hearing-impaired assistant of Dass, to make copies of the DVD. Just when police crews arrive into their vicinity, Dass informs Deva and the rest to leave. Deva tells the others to leave while he quickly sets up the burning process. Deva also leaves the hideout just in time. However, the police officers arrive at the hideout, only to see the burning process of the DVDs complete. The police then seize the DVDs and computers. The inspector, who was a friend of Dass, tells him that he can close the case if one of Dass's men agrees to the crime. Deva attempts to go, but another man, Chitti (Jegan), who had no affiliation to them volunteers, takes the blame. Later, Chitti joins Dass's group.
Dass is a diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
trafficker
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
who smuggles diamonds from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Deva's mother Kaveri (Renuka) does not appreciate his affairs with Dass, as she wants Deva, who holds a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree, to have a government job. He occasionally visits home and her roadside grocery shop, only to get scoldings from his loving mother. When Deva is invited to Chitti's house, he gets impatient and knocks on the door. As the door opens, Deva slips and falls on the bed, expecting to see Chitti but scaring his younger sister Yamuna (Tamannaah) instead. Just before he drives off, he curses himself for making such a stupid mistake. Yamuna catches this and accepts his apologies, slowly starting to fall in love with him. Meanwhile, Kamalesh (Akashdeep Saigal), the arch-enemy and competitor in smuggling of Dass slowly starts to try and foil Dass and his employees. A prank phone call from Chitti leads to a near-death experience for Deva and Kaveri. Escaping alive and outraged, Deva goes and confronts Chitti, releasing his anger to the full extent. Chitti then reveals that he was Kamalesh's personal spy and that even though that their bosses were foes, he was happy to be a friend of Deva. Disgusted, he leaves and Chitti too, and at that moment, Yamuna arrives, hearing everything. Thus, this stir of events causes the interval of the movie.
After some events, Deva and Yamuna break up. In Malaysia, under circumstances, Chitti and Deva meet. Chitti, who was fed with drugs fall prey to them and starts reacting. In a last attempt to rekindle their friendship, Deva attempts to save him. Chitti then explains that it was wrong of him to be a spy, but still admits that he was lucky to have him as a friend. He dies. Heartbroken, Deva returns to India.
When he arrives, Yamuna approaches him and asks the police officers to arrest him. While in jail, Dass approaches the police and brings out Chitti's phone, which contains a recording how Chitti died. It is here clear that Deva didn't kill him, but hid from Kamalesh's henchmen. Yamuna apologizes to Deva and the two come together again. Then later circumstances force Deva to become a part of the security squad in the airport as he is accused by Parthiban of carrying drugs. He denies it, saying that the packet of drugs was given by a passenger's relative as she had forgotten it. The drugs are opened and it is found that Heroin is sealed in them. Deva then realizes and explains that huge amount of drugs are being transported by distracting him with a small amount. The flight is delayed and all passengers are asked to take food from the canteen. There are a few who don't do so, and hence their stomach is X-Rayed and a huge packet of heroin is found. Then Deva is asked to help Parthiban for arresting Kamalesh.
Deva and Parthiban put a cab like room outside Kamalesh's house and with Yamuna's help, a transmitter is put in Kamalesh's study. Then, all his conversations with his clients are recorded but Kamalesh later finds out and attempts to kill them, which becomes a feeble attempt. He later finds out that idols made of heroin are compressed under high pressure to disguise their smell and properties. With this evidence, the police come to raid Kamalesh's house but he acts quickly and removes all the stuff. During a final attempt to arrest Kamalesh, the truth is forced out of his accountant but Kamalesh kills him to avoid any witnesses. Later, Deva's house is burnt and Dass is killed by Kamalesh, which infuriates Deva. He then is forced to go to Africa and confront Kamalesh.
