''96'' is a 2018 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, nativ ...
-language
romantic drama film
Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typica ...
written and directed by C. Premkumar. Produced by S. Nanthagopal of Madras Enterprises, the film was distributed by Lalit Kumar under his banner Seven Screen Studio. Starring
Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan (born 4 May 1983), known mononymously as Trisha, is an Indian actress and model, who primarily works in Tamil and Telugu films. She was noticed after winning Miss Chennai contest (1999), which marked her entry into the fil ...
and
Vijay Sethupathi
Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi (born 16 January 1978), known professionally as Vijay Sethupathi, is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil films. He is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award.
Fo ...
in lead roles, the film has
Bagavathi Perumal,
Devadarshini
Devadarshini is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil films, in addition to few Telugu films and television series. She began her career as a television anchor before venturing into acting, first in television and then in films. ...
,
Aadukalam Murugadoss
Aadukalam Murugadoss is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. He made his breakthrough portraying Dhanush's friend in Vetrimaaran's critically acclaimed 2011 film. '' Aadukalam'', thus adding the name of the film as a prefix ...
and Shyam Prasad appear in supporting roles. The film revolves around the reunion of former students from the batch of 1996, twenty-two years after their graduation. The reunion also serves as an opportunity for two former lovers, Ram and Jaanu, to resolve issues surrounding their breakup.
Prem Kumar wrote the script during December 2015, at the period of
Chennai floods and had completed the entire script within 20 days, which revolved around his life on
high school reunion. After the official announcement, the
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
of the film was commenced on 12 June 2017 at
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headq ...
, and was shot across various locations in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and
Pondicherry
Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...
, while also being filmed in
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India consisting of 572 islands, of which 37 are inhabited, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The territory is about north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated f ...
,
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
,
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
and
Kullu
Kullu is a municipal council town that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district of the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Va ...
–
Manali. The cinematography was handled by Mahendiran Jayaraju and N. Shanmuga Sundaram, with editing being handled by R. Govindaraju. The music and background score is composed by
Govind Vasantha
Govind Vasantha (born 29 October 1988) is an Indian composer, singer, and violinist who works predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is one of the founding members of the musical band Thaikkudam Bridge, in which he is a vocalist and vio ...
.
''96'' was released worldwide on 4 October 2018. The film received critical acclaim from critics, praising the script, direction, cinematography, music and the nostalgic setting of the film, the performances of Sethupathi and Trisha. It was a commercial success, grossing . In addition, the film won six
Norway Tamil Film Festival, five
Filmfare
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English language, English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, r ...
,
Ananda Vikatan
''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India.
History and profile
''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 wa ...
, four
SIIMA
South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appreci ...
,
Edison, Behindwoods awards each, and also won an
Asiavision,
Asianet Asianet may refer to:
Disney Star channels
*Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star
**Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel
**Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...
and
Vanitha
''Vanitha'' () is an Indian magazine published fortnightly by the ''Malayala Manorama'' group. It is the largest magazine in India by circulation according to Audit Bureau of Circulations, with average qualifying sales of 687,915 copies (as of D ...
film award for Trisha. The film was remade by
Preetham Gubbi
Preetham Gubbi is an Indian film screenwriter turned director who works in Kannada film industry. He made his debut as a script writer for the blockbuster Kannada film ''Mungaru Male'' in 2006. He debuted as a director for the film '' Haage Su ...
in
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
as ''
99'' (2019), and by Premkumar himself in
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
as ''
Jaanu'' (2020). The film was further listed as one of the "All Time 150 Cult Indian Films" by ''Behindwoods'' in March 2020.
Plot
Ramachandran aka Ram is a
travel photographer. He visits his high school and is overcome by memories. A reunion is arranged through their school
WhatsApp
WhatsApp (also called WhatsApp Messenger) is an internationally available freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by American company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook). It allows us ...
group. At the reunion, his friends Murali, Subhashini and Sathish catch up with him. Murali hesitantly mentions that Janaki aka Jaanu (Ram's childhood love) is coming from Singapore.
