Velayudham
Encyclopedia
Velayudham is a 2011
Tamil
action-masala film
directed by M. Raja
. It stars Vijay, Hansika Motwani
, Genelia D'Souza
and Saranya Mohan
in lead roles. Produced by V. Ravichandran
's Aascar Films, the story revolves around an ordinary milkman
, trying to eradicate corruption
. The film was released on October 26, 2011 to mixed reviews from critics and declared a commercial success.
with a blindfolded person being dragged by a few terrorists. He is brought to the leader of the gang and identified as the Home Minister of Tamil Nadu. Further plans are revealed when the gang strikes a hefty deal with him for planting a series of bombs in Chennai
. Then happens a bomb explosion at a transportation bus in the city killing many innocent peoples. A group of three journalists, including Bharathi (Genelia D'Souza
), commit to eradicating terrorism in the country after completing their Journalism course. One night, Bharathi and her two friends secretly film the illegal activities like creation of explosives and women trafficking happening in a secluded house. However, the journalists' presence is detected and their escape attempt results in the deaths of her friend and injury to Bharathi. But after the attack on Bharathi and her friends, the goon's vehicle explode due to a small mishap when a matchstick falls over petrol packets stored in the vehicle. Bharathi, already stabbed by one of the goons, comes up with a new idea to eradicate terrorism by creating a fictional character called Velayudham, and writes a note that he wants to clean up the city of bad guys before falling unconscious.
Velayudham a.k.a Velu (Vijay) is a milk vendor in a village called Pavunoor, and he has a sister named Kaveri (Saranya Mohan
) he loves and a cousin Vaidehi (Hansika Motwani
) who is crazy about him. Though the brother and sister creates lot of trouble for the villagers, they are still adored by the villagers. They, along with a couple of village friends, arrive in Chennai to collect money from a chit fund for his sister's marriage, and somehow Speedu (Santhanam) gets part of their money. On chasing Speedu in a railway station, Vel uses a bike to catch him, and it explodes a few seconds later. Next few moments he inadvertently prevents few bomb blasts and helps catch terrorists, thus Velayudham becomes a sensation over time. He even manages to save Bharathi in one of the incidents which he never meant for it to happen.
Velu is unaware of the consequences, later Bharathi realises Velu is the guy who has been accidentally doing the work of Velayudham. Bharathi meets him, explains and asks him to become the fictional character, however he refuses. Later Velu goes to draw cash from the chit fund but the company cheats him off his money and the people who are cheated vow that Velayudham will come as their saviour. Velu seeing this decides to take upon the avatar of Velayudham and starts to do eradicate certain evil that pertains within the society forms the crux of the last half of the movie.
who had acted opposite Vijay in Sachein was chosen for the role of a journalist, and Hansika Motwani
was chosen to portray Vijay's love interest, while Saranya Mohan
would play sister to Vijay's character. Art director Veera Samar also was roped in to play a journalist. While Santhanam and M. S. Baskar
were chosen to play the comedy lead in the film, Sayaji Shinde, Vineetkumar and Abhimanyu Singh were selected to play negative roles. Tom Delmar, who had worked as a stunt coordinator in several Hollywood films, joined the crew to choreograph the stunts in the film. Due to his commitment to Velayudham, Vijay almost lost his role in S. Shankar
's Nanban
. He had walked out of Nanban, since the two films demanded two completely different looks, however, he joined the film later as the scenes involving the protagonist were reserved to be shot later.
, and the last schedule in Chennai
. A song sequence choreographed by Shobi that was originally to be shot in Switzerland
was canned in Srinagar
, Jammu and Kashmir
, with Genelia and Hansika filming alongside Vijay. A stunt sequence was shot on a train moving on a bridge at Rayagada in Orissa under Tom Delmar's supervision, while another fight sequence was filmed at Golconda fort, Hyderabad. The film's dubbing was done in Four Frames Recording Studio in Chennai.
that starred Soundarya
as a journalist and Akkineni Nagarjuna
as a villager, incidentally the roles essayed by Genelia and Vijay, respectively. However, director M. Raja
claimed that it was not a remake but his own story. He later admitted that Azad served as the inspiration and that he had penned a new screenplay. Notably, Vijay had signed up to appear in a village action story titled Velan in 2001 to be directed by Thirupathisamy, the director of Azad, which was postponed indefinitely after the death of the director. Raja told his cast that it was inspired by Azad and requested them to not watch the original. Post the film's release, Raja said that his brother Jayam Ravi
had help him in improving the script.
