Saroja
Encyclopedia
Saroja is a 2008
Tamil
comedy
thriller film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu
and produced by T. Siva
. It stars Shiva
, Vaibhav Reddy
, Premji Amaren
, S. P. B. Charan
and Vega Tamotia
in the lead roles and Prakash Raj
, Jayaram
, Kajal Aggarwal
, Sampath Raj
, Nikita Thukral
and Nagendran in other vital roles. Several other popular Tamil television artists and crew members make special appearances throughout the film. The score and soundtrack were composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja
.
The film, which takes inspiration from the 1993 Hollywood film Judgment Night
, follows the journey of four young men who travel from Chennai
to Hyderabad to watch a cricket match. Due to a road accident, they are forced to take a diversion off the main road in order to arrive on time, which, however, leads them to a gang who have kidnapped a young schoolgirl, Saroja, the only daughter of a rich millionaire. The film was released on 5 September 2008 to very positive reviews and critically acclaim, while also emerging a high commercial success. Upon release, it was dubbed into Telugu
.
Matilda D’ Silva, who sang the song "Cheeky Cheeky" in the film with Yuvan Shankar Raja and Nirdhiya, was a contestant on the reality show Singapore Idol
. Saroja also featured a promotional song, an English track written and composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and sung by Tanvi Shah
. Shruthi Haasan was initially offered the role of the titular character but later rejected it.
), Ganesh (Premji Amaren
), Jagapathi Babu (SPB Charan), and Ram Babu (Vaibhav) are close friends who spend a lot of time together in Chennai. Ajay is a TV serial artist, Ganesh is a fun-loving man who falls in love with every woman he sees, Jagapathi Babu is an engineer who is married and has a six-year-old daughter, and Ram Babu is Jagapathi's younger brother.
Ram is in love with Pooja (Kajal Aggarwal
) but, before he has a chance to tell her, Pooja tells Ram that she is in love with Ajay. Pooja and Ajay eventually get engaged, and Ram is heartbroken. He soon forgets his grief and has a good time with his friends Ajay, Ganesh, and Jagapathy.
One day, the four friends decide to go in Ajay's old ramshackle caravan (a Volkswagen Samba) to Hyderabad to watch a cricket match.
Vishwanath (Prakash Raj
) is a business tycoon in Hyderabad who has no time for his wife and teenage daughter Saroja (Vega Tamotia
). One day, Saroja is kidnapped, and the police enter the scene, with Vishwanath's friend ACP Ravichandran (Jayaram
) handling the case.
Meanwhile, a huge tanker lorry carrying highly inflammable and dangerous chemicals overturns on the National Highway between Chennai and Hyderabad and the four friends are stuck in a massive traffic jam. They attempt to take a shortcut to Hyderabad, but they end up in a dark, desolate area where their real troubles begin.
After arguing about which direction to take at a crossroad, Ajay convinces the others to drive the car into a forest, receiving instructions from Venkat Prabhu
in a cameo appearance
. As they proceed further, an injured man (played by Bose Venkat) suddenly falls on their car from above. Wanting to save the dying man, Jagapathi Babu asks Ganesh and Ram Babu to ask for help in a nearby building. Ajay, horrified by the injured man's bullet wounds, is even more shocked when the dying man urges Jagapathi and Ajay to escape. Jagapathi, however, attempts to save the man, who repeatedly urges them to leave quickly.
A few men arrive in a jeep and start to shoot at them from a distance. Ajay rushes to the driver's seat and attempts to flee from the area. Their van gets hit by the other vehicle and is overturned, throwing the injured man outside. Shiva and Jagapathi remain inside the van. Sampath, the leader of the gang in the black jeep, steps out of his vehicle and shoots the dying man after a short conversation. Sampath then discovers that two men (Jagapathi and Ajay) had attempted to save the injured man, and he orders his henchmen to kill them. Upon hearing Sampath's order to kill them, Ajay and Jagapathi run for their lives.
