''80s Buildup'', or more simply as ''Buildup'', is a 2023 Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

-language period

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

comedy film written and directed by

Kalyaan Kalyaan is an Indian people, Indian film director and screenwriter who has been working in Tamil film Industry.He is notable for his commercially successful films like ''Gulaebaghavali'' and ''Jackpot (2019 film), Jackpot'' . Career Kalyaan m ...

. Produced by K. E. Gnanavel Raja under the production banner

Studio Green Studio Green is an Cinema of India, Indian film production and distribution company based in Chennai. The company was founded in 2006 by K. E. Gnanavel Raja, relative of actor Sivakumar and many of their films feature his sons Suriya and Karthi ...

, the film stars Santhanam and Radhika Preethi in the lead roles, and

R. Sundarrajan R. Sundarrajan is an Indian film director, actor, comedian and writer for Tamil language films. Active primarily in the 1980s and the 1990s as a filmmaker, he appeared more often as an actor thereafter. Sundarajan is known for his silver jubi ...

and

K. S. Ravikumar K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, primarily working in Tamil films. Career 1990–1997 Ravikumar worked as co-director on R. B. Choudary's production ''Pudhu Vasantham'' directe ...

in supporting roles. The film was released theatrically on 24 November 2023 and received negative reviews from critics.

Plot

Kathir and Manja kili are siblings from a wealthy Zamin family. Their grandfather, Naathamuni, dies after swallowing diamonds that smugglers were trying to steal, along with a sword that has a treasure map. Kathir and Manja kili make a bet: Kathir must make their distant cousin, Devi, fall in love with him before their grandfather’s final rites. While they compete, the smugglers are trying to get back the diamonds and the treasure map.

Cast

Production

The film was written by

with Santhanam in mind during 2022, with production on the film beginning by the end of the year. Produced by

, the film brought together a number of comedic actors including

Manobala Manobala (born 8 December 1953) is an Indian film director, producer, actor and comedian who predominantly plays supporting roles in Tamil-language films. He started his career in Tamil cinema in the early 1970s and with Kamal Haasan's referen ...

and

Mayilswamy Mayilsamy (born October 2, 1965) is an Indian actor and comedian who prominently plays supporting roles. Appearing in many Tamil films, he is also a regular guest judge on ''Asathapovathu Yaaru'' on Sun TV in Chennai. Career He is a popular a ...

, who died before the release of the film. The film was first announced to the media in October 2023, only a month before the film's release. Radhika Preethi, who had previously worked on films such as ''Raja Loves Radhe'' (2018) and ''

Embiran ''Embiran'' is a 2019 Indian Tamil language thriller film directed by Krishna Pandi, starring Rejith Menon, Radhika Preethi and T. S. B. K. Moulee. Rejith Menon played as Priyan, Radhika Preethi as Jeya and T. S. B. K. Moulee played grandfather ...

'' (2019), appeared in the leading female role. Kalyan revealed that the film would be set in the 1980s,and would feature Santhanam as huge fan of

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...

, while his grandfather would be a

Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...

fan.

Release

The film had a theatrical release on 24 November 2023 across Tamil Nadu. A critic from '' Times of India'' noted that it was "a comedy with potential that misfires" and that "there is a laugh riot hiding within the plot of ''80s Buildup'', but unfortunately, director Kalyaan fails to find it". A critic from

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

wrote "if you are looking for an activity to test your mental endurance to the maximum, well, this Santhanam film hits the mark", in a negative review. Navein Darshan of ''

Cinema Express ''Cinema Express'' was an Indian Tamil-language entertainment fortnightly magazine published from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was a part of The New Indian Express Group, which also publishes ''Samakalika Malayalam Vaarika'' weekly as well as '' Din ...

'' wrote the film was "a lazy, offensive talkathon masquerading as comedy" and that "every scene in the film is a reminder that there has been very little to no work done on the writing front to entertain or respect its audience".

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 29537095 2020s Tamil-language films 2020s Indian films 2023 romantic comedy films 2023 films Indian romantic comedy films Films scored by Ghibran Vaibodha