. The audio right was bought by Sony Music for huge amount. The soundtrack consists of 6 tracks and was released on 28 August 2011, at CSI Grounds in Madurai
, attended by thousand of Vijay fans. Vijay, Hansika Motwani, S. A. Chandrasekhar
, Vijay Antony, Viveka, and several distributors and theatre owners were present in function. According to Sony Music Entertainment Chennai
, the soundtrack received an overwhelming response with all units produced been sold within a day of release, creating a new record.
said "Vijay Antony's music has met the expectations of the audience. The album has all kinds of songs and the music director has targeted the mass as well as class listeners". Indiaglitz said "the music album [...] presents us a variety fare, however with the main target being the 'mass audience'", labelling it as a "food festival for the appetite of Vijay fans, who are craving for mass masala numbers from their hero".
on October 13, 2011. The satellite rights were sold to Jaya TV
for a price of 4 crores, and the theatrical trailer was released in October 2011 to positive response.
Velayudham released on 26 October, during the Deepavali festival, alongside 7aam Arivu
. The film was released with over 820 prints worldwide, making it the biggest release in Vijay's career. It also saw a release in about 100 theaters in Karnataka
and 120 theaters in Kerala
, owing to the actor's fan following in the neighbouring states. The film released across 40 theaters in Chennai
. As per overseas distributor Ayngaran International, the film released in 26 theatres in UK, second only to Endhiran. The US theatrical rights were acquired by GK Media.
called it a "paisa vassol film", stating that the film was a "perfect outing with family, but far too long in length". Rediff.com
gave the film 2.5 out of 5, while noting that it "doesn't take itself seriously and doesn't expect you to either. In other words, it's paisa vasool." CNN-IBN defined the film as a "must watch" and "treat for Vijay fans". Indiaglitz labelled it a "racy entertainer this Deepavali season" and cited it was a "right choice for the festival mood". Behindwoods named the film a "regular mass entertainer spiced up by Vijay" and gave the film 3 out of 5 as well. Similarly Oneindia.in
described it as a "complete masala entertainer", highlighting its story and "amazing action-sequences". Nowrunning.com rated it 2.5/5, writing: "Velayudham, part comedy part action sails through both streams smoothly until it is struck and sunk by crude melodrama". The Hindu
stated that the film "simply enters and entertains" and that Raja had "churn[ed] out reasonably engaging fare", adding that it had a "strong story, a neat screenplay [...] arresting action, admirable dance movements, one or two hum-worthy numbers and the ever-helpful sister sentiment". Indo-Asian News Service
gave the film 2.5 out of 5, citing that it "defies all logic, but has the magic of the star called Vijay".
day and was declared a box office success. The film topped the regional box office despite opening with less prints than 7aum Arivu, forcing the producers to release more prints.
In its opening weekend, spanning five days, the film grossed 2.10 crore in Chennai city alone. According to trade sources, the film grossed 19 crores in Tamil Nadu
and around 40 crores during the first weekend worldwide from 850 screens. On October 28, two days after its release, Vijay, Vijay Antony
and director Raja met the press at a hotel in Chennai
to celebrate the success of the film.
Overseas, Velayudham was a relatively high grosser in Europe and North America, with Taran Adarsh
, a Bollywood
film critic
highlighting that the film was "rocking internationally". The film in its five-days extended weekend had collected $107,843 in UK, as the film featured at 20th position in the UK Box Office with a per screen average of $6,344 (third highest)
Tamil films of 2011
The following is a list of films produced in the Tamil cinema in India that released or will be releasing in 2011.-Chennai box office openings:-January - June:-July - December:- Scheduled releases :-Unscheduled releases:-Notable deaths:...