In 1996, Ram and Jaanu have been friends and classmates in 10th grade. Jaanu is a talented singer. Ram develops feelings for Jaanu and she reciprocates. Once their board exams are over, they have a moment with each other where Jaanu asks him not to forget her until they meet again after the holidays.
Back in the present, Jaanu arrives at the reunion and searches for Ram. When Subha points Ram to her, Jaanu walks towards him. She reminisces the first day of 11th grade when she eagerly awaits Ram's arrival to the classroom, but he doesn't show up. She finds that Ram has left the school because his father had financial difficulties and his family relocated to Madras overnight. Jaanu is inconsolable and pines for Ram until she completes school.
Ram and Jaanu finally meet and find it uncomfortable to interact with each other, but gradually get along. Their friends talk about Jaanu's married life in Singapore and disclose that Ram is still single and hasn't moved on. After the reunion party, both go out on a drive. Jaanu reveals how she could not forget Ram and would have traded anything just to have met him once back then. She narrates how circumstances forced her to marry someone else. Then, Ram asks Jaanu if she really doesn't remember the day he came to her college to meet her. Ram says that he and Murali waited in front of Jaanu's college to meet her and passed on a message through a student. Surprisingly, Jaanu refused to meet Ram and forbade him to contact her again. He returned sadly and never tried to meet her since then. Jaanu is devastated after listening to this and reveals that she never saw them at her college and thought it was her stalker who was troubling her. Ram tells that except for the mistake of assuming that she hated him, he knew everything about her life. He also tells about seeing her from afar at her wedding. Jaanu is heartbroken because she felt his presence and expected him to come for her until the last minute. Both feel sad about their misfortune and finally, come to terms with everything that happened in their lives. Jaanu expresses her desire to spend the final few hours with Ram before she catches the flight back home.
They go out into the city and then to a restaurant and catch up on more memories. There, they meet Ram's photography students who assume Jaanu is his wife and request her to share their story. Jaanu obliges and narrates an improvised version of the time when Ram tried to meet Jaanu at her college. She tells about how they finally met and made up and have been together ever since and got married. Albeit feeling awkward, Ram tries his best to play along. The students leave and Ram asks Jaanu to visit his apartment as it is already late at night. On the way, they get drenched in the rain and Ram gives Jaanu some of his dry clothes.
At his apartment, Jaanu is visibly upset that Ram doesn't have a love life and requests him to move on and get married and have a family. She finally sings Ram's favourite song for him, a song that she had purposefully avoided singing in school in spite of his repeated requests. Ram shows Jaanu a collection of their old memories like love poems, dried flowers, and their school uniforms. They realize that time is running out and go back to Jaanu's hotel to get ready for her flight in a few hours. Jaanu is sad knowing that she'll leave Chennai and Ram very soon. At the airport, Ram escorts her to the boarding gate and they bid a teary farewell. Jaanu then gets into the flight and leaves.
Back at his home, Ram finds Jaanu's clothes that he had put to dry the previous night. He folds them neatly, puts them along with his treasured collection of school memories, and shuts the suitcase as the film comes to an end.
Cast
*
Vijay Sethupathi
Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi (born 16 January 1978), known professionally as Vijay Sethupathi, is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil films. He is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award.
Fo ...
as Ramachandran "Ram" Krishnamoorthy
** Aadithya Bhaskar as Young Ramachandran "Ram" Krishnamoorthy
*
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 197 ...
as Janaki "Jaanu" Devi Saravanan (née Sugumar) (
Voiceover
Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. ...
by
Chinmayi Sripada
Chinmayi Sripaada is an Indian playback singer, working mainly for the South Indian film industry. She is also a Voice acting, voice actor, television presenter, radio jockey, and an entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of a translation ser ...