When he returns to India, he is again inspected by Parthiban. Deva learns that it was his mother this time who exposed his smuggling mission. He has no choice but to surrender the diamonds, and so he does. Parthiban hands Deva to sign a form, which Deva hesitates. He then learns that is a government security job application form. Parthiban says that Deva's criminal mind is required for such a job. He then asks what had happened to Kamalesh to which Deva replies that he had gone to Congo only to get revenge on Kamalesh. Then a flashback shows that when Kamalesh was returning from stealing the diamonds, his gang is killed by Deva and he is pushed off the cliff. The film ends on a happy note as Deva leaves the airport with his mother and Yamuna.
Cast
- Surya Sivakumar as Devaraj Velusamy. Deva is a post-graduate whose mother, Kaveri, wants him to get a government job. His mischievous attitude appeals to the eyes of Yamuna. Deva, who also expresses his love to Yamuna, prioritizes Dass before anything else, as he shows great respect to him.
- Tamanna BhatiaTamanna BhatiaTamannaah Bhatia is an Indian film actress and model, who predominantly appears in Tamil and Telugu-language films. In 2005, she made her acting debut in her only Hindi film so far, Chand Sa Roshan Chehra, before working in the major South Indian film industries.Also in 2005, Tamannaah made her...
as Yamuna. Yamuna, the sister of Deva's friend Chitti, falls in love with Deva after an incident with him at her house. She also assists Deva to help expose the Kamalesh's smuggling business. - Prabhu GanesanPrabhu 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 Arumuga Dass. Dass is a smuggler of diamonds who has receives the diamonds from errands ran by his right-hand, Deva. Dass is disrespected by Kaveri, whose husband was once killed while working for him. Dass gets killed in a collision with an oiler tank, perpetrated by Kamalesh. - Akashdeep SaighalAkashdeep SaighalAkashdeep Saigal is an Indian model and a television actor. He is well known for the role of Ansh Gujral from the popular serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi on Star Plus....
as Kamalesh. Kamalesh is the main opponent of Dass, who is jealous of Dass' growth in the smuggling business. He finds ways to buy the clients of Dass, without success however. A cold-hearted business minded character, he kills his father who opposes him when he is found smuggling drugs. Kamalesh gets killed by Deva during the climax of the film by Deva. - Jegan as Chitti Babu. Chitti is Deva's best friend and the older brother of Yamuna. He is caught betraying Dass, as he is really a henchman of Kamalesh. Kamalesh's gang kills him when they are ordered to remove the packets of heroin from his stomach.
- KarunasKarunasKarunaas is a Tamil comedic film actor in the Tamil film industry. He has acted with many prominent actors and starred in successful films. Appearing mostly in supporting roles and providing comical relief, he also played lead roles in Dindigul Sarathy and Ambasamudram Ambani...
as Dilli. Dilli is part of Dass' crew of smuggling who often forgets to plug in his hearing device. He is suspected by Dass when he finds out his information is being leaked out. - Ponvannan as Parthiban. The chief inspector at the Chennai International AirportChennai International AirportChennai International Airport , formerly known as Madras International Airport is located in Tirusulam, south of Chennai , India...
who often receives information about Deva smuggling goods during his flight trips. Once Deva finds ways of hiding the goods, Parthiban is dumbfounded when he finds Deva to be clean of smuggled items. - Renuka as Kaveri Velusamy. Kaveri, a widow, is Deva's mother. She is often strict with Deva as she does not want him having affairs with Dass and his smuggling crew.
- Koena MitraKoena MitraKoena Mitra is an Indian actress and model who appears in Bollywood films.-Early life:Mitra was born in Kolkata, West Bengal to a Bengali Hindu family. She attended South Point High School and Lady Brabourne College of the University of Calcutta. She has a major in psychology. Mitra was trained...
in an item numberItem numberAn item number or an item song, in Indian cinema, is a musical performance that has little to do with the film in which it appears, but is presented to showcase beautiful dancing women in very revealing clothes, to lend support to the marketability of the film...
. Appears during the song "Honey Honey".
