Kanthaswamy
Encyclopedia
Kanthaswamy is a 2009 Tamil language feature film
directed by Susi Ganesan
, who with Kanthaswamy completed his fourth film. Vikram acts in the lead role, whilst Shriya Saran
, Prabhu Ganesan
, Krishna
, Ashish Vidyarthi
, Mukesh Tiwari
, Mansoor Ali Khan
, Vadivelu
and Y. G. Mahendran also play roles in the film. Mumaith Khan
features in a cameo appearance
while Susi Ganesan himself makes a special appearance. The film's soundtrack and background score is composed by Devi Sri Prasad
. The film was dubbed and simultaneously released as Mallana in Telugu
and is said to be also dubbed into English
, Spanish
and Italian
. S. Thanu, the film's producer had initially mentioned that the film would be released by mid-2008, however the filming has taken much longer, mainly because of a few shooting halts; especially because of the sudden death of Raghuvaran
, who was given a major role in the film. The film's soundtrack was released on 17 May 2009 and the film was released on 21 August 2009 to average reviews.
), a rich and corrupted entrepreneur. Ponnusamy pretends to be paralysed to escape the questioning. Angered by the news that her father is paralysed, Ponnusamy's daughter, Subbulakshmi (played by Shriya Saran
) goes after Kanthasamy to seek revenge by pretending to be in love with him. Kanthasamy, knowing Subbulakshmi's real intentions plays along in the game. This forms a cat and mouse chase between the two. In a comical role, Thengakadai (played by Vadivelu
) is also sought after by a local police inspector who tries to solve the mystery of "Lord Muruga saving the people". The fate of Kanthasamy's disguise leads into the climax of the story. The local police inspector was able to bring out the truth that a CBI is involved in the role behind the secret work of helping the needy people although he was not able to confirm it. Kanthasamy finds the password of Subbulakshmi's family bank account, in which the black money is illegally saved. He tricks Subbulakshmi into revealing the password and answers for the security questions indirectly. Kanthasamy finally transfers the money to his account which would be used for helping the poor and needy people. Ironically, in the end, Subbulakshmi's father was paralysed at the end knowing that the password which was used by him to access his black money was changed. After that Subbulakshmi and Kanthasamy were married and were living in northern India. Kanthasamy saw some letters tied to a tree, just like the ones at the Lord Muruga temple. He read one and he put a letter into his pocket with a secret smile, which meant he is the anthromorphic chicken again.
directed by Susi Ganesan
, titled Kanthaswamy for a release during Diwali
2007. Soon after the announcement Shriya Saran
, who was acting in Sivaji: The Boss
at the time was roped in to play the heroine. However due to Vikram and Shriya's projects, the film was delayed and the first schedule was postponed to July 2007. The film's first photo shoot was carried out in June 2007 at Mutukadu near Chennai
featuring the lead actors. The film began filming a pre-launch trailer, the first of its kind in Tamil cinema
, to be screened at the launch, with Vikram, Susi Ganesan and fashion designer Chetan travelling to Malaysia to look for Hollywood-inspired costumes.
The inauguration of Kanthaswamy took place on 22 September 2007 at the Devi Paradise theatre in Chennai
. For the event, a unique electronic invitation, made in China
, was presented to guests who had been invited. The invitation was the size of a laptop
and featured a 8 minute trailer of Kanthaswamy. Each invitation had cost about Rs. 15,000, making it the most expensive invitation in Indian film history. Following the launch ceremony, the team announced they had adopted two villages near Madurai
; Sangampatti and Gandhi Nagar, to shoot in initially and then to provide basic amenities like school and proper roads among other things to the villagers for a year. The team, who were praised for their actions, were the first production team to take part in such activity in Tamil cinema
.