)
**
Gouri G. Kishan as Young Janaki "Jaanu" Devi Sugumar
*
Devadarshini
Devadarshini is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil films, in addition to few Telugu films and television series. She began her career as a television anchor before venturing into acting, first in television and then in films. ...
as A. Subhashini "Subha", Ram and Jaanu's best friend
**
Niyathi Kadambi as Young Subhashini "Subha"
*
Janagaraj
Janagaraj is an Indian actor who has appeared in over 200 films predominantly in Tamil cinema as a comedian or in supporting roles. He also starred in few Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films.
Early life
Janagaraj was born to Vadivelu and Muthu ...
as "Kaval Deivam", the school watchman, his nickname means "guardian deity"
*
Bagavathi Perumal as Murali, Ram's schoolmate and his close friend
** Surya Prakash as Young Murali
*
Rajkumar as Surya
*
Aadukalam Murugadoss
Aadukalam Murugadoss is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. He made his breakthrough portraying Dhanush's friend in Vetrimaaran's critically acclaimed 2011 film. '' Aadukalam'', thus adding the name of the film as a prefix ...
as Sathish
** 96 Gowthamraj as Young Sathish, Ram and Jaanu's schoolmate and his closest friend.
*
Varsha Bollamma
Varsha Bollamma is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Tamil and Telugu films. She debuted in the Tamil film '' Sathuran'' (2015). Her works include '' Yaanum Theeyavan'' (2017), '' Kalyanam'' (2018), '' Seemathurai'' (2018) and ''Bigi ...
as Prabhavathi "Prabha", a trainee photographer and Ram's closest student
*
Kavithalaya Krishnan
T. Krishnan, popularly known as Kavithalayaa Krishnan, is an Indian actor known for playing supporting roles in Tamil film and television. He is a regular artist in many K. Balachander's films and television serials produced by Kavithalayaa Prod ...
as Kalai Selvan, a barber
* Shyam Prasad as Hotel Manager Guest Relations
Production
Development
In October 2016, it was first reported that
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 197 ...
had agreed to be part of a project opposite
Vijay Sethupathi
Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi (born 16 January 1978), known professionally as Vijay Sethupathi, is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil films. He is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award.
Fo ...
that was to be directed by cinematographer C. Prem Kumar, who worked with the latter in ''
Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom
''Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom'' (), abbreviated as ''NKPK'', is a 2012 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language black comedy film, written and directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan in his directorial debut. Produced by V. S. Rajkumar under the stu ...
'' (2012). Two months later, Trisha announced the project via her Twitter and revealed the title as ''96''. Prem Kumar originally had
Manju Warrier
Manju Warrier (; born 10 September 1978) is an Indian actress, producer, classical dancer and playback singer who primarily appears in Malayalam language films. She is the recipient of several awards including one National Film Award, one Kera ...
in mind for the role of Janaki, but he was not able to reach her and was replaced by Trisha. Furthermore, the film was considered to be a
romantic thriller
A romantic thriller is a narrative that involves elements of the romance and thriller genres.
A good thriller provides entertainment by making viewers uncomfortable with moments of suspense, the heightened feeling of anxiety and fright. A thril ...
genre, but was later revealed to be a "light-hearted romance film revolving about the childhood sweethearts who rekindle their relationship at a school reunion gathering".
From May 2017, Prem Kumar first talked about the film, telling that Vijay Sethupathi would play the role of a travel photographer, and that the film revolved around "characters who belong to the same batch: 1996", revealing the meaning of the film's title. Prem Kumar had written the entire script in 20 days in December 2015 during the
Chennai floods when he was stuck in his apartment.
According to Prem Kumar, the inspiration for the story came from his
high school reunion.
He missed the reunion but when talking to his classmates who attended the function he became fascinated about two people they were speaking about and began meeting the two and developing a story around their characters.
The film's story was originally supposed to happen over a week, before the time span was changed to 24 hours, and eventually to a night.
Casting
![Trisha Krishnan and Vijay Sethupathi at the launch of the Movie '96'](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Trisha_Krishnan_and_Vijay_Sethupathi_at_the_launch_of_the_Movie_%2796%27.png)
The technical crew of the film includes N. Shanmuga Sundaram and Mahendran Jayaraju as the
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...
s,
Govind Vasantha
Govind Vasantha (born 29 October 1988) is an Indian composer, singer, and violinist who works predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is one of the founding members of the musical band Thaikkudam Bridge, in which he is a vocalist and vio ...
as the
music director
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...