Development
Three years after the release of his debut venture Kana KandaenKana Kandaen
Kana Kandaen is a 2005 Tamil film directed by K. V. Anand, and starring Srikanth, Gopika, and Prithviraj.-Plot:Friends since their childhood days, the couple begins to live in a small house owned by Vivek in Chennai...
starring Srikanth
Srikanth (actor)
Srikanth is a South Indian film actor who has appeared in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam language films. He debuted in the 2002 Tamil film Roja Kootam before going on to make notable appearances in successful films such as Parthiban Kanavu and Adavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule...
and Gopika
Gopika
Gopika is an Indian film actress, who has predominantly starred in Malayalam films. Starting her career as a model, she ventured into acting with the film Pranayamanithooval...
, cinematographer K. V. Anand
K. V. Anand
K. V. Anand is an Indian cinematographer, film director and former photo journalist. After working for a short period as a journalist, he became a cinematographer in the early 1990s, working for about fifteen films in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu...
expressed his desire to commence his second film as director. It was later announced that Anand would be directing his next film, produced under the AVM Production banner, titled Ayan. The film was inaugrated at AVM Studios on March 24, 2008 with the presence of most of the unit members. On the occasion, Anand announced the film's genre to be an action thriller interlaced with romance and comedy. He also suggested Ayan meant "outstanding", excellence" or can be the name for sun rays in five different languages. However, this was later doubted by a few critics, raising a point saying Ayan was not necessarily a Tamil language
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...
word. Despite the film's lyricst 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...
's calls for the word to be a Tamil word, it was argued that Ayan was a nickname for the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
deity Lord Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
. Since the word was then touted to be borrowed from the Sanskrit language, the film was prone to a title change, in light of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
's Entertainment Tax Exemption Act, which was passed in 2006. A similar problem was faced by the producers of Aegan
Aegan
Aegan is a 2008 Tamil action and comedy film directed and co-written by Raju Sundaram and produced by Ayngaran International based on the 2004 Shahrukh Khan starrer Main Hoon Na...
, which was also under production at the time. The controversy was later dropped. Ayan was announced to be predominantly set in various locations of both South Asia and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Casting
K. V. AnandK. V. Anand
K. V. Anand is an Indian cinematographer, film director and former photo journalist. After working for a short period as a journalist, he became a cinematographer in the early 1990s, working for about fifteen films in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu...
announced the film with both Surya Sivakumar and Tamanna Bhatia
Tamanna Bhatia
Tamannaah Bhatia is an Indian film actress and model, who predominantly appears in Tamil and Telugu-language films. In 2005, she made her acting debut in her only Hindi film so far, Chand Sa Roshan Chehra, before working in the major South Indian film industries.Also in 2005, Tamannaah made her...
to play the lead roles in the film. Surya was initially expected to play the lead role in Anand's earlier film, but was not able to do so. Anand expressed his thoughts during the film's inaugration that "Surya was apt for the title role" since the film's title meant "sun rays" and the name "Surya" refers to the sun. Ayan would also make Surya's second film with AVM Productions
AVM Productions
AVM is the oldest and largest film production studio in India. It is currently owned by M. Saravanan and his son, M. S. Guhan. The most recent film they have produced since their opening with Nam Iruvar in 1947, is Vettaikkaaran and Leader. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai....
, after their previous partnership in Perazhagan
Perazhagan
Perazhagan is a 2004 Indian Tamil film directed by Sasi Shanker, starring Surya and Jyothika in lead roles with both essaying dual roles, whilst the supporting cast comprises Vivek, Manorama and Manobala among others. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja...
. Furthermore, Surya had worked with Anand since Surya's debut in the 1997 film Nerukku Ner for which Anand was the film's photographer. Surya's physique was key for his character, as he would be acting as a powerful and active youngster. During the film's launch, he announced that he would give the film his best, understanding the nature of the producers, who previously presented the big-budget film Sivaji. Tamanna, after starring in the Tamil films Kalloori
Kalloori
Kalloori is a Tamil language film by director Balaji Shakthivel. The movie was produced by Shankar's banner S Pictures and the story of the film is drama based on the college campus featuring Tamanna Bhatia and debutant, Akil...