In November 2007, the shooting was halted temporarily due to an accident that occurred at the shooting spot at the Chennai Boat Club. Cameraman Ekambaram was canning the shots as per director Susi Ganesan
's instructions when a pole erected on the sets unexpectedly fell on the director's head resulting in an injury. The film has finished schedules at Italy
, where the trailer was filmed as well as schedules in Tanzania
, Kenya
and Switzerland
. A schedule in locations in Mexico
was also held, after the team went location hunting there, with a song and several scenes canned. The film, initially described as a "hilarious comedy", was rumoured to be a remake of the Hollywood cult hit, The Breakfast Club
, however Susi Ganesan
has claimed that the film has a more Robin Hood
feel to it.
and Katrina Kaif
was originally selected to be the heroine, however due to commitments in Bollywood
as well as the fact that she would have had to have a pay cut from her usual higher salaries in Bollywood
, Kaif opted out of the project. Shriya Saran
was signed in February 2007, when she was in the middle of completing her other prestigious projects Sivaji: The Boss
and Azhagiya Tamil Magan. In September 2007, with the release of the trailer several other artistes names were featured as supporting cast. Prominent supporting actor Raghuvaran
was selected to play as Shriya's father and shot scenes in the role, before his unexpected death during the production of the film, subsequently, his role was replaced by Ashish Vidyarthi
. Prabhu Ganesan
was also added in a supporting role, as well as lesser established actors such as Vikram's father Vinod Raj, Y. G. Mahendran, Shiv, Arun Madhavan, Vinayak and Alex, whilst Mumaith Khan
was assigned an item number
role. Later on, veteran Telugu
actor Krishna
, father of Mahesh Babu
was signed to a role in the project as well as Indrajith
, elder brother of prominent actor, Prithviraj
, whom will do a villainous role in the film. Indrajith was selected for the role ahead of other prominent character actors Arjun Rampal
, Irfan Khan
and Suman
. Along with the change of actor for Raghuvaran's role, Indrajith's role was taken by Mukesh Tiwari
and the role created for Santhanam was deleted. Moreover Vivek
, who had featured in the original trailer, opted out and was replaced by Vadivelu
. Mansoor Ali Khan
took up a negative role in the film to make a comeback ino the acting foray.
The producer of Kanthaswamy, Kalaipuli S. Dhanu and Susi Ganesan
the director ensembled an experienced team to produce the film. Veterans Thotta Tharani
, A. S. Laxmi Narayanan and Viveka between them, take care of the art direction, audiography
and lyrics
respectively. Devi Sri Prasad
composes the music for his biggest film to date following several compositions for smaller budget Tamil films and Telugu films. N. K. Ekambaram
controls the cinematography of the film, whilst Praveen K L edits the film. Kannal Kannan is the fight master for the film, whilst Mittra media are responsible for the publicity designs the film outputs, adding to their work with the trailer and the invitations. The film is co-produced, by Chennai
businessmen, A. Paranthaman and A. K. Natraj along with Dhanu.
. For the first time, Vikram has sung most of the songs in this movie. The songs from the bilingual albums were released to the public after an audio launch at the Trade centre in Chennai
on 17 May 2009.
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
directed by Susi Ganesan
Susi Ganesan
-Early life:He was born in Vannivelampatti, Madurai District in Tamil Nadu to Tamil people Subbiah and Sittappa. He changed his screenname to Susi Ganeshan, his first name being derived from the first two letters from his parents' first names. He graduated from Madras Institute of Technology with a...
, who with Kanthaswamy completed his fourth film. Vikram acts in the lead role, whilst Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran , also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress and model. She has worked in several of the regional industries of Indian cinema, having acted in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English, Malayalam and Kannada...
, 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...
, Krishna
Krishna (actor)
Warning: It is not an impartial presentation and it seems to be written by an Aficionado without any citations. Superfluous and presumptious.Ghattamaneni Siva Rama Krishna , commonly referred to as Krishna, is a Telugu film actor...