Meanwhile, Ganesh and Ram Babu have entered the abandoned factory in search of help. Finding the place empty, they walk out and wander around for some time. They soon reach the place where the van had overturned and realize that their friends are missing. At the same time, Ajay and Jagapathi are trapped inside a room within close range of one of the hitmen and escape narrowly. Ganesh and Ram continue to search the area for their friends and eventually find them after fighting with a few hitmen. Realizing that they are caught in a dangerous situation, all four run away from the factory toward the distant sound of a train. They barely manage to board the train's last car. Jagapathi does not board the train; he sees that his pocket has been torn, and he deduces that his wallet had fallen somewhere inside the factory. Ajay and Ram frantically attempt to convince Jagapathi to board the train. Jagapathi fears that the assassins might cause problems for his wife and child, since his wallet (containing his identity) might be in the hands of the gangsters. Thus, all four friends return to the factory to recover the lost wallet.
After a short argument in which the frightened Ajay hesitates to go along with Jagapathi to the factory, Ganesh is pushed to accompany him. Jagapathi and Ganesh enter the room where the wallet was dropped. One of the gangsters momentarily walks into the room, in the view of Ganesh. Ganesh hides and tries to warn Jagapathi to stay out of sight. When Jagapathi finds the wallet and turns around he realizes that Ganesh has disappeared. After searching the room thoroughly, Jagapathi decides to leave. When he walks out, Ajay and Ram are waiting alone, and there is no sign of Ganesh. This sparks off another argument; Ajay asserts that he would not leave the place without Ganesh. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Ganesh had wandered into another room to save himself. Finding Saroja tied up inside, he frees her and explains to her that he is not a member of the gang. In his usual manner, he falls in love and tries to impress her. Saroja and Ganesh then sneak out of the room. The other three set out to rescue Ganesh, but they get caught in the process.
Sampath continues to demand money from Vishwanath to release his daughter. ACP Ravichandran consoles Vishwanath and does all he can to help rescue Saroja. Meanwhile, the gangsters taunt the three men they have captured and continue to do so until Kalyani (Nikita Thukral
), Sampath's girlfriend, walks in and informs the group that Saroja has escaped. Sampath sends all of his men to find the girl, leaving a single gangster with the three captives. Ram attacks the gangster and kills him. They run out of the factory and catch up with Ganesh and Saroja. They are soon trapped in a building with a single entry. The henchmen follow them and await them in front. The friends are convinced that the only way to escape is to fight the gangsters. Suddenly, Jagapathi comes up with the idea of designing a contraption using objects in the building as weapons in a grand "Rube Goldberg machine
." In the meantime, Sampath asks Vishwanath to come to the area at once to take his daughter in exchange for the ransom money. Soon, Vishwanath and ACP Ravichandran arrive, and Ravichandran is disguised as Vishwanath's driver.
The four friends and Saroja finally arrive at the railway station to escape. They soon realize to their horror that the railway station is actually the exact spot where Sampath is planning to collect the ransom money from Vishwanath and Ravichandran. Vishwanath and Ravichandran are standing on the other side of the tracks. Saroja leaves the hideout, crosses the tracks, and embraces Ravichandran out of relief.
Just as Vishwanath is overjoyed that his daughter is back in safe hands, Ravichandran pulls out a gun and points it at Saroja. At that moment, Vishwanath realizes that Ravichandran is actually the mastermind behind Saroja's abduction and that Sampath is just another henchman responsible for carrying out Ravichandran's orders. A flashback reveals that Ravichandran and Sampath are good friends and that they have long been jealous of Vishwanath for his social status and wealth.
In the nick of time, the heroes emerge from the hideout and fight the goons with all their might. Vishwanath finally shoots and kills Ravichandran, and Saroja is reunited with her family. As everyone returns home, the four friends try to recall the name of the girl they have just rescued.
Special appearances by actors during the song "Aaja Meri Soniye" (in alphabetical order) by:
Special appearances by actors and crew members throughout the film (in alphabetical order) by:
(2007), director Venkat Prabhu
teamed up with his cousin Yuvan Shankar Raja
again for the musical score of Saroja. The soundtrack was released on 15 July 2008 at the Chennai Trade Center Convention Hall in Nandambakkam
by composer A. R. Rahman
. It features six tracks, out of which one song ("My Life") was designed as a promotional song, which would feature in television channels
and popularize the film. The song, also composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, was performed by Indian band "Yodhakaa" from Mumbai
. The lyrics were provided by 'Kavignar' Vaali
, Gangai Amaran
and Yuvan Shankar Raja himself. The song "Cheeky Cheeky" was sung by Mathilda D'Silva, along with Yuvan Shankar Raja and Nirdhiya, who was a contestant of the reality show Singapore Idol
.