(for which she was nominated for a Filmfare 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...
) and Padikathavan
Padikathavan
Padikathavan is a 2009 Indian Tamil language action film written and directed by Suraaj. It stars Dhanush, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sayaji Shinde, Pratap Pothan, Suman and Atul Kulkarni in the lead roles and features a huge supporting cast in small pivotal and cameo roles...
, was cast in Ayan. 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...
was consecutively cast in Ayan in a pivotal role, as per his previous films, in which he played important supporting characters. It was later announced that Anand would introduce a new actor to 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...
in the film, who will be playing a negative role, which was later known to be Akashdeep Saighal
Akashdeep Saighal
Akashdeep Saigal is an Indian model and a television actor. He is well known for the role of Ansh Gujral from the popular serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi on Star Plus....
, who predominantly works in 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...
films.
Apart from the film's cast, the film's crew consisted of 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,...
as the film composer along with 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...
, Pa. Vijay and Na. Muthukumar
Na. Muthukumar
Na. Muthukumar is a Tamil poet and lyricist, who writes lyrics for Tamil film songs.-Career:Muthukumar began his career wanting to be a director and worked under Balu Mahendra for four years. But then he became a lyricist, beginning with the lyrics for the songs of the Tamil film Veera Nadai,...
as the lyricists. M. S. Prabhu was chosen as the film's cinematographer, who is a friend of Anand and worked with him under the guidance of National Film Award-winning cinematographer P. C. Sriram
P. C. Sriram
P. C. Sreeram is a cinematographer and film director, educated at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil nadu . P.C. Sreeram is fondly called as PC sir. P.C. Sreeram won appreciations for his various cinematographic works and his directorial venture Kurruthipunal was selected as India's...
.
Release
The film was declared the sole blockbuster of 2009, having generated a net revenue of approximately 65 crores worldwide. It was made at a production cost of 20 crore. AVM Productions sold the film's distribution rights for Tamil NaduTamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
to Sun Pictures
Sun Pictures
Sun Pictures is a film distribution and production studio unit of Chennai, based Sun Network owned by Kalanidhi Maran. Founded in 2008, it started distributing low-budget Tamil-language films, Kadhalil Vizhunthen being the first, and holds the credit of producing India's costliest film Enthiran...
for 18 crore. In Chennai alone, box-office totals were reported as 7.43 crore in theatrical revenue. International distribution rights were sold to Ayngaran International
Ayngaran International
Ayngaran is a film distribution and production company of Tamil films, based in the United Kingdom. The company has distributed various Indian-produced Tamil films in Europe and North America. It is also responsible for the production of Tamil films into home media, such as VHS, DVD, and blu-ray...
. Ayans revenue exceeded 5 crore in Malaysia and 50 lakhs in UK. The film's Telugu version, Veedokkade, was sold to Hyderabad-based producer Bellamkonda Suresh. The movie crossed 100 days in Kerala..
Soundtrack
Ayan soundtrack was composed by Harris JayarajHarris 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,...
. The Times of India credited the popularity of the film for the popularity of songs including "Nenje Nenje" and "Vizhi Moodi", stating that "music critics were impressed with the songs".
