Villain (2002 film)
Encyclopedia
Villain is a 2002 Tamil
film
directed by K.S. Ravikumar and produced by S. S. Chakravarthy. The film stars Ajith Kumar
in a dual role while Meena and Kiran
play female leads. Sujatha
, Fesi Vijayan, Karunaas and Ramesh Khanna
appear in other significant roles, while Vidyasagar
composed the score and soundtrack for the film. It opened to positive reviews and box office success in November 2002, with Ajith's performance leading to his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
As a result of an incident when 'dada' Sundara Moorthy, who runs a beggar trade beats Vishnu brutally, Vishnu becomes handicapped for life. Shiva leaves Vishnu in a home run by a social worker (Sujatha
). During the day, Shiva works as a bus conductor, and at the same time, poses as the handicapped Vishnu: to play Robin Hood
and steal from the rich and corrupt. A gang including Thangam (Meena), Ramesh Khanna
and others assist him in these operations.
He is never suspected, and so, with the stolen money, he takes care of not only Vishnu but also 800 people in other institutions for the physically handicapped.
A college student Lavanya (Kiran Rathod
) falls in love with Shiva, but Shiva later comes to know that she is the sister-in-law of the 'dada' who handicapped Vishnu. Matters worsen when Sundara Moorthy becomes the chairman of the institute for the physically handicapped. How Shiva deals with the situation forms the rest of the story. Meanwhile Thangam is in love with Shiva, though he does not know this. Later she gives up her love and lets Lavanya marry Shiva.
reviewer claimed that "if you don't rack your brains about the feasibility of the hero's game plans, you could enjoy watching "Villain"" and that "Ajit scores on both fronts". Another critic cited that it was "great slag-less screenplay and some stunning performances from Ajith make this film a treat for the senses" with Ajith's performance leading to his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Another critic revealed that it is a "a predictable old story that we have seen a dozen times before, makes Villain just another average movie, though for Ajith's fans this will be a relief after the disaster of "Red"."
The film became a blockbuster at eh box office and emerged as one of the leading Tamil films of the year. The film was later remade in Telugu with the same title by Rajasekhar, while the original was also dubbed into Hindi and released as Jeet: Born to Win.
and lyrics by Vairamuthu
.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by K.S. Ravikumar and produced by S. S. Chakravarthy. The film stars Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
in a dual role while Meena and Kiran
Kiran Rathod
Kiran Rathod is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi and Tamil films.-Early life:Rathod was born on 11 January 1981 in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh into a Rajput family. She is a graduate of Mithibai College in Mumbai...
play female leads. Sujatha
Sujatha (actress)
Sujatha was a popular South Indian actress who has performed in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi language films, and was best known for restraint and subtlety in portrayal of varied emotions. Sujatha was introduced to the Tamil film industry by veteran director K. Balachander as a...
, Fesi Vijayan, Karunaas and Ramesh Khanna
Ramesh Khanna
Ramesh Kanna is a Tamil film actor and acts in supporting roles and comedian roles.Ramesh Khanna was born in Coimbatore and third child to the family. Ramesh Khanna arrived in Chennai in the late 1980s to have a career as an actor...
appear in other significant roles, while Vidyasagar
Vidyasagar (music director)
Vidyasagar is an Award-Winning Indian film music director and music composer in the Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi film industry. He is very popular in South Indian music industry and best known for his soulful melodies. His fast numbers to many films have earned him much fame too. He has...
composed the score and soundtrack for the film. It opened to positive reviews and box office success in November 2002, with Ajith's performance leading to his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
Plot
One of the twins is a bus conductor and the other is handicapped. The elder one, Shiva, overhears his parents' plot to kill his mildly retarded brother, Vishnu. He runs away to another city, with his adorable brother, and strives hard to look after Vishnu.As a result of an incident when 'dada' Sundara Moorthy, who runs a beggar trade beats Vishnu brutally, Vishnu becomes handicapped for life. Shiva leaves Vishnu in a home run by a social worker (Sujatha
Sujatha (actress)
Sujatha was a popular South Indian actress who has performed in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi language films, and was best known for restraint and subtlety in portrayal of varied emotions. Sujatha was introduced to the Tamil film industry by veteran director K. Balachander as a...