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...
action-masala film
Masala (film genre)
Masala is a term given to films of Indian cinema that mix various genres in one film. Typically these films freely mix action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. These films tend to be musicals that include songs filmed in picturesque locations...
directed by M. Raja
M. Raja
Raja Mohan is an Indian film director, primarily working in the Tamil film industry. As of 2011, he has directed seven films, all of them being a remake even velayutham. Notably all his five directorials in Tamil starred his brother Jayam Ravi and were produced by his father, editor Mohan under his...
. It stars Vijay, Hansika Motwani
Hansika Motwani
Hansika Motwani is an Indian actress and a former child actress. She has worked in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films.-Early life:Hansika Motwani was born in Mangalore, India. Her father Pradeep Motwani is a businessman, and her mother is Seema Motwani, a dermatologist...
, Genelia D'Souza
Genelia D'Souza
Genelia D'Souza is an Indian actress, model, and host. She has appeared in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam language films. After gaining wide attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, D'Souza began her acting career with Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003...
and Saranya Mohan
Saranya Mohan
Saranya Mohan is an Indian film actress, who has acted in Malayalam and Tamil films. She is probably best known for her performances in Yaaradi Nee Mohini and Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu.-Early life:...
in lead roles. Produced by V. Ravichandran
Venu Ravichandran
Venu Ravichandran is an Indian film producer and distributor in Chennai, India. He is the founder and owner of the production and distribution company, Aascar Films.-Career:...
's Aascar Films, the story revolves around an ordinary milkman
Milkman
A milkman is a person, traditionally male, who delivers milk in milk bottles or cartons. Milk deliveries frequently occur in the morning and it is not uncommon for milkmen to deliver products other than milk such as eggs, cream, cheese, butter, yogurt or soft drinks...
, trying to eradicate corruption
Corruption
Corruption usually refers to spiritual or moral impurity.Corruption may also refer to:* Corruption , an American crime film* Corruption , a British horror film...
. The film was released on October 26, 2011 to mixed reviews from critics and declared a commercial success.
Plot
The film opens up in PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
with a blindfolded person being dragged by a few terrorists. He is brought to the leader of the gang and identified as the Home Minister of Tamil Nadu. Further plans are revealed when the gang strikes a hefty deal with him for planting a series of bombs 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...
. Then happens a bomb explosion at a transportation bus in the city killing many innocent peoples. A group of three journalists, including Bharathi (Genelia D'Souza
Genelia D'Souza
Genelia D'Souza is an Indian actress, model, and host. She has appeared in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam language films. After gaining wide attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, D'Souza began her acting career with Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003...
), commit to eradicating terrorism in the country after completing their Journalism course. One night, Bharathi and her two friends secretly film the illegal activities like creation of explosives and women trafficking happening in a secluded house. However, the journalists' presence is detected and their escape attempt results in the deaths of her friend and injury to Bharathi. But after the attack on Bharathi and her friends, the goon's vehicle explode due to a small mishap when a matchstick falls over petrol packets stored in the vehicle. Bharathi, already stabbed by one of the goons, comes up with a new idea to eradicate terrorism by creating a fictional character called Velayudham, and writes a note that he wants to clean up the city of bad guys before falling unconscious.
Velayudham a.k.a Velu (Vijay) is a milk vendor in a village called Pavunoor, and he has a sister named Kaveri (Saranya Mohan
Saranya Mohan
Saranya Mohan is an Indian film actress, who has acted in Malayalam and Tamil films. She is probably best known for her performances in Yaaradi Nee Mohini and Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu.-Early life:...
) he loves and a cousin Vaidehi (Hansika Motwani
Hansika Motwani
Hansika Motwani is an Indian actress and a former child actress. She has worked in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films.-Early life:Hansika Motwani was born in Mangalore, India. Her father Pradeep Motwani is a businessman, and her mother is Seema Motwani, a dermatologist...