The album received very positive reviews from critics, and the songs became widely popular. It was listed in many "Top 10 Albums of the Year" lists, while "Dosth Bada Dosth" was a chartbuster and among the most frequently played songs, and became an anthem of friendship.
's second successive hit after Chennai 600028
. The film completed 100 days all over Tamil Nadu, making it one of the blockbusters of 2008.
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
Tamil
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...
comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
thriller film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren , better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu is an Indian filmmaker, who has worked as an actor, director and playback singer in the Tamil film industry...
and produced by T. Siva
T. Siva
T. Siva is an Indian film producer and distributor in Chennai, India. He has produced 15 films including Saroja and Kanimozhi. He owns the production company, Amma Creations . - Filmography :-External links:...
. It stars Shiva
Shiva (actor)
Shiva is an Indian film actor, starring in Tamil films, and a radio jockey with the radio station Radio Mirchi. Acting mainly as a comedian, he rose to fame following his performances in the Venkat Prabhu directorials Chennai 600028 and Saroja....
, Vaibhav Reddy
Vaibhav Reddy
Vaibhav Reddy is an Indian film actor and model. Son of noted Telugu film director A. Kodandarami Reddy, he made his feature film debut with the 2007 Telugu film Godava under his father's direction...
, Premji Amaren
Premji Amaren
Premji Amaren is a Tamil playback singer, film composer, songwriter and actor. Son of veteran film composer and singer Gangai Amaran, he often composes rap songs in Tamil cinema and is known for his comical performances in the Venkat Prabhu films Chennai 28, Saroja and Goa...
, S. P. B. Charan
S. P. B. Charan
Charan Sripathi Panditharadhyula Balasubrahmanyam, better known and creditted as S. P. B. Charan , is an Indian actor, producer and a playback singer. Son of popular Indian singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, he first worked as a playback singer in the Tamil and Telugu film industries...
and Vega Tamotia
Vega Tamotia
Vega Tamotia is an Indian film actress and model, who has appeared in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is probably best known for her performances as Saroja in the same-titled film, and Sobikannu in Pasanga...
in the lead roles and Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...
, Jayaram
Jayaram
Jayaram is an Indian film actor who mainly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is also a chenda percussionist and mimic artist. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution towards the arts.-Early life:...
, Kajal Aggarwal
Kajal Aggarwal
Kajal Aggarwal is an Indian film actress, who predominantly appears in Telugu films. She has also appeared in Tamil and Hindi films.Kajal made her film debut in the 2004 Hindi film Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na and entered the Telugu film industry through the film Lakshmi Kalyanam...
, Sampath Raj
Sampath Raj
Dr.Sampath Raj is an Indian film actor who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for appearing in each film of director Venkat Prabhu's comedy trilogy, consisting of Chennai 600028, Saroja and Goa. He has also acted in supporting roles in various other films. He is mostly...
, Nikita Thukral
Nikita Thukral
Nikita Thukral is an Indian film actress and model, who has acted in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films. She is best known for her item number "Kodana Kodi" in Saroja.-Early life:...
and Nagendran in other vital roles. Several other popular Tamil television artists and crew members make special appearances throughout the film. The score and soundtrack were composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
.
The film, which takes inspiration from the 1993 Hollywood film Judgment Night
Judgment Night (film)
Judgment Night is a 1993 action thriller film directed by Stephen Hopkins and starring Emilio Estévez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jeremy Piven and Stephen Dorff as a group of friends on the run from a group of drug dealers after they witness a murder...
, follows the journey of four young men who travel from 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...
to Hyderabad to watch a cricket match. Due to a road accident, they are forced to take a diversion off the main road in order to arrive on time, which, however, leads them to a gang who have kidnapped a young schoolgirl, Saroja, the only daughter of a rich millionaire. The film was released on 5 September 2008 to very positive reviews and critically acclaim, while also emerging a high commercial success. Upon release, it was dubbed into 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...
.
Matilda D’ Silva, who sang the song "Cheeky Cheeky" in the film with Yuvan Shankar Raja and Nirdhiya, was a contestant on the reality show Singapore Idol
Singapore Idol
Singapore Idol is a television show on Channel 5 of MediaCorp TV. It is a competition among undiscovered singers in Singapore. Like others in the Idol series, it is modelled after Pop Idol. The current judges are singer/songwriter Dick Lee and record producers Florence Lian and Ken Lim. Previous...