, Ashish Vidyarthi
Ashish Vidyarthi
Ashish Vidyarthi is an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Hindi films and lately in South Indian films. He has won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for film Drohkaal in 1995....
, Mukesh Tiwari
Mukesh Tiwari
Mukesh Tiwari is an Indian actor who has appeared in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu language films as a character role. He belongs To Sagar. His first appearance was as a bandit "Jagira" in China Gate in 1998...
, Mansoor Ali Khan
Mansoor Ali Khan (actor)
Mansoor Ali Khan is a South Indian actor who is prominent in Tamil films. He usually plays comedic villains- villains with unusual characteristics making them funnily evil. His first film was Rajathi Thedi starring Karthik - as a pickpocket-cum-rowdy who harasses the heroine. From then on he has...
, Vadivelu
Vadivelu
Vadivelu , often referred to as Vadivel, is a Tamil film actor,comedian and playback singer. Since 2000, he has acted as a comedian in various Tamil films. During his career, Vadivelu has won several Filmfare Awards and Tamil Nadu State Film Awards...
and Y. G. Mahendran also play roles in the film. Mumaith Khan
Mumaith Khan
Mumaith Khan is an Indian film actress known for her item numbers. She has acted in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Kannada language films.-Introduction:Mumaith has two sisters...
features in a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
while Susi Ganesan himself makes a special appearance. The film's soundtrack and background score is composed by Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad is a music composer and playback singer in Telugu and Tamil films. His soundtracks have been dubbed or remade in several other languages as well.- Awards :...
. The film was dubbed and simultaneously released as Mallana 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...
and is said to be also dubbed into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
. S. Thanu, the film's producer had initially mentioned that the film would be released by mid-2008, however the filming has taken much longer, mainly because of a few shooting halts; especially because of the sudden death of Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in movies made in South India. He became famous for his portrayal of villain and character roles in Tamil films. He has acted in more than 150 Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films...
, who was given a major role in the film. The film's soundtrack was released on 17 May 2009 and the film was released on 21 August 2009 to average reviews.
Plot
The film's plot revolves around Kanthasamy (played by Vikram), who is a Income Tax officer in the CBI, and his friends, granting the wishes of the needy who write letters to a local Lord Muruga temple by disguising himself as an anthropomorphic chicken. During a CBI income tax raid, he discovers a stash of black money owned by Ponnusamy (played by Ashish VidyarthiAshish Vidyarthi
Ashish Vidyarthi is an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Hindi films and lately in South Indian films. He has won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for film Drohkaal in 1995....
), a rich and corrupted entrepreneur. Ponnusamy pretends to be paralysed to escape the questioning. Angered by the news that her father is paralysed, Ponnusamy's daughter, Subbulakshmi (played by Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran , also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress and model. She has worked in several of the regional industries of Indian cinema, having acted in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English, Malayalam and Kannada...
) goes after Kanthasamy to seek revenge by pretending to be in love with him. Kanthasamy, knowing Subbulakshmi's real intentions plays along in the game. This forms a cat and mouse chase between the two. In a comical role, Thengakadai (played by Vadivelu
Vadivelu
Vadivelu , often referred to as Vadivel, is a Tamil film actor,comedian and playback singer. Since 2000, he has acted as a comedian in various Tamil films. During his career, Vadivelu has won several Filmfare Awards and Tamil Nadu State Film Awards...
) is also sought after by a local police inspector who tries to solve the mystery of "Lord Muruga saving the people". The fate of Kanthasamy's disguise leads into the climax of the story. The local police inspector was able to bring out the truth that a CBI is involved in the role behind the secret work of helping the needy people although he was not able to confirm it. Kanthasamy finds the password of Subbulakshmi's family bank account, in which the black money is illegally saved. He tricks Subbulakshmi into revealing the password and answers for the security questions indirectly. Kanthasamy finally transfers the money to his account which would be used for helping the poor and needy people. Ironically, in the end, Subbulakshmi's father was paralysed at the end knowing that the password which was used by him to access his black money was changed. After that Subbulakshmi and Kanthasamy were married and were living in northern India. Kanthasamy saw some letters tied to a tree, just like the ones at the Lord Muruga temple. He read one and he put a letter into his pocket with a secret smile, which meant he is the anthromorphic chicken again.