) who is crazy about him. Though the brother and sister creates lot of trouble for the villagers, they are still adored by the villagers. They, along with a couple of village friends, arrive in Chennai to collect money from a chit fund for his sister's marriage, and somehow Speedu (Santhanam) gets part of their money. On chasing Speedu in a railway station, Vel uses a bike to catch him, and it explodes a few seconds later. Next few moments he inadvertently prevents few bomb blasts and helps catch terrorists, thus Velayudham becomes a sensation over time. He even manages to save Bharathi in one of the incidents which he never meant for it to happen.
Velu is unaware of the consequences, later Bharathi realises Velu is the guy who has been accidentally doing the work of Velayudham. Bharathi meets him, explains and asks him to become the fictional character, however he refuses. Later Velu goes to draw cash from the chit fund but the company cheats him off his money and the people who are cheated vow that Velayudham will come as their saviour. Velu seeing this decides to take upon the avatar of Velayudham and starts to do eradicate certain evil that pertains within the society forms the crux of the last half of the movie.
Cast
- Vijay as Velayudham (Velu)
- Genelia D'SouzaGenelia D'SouzaGenelia D'Souza is an Indian actress, model, and host. She has appeared in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam language films. After gaining wide attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, D'Souza began her acting career with Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003...
as Bharathi - Hansika MotwaniHansika MotwaniHansika Motwani is an Indian actress and a former child actress. She has worked in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films.-Early life:Hansika Motwani was born in Mangalore, India. Her father Pradeep Motwani is a businessman, and her mother is Seema Motwani, a dermatologist...
as Vaidhyalakshmi (Vaidehi) - Saranya MohanSaranya MohanSaranya Mohan is an Indian film actress, who has acted in Malayalam and Tamil films. She is probably best known for her performances in Yaaradi Nee Mohini and Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu.-Early life:...
as Kaveri - Santhanam as Speed
- Abhimanyu SinghAbhimanyu SinghAbhimanyu Singh is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Bollywood.He made his debut in films with Aks , directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. He got his first break with the role of Ransa Singh in Gulaal , directed by Anurag Kashyap. The role won him the 2010 Stardust Award for breakthrough...
as Musafir Ibrahim - Vineet KumarVineet KumarVineet Kumar is a veteran actor, well known for playing negative roles. He has done a number of Hindi films and television serials. He is sometimes credited as Vinit Kumar or Binit Kumar.-Early life:...
as Ulaganathan, the Home Minister - Soori as Abdullah
- PandiPandi (actor)"Black" Pandi is a comedy actor from Tamil Nadu, India who has acted in Tamil films and T. V. Shows. He acted in minor roles in a few films before being cast as "Pandi" in the Vijay TV show Kana Kaanum Kaalangal. Since then he has appeared in the second season of the show and also in the reality...
as Pandi - Raaghav as Jai
- M. S. Bhaskar as Vaidehi's father
- Sayaji ShindeSayaji ShindeSayaji Shinde is a Marathi film and multilingual actor from India who has acted in Bollywood, Tollywood and Kollywood. He was born in a small village near Satara, Maharashtra.-Career:...
as M. Feroz Khan
- PandiarajanPandiarajanPandiarajan is an actor who had played leading roles in many humorous Tamil films and currently plays supporting and comedy roles.-Personal life:...
as an Inspector - Vincent AsokanVincent AsokanVincent Asokan is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil & Malayalam films. He debuted in Aai and has mostly enacted antagonist roles.-Personal life:Vincent is the son of famous villain actor S.A Asokan. He is married and has two sons.-Filmography:...
as Ulaganathan's brother - Rajendran as a Local Goon
- ManivannanManivannanManivannan is a popular Tamil actor and director. With over 400 films to his name, Manivannan is one of the most experienced actors in the field. He normally plays the role of a dad or a senior comedian.- Background :...
as Rathnavelu, the Prime Minister - IlavarasuIlavarasuIlavarasu is an Indian cinematographer-turned-actor, who works in the Tamil film industry. He started his career as a cinematographer and worked for 13 films, winning a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for one of them. He, however, became better known as an actor, after he debuted and appeared in...