Awards
Ayan received the most nominations (11) in the South Filmfare Awards 2009.| Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 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:... |
Best Actor | Surya Sivakumar | |
| Best Director Filmfare Best Director Award (Tamil) The Filmfare Best Director Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil films. The Award was first given in 1972 with P. Madhavan being the first recipient.K... |
K.V. Anand | ||
| Best Film | Ayan | ||
| Best Lyricist Filmfare Best Lyricist Award (Tamil) The Tamil Filmfare Best Lyricist Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Tamil films.The award was first given in 2005... |
Na. Muthukumar Na. Muthukumar Na. Muthukumar is a Tamil poet and lyricist, who writes lyrics for Tamil film songs.-Career:Muthukumar began his career wanting to be a director and worked under Balu Mahendra for four years. But then he became a lyricist, beginning with the lyrics for the songs of the Tamil film Veera Nadai,... (Vizhi Moodi) |
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| Best Lyricist Filmfare Best Lyricist Award (Tamil) The Tamil Filmfare Best Lyricist Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Tamil films.The award was first given in 2005... |
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... (Nenje Nenje) |
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| Best Male Playback Filmfare Best Male Playback Award (Tamil) The Tamil Filmfare Best Male Playback Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Tamil films. The award was first presented in 2005 with Karthik as winner.... |
Harish Raghavendra Harish Raghavendra Harish Raghavendra is an Indian vocalist and actor from Chennai, India. His real name is Harish Ram Srinivas & son to a photographer P.V Raghavendran... (Nenje Nenje) |
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| Best Male Playback Filmfare Best Male Playback Award (Tamil) The Tamil Filmfare Best Male Playback Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Tamil films. The award was first presented in 2005 with Karthik as winner.... |
Karthik (singer) Karthik (singer) Karthik is an Indian playback singer.Karthik started his professional singing career as a backing vocalist and has since been a playback singer in Tamil cinema while also single in other Indian languages for various composers... (Vizhi Moodi) |
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| Best Music Director Filmfare Best Music Director Award (Tamil) The Filmfare Best Music Director Award is given to film composers by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil films. The award was first given in 1992, A. R. Rahman being the first recipient of this award for his film score and soundtrack of Roja.There have been... |
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,... |
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| Best Supporting Actor | 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... |
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| Best Supporting Actor | Jagan | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Renuka | ||
| Best Dance Choreographer | Dinesh Dinesh Kumar (choreographer) Dinesh Kumar is a 'Indian choreographer working with South Indian films, including Tamil films. He won the 2011 National Film Award for Best Choreography for his work in Aadukalam... (Pala Pala) |
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| 2009 Vijay Awards Vijay Awards The Vijay Awards are presented by the Tamil television channel STAR Vijay to honour excellence in Tamil cinema. It has given annually since 2006. The awards are decided by a jury, consisting of noted filmmakers, critics and technicians, while winners in a separate category named "Favourite awards"... |
Best Actor Vijay Award for Best Actor The Vijay Award for Best Actor is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films. It was given from the second ceremony onwards.-Winners and nominees:*2007 Sathyaraj - Onbadhu Roobai Nottu... |
Surya Sivakumar | |
| Best Art Director Vijay Award for Best Art Director The Vijay for Best Art Director is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.- Nominations :... |
Rajeevan | ||
| Best Choreographer Vijay Award for Best Choreographer The Vijay for Best Choreographer is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.- Nominations :... |
Dhinesh Pala Pala |
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| Best Director Vijay Award for Best Director The Vijay for Best Director is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.-Nominations:*2007 Vetrimaaran - Polladhavan... |
K. V. Anand K. V. Anand K. V. Anand is an Indian cinematographer, film director and former photo journalist. After working for a short period as a journalist, he became a cinematographer in the early 1990s, working for about fifteen films in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu... |
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| Favourite Director Vijay Award for Favourite Director The Vijay Award for Favorite Director is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-Winners and nominations:*2006 K. S. Ravikumar-Varalaru*2007 Prabhu Deva - Pokkiri... |
K. V. Anand K. V. Anand K. V. Anand is an Indian cinematographer, film director and former photo journalist. After working for a short period as a journalist, he became a cinematographer in the early 1990s, working for about fifteen films in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu... |