Cast
- Vikram as Kanthaswamy
- Shriya SaranShriya SaranShriya Saran , also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress and model. She has worked in several of the regional industries of Indian cinema, having acted in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English, Malayalam and Kannada...
as Subbulakshmi - 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 Parandhaman - KrishnaKrishna (actor)Warning: It is not an impartial presentation and it seems to be written by an Aficionado without any citations. Superfluous and presumptious.Ghattamaneni Siva Rama Krishna , commonly referred to as Krishna, is a Telugu film actor...
as Krishna Rao - VadiveluVadiveluVadivelu , often referred to as Vadivel, is a Tamil film actor,comedian and playback singer. Since 2000, he has acted as a comedian in various Tamil films. During his career, Vadivelu has won several Filmfare Awards and Tamil Nadu State Film Awards...
as Thengakadai Thenappan - Ashish VidyarthiAshish VidyarthiAshish Vidyarthi is an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Hindi films and lately in South Indian films. He has won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for film Drohkaal in 1995....
as Pallur Paramajyothi Ponnusamy (or PPP) - Susi GanesanSusi Ganesan-Early life:He was born in Vannivelampatti, Madurai District in Tamil Nadu to Tamil people Subbiah and Sittappa. He changed his screenname to Susi Ganeshan, his first name being derived from the first two letters from his parents' first names. He graduated from Madras Institute of Technology with a...
as Himself - Y. G. Mahendran as Ganga
- Mansoor Ali KhanMansoor Ali Khan (actor)Mansoor Ali Khan is a South Indian actor who is prominent in Tamil films. He usually plays comedic villains- villains with unusual characteristics making them funnily evil. His first film was Rajathi Thedi starring Karthik - as a pickpocket-cum-rowdy who harasses the heroine. From then on he has...
as Corrupt inspector - Mumaith KhanMumaith KhanMumaith Khan is an Indian film actress known for her item numbers. She has acted in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Kannada language films.-Introduction:Mumaith has two sisters...
as Meenakumari - Mukesh tiwariMukesh TiwariMukesh Tiwari is an Indian actor who has appeared in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu language films as a character role. He belongs To Sagar. His first appearance was as a bandit "Jagira" in China Gate in 1998...
as Rajmohan
Development
In January 2007, early reports suggested that Kalaipuli International were set to make a film starring VikramVikram (actor)
Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
directed by Susi Ganesan
Susi Ganesan
-Early life:He was born in Vannivelampatti, Madurai District in Tamil Nadu to Tamil people Subbiah and Sittappa. He changed his screenname to Susi Ganeshan, his first name being derived from the first two letters from his parents' first names. He graduated from Madras Institute of Technology with a...
, titled Kanthaswamy for a release during Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
2007. Soon after the announcement Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran , also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress and model. She has worked in several of the regional industries of Indian cinema, having acted in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English, Malayalam and Kannada...
, who was acting in Sivaji: The Boss
Sivaji: The Boss
Sivaji is a 2007 Tamil political thriller film directed by S. Shankar and produced by AVM Productions. Rajinikanth and Shriya Saran played the lead roles, with Suman, Vivek and Raghuvaran playing other significant roles in the film. A. R. Rahman composed the film's soundtrack and background music,...
at the time was roped in to play the heroine. However due to Vikram and Shriya's projects, the film was delayed and the first schedule was postponed to July 2007. The film's first photo shoot was carried out in June 2007 at Mutukadu near 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...
featuring the lead actors. The film began filming a pre-launch trailer, the first of its kind in Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
, to be screened at the launch, with Vikram, Susi Ganesan and fashion designer Chetan travelling to Malaysia to look for Hollywood-inspired costumes.