, R. Govindaraj as the
editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
, Vinoth Raj Kumar handling the
production design and Uma Devi and
Karthik Netha
Karthik Netha is an Indian poet, lyricist, best known for his Tamil language film songs. He has worked in popular movies like 96, Thirumanam Enum Nikkah, Nedunchaalai, Dear Comrade, Monster.
Biography
Karthik Netha grew up in a small villa ...
as the
lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment.
Royalties
A lyricist's income ...
s.
Apart from the lead actors,
Bagavathi Perumal,
Devadarshini
Devadarshini is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil films, in addition to few Telugu films and television series. She began her career as a television anchor before venturing into acting, first in television and then in films. ...
,
Rajkumar,
Aadukalam Murugadoss
Aadukalam Murugadoss is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. He made his breakthrough portraying Dhanush's friend in Vetrimaaran's critically acclaimed 2011 film. '' Aadukalam'', thus adding the name of the film as a prefix ...
and
Varsha Bollamma
Varsha Bollamma is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Tamil and Telugu films. She debuted in the Tamil film '' Sathuran'' (2015). Her works include '' Yaanum Theeyavan'' (2017), '' Kalyanam'' (2018), '' Seemathurai'' (2018) and ''Bigi ...
were roped in for supporting roles. Veteran actor Janagaraj made a comeback with this film, essaying the role of a school watchman. About his role, Kumar had said that "School watchmen, in general have child-like behaviour and innocence that schoolkids have. He wanted someone to have that naturally in him" and thought of Janagaraj in mind. After approaching Janagaraj in his home, he gave the script papers without taking much time to decide, he eventually agreed to be on board.
The crew was then looking for suitable actors to play the younger versions of Sethupathi and Trisha's characters, which delayed the commencement of principal photography. The team eventually selected Aditya Bhaskar, son of actor
M. S. Bhaskar, and
Gouri G. Kishan for the roles, both making their acting debuts with the film. Devadharshini's daughter, Niyathi Kadambi, played the younger version of her role. Subhashree Kaarthik Vijay, who was recruited as the costume signer, was a close friend of Prem Kumar and created the look of the lead female character Jaanu based on her own style.
The team shot a scene where the lead characters meet singer
S. Janaki
Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer from Andhra Pradesh. She is referred to respectfully as "Janaki Amma" and Nightingale of South India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in ...
, though this was later deleted from the film. Post-release, the makers uploaded the scene to YouTube.
Characters
Vijay Sethupathi's character Ram, was a travel photographer. Discussing about his portrayal, Prem Kumar stated that his life was considered to be "inconsistent and nomadic and his thoughts were unsettling like his job". The character was also unable to forget his first love in childhood, even though she was married, which had Kumar referred of a "few men who have remained the same as they were in their teens".
He also quashed rumours that the title ''96'' was not referred to Sethupathi, playing a 96-year-old man, unlike ''
Orange Mittai
''Orange Mittai'' (Orange Candy) is a 2015 Indian Tamil language comedy film co-written and directed by Biju Viswanath. Produced by actor Vijay Sethupathi, the film stars him alongside Ramesh Thilak, Aashritha, Arumughan Bala and Karunakaran. ...
'' (2015) and ''
Seethakaathi
''Seethakaathi'' is a 2018 Tamil-language magic realism comedy film written and directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan, starring Vijay Sethupathi in his 25th lead role in a film. The film began production in April 2017. Upon release the film received ...
'' (2018), where he played an aged person in the film.
Initially, Kumar wanted to write the script under the perspective of Trisha's character Jaanu, as she had a significant role and also his idea of writing characters with his women in mind, felt that women are superior to men and have many layers in their life, apart from other male writers who write stories on a man's point of view.