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| Best Entertainer Vijay Award for Entertainer of the Year The Vijay for Entertainer of the Year is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.... |
Surya Sivakumar | ||
| Favourite Hero Vijay Award for Favourite Hero The Vijay for Favorite Hero is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-Winners and nominations:* 2006 Ajith Kumar * 2007 Rajinikanth - Sivaji**Ajith Kumar - Billa**Suriya - Vel... |
Surya Sivakumar | ||
| Favourite Heroine Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine The Vijay for Favorite Heroine is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-Winners and nominations:*2006 Jyothika*2007 Nayantara - Billa**Shriya Saran - Sivaji: The Boss... |
Tamannaah Bhatia | ||
| Favourite Film Vijay Award for Favourite Film The Vijay for Favorite film is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films. In the first year of the awards, the all time favourite film was chosen by viewers from any particular year, with the 1992 film Devar Magan emerging the winner... |
AVM Productions AVM Productions AVM is the oldest and largest film production studio in India. It is currently owned by M. Saravanan and his son, M. S. Guhan. The most recent film they have produced since their opening with Nam Iruvar in 1947, is Vettaikkaaran and Leader. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai.... |
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| Best Lyricist Vijay Award for Best Lyricist The Vijay for Best Lyricist is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.- Nominations :*2007 Na... |
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... (Nenje Nenje) |
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| Best Male Playback Vijay Award for Best Male Playback Singer The Vijay for Best Male Playback Singer is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.-Nominations:... |
Harish Raghavendra Harish Raghavendra Harish Raghavendra is an Indian vocalist and actor from Chennai, India. His real name is Harish Ram Srinivas & son to a photographer P.V Raghavendran... (Nenje Nenje) |
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| Favourite Song | 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,... (Vizhi Moodi) |
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| Best Supporting Actor Vijay Award for Best Supporting Actor The Vijay for Best Supporting Actor is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.-Nominations:... |
Jagan | ||
| Best Comedian Vijay Award for Best Comedian The Vijay for Best Comedian is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.-Nominations:... |
Jagan | ||
| Best Stunt Director Vijay Award for Best Stunt Director The Vijay for Best Stunt Director is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.- Nominations :... |
Kanal Kannan | ||
| Best Costume Designer Vijay Award for Best Costume Designer The Vijay for Best Costume Designer is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.- Nominations :... |
Nalini Sriram | ||
| Icon of the Year Vijay Award for Icon of the Year The Vijay for Icon of the Year is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.... |
Surya Sivakumar | ||
| 2009 Meera Isaiaruvi Tamil Music Awards | Best Album of the Year | 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,... |
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| 2009 South Scope 2010 Awards | Best Actor - Tamil | Surya Sivakumar | |
| Best Actress - Tamil | Tamannaah Bhatia | ||
| Best Supporting Actor - Tamil | 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... |
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| Best Comedian - Tamil | Jagan | ||
| Best Music Director - Tamil | 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,... |
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| Best Male Playback - Tamil | Harish Raghavendra Harish Raghavendra Harish Raghavendra is an Indian vocalist and actor from Chennai, India. His real name is Harish Ram Srinivas & son to a photographer P.V Raghavendran... (Nenje Nenje) |
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| Best Male Playback - Tamil | Karthik Karthik (singer) Karthik is an Indian playback singer.Karthik started his professional singing career as a backing vocalist and has since been a playback singer in Tamil cinema while also single in other Indian languages for various composers... (Vizhi Moodi) |
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| Best Female Playback- Tamil | Mahathi Mahathi Mahathi is an award-winning Indian playback singer singing predominantly in Tamil. She is also a Direct B High graded artiste of the All India Radio.-As playback singer:... (Nenje Nenje) |
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| Best Lyricist - Tamil | Na. Muthukumar Na. Muthukumar Na. Muthukumar is a Tamil poet and lyricist, who writes lyrics for Tamil film songs.-Career:Muthukumar began his career wanting to be a director and worked under Balu Mahendra for four years. But then he became a lyricist, beginning with the lyrics for the songs of the Tamil film Veera Nadai,... (Vizhi Moodi) |
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| Best Cinematographer - Tamil | M.S.Prabhu | ||