as a poor man - Veera Samar as Hari, Bharathi's friend
- T. P. Gajendran as a Travelling Ticket Examiner
- Kadhal Dandapani
- AjayAjay (actor)- Career :Born and brought up in Vijayawada, India.He did his studies in various places like Vijayawada, Nellore and Tirupati as his father used to get transferred very frequently. He joined a college in jubilee hills to pursue EAMCET long term . He enrolled in Madhu Film Institute and completed a...
as Ulaganathan's partner - Singamuthu as Speed's father
- VaiyapuriVaiyapuriVaiyapuri is a Tamil film actor who mostly plays a comedian. He has appeared in many Tamil films and is also a guest judge on Asathapovathu Yaaru on Sun TV in Chennai. He started his career in Balu mahendra Film "Raman Abdulla" with the servant role and has scored most in the first film...
as Speed's brother - Junaid Shaikh as Musafir Ibrahim's henchman
Casting
The film was launched on July 15, 2010 at the Madras University campus. Genelia D'SouzaGenelia D'Souza
Genelia D'Souza is an Indian actress, model, and host. She has appeared in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam language films. After gaining wide attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, D'Souza began her acting career with Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003...
who had acted opposite Vijay in Sachein was chosen for the role of a journalist, and Hansika Motwani
Hansika Motwani
Hansika Motwani is an Indian actress and a former child actress. She has worked in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films.-Early life:Hansika Motwani was born in Mangalore, India. Her father Pradeep Motwani is a businessman, and her mother is Seema Motwani, a dermatologist...
was chosen to portray Vijay's love interest, while Saranya Mohan
Saranya Mohan
Saranya Mohan is an Indian film actress, who has acted in Malayalam and Tamil films. She is probably best known for her performances in Yaaradi Nee Mohini and Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu.-Early life:...
would play sister to Vijay's character. Art director Veera Samar also was roped in to play a journalist. While Santhanam and M. S. Baskar
M. S. Baskar
M. 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...
were chosen to play the comedy lead in the film, Sayaji Shinde, Vineetkumar and Abhimanyu Singh were selected to play negative roles. Tom Delmar, who had worked as a stunt coordinator in several Hollywood films, joined the crew to choreograph the stunts in the film. Due to his commitment to Velayudham, Vijay almost lost his role in S. Shankar
S. Shankar
Shankar is an Indian film director and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He made his directional debut in Gentleman for which he was awarded the Filmfare Best Director Award...
's Nanban
Nanban (film)
Nanban is an upcoming Tamil comedy drama film directed by S. Shankar. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Vijay, Jeeva, Srikanth, Sathyaraj and Ileana D'Cruz. The soundtrack and background score is by Harris Jayaraj, working with Shankar for the second time after Anniyan . Filming...
. He had walked out of Nanban, since the two films demanded two completely different looks, however, he joined the film later as the scenes involving the protagonist were reserved to be shot later.
Filming
Filming was carried out primarily at three locations, Southern Tamil Nadu, KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, and the last schedule 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...
. A song sequence choreographed by Shobi that was originally to be shot in 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....
was canned in Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
, Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
, with Genelia and Hansika filming alongside Vijay. A stunt sequence was shot on a train moving on a bridge at Rayagada in Orissa under Tom Delmar's supervision, while another fight sequence was filmed at Golconda fort, Hyderabad. The film's dubbing was done in Four Frames Recording Studio in Chennai.