The character also had a connection with music, since she had a rich and textured voice with that of singer
S. Janaki
Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer from Andhra Pradesh. She is referred to respectfully as "Janaki Amma" and Nightingale of South India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in ...
.
Kumar believed that in some ways or the other, the film serves as a tribute to the singer.
Both the characters, along with the similar artists are in their mid-30s, where the "unusualness and experimentation stops after 25", however, the two characters were in abnormal situation, which excited Kumar to write the film.
The common aim is to depict the emotion of love without boundaries, as Kumar stated that "There is a sort of imperative about how a man and woman should be. The same way, love too is regulated. But love comes out even in uncommon situations. Love is the purest form of expression. That is what we have underlined in the film."
Filming
![Accord Metropolitan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Accord_Metropolitan.JPG)
Principal photography of the film began production on 12 June 2017 at
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
.
After a brief schedule being completed, the team headed to
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headq ...
on 11 July, to shoot major portions of the film. Trisha, who was absent for the first shooting schedule of the film, joined the second schedule. The film was reported to be shot in 30 various locations, including
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India consisting of 572 islands, of which 37 are inhabited, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The territory is about north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated f ...
,
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
,
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
,
Kullu
Kullu is a municipal council town that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district of the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Va ...
–
Manali and
Pondicherry
Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...
, for the introductory song "Life of Ram", as the song is based on Sethupathi's life as a travel photographer.
Portions of the song were shot at
Jog Falls
Jog Falls is a waterfall on the Sharavati river located in the Western Ghats running between Uttara Kannada and Shimoga districts of Karnataka, India. It is the third highest plunge waterfall in India. It is a segmented waterfall which depend ...
in Karnataka, and
Spiti Valley
Spiti (pronounced as Piti in Bhoti language) is a high-altitude region of the Himalayas, located in the north-eastern part of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The name "Spiti" means "The middle land", i.e. the land between Tibe ...
in
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...
.
The team first headed to Pondicherry in August 2017, to shoot crucial sequences. It has been reported that Janagaraj had joined the shoot and filmed some portions in Kumbakonam, where the school featured in the film was shot at Town Higher Secondary School. The film was also shot at
Intercontinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort,
Accord Metropolitan Hotel,
Chennai International Airport
Chennai International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu and its metropolitan area. It is located in Tirusulam, southwest of the city centre. Chennai International Airport is the sixth busiest airpo ...
and also around
T. Nagar
Thyagaraya Nagar, commonly known as T. Nagar, and historically known as East Mambalam, is a very affluent commercial and residential neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is surrounded by Nungambakkam in the North, Teynampet in the ...
,
Nungambakkam
Nungambakkam is a locality in downtown Chennai, India. The neighborhood abounds with multi-national commercial establishments, important government offices, foreign consulates, educational institutions, shopping malls, sporting facilities, to ...
and
Kodambakkam
Kodambakkam (also known as K-Town or Kollywood) is a business and residential neighbourhood in Central Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The neighbourhood is served by Kodambakkam railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network. Kodambakkam h ...
.
Despite being delayed due to the lead actor's commitments in other films, which led to intermittent schedule breaks and
Tamil Film Producers Council
Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC), is a union for film producers in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, based in Chennai. Formed on 18 July 1979, the group has a charitable trust fund to provide financial support to retired producers, voiced supp ...
strike over
Virtual Print Fee Virtual Print Fee (VPF) is a subsidy paid by a film distributor towards the purchase of digital cinema projection equipment for use by a film exhibitor in the presentation of first release motion pictures. The subsidy is paid in the form of a fee p ...
hike, the film completed production in June 2018.
Soundtrack
The
soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
and
background score and were composed by violinist-turned-composer
Govind Vasantha
Govind Vasantha (born 29 October 1988) is an Indian composer, singer, and violinist who works predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is one of the founding members of the musical band Thaikkudam Bridge, in which he is a vocalist and vio ...
, for whom it was his third film he signed, and the second to get released, because of the delay of his maiden project ''
Oru Pakka Kathai
''Oru Pakka Kathai'' () is a 2020 Indian Tamil language romantic comedy film written and directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan. It stars Kalidas Jayaram and Megha Akash. The movie is produced by K.S. Sreenivasan under the banner of Vasan's Visual V ...