). During the day, Shiva works as a bus conductor, and at the same time, poses as the handicapped Vishnu: to play 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....
and steal from the rich and corrupt. A gang including Thangam (Meena), Ramesh Khanna
Ramesh Khanna
Ramesh Kanna is a Tamil film actor and acts in supporting roles and comedian roles.Ramesh Khanna was born in Coimbatore and third child to the family. Ramesh Khanna arrived in Chennai in the late 1980s to have a career as an actor...
and others assist him in these operations.
He is never suspected, and so, with the stolen money, he takes care of not only Vishnu but also 800 people in other institutions for the physically handicapped.
A college student Lavanya (Kiran Rathod
Kiran Rathod
Kiran Rathod is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi and Tamil films.-Early life:Rathod was born on 11 January 1981 in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh into a Rajput family. She is a graduate of Mithibai College in Mumbai...
) falls in love with Shiva, but Shiva later comes to know that she is the sister-in-law of the 'dada' who handicapped Vishnu. Matters worsen when Sundara Moorthy becomes the chairman of the institute for the physically handicapped. How Shiva deals with the situation forms the rest of the story. Meanwhile Thangam is in love with Shiva, though he does not know this. Later she gives up her love and lets Lavanya marry Shiva.
Cast
- Ajith KumarAjith KumarAjith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...
as Shiva and Vishnu - Meena as Thangam
- KiranKiran RathodKiran Rathod is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi and Tamil films.-Early life:Rathod was born on 11 January 1981 in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh into a Rajput family. She is a graduate of Mithibai College in Mumbai...
as Lavanya - SujathaSujatha (actress)Sujatha was a popular South Indian actress who has performed in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi language films, and was best known for restraint and subtlety in portrayal of varied emotions. Sujatha was introduced to the Tamil film industry by veteran director K. Balachander as a...
- Fefsi Vijayan as Sundaramoorthy
- Ramesh KhannaRamesh KhannaRamesh Kanna is a Tamil film actor and acts in supporting roles and comedian roles.Ramesh Khanna was born in Coimbatore and third child to the family. Ramesh Khanna arrived in Chennai in the late 1980s to have a career as an actor...
- KarunasKarunasKarunaas is a Tamil comedic film actor in the Tamil film industry. He has acted with many prominent actors and starred in successful films. Appearing mostly in supporting roles and providing comical relief, he also played lead roles in Dindigul Sarathy and Ambasamudram Ambani...
- VijayakumarVijayakumarVijayakumar is a Tamil actor and politician. Along with predominant work in Tamil cinema since 1973, he has acted in a few Hindi and Telugu movies. As of 2009, he is acting in the television serial, Thangam, aired on Sun TV.-Early life:...
- Rekha
- R. SundarrajanR. SundarrajanR. Sundarrajan is an Indian director, actor and writer for Tamil language films. He was born in Coimbatore.Director=* Kaalamellam Kaathiruppen* Seethanam* Thirumathi Pazhanisaamy* Saamy Potta Mudichu* Oyilaattam* Thaalaattu Paadaavaa* Engitte Modhathe...
- Nizhalgal RaviNizhalgal RaviNizhalgal Ravi is an Indian actor who has performed in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. He started his career in 1980 with the film Nizhalgal.-Career:...
- ManobalaManobalaManobala is a Tamil director and comedian actor who prominently plays supporting roles.-Career:Manobala has directed 40 films, 16 television serials and 3 tele-films during his career as a director. As an actor, he had appeared in 175 films as of July 2009...
- Santhana BharathiSanthana BharathiSanthana Bharathi is a popular Tamil language film celebrity in Kollywood, the Tamil film industry in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He has directed several films such as Guna and the National Film Award winner, Mahanadhi...