. Saroja also featured a promotional song, an English track written and composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and sung by Tanvi Shah
Tanvi Shah
Tanvi Shah is a popular playback singer for films in India. She is the first Indian woman to win the Grammy Awards for the lyrics of "jai ho". She has a versatile voice and can sing in Arabic, Latin, Spanish and sings a wide range of music with her band, Zahrra...
. Shruthi Haasan was initially offered the role of the titular character but later rejected it.
Plot
Ajay Raj (ShivaShiva (actor)
Shiva is an Indian film actor, starring in Tamil films, and a radio jockey with the radio station Radio Mirchi. Acting mainly as a comedian, he rose to fame following his performances in the Venkat Prabhu directorials Chennai 600028 and Saroja....
), Ganesh (Premji Amaren
Premji Amaren
Premji Amaren is a Tamil playback singer, film composer, songwriter and actor. Son of veteran film composer and singer Gangai Amaran, he often composes rap songs in Tamil cinema and is known for his comical performances in the Venkat Prabhu films Chennai 28, Saroja and Goa...
), Jagapathi Babu (SPB Charan), and Ram Babu (Vaibhav) are close friends who spend a lot of time together in Chennai. Ajay is a TV serial artist, Ganesh is a fun-loving man who falls in love with every woman he sees, Jagapathi Babu is an engineer who is married and has a six-year-old daughter, and Ram Babu is Jagapathi's younger brother.
Ram is in love with Pooja (Kajal Aggarwal
Kajal Aggarwal
Kajal Aggarwal is an Indian film actress, who predominantly appears in Telugu films. She has also appeared in Tamil and Hindi films.Kajal made her film debut in the 2004 Hindi film Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na and entered the Telugu film industry through the film Lakshmi Kalyanam...
) but, before he has a chance to tell her, Pooja tells Ram that she is in love with Ajay. Pooja and Ajay eventually get engaged, and Ram is heartbroken. He soon forgets his grief and has a good time with his friends Ajay, Ganesh, and Jagapathy.
One day, the four friends decide to go in Ajay's old ramshackle caravan (a Volkswagen Samba) to Hyderabad to watch a cricket match.
Vishwanath (Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...
) is a business tycoon in Hyderabad who has no time for his wife and teenage daughter Saroja (Vega Tamotia
Vega Tamotia
Vega Tamotia is an Indian film actress and model, who has appeared in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is probably best known for her performances as Saroja in the same-titled film, and Sobikannu in Pasanga...
). One day, Saroja is kidnapped, and the police enter the scene, with Vishwanath's friend ACP Ravichandran (Jayaram
Jayaram
Jayaram is an Indian film actor who mainly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is also a chenda percussionist and mimic artist. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution towards the arts.-Early life:...
) handling the case.
Meanwhile, a huge tanker lorry carrying highly inflammable and dangerous chemicals overturns on the National Highway between Chennai and Hyderabad and the four friends are stuck in a massive traffic jam. They attempt to take a shortcut to Hyderabad, but they end up in a dark, desolate area where their real troubles begin.
After arguing about which direction to take at a crossroad, Ajay convinces the others to drive the car into a forest, receiving instructions from Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren , better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu is an Indian filmmaker, who has worked as an actor, director and playback singer in the Tamil film industry...
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...
. As they proceed further, an injured man (played by Bose Venkat) suddenly falls on their car from above. Wanting to save the dying man, Jagapathi Babu asks Ganesh and Ram Babu to ask for help in a nearby building. Ajay, horrified by the injured man's bullet wounds, is even more shocked when the dying man urges Jagapathi and Ajay to escape. Jagapathi, however, attempts to save the man, who repeatedly urges them to leave quickly.
A few men arrive in a jeep and start to shoot at them from a distance. Ajay rushes to the driver's seat and attempts to flee from the area. Their van gets hit by the other vehicle and is overturned, throwing the injured man outside. Shiva and Jagapathi remain inside the van. Sampath, the leader of the gang in the black jeep, steps out of his vehicle and shoots the dying man after a short conversation. Sampath then discovers that two men (Jagapathi and Ajay) had attempted to save the injured man, and he orders his henchmen to kill them. Upon hearing Sampath's order to kill them, Ajay and Jagapathi run for their lives.