The inauguration of Kanthaswamy took place on 22 September 2007 at the Devi Paradise theatre 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...
. For the event, a unique electronic invitation, made in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, was presented to guests who had been invited. The invitation was the size of a laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
and featured a 8 minute trailer of Kanthaswamy. Each invitation had cost about Rs. 15,000, making it the most expensive invitation in Indian film history. Following the launch ceremony, the team announced they had adopted two villages near Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
; Sangampatti and Gandhi Nagar, to shoot in initially and then to provide basic amenities like school and proper roads among other things to the villagers for a year. The team, who were praised for their actions, were the first production team to take part in such activity in Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
.
In November 2007, the shooting was halted temporarily due to an accident that occurred at the shooting spot at the Chennai Boat Club. Cameraman Ekambaram was canning the shots as per director Susi Ganesan
Susi Ganesan
-Early life:He was born in Vannivelampatti, Madurai District in Tamil Nadu to Tamil people Subbiah and Sittappa. He changed his screenname to Susi Ganeshan, his first name being derived from the first two letters from his parents' first names. He graduated from Madras Institute of Technology with a...
's instructions when a pole erected on the sets unexpectedly fell on the director's head resulting in an injury. The film has finished schedules at Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where the trailer was filmed as well as schedules in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. A schedule in locations in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
was also held, after the team went location hunting there, with a song and several scenes canned. The film, initially described as a "hilarious comedy", was rumoured to be a remake of the Hollywood cult hit, The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American teen drama film written and directed by John Hughes. The storyline follows five teenagers as they spend a Saturday in detention together and come to realize that they are all deeper than their respective stereotypes.-Plot:The plot follows five students at...
, however Susi Ganesan
Susi Ganesan
-Early life:He was born in Vannivelampatti, Madurai District in Tamil Nadu to Tamil people Subbiah and Sittappa. He changed his screenname to Susi Ganeshan, his first name being derived from the first two letters from his parents' first names. He graduated from Madras Institute of Technology with a...
has claimed that the film has a more Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
feel to it.
Casting
Following the announcement of the project, titled as Kanthaswamy, VikramVikram (actor)
Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
and Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif is a British Indian actress and former model who appears in Indian films, mainly in the Hindi-language film industry. She has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. She was voted the sexiest Asian woman in the world by Eastern Eye in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011...
was originally selected to be the heroine, however due to commitments 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...
as well as the fact that she would have had to have a pay cut from her usual higher salaries 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...
, Kaif opted out of the project. Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran , also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress and model. She has worked in several of the regional industries of Indian cinema, having acted in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English, Malayalam and Kannada...
was signed in February 2007, when she was in the middle of completing her other prestigious projects Sivaji: The Boss
Sivaji: The Boss
Sivaji is a 2007 Tamil political thriller film directed by S. Shankar and produced by AVM Productions. Rajinikanth and Shriya Saran played the lead roles, with Suman, Vivek and Raghuvaran playing other significant roles in the film. A. R. Rahman composed the film's soundtrack and background music,...
and Azhagiya Tamil Magan. In September 2007, with the release of the trailer several other artistes names were featured as supporting cast. Prominent supporting actor Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in movies made in South India. He became famous for his portrayal of villain and character roles in Tamil films. He has acted in more than 150 Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films...
was selected to play as Shriya's father and shot scenes in the role, before his unexpected death during the production of the film, subsequently, his role was replaced by Ashish Vidyarthi
Ashish Vidyarthi
Ashish Vidyarthi is an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Hindi films and lately in South Indian films. He has won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for film Drohkaal in 1995....