''. Prem Kumar, who worked as a cinematographer in that film, recommended his name to work as the composer, as he had a close relationship with the director Balaji Tharaneetharan and worked with them in ''
Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom
''Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom'' (), abbreviated as ''NKPK'', is a 2012 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language black comedy film, written and directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan in his directorial debut. Produced by V. S. Rajkumar under the stu ...
'' and ''Oru Pakka Kathai''.
The album had eight songs, with only five being included in the film and the lyrics were written by
Karthik Netha
Karthik Netha is an Indian poet, lyricist, best known for his Tamil language film songs. He has worked in popular movies like 96, Thirumanam Enum Nikkah, Nedunchaalai, Dear Comrade, Monster.
Biography
Karthik Netha grew up in a small villa ...
and Uma Devi. The track "Kaathalae Kaathalae" was released as a single on 30 July 2018. It was earlier composed as an
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...
track, and later having vocals and lyrics, though it was meant not to be included in the film. However, after multiple requests from fans, ever since being featured in the first teaser of the film, he later worked on it as 3-minute track being included in the soundtrack as well as in the film. It is however, a short and slower-version of the promotional track "Anthaathi", which he had first composed.
On 24 August 2018,
Think Music India
Think Music is an Indian music label headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu that specialises in South Indian film soundtracks.
Overview
Think Music India was started in 2007 and sold its first 46 titles including ''Vel'' (2007) and ''Paiyaa'' ...
released the full album through music platforms. The film's soundtrack album received positive response from music critics,
with praise being directed on Govind's use of minimal instruments and only two playback singers (
Pradeep Kumar
Pradeep Kumar (born Sital Batabyal; 4 January 1925 – 3 November 2001) was an Indian actor who is recognized for his work in Hindi, Bengali and English-language films.
Career
When Kumar was 17 years old, he decided to take up acting. He sta ...
and
Chinmayi) rendering voice for most of the songs in the soundtrack.
The production, instrumentation and the soundscape used in the film unlike mainstream Tamil film soundtracks, too received appreciation. Further being hailed by critics as "one of the best soundtracks of 2018", the soundtrack had fetched many accolades.
Analysts believed that the songs, score and use of film music as a metaphor contributed to its success.
Release
The concept logo of ''
'96'' was released on the occasion of
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...
(14 February 2017).
In August 2017, a new poster featuring Vijay Sethupathi was released and it was reported that the film would release on 14 February 2018, but that did not happen, due to the delay in production. The first look featuring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha, was released on 12 July 2018, and on the same day, the makers unveiled the teaser of the film. The teaser received positive response from viewers and crossed 3 million views within 3 days of its release. On 24 August, coinciding with the film's audio launch, the makers unveiled the theatrical trailer of the film.
The film was initially slated to release on 13 September 2018, coinciding with the Hindu festival of
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO: ), also known as Vinayak Chaturthi (), or Ganeshotsav () is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of the Hindu god Ganesha. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's clay idols privately in homes and p ...
, but the release date was postponed to 4 October 2018, in order to avoid clash with big-budget films. Three days prior to the film's release, the film had a press screening for critics on 1 October 2018, where it received highly positive response. Lalit Kumar of Seven Screen Studios, who was an upcoming producer, then, had purchased the worldwide distribution rights.
The theatrical rights of the film in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
were to sold to crore. The film's Hindi dubbed version was released on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
by Goldmines Telefilms in 2019. It has been opened in 250 theatres worldwide.
Sun TV purchased the satellite rights of the film, even before the film's production in January 2018. A month after its release and the successful run, Sun TV had a television premiere during
Diwali
Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...