Meanwhile, Ganesh and Ram Babu have entered the abandoned factory in search of help. Finding the place empty, they walk out and wander around for some time. They soon reach the place where the van had overturned and realize that their friends are missing. At the same time, Ajay and Jagapathi are trapped inside a room within close range of one of the hitmen and escape narrowly. Ganesh and Ram continue to search the area for their friends and eventually find them after fighting with a few hitmen. Realizing that they are caught in a dangerous situation, all four run away from the factory toward the distant sound of a train. They barely manage to board the train's last car. Jagapathi does not board the train; he sees that his pocket has been torn, and he deduces that his wallet had fallen somewhere inside the factory. Ajay and Ram frantically attempt to convince Jagapathi to board the train. Jagapathi fears that the assassins might cause problems for his wife and child, since his wallet (containing his identity) might be in the hands of the gangsters. Thus, all four friends return to the factory to recover the lost wallet.
After a short argument in which the frightened Ajay hesitates to go along with Jagapathi to the factory, Ganesh is pushed to accompany him. Jagapathi and Ganesh enter the room where the wallet was dropped. One of the gangsters momentarily walks into the room, in the view of Ganesh. Ganesh hides and tries to warn Jagapathi to stay out of sight. When Jagapathi finds the wallet and turns around he realizes that Ganesh has disappeared. After searching the room thoroughly, Jagapathi decides to leave. When he walks out, Ajay and Ram are waiting alone, and there is no sign of Ganesh. This sparks off another argument; Ajay asserts that he would not leave the place without Ganesh. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Ganesh had wandered into another room to save himself. Finding Saroja tied up inside, he frees her and explains to her that he is not a member of the gang. In his usual manner, he falls in love and tries to impress her. Saroja and Ganesh then sneak out of the room. The other three set out to rescue Ganesh, but they get caught in the process.
Sampath continues to demand money from Vishwanath to release his daughter. ACP Ravichandran consoles Vishwanath and does all he can to help rescue Saroja. Meanwhile, the gangsters taunt the three men they have captured and continue to do so until Kalyani (Nikita Thukral
Nikita Thukral
Nikita Thukral is an Indian film actress and model, who has acted in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films. She is best known for her item number "Kodana Kodi" in Saroja.-Early life:...
), Sampath's girlfriend, walks in and informs the group that Saroja has escaped. Sampath sends all of his men to find the girl, leaving a single gangster with the three captives. Ram attacks the gangster and kills him. They run out of the factory and catch up with Ganesh and Saroja. They are soon trapped in a building with a single entry. The henchmen follow them and await them in front. The friends are convinced that the only way to escape is to fight the gangsters. Suddenly, Jagapathi comes up with the idea of designing a contraption using objects in the building as weapons in a grand "Rube Goldberg machine
Rube Goldberg machine
A Rube Goldberg machine, contraption, device, or apparatus is a deliberately over-engineered or overdone machine that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction...
." In the meantime, Sampath asks Vishwanath to come to the area at once to take his daughter in exchange for the ransom money. Soon, Vishwanath and ACP Ravichandran arrive, and Ravichandran is disguised as Vishwanath's driver.
The four friends and Saroja finally arrive at the railway station to escape. They soon realize to their horror that the railway station is actually the exact spot where Sampath is planning to collect the ransom money from Vishwanath and Ravichandran. Vishwanath and Ravichandran are standing on the other side of the tracks. Saroja leaves the hideout, crosses the tracks, and embraces Ravichandran out of relief.
Just as Vishwanath is overjoyed that his daughter is back in safe hands, Ravichandran pulls out a gun and points it at Saroja. At that moment, Vishwanath realizes that Ravichandran is actually the mastermind behind Saroja's abduction and that Sampath is just another henchman responsible for carrying out Ravichandran's orders. A flashback reveals that Ravichandran and Sampath are good friends and that they have long been jealous of Vishwanath for his social status and wealth.
In the nick of time, the heroes emerge from the hideout and fight the goons with all their might. Vishwanath finally shoots and kills Ravichandran, and Saroja is reunited with her family. As everyone returns home, the four friends try to recall the name of the girl they have just rescued.