Influences
It has been widely reported to be a remake of the 2000 Telugu film AzadAzad (film)
Azad is a 2000 Telugu film directed by Tirupathi Swamy. It stars Akkineni Nagarjuna in the lead role and Raghuvaran, Shilpa Shetty, and Soundarya in other important roles. C. Ashwini Dutt produced the film and Mani Sharma composed music...
that starred Soundarya
Soundarya
Soundarya was a film actress who appeared in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. She acted in more than 90 films, most of them in Telugu. She was killed in a plane crash near Bangalore.-Film career:...
as a journalist and Akkineni Nagarjuna
Akkineni Nagarjuna
Akkineni Nagarjuna is an Indian film actor in Tollywood and Bollywood. He is a producer and one of the lead actors in Telugu cinema.- Early life :...
as a villager, incidentally the roles essayed by Genelia and Vijay, respectively. However, director M. Raja
M. Raja
Raja Mohan is an Indian film director, primarily working in the Tamil film industry. As of 2011, he has directed seven films, all of them being a remake even velayutham. Notably all his five directorials in Tamil starred his brother Jayam Ravi and were produced by his father, editor Mohan under his...
claimed that it was not a remake but his own story. He later admitted that Azad served as the inspiration and that he had penned a new screenplay. Notably, Vijay had signed up to appear in a village action story titled Velan in 2001 to be directed by Thirupathisamy, the director of Azad, which was postponed indefinitely after the death of the director. Raja told his cast that it was inspired by Azad and requested them to not watch the original. Post the film's release, Raja said that his brother Jayam Ravi
Jayam Ravi
Jayam Ravi is an Indian film actor. Ravi has appeared in films including Jayam, M. Kumaran Son Of Mahalakshmi, Unakkum Enakkum, Santhosh Subramaniam and Thillalangadi all of which have been directed by his brother, M...
had help him in improving the script.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is scored by Vijay AntonyVijay Antony
-Biography and career:Antony first worked as a sound engineer, later becoming a music director. In 1998 he studied at Loyola College, Chennai after which he founded his own studio, 'Audiophiles', composing and sound engineering for TV jingles and documentaries. The soundtrack of the film Sukran,...
. The audio right was bought by Sony Music for huge amount. The soundtrack consists of 6 tracks and was released on 28 August 2011, at CSI Grounds in 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...
, attended by thousand of Vijay fans. Vijay, Hansika Motwani, S. A. Chandrasekhar
S. A. Chandrasekhar
S.A. Chandrasekhar is an Indian film director, producer and writer. He is the father of Kollywood actor Vijay.-Personal life:He is married to Shoba, who is a singer.His son Joseph Vijay is one of the leading kollywood actors and his daughter Vidhya passed away at the age of two.Jaya is his...
, Vijay Antony, Viveka, and several distributors and theatre owners were present in function. According to Sony Music Entertainment Chennai
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
, the soundtrack received an overwhelming response with all units produced been sold within a day of release, creating a new record.
Critical response
The soundtrack received mixed reviews, with critics recommending the album for Vijay's fans. Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff gave it 2 out of 5 stating "Vijay Antony plays it safe mostly, with the result that there's nothing new." P. G. Devi from Behindwoods gave it 2.5 out of 5 and said "Vijay Antony continues to flaunt his success this time around with Velayutham. The album has a bunch of entertaining soundtrack like, 'Molachu moonu', 'Mayam Seidhayo' and usual mass beat tracks 'Sonna Puriyadhu' and 'Vela Vela'." Prakash Upadhyaya from Oneindia.inOneindia.in
Oneindia.in is an Indian online portal owned by Greynium Information Technologies Pvt. Ltd., which provides news updates, sports news, travel, entertainment, videos, and classifieds. Alexa Traffic Rank of Oneindia.in is ranked number 525 in the world and Google page rank of Oneindia.in is 7...
said "Vijay Antony's music has met the expectations of the audience. The album has all kinds of songs and the music director has targeted the mass as well as class listeners". Indiaglitz said "the music album [...] presents us a variety fare, however with the main target being the 'mass audience'", labelling it as a "food festival for the appetite of Vijay fans, who are craving for mass masala numbers from their hero".
Release
The film was initially supposed to be released on 22 July, coninciding with Vijay's birthday, but was postponed due to delay in production. The film was given a U (Universal) certificate by the Indian censor boardCentral Board of Film Certification
The Central Board of Film Certification is a Government of India regulatory body and censorship board of India controlled by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It reviews, rates and censors motion pictures, television shows, television ads, and promotional material...
on October 13, 2011. The satellite rights were sold to Jaya TV
Jaya TV
Jaya TV is one of the major Tamil language satellite television channels based in Chennai, India. Jaya TV is one of the early Tamil channels to entertain the Tamil audiences spread across Globe....
for a price of 4 crores, and the theatrical trailer was released in October 2011 to positive response.