, on 6 November 2018. This has caused the public, including actress Trisha and director Prem Kumar requesting the channel to postpone the telecast. Despite that, the channel went ahead with the premiere. Post release, the makers unveiled few deleted scenes from the film, soon after its 50th day run. On 11 January 2019, the film completed its 100th day theatrical run, and to celebrate its success, Lalit Kumar hosted a success meet on 4 February 2019, with several noted celebrities along with the crew attended the event. A year after its release,
Radio City aired the film in audio-format on 14 February 2020 (Valentine's Day), which was not done for a mainstream Tamil film.
Reception
Box office
In the opening day of its release, the film had collected at the
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
city box office, and worldwide the film had earned . Within the first four days, the film earned a net revenue of from Chennai, and was considered to be the fifth highest grossing Tamil films of the year. Within the second week of its release, more screens were allotted to the film following its positive word-of-mouth.
As of 26 October 2018, the film earned worldwide at the box office, with a cumulative gross of from Tamil Nadu box office.
In
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
, the number of screens were increased from 80 to 106 screens within the second week, despite other new films released on the week — ''
Ratsasan
''Ratsasan'' (; ) is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language slasher psychological thriller directed by Ram Kumar. The film stars Vishnu Vishal, Amala Paul, and Saravanan while Kaali Venkat, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan, and Ramdoss play supporting roles. The fil ...
'', ''
NOTA
Nota Sports and Racing Cars is an automobile manufacturer in Australia. The company was founded by Guy Buckingham in 1952. He was an aircraft engineer and used his expertise to build triangulated spaceframed sportscars. Possibly Australia's ...
'' and another Sethupathi-starrer ''
Chekka Chivantha Vaanam
''Chekka Chivantha Vaanam'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, co-written with Siva Ananth. Produced by Mani Ratnam under the banner Madras Talkies, along with Lyca Productions, the film features an en ...
''.
The film was considered "blockbuster" at the Kerala box office, grossing , the film received a share of , against its theatrical rights being valued at . It became Vijay Sethupathi's first solo hit in the state. In Karnataka, the film earned , and received a netted revenue of from rest of Indian territories.
The film also earned from overseas centres.
Critical response
The film received critical acclaim from critics and audience, praising the script, cinematography, direction and music and the performances of Sethupathi and Trisha. ''96'' appeared on many year-end lists as one of the best
Tamil films of 2018, by top publications such as ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'', ''
HuffPost
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', ''
The News Minute
''The News Minute'' is an Indian digital news platform based in Bangalore, Karnataka. It was founded by Dhanya Rajendran, Chitra Subramaniam and Vignesh Vellore in 2014. Apart from Karnataka, it also has bureaus in the states of Telangana, And ...
'' and ''
The Week
''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...
''.
Anupama Subramaniam of ''
Deccan Chronicle
''Deccan Chronicle'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded by Rajagopal Mudaliar in the 1930s & currently owned by Samagrah Commercial Pvt Limited. It is published in Hyderabad, Telangana, by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited ( ...
'', who gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5, was in high praise of director Prem Kumar as she wrote that he had "not made a film, but woven pure and impeccable poetry on celluloid", going on to add that "Prem's honest attempt of portraying the true essence of love without taking any cinematic liberties makes ''96'' the kind of genre-defining film that creates a benchmark for many years to come", while hailing Trisha's performance as her "best-ever till date". A critic from the
Indo-Asian News Service
Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. It was founded in 1986 by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the "India Abroad News Service" and later renamed. Their main offices are located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The se ...
gave it a rare 5 stars out of 5 and said, "as we get to the climax and we get one of the most heartwarming moments of the film, it makes ''96'' a highly satisfying story of unfulfilled romance". ''Behindwoods'' called ''96'' a "breezy and heartwarming romantic tale that Tamil cinema audience shouldn't miss".
Sify
Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology company providing end-to-end ICT solutions including telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation in ...
named it "one of the best films in a long time", while giving it a 4 rating out of 5. Janani K. of ''
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...
'' gave it 4 stars out of 5 and called it a "poignant romantic tale" and a "tribute to unconditional love". Mythily Ramachandran of ''
Gulf News
''Gulf News'' is a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was first launched in 1978, and is currently distributed throughout the UAE and also in other Persian Gulf Countries. Its online edition was launch ...