Production
The film saw the first collaboration of Ajith Kumar and K. S. Ravikumar, with the former revealing that he was initially reluctant to work with the director in fear of a misunderstanding. The producer, S. S. Chakravarthy, also worked with a prominent director for the first time in his career.Release
The HinduThe 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...
reviewer claimed that "if you don't rack your brains about the feasibility of the hero's game plans, you could enjoy watching "Villain"" and that "Ajit scores on both fronts". Another critic cited that it was "great slag-less screenplay and some stunning performances from Ajith make this film a treat for the senses" with Ajith's performance leading to his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Another critic revealed that it is a "a predictable old story that we have seen a dozen times before, makes Villain just another average movie, though for Ajith's fans this will be a relief after the disaster of "Red"."
The film became a blockbuster at eh box office and emerged as one of the leading Tamil films of the year. The film was later remade in Telugu with the same title by Rajasekhar, while the original was also dubbed into Hindi and released as Jeet: Born to Win.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack features 6 songs composed by VidyasagarVidyasagar (music director)
Vidyasagar is an Award-Winning Indian film music director and music composer in the Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi film industry. He is very popular in South Indian music industry and best known for his soulful melodies. His fast numbers to many films have earned him much fame too. He has...
and lyrics by Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramaswamy Thevar is an award-winning Tamil poet and lyricist.Debuting in the film Nizhalgal with the lyrics for the song "Ponmalai Pozhudhu", he has now about 5800 songs to his credit as of January 2009. His partnership with the composers Ilaiyaraaja, and later A. R...
.
| Song Title | Singers |
|---|---|
| "Pathinettu Vayathil" | Udit Narayan Udit Narayan -Career:King of melody, Udit Narayan Jha was born on 1 December, 1955 in a village called Bhardaha in the Saptari district , Nepal. His father was Hare Krishna Jha and his mother was Bhuwaneshwari Devi.Narayan studied at P.B... , Sadhana Sargam Sadhana Sargam Sadhana Sargam is an acclaimed Indian playback singer. She is a recipient of the prestigious National Film Award and Filmfare Awards.Sargam has sung in many Indian languages for films, television serials and music albums. She is well known for her 90s Hindi songs and recent South Indian songs. She... |
| "Orae Manam" | Hariharan Hariharan (singer) Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity... , Chandana Bala |
| "Adicha Nethi Adi | Karthik Raja Karthik Raja Karthik Raja is a Tamil musician from Chennai, India. He made his debut as music composer in the Tamil film Alexander.-Personal life:Karthik Raja is the eldest son of musician Ilaiyaraaja and Jeeva. His brother Yuvan Shankar Raja and sister Bhavatharini, who are also Kollywood music directors and... , Swarnalatha Swarnalatha Swarnalatha was a Indian playback singer. From 1987 onward, she rendered nearly 7000 songs in many languages including Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu, Bengali, Oriya, Punjabi and Badaga.... |
| "Aadiyil Kaathadicha" | S.P.Balasubramanyam |
| "Hello Hello" | Tippu Tippu (singer) Tippu is a South Indian playback singer who has performed in Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu languages. Tippu's original name, as told by him in Koffee with Anu, is Ekambaresh. He is married to playback singers Harini. Tippu did his schooling at St. John's Matriculation Higher Secondary School... , Sadhana Sargam Sadhana Sargam Sadhana Sargam is an acclaimed Indian playback singer. She is a recipient of the prestigious National Film Award and Filmfare Awards.Sargam has sung in many Indian languages for films, television serials and music albums. She is well known for her 90s Hindi songs and recent South Indian songs. She... , Anuradha Sriram Anuradha Sriram Anuradha Sriram is an Indian carnatic and playback singer who hails from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She has sung in many Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films.- Personal life :... |
| "Thappu Thanda" | 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:... , Sujatha Mohan Sujatha Mohan Sujatha Mohan , usually credited as Sujatha, is an award-winning Indian playback singer who is popular for singing in Malayalam and Tamil movies. She has also sung for Telugu, Kannada and Hindi movies. She is widely popular for her evergreen melodies and her sweet voice is considered to be her... |