. 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 also added in a supporting role, as well as lesser established actors such as Vikram's father Vinod Raj, Y. G. Mahendran, Shiv, Arun Madhavan, Vinayak and Alex, whilst Mumaith Khan
Mumaith Khan
Mumaith Khan is an Indian film actress known for her item numbers. She has acted in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Kannada language films.-Introduction:Mumaith has two sisters...
was assigned an item number
Item number
An 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...
role. Later on, veteran Telugu
Telugu cinema
The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...
actor Krishna
Krishna (actor)
Warning: It is not an impartial presentation and it seems to be written by an Aficionado without any citations. Superfluous and presumptious.Ghattamaneni Siva Rama Krishna , commonly referred to as Krishna, is a Telugu film actor...
, father of Mahesh Babu
Mahesh Babu
Mahesh Babu born Mahesh Babu Ghattamaneni on 9 August 1975 is an Indian film actor from Telugu Cinema. Born to Legendary Telugu actor Superstar Krishna, Mahesh Babu faced the camera at the age of four as a child artist in the movie Needa...
was signed to a role in the project as well as Indrajith
Indrajith
Indrajith is an Indian film actor. He is the elder son of late Malayalam actor Sukumaran and actress Mallika. His brother Prithviraj is also an actor...
, elder brother of prominent actor, Prithviraj
Prithviraj Sukumaran
Prithviraj Sukumaran credited mononymously as Prithviraj, is an Indian film actor and producer best known for his work in Malayalam cinema....
, whom will do a villainous role in the film. Indrajith was selected for the role ahead of other prominent character actors Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal , born 26 November 1972, is an award-winning Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films, as well as a fashion model.- Film career :...
, Irfan Khan
Irfan Khan (actor)
Sahabzade Irrfan Ali Khan, popularly known as Irrfan Khan , is an Indian actor in film, television and theatre. He received recognition for his roles in The Warrior , Maqbool , Haasil , The Namesake , A Mighty Heart , Life in a.....
and Suman
Suman (actor)
Suman is a South Indian Telugu film actor. He played action hero and romantic hero in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films during the 1980s. After a long while away from cinema, he returned to acting in Tamil films in 2007, starring in S. Shankar's Sivaji: The Boss with Rajinikanth. He has also...
. Along with the change of actor for Raghuvaran's role, Indrajith's role was taken by Mukesh Tiwari
Mukesh Tiwari
Mukesh Tiwari is an Indian actor who has appeared in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu language films as a character role. He belongs To Sagar. His first appearance was as a bandit "Jagira" in China Gate in 1998...
and the role created for Santhanam was deleted. Moreover Vivek
Vivek (actor)
Vivekananthan is an Indian film actor and comedian. He has won four Filmfare Best Comedian Awards for his performances in Run, Saamy, Perazhagan and Sivaji, respectively. In April 2009, Vivek received the Padma Shri award by the Government of India for his contribution to the arts. He was...
, who had featured in the original trailer, opted out and was replaced by Vadivelu
Vadivelu
Vadivelu , often referred to as Vadivel, is a Tamil film actor,comedian and playback singer. Since 2000, he has acted as a comedian in various Tamil films. During his career, Vadivelu has won several Filmfare Awards and Tamil Nadu State Film Awards...
. Mansoor Ali Khan
Mansoor Ali Khan (actor)
Mansoor Ali Khan is a South Indian actor who is prominent in Tamil films. He usually plays comedic villains- villains with unusual characteristics making them funnily evil. His first film was Rajathi Thedi starring Karthik - as a pickpocket-cum-rowdy who harasses the heroine. From then on he has...
took up a negative role in the film to make a comeback ino the acting foray.
The producer of Kanthaswamy, Kalaipuli S. Dhanu and Susi Ganesan
Susi Ganesan
-Early life:He was born in Vannivelampatti, Madurai District in Tamil Nadu to Tamil people Subbiah and Sittappa. He changed his screenname to Susi Ganeshan, his first name being derived from the first two letters from his parents' first names. He graduated from Madras Institute of Technology with a...
the director ensembled an experienced team to produce the film. Veterans Thotta Tharani
Thotta Tharani
- Film career :Thota Tharani has been involved in the art of set design since he was just twelve when he helped his father. Be it the creation of a realistic set of the Dharavi Slums or the colourful transparent bus of Kaadhalan, Tharani succeeds in creating the right ambience and the right...