Cast
- SPB Charan as Jagapathi Babu
- Premji AmarenPremji AmarenPremji Amaren is a Tamil playback singer, film composer, songwriter and actor. Son of veteran film composer and singer Gangai Amaran, he often composes rap songs in Tamil cinema and is known for his comical performances in the Venkat Prabhu films Chennai 28, Saroja and Goa...
as Ganesh Kumar - ShivaShiva (actor)Shiva is an Indian film actor, starring in Tamil films, and a radio jockey with the radio station Radio Mirchi. Acting mainly as a comedian, he rose to fame following his performances in the Venkat Prabhu directorials Chennai 600028 and Saroja....
as Ajay Raj - Vaibhav ReddyVaibhav ReddyVaibhav Reddy is an Indian film actor and model. Son of noted Telugu film director A. Kodandarami Reddy, he made his feature film debut with the 2007 Telugu film Godava under his father's direction...
as Ram Babu - Vega TamotiaVega TamotiaVega Tamotia is an Indian film actress and model, who has appeared in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is probably best known for her performances as Saroja in the same-titled film, and Sobikannu in Pasanga...
as Saroja Vishwanath - Prakash RajPrakash RajPrakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...
as Vishwanath - JayaramJayaramJayaram is an Indian film actor who mainly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is also a chenda percussionist and mimic artist. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution towards the arts.-Early life:...
as Ravichandran (Sri Hari in Telugu) - Sampath RajSampath RajDr.Sampath Raj is an Indian film actor who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for appearing in each film of director Venkat Prabhu's comedy trilogy, consisting of Chennai 600028, Saroja and Goa. He has also acted in supporting roles in various other films. He is mostly...
as Sampath - Kajal AggarwalKajal AggarwalKajal Aggarwal is an Indian film actress, who predominantly appears in Telugu films. She has also appeared in Tamil and Hindi films.Kajal made her film debut in the 2004 Hindi film Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na and entered the Telugu film industry through the film Lakshmi Kalyanam...
as Pooja - Nikita ThukralNikita ThukralNikita Thukral is an Indian film actress and model, who has acted in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films. She is best known for her item number "Kodana Kodi" in Saroja.-Early life:...
as Kalyani - Nagendran as Naaga
- Bose Venkat
- Amirtha
- Ammu
- Ravikanth
Special appearances by actors during the song "Aaja Meri Soniye" (in alphabetical order) by:
- Anantha Kannan
- Badava Gopi
- ChetanChetan (actor)Chetan is a Tamil television and film actor.He is the husband of television actress Devadarshini who starred with him in Vidadhu Karuppu. This was part of the television series Marmadesam, and it brought Chetan into the limelight....
- Deepak
- Dev
- DevadarshiniDevadarshiniDevadarshini Neelakandan is an Indian Tamil actress and TV anchor. She has appeared in a few Kollywood films, but her main priority is in television serials.Recently she appeared on Jodi Number One as a contestant.- Personal life :...
- Devipriya
- DivyadarshiniDivyadarshiniDivyadharshini is an Indian television presenter, anchor actress, dubbing artiste and TV anchor from Tamil Nadu. She has also appeared in a few Tamil films....
- George
- Kamalesh
- Latha Rao
- M. S. BaskarM. S. BaskarM. S. Bhaskar is an Indian actor. A former theatre artiste, he has appeared in supporting roles and as a comedian in Tamil TV series and more recently in Tamil films. He is probably best known for his performances in the series Chinna Papa Periya Papa and Selvi and in the films Sivakasi and Mozhi...
- Preethi
- Raadhika SarathkumarRaadhika SarathkumarRadhika Sarathkumar is a Tamil television and film actress, successful entrepreneur and producer. She is the founder of Radaan Mediaworks, which has produced the successful serials Chithi, Annamalai, Selvi, Arasi, and Idi Katha Kadu . She is currently acting in the serial Chellamay for Sun TV...
- Rajkamal
- RanjithaRanjithaRanjitha is an Indian film and television actress. She has acted in a number of Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. Her first film was a Telugu film titled Kadapa Reddemma. She made her Tamil film debut in the 1992 Bharathiraja film Nadodi Thendral. She played lead roles in Tamil films till 1999....
- Sri
- Subbu Panchu
- Tinku
- Venkat
- Vishwa
Special appearances by actors and crew members throughout the film (in alphabetical order) by:
- Ajay Raj
- Aravind AkashAravind AkashAravind Akash is an Indian actor who has acted in TV shows as well as Tamil and Malayalam films.-Career:...