Velayudham released on 26 October, during the Deepavali festival, alongside 7aam Arivu
7aam Arivu
7aum Arivu is a 2011 Tamil science fiction thriller film written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss, featuring Suriya, Shruti Haasan and Johnny Tri Nguyen in leading roles. The film, produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin began production in May 2010. The film, featuring cinematography by Ravi K...
. The film was released with over 820 prints worldwide, making it the biggest release in Vijay's career. It also saw a release in about 100 theaters in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
and 120 theaters in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, owing to the actor's fan following in the neighbouring states. The film released across 40 theaters 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...
. As per overseas distributor Ayngaran International, the film released in 26 theatres in UK, second only to Endhiran. The US theatrical rights were acquired by GK Media.
Critical response
The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. SifySify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
called it a "paisa vassol film", stating that the film was a "perfect outing with family, but far too long in length". Rediff.com
Rediff.com
Rediff.com India is a news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996 as "Rediff On The NeT" and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York City, USA....
gave the film 2.5 out of 5, while noting that it "doesn't take itself seriously and doesn't expect you to either. In other words, it's paisa vasool." CNN-IBN defined the film as a "must watch" and "treat for Vijay fans". Indiaglitz labelled it a "racy entertainer this Deepavali season" and cited it was a "right choice for the festival mood". Behindwoods named the film a "regular mass entertainer spiced up by Vijay" and gave the film 3 out of 5 as well. Similarly Oneindia.in
Oneindia.in
Oneindia.in is an Indian online portal owned by Greynium Information Technologies Pvt. Ltd., which provides news updates, sports news, travel, entertainment, videos, and classifieds. Alexa Traffic Rank of Oneindia.in is ranked number 525 in the world and Google page rank of Oneindia.in is 7...
described it as a "complete masala entertainer", highlighting its story and "amazing action-sequences". Nowrunning.com rated it 2.5/5, writing: "Velayudham, part comedy part action sails through both streams smoothly until it is struck and sunk by crude melodrama". The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
stated that the film "simply enters and entertains" and that Raja had "churn[ed] out reasonably engaging fare", adding that it had a "strong story, a neat screenplay [...] arresting action, admirable dance movements, one or two hum-worthy numbers and the ever-helpful sister sentiment". Indo-Asian News Service
Indo-Asian News Service
Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is India's largest private news agency. The IANS is run by a group of professional journalists.The IANS was founded by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the India Abroad News Service. It was later renamed the Indo-Asian News Service...
gave the film 2.5 out of 5, citing that it "defies all logic, but has the magic of the star called Vijay".
Box office
Velayudham took a big opening on DiwaliDiwali
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...
day and was declared a box office success. The film topped the regional box office despite opening with less prints than 7aum Arivu, forcing the producers to release more prints.
In its opening weekend, spanning five days, the film grossed 2.10 crore in Chennai city alone. According to trade sources, the film grossed 19 crores in 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...
and around 40 crores during the first weekend worldwide from 850 screens. On October 28, two days after its release, Vijay, Vijay Antony
Vijay Antony
-Biography and career:Antony first worked as a sound engineer, later becoming a music director. In 1998 he studied at Loyola College, Chennai after which he founded his own studio, 'Audiophiles', composing and sound engineering for TV jingles and documentaries. The soundtrack of the film Sukran,...
and director Raja met the press at a hotel 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...
to celebrate the success of the film.
Overseas, Velayudham was a relatively high grosser in Europe and North America, with Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
, a 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...
film critic
Film criticism
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
highlighting that the film was "rocking internationally". The film in its five-days extended weekend had collected $107,843 in UK, as the film featured at 20th position in the UK Box Office with a per screen average of $6,344 (third highest)