, A. S. Laxmi Narayanan and Viveka between them, take care of the art direction, audiography
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
and lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
respectively. Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad is a music composer and playback singer in Telugu and Tamil films. His soundtracks have been dubbed or remade in several other languages as well.- Awards :...
composes the music for his biggest film to date following several compositions for smaller budget Tamil films and Telugu films. N. K. Ekambaram
N. K. Ekambaram
N. K. Ekhambram is a cinematographer in Kollywood, who has recently filmed the successful Tamil E. He shot to fame through the critically acclaimed, award winning Tamil movie "Iyarkai". He has teamed up twice with Director S.P.Jananathan. Their association has given two visually breathtaking films;...
controls the cinematography of the film, whilst Praveen K L edits the film. Kannal Kannan is the fight master for the film, whilst Mittra media are responsible for the publicity designs the film outputs, adding to their work with the trailer and the invitations. The film is co-produced, by 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...
businessmen, A. Paranthaman and A. K. Natraj along with Dhanu.
Reception
The film opened up to tremendous response and collected 37 crores in the first week worldwide. It opened to packed houses all over Tamil Nadu and the first show started at 6 am at Sathyam cinemas on its first day of its release, thus it had a mad opening in chennai. In Tamil Nadu alone the collection is estimated to have reached 16 crores during the first week, while in Andhra Pradesh it was 8 crores. Kerala 2.5 crores and Karnataka 1 crore. The total collection was estimated to be 60 crores in its overall running. This film collected 1.37 crores in UK. In Malaysia it collected a whooping $1,077,658 in its total run. In Chennai Box Office it collected 52.8cr at the end of 50 days. Kanthaswamy completed 100 days and was elevated to 'hit' status by trade pundits. Despite this, reviews received were mostly averageVijay Awards
The film has been nominated for the following categories:- Favorite HeroVijay Award for Favourite HeroThe 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...
- Vikram - Favorite HeroineVijay Award for Favourite HeroineThe 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...
- Shriya SaranShriya SaranShriya Saran , also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress and model. She has worked in several of the regional industries of Indian cinema, having acted in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English, Malayalam and Kannada... - Favorite filmVijay Award for Favourite FilmThe 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...
- Kalaipuli S. Dhanu - Favorite DirectorVijay Award for Favourite DirectorThe 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...
- Susi GanesanSusi Ganesan-Early life:He was born in Vannivelampatti, Madurai District in Tamil Nadu to Tamil people Subbiah and Sittappa. He changed his screenname to Susi Ganeshan, his first name being derived from the first two letters from his parents' first names. He graduated from Madras Institute of Technology with a... - Best Music DirectorVijay Award for Best Music DirectorThe Vijay for Best Music 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:...
- Devi Sri PrasadDevi Sri PrasadDevi Sri Prasad is a music composer and playback singer in Telugu and Tamil films. His soundtracks have been dubbed or remade in several other languages as well.- Awards :... - Best Art DirectorVijay Award for Best Art DirectorThe 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 :...
- Thotta TharaniThotta Tharani- Film career :Thota Tharani has been involved in the art of set design since he was just twelve when he helped his father. Be it the creation of a realistic set of the Dharavi Slums or the colourful transparent bus of Kaadhalan, Tharani succeeds in creating the right ambience and the right... - Best Female Playback SingerVijay Award for Best Female Playback SingerThe Vijay for Best Female 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 :...
- RitaRitaRita is a common female first name, often a name in its own right, but mostly a shortened version of either Rachel or Margaret. The name may refer to:-Given name:* Rita of Armenia , Empress of Byzantium... - Best ChoreographerVijay Award for Best ChoreographerThe 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 :...