- BrahmanandamBrahmanandamBrahmanandam Kanneganti is an Indian actor, commonly appearing in Telugu films. He was born into a Viswakarma gold smith family. He holds Guinness World Record for acting in the most number of films in a single language. He was starred in over 900 films till date. He is noted for Physical comedy...
- Deepa Venkat
- Fathima Babu
- JaiJai (actor)Jai is a Tamil film actor. He is best known for his performances and appearances in the films Chennai 600028, Subramaniapuram and Engeyum Eppodhum. He is the nephew of music director Deva. Srikanth Deva is his cousin....
- Jayalakshmi
- K. R. VijayaK. R. VijayaK. R. Vijaya is a popular Indian actress who has starred in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. She started her career in the 1960s. She has been acting for more than four decades now in South Indian cinema. K. R...
- Nalini
- Nithin SathyaNithin SathyaNithin Sathya , is a Tamil film actor from Chennai. His first notable role was in Chennai 600028 . Since then he has been cast as a villain in Satham Podathey and in supporting roles in films like Raman Thediya Seethai. He has played the lead role in Pandhayam and Muthirai .- Filmography :-...
- S. N. Surendar
- Sakthi SaravananSakthi SaravananSakthi Saravanan is an Indian cinematographer, who works in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for his work in Venkat Prabhu directorials. He has done many Hit movies and became a Popular director like Chennai 600028,Saroja, Siva Manasula Sakthi, and Boss Engira Bhaskaran...
- Shanmugasundaram
- T. SivaT. SivaT. Siva is an Indian film producer and distributor in Chennai, India. He has produced 15 films including Saroja and Kanimozhi. He owns the production company, Amma Creations . - Filmography :-External links:...
- Venkat PrabhuVenkat PrabhuVenkat Kumar Gangai Amaren , better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu is an Indian filmmaker, who has worked as an actor, director and playback singer in the Tamil film industry...
- Vijay VasanthVijay VasanthVijay Vasanth is an Tamil film actor and model. He is the son of entrepreneur H. Vasanthakumar.-Filmography:-External links:...
- Vijayalakshmi Ahathian
- Yuvan Shankar RajaYuvan Shankar RajaYuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
Soundtrack
After the success of Chennai 600028Chennai 600028
Chennai 600028 is a 2007 Tamil sports comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu, making his directorial debut. The film stars Shiva, Jai, Premji Amaran, Aravind Akash, Nithin Sathya and newcomers Ajay Raj, Ranjith, Vijay Vasanth, Prasanna, Karthik and Arun in the lead along with...
(2007), director Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren , better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu is an Indian filmmaker, who has worked as an actor, director and playback singer in the Tamil film industry...
teamed up with his cousin Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan...
again for the musical score of Saroja. The soundtrack was released on 15 July 2008 at the Chennai Trade Center Convention Hall in Nandambakkam
Nandambakkam
Nandambakkam is a suburb of Chennai and a town in the Tambaram taluk of Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is renowned for the Chennai Trade Centre and the Surgical Instruments Factory...
by composer A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
. It features six tracks, out of which one song ("My Life") was designed as a promotional song, which would feature in television channels
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and popularize the film. The song, also composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, was performed by Indian band "Yodhakaa" from Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. The lyrics were provided by 'Kavignar' Vaali
Vaali (poet)
Vaali is a Tamil poet and lyricist who writes Tamil poetry and film song lyrics. Most recently he has extended lyrics for a couple of songs in Engeyum Kaadhal for the music of Harris Jayaraj. He has also acted in several films, most notably Hey Ram, Parthale Paravasam and Poi Kaal Kudhirai...
, Gangai Amaran
Gangai Amaran
Gangai Amaran is a Music director, Lyricist, Script writer, Actor and Film director in Tamil films. He is the younger brother of noted music director Ilayaraaja and father of actors Venkat Prabhu and Premji Amaren.-As script writer:...
and Yuvan Shankar Raja himself. The song "Cheeky Cheeky" was sung by Mathilda D'Silva, along with Yuvan Shankar Raja and Nirdhiya, who was a contestant of the reality show Singapore Idol
Singapore Idol
Singapore Idol is a television show on Channel 5 of MediaCorp TV. It is a competition among undiscovered singers in Singapore. Like others in the Idol series, it is modelled after Pop Idol. The current judges are singer/songwriter Dick Lee and record producers Florence Lian and Ken Lim. Previous...
.
The album received very positive reviews from critics, and the songs became widely popular. It was listed in many "Top 10 Albums of the Year" lists, while "Dosth Bada Dosth" was a chartbuster and among the most frequently played songs, and became an anthem of friendship.
| No. | Song | Singers | Length (m:ss) | Lyrics | Notes |
| 1 | "Aaja Meri Soniye" | Vijay Yesudas Vijay Yesudas Vijay Yesudas Kattassery , commonly credited as Vijay Yesudas, is an Indian playback singer, who has sung songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Tulu and Telugu.-Early life:... , , Premgi Amaren Premji Amaren Premji Amaren is a Tamil playback singer, film composer, songwriter and actor. Son of veteran film composer and singer Gangai Amaran, he often composes rap songs in Tamil cinema and is known for his comical performances in the Venkat Prabhu films Chennai 28, Saroja and Goa... |
4:30 | Gangai Amaren | Picturised on Shiva, Vaibhav Reddy, SPB Charan, Premji Amaren, & Kajal Aggarwal and several television actors and actress (see under Cast) |
| 2 | "Dosth Bada Dosth" | Haricharan, Naveen, Rahul Nambiar | 4:40 | Vaali Vaali (poet) Vaali is a Tamil poet and lyricist who writes Tamil poetry and film song lyrics. Most recently he has extended lyrics for a couple of songs in Engeyum Kaadhal for the music of Harris Jayaraj. He has also acted in several films, most notably Hey Ram, Parthale Paravasam and Poi Kaal Kudhirai... |
Picturised on Shiva, Vaibhav Reddy, SPB Charan, & Premji Amaren |
| 3 | "Nimirindhu Nil" | Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... |
4:53 | Gangai Amaren | Picturised on Shiva, Vaibhav Reddy, SPB Charan, Premji Amaren, & Vega Tamotia |
| 4 | "Cheeky Cheeky" | Yuvan Shankar Raja Yuvan Shankar Raja Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan... , Matilda D'Silva, Nrithya Maria Andrews |
3:50 | Vaali and Yuvan Shankar Raja Yuvan Shankar Raja Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan... |
Picturised on Vega Tamotia & Yuvan Shankar Raja |
| 5 | "Kodaana Kodi" | Suvi Suresh Suvi Suresh Suvi Suresh born as Swetha Suresh on 26 September is an Indian singer. She was a member of the band S5 launched by the channel SS Music. She shot to fame with the song "Kodana Kodi" from Saroja, composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. She is now member of a second band called Soulsonic.-Biography:Swetha... , Rahul Nambiar Rahul Nambiar Rahul Nambiar is an Indian playback singer and live performer. A MBA and M.Com-graduate, he won the Swapthaswarangal show in 2001 and began singing live... |
4:57 | Gangai Amaren | Picturised on Sampath Raj & Nikita Thukral |
| 6 | "My Life" | Tanvi Shah Tanvi Shah Tanvi Shah is a popular playback singer for films in India. She is the first Indian woman to win the Grammy Awards for the lyrics of "jai ho". She has a versatile voice and can sing in Arabic, Latin, Spanish and sings a wide range of music with her band, Zahrra... |
3:29 | Yuvan Shankar Raja Yuvan Shankar Raja Yuvan Shankar Raja is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, singer and occasional lyricist. He has predominantly scored music for Tamil as well as several Telugu films. His musical career began in 1996, at age 16, as he composed the film score for Aravindhan... |
Soundtrack film performed by the band "Yoddhakka" |
Reception
The film received universal acclaim worldwide. It was a huge commercial success as well grossing almost 4 crores at the chennai box office in 14 weeks according to the comparison website Behindwoods.com, thus making it Venkat PrabhuVenkat Prabhu
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren , better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu is an Indian filmmaker, who has worked as an actor, director and playback singer in the Tamil film industry...
's second successive hit after Chennai 600028
Chennai 600028
Chennai 600028 is a 2007 Tamil sports comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu, making his directorial debut. The film stars Shiva, Jai, Premji Amaran, Aravind Akash, Nithin Sathya and newcomers Ajay Raj, Ranjith, Vijay Vasanth, Prasanna, Karthik and Arun in the lead along with...
. The film completed 100 days all over Tamil Nadu, making it one of the blockbusters of 2008.
External links
- Official Website
- Saroja songs at Raaga