- Saravana Rajan - Best Make Up ArtistesVijay Award for Best Make Up ArtistesThe Vijay for Best Make Up 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 :*2009 Sasi, Das - Naan Kadavul...
- Nellai Shanmugam - Best Costume DesignerVijay Award for Best Costume DesignerThe 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 :...
- Chaitanya and SaiSai-Education:*self-accrediting institution, a three-letter acronym in use in higher education in Australia to describe universities and other SAIs-Fiction:*Fujiwara no Sai, a character in Hikaru no Go media*Sai , a character in Naruto media...
Soundtrack
The film has seven songs composed by Devi Sri PrasadDevi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad is a music composer and playback singer in Telugu and Tamil films. His soundtracks have been dubbed or remade in several other languages as well.- Awards :...
. For the first time, Vikram has sung most of the songs in this movie. The songs from the bilingual albums were released to the public after an audio launch at the Trade centre 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...
on 17 May 2009.
| Song title | Singers | Length (m:ss) | Description | Lyric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excuse Me Mr. Kanthaswamy | Vikram Vikram (actor) Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate... , Suchitra Suchitra Suchitra Karthik Kumar is an Indian Tamil Radio Jockey and Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu playback singer. Born and brought up in Kerala, she had her school education in Bhavans Vidya Mandir Giri Nagar, Kochi. She is a graduate from the Kerala University... |
5:46 | Vikram and Shriya Saran Shriya Saran Shriya Saran , also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress and model. She has worked in several of the regional industries of Indian cinema, having acted in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English, Malayalam and Kannada... shown quarrelling in a romantic relationship song. |
Viveka |
| Allegra | Rita Rita Rita is a common female first name, often a name in its own right, but mostly a shortened version of either Rachel or Margaret. The name may refer to:-Given name:* Rita of Armenia , Empress of Byzantium... |
5:23 | Shot on Shriya and Italian dancers against the backdrop of the majestic opera house, for her introduction song. | Viveka |
| Meow Meow | Vikram Vikram (actor) Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate... , Priya Himesh Priya Himesh Priya Himesh is an Indian multilingual Playback Singer for the feature films. She sings predominantly in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada language movies. She is also the recipient of Filmfare Awards South for her Telugu song Ringa Ringa in the film Aarya 2... |
4:30 | Sensuous song featuring the lead pair | Viveka |
| Ithellam Dupe | Vikram Vikram (actor) Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate... , Devi Sri Prasad Devi Sri Prasad Devi Sri Prasad is a music composer and playback singer in Telugu and Tamil films. His soundtracks have been dubbed or remade in several other languages as well.- Awards :... |
4:08 | A song on pizza boys featuring Vikram and his friends in the flashback | Viveka |
| Mambo Mamiya | Vikram Vikram (actor) Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate... , Rita |
4:36 | Shot in a famous bull ring in Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... on the lead pair and Mexican dancers accompany them. |
Viveka |
| Bambara Kannalei Remix (En Peru Meenakumari) | Malathi Lakshman | 4:20 | An item number Item number An 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... featuring Mumaith Khan Mumaith Khan Mumaith Khan is an Indian film actress known for her item numbers. She has acted in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Kannada language films.-Introduction:Mumaith has two sisters... |
Viveka |
| Kanthaswamy Theme | Devi Sri Prasad Devi Sri Prasad Devi Sri Prasad is a music composer and playback singer in Telugu and Tamil films. His soundtracks have been dubbed or remade in several other languages as well.- Awards :... |
3:03 | Theme song | |
| Kanthaswamy Theme (DSP mix) | Devi Sri Prasad Devi Sri Prasad Devi Sri Prasad is a music composer and playback singer in Telugu and Tamil films. His soundtracks have been dubbed or remade in several other languages as well.- Awards :... |
3:16 | Title song | |