'' called the film "a classic love story that will be fondly remembered".
Sreedhar Pillai of ''
Firstpost
''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18.
The ''Network 18'' group was originally owned by Raghav ...
'' called the film a "refreshingly fresh romantic trip down the memory lane with outstanding performances by its charming lead pair". M. Suganth of ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' gave it 3.5 stars out of 5 and said that "there is a lot to fall in love with ''96'', a wistful romantic film about a past romance
..But what sets Prem Kumar's film apart from the others is that it gives equal importance to the romance of its female lead". Srinivasa Ramanujam of ''
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 ...
'' said that the film "will take you on a nostalgic trip to your school days and old flames". Manoj Kumar R. of ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'' gave 3 out of 5 and praised Sethupathi's performance saying that the actor "sails through the film effortlessly in his role" and Trisha "also aced her performance as a married woman who can't stop indulging in emotional infidelity".
Vikram Venkatesen of ''
The Quint
''The Quint'' is an English and Hindi language Indian general news and opinion website founded by Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur after their exit from Network18. The publication's journalists have won three Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Aw ...
'' wrote "''96'' has very well changed Tamil romance for good, thanks to its high dependence on music and realism in conveying nostalgia". Priyanka Thirumurthy of
The News Minute
''The News Minute'' is an Indian digital news platform based in Bangalore, Karnataka. It was founded by Dhanya Rajendran, Chitra Subramaniam and Vignesh Vellore in 2014. Apart from Karnataka, it also has bureaus in the states of Telangana, And ...
wrote, "the film's screenplay is gripping. It has you on the edge of your seat for what are seemingly the most inane activities – school attendance, conversations over coffee and even a ride in the metro".
Sudhir Srinivasan of ''
The New Indian Express
''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'' felt that ''96'' "works beautifully in theory
..in the head. Long-lost lovers fitting together again — like two pieces in a jigsaw puzzle — just for an evening, after more than a decade, is a dreamy idea. But that's the effect of the film too."
Baradwaj Rangan
Baradwaj Rangan is an Indian film critic, writer, and formerly the deputy editor of ''The Hindu''. He later became a senior editor of Film Companion. Rangan won the National Film Award for Best Film Critic in 2006. Before joining ''The Hindu' ...
of ''
Film Companion South
Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...
'' wrote, "The only problem is the slump in the second half
..But the premise is so affecting, it keeps us invested" and concluded, "I walked out of the film satisfied that whatever Ram and Janaki decide to make of their future, his ink-splattered shirt from school and the dupatta of her uniform will live together, happily ever after".
Accolades
Controversies
Plagiarism allegations
In late October 2018, a month after''96''s release, Suresh, an assistant director of Bharathiraja, alleged that he had written a script called ''92'' and that 96'' was based on his own script. Few days later Prem Kumar hosted a press conference and said that he had registered his script in 2016 and also added that he had written a spin-off novel of what happens to the lead character afterwards. The film was also reported to have "uncanny similarities" with ''
Blue Jay
The blue jay (''Cyanocitta cristata'') is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to eastern North America. It lives in most of the eastern and central United States; some eastern populations may be migratory. Resident populations are a ...
'' (2016),
with Prem Kumar admitting to it, although he added that he had already registered his film before ''Blue Jay'' released.
Director
R. Chandru had accused that the movie had similarities with his film ''
Charminar
The Charminar () is a mosque and monument located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Constructed in 1591, the landmark is a symbol of Hyderabad and officially incorporated in the emblem of Telangana The Charminar's long history includes the existe ...
'' (2013).
Cancellation of morning shows
On the day of its release, the film's early morning shows scheduled for 6:00 a.m. has been cancelled during the last minute, leading to disappointments within the audience. It has been reported that the stalling of the morning shows is due to the financial tussles between
Vishal, an erstwhile president of
Tamil Film Producers Council
Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC), is a union for film producers in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, based in Chennai. Formed on 18 July 1979, the group has a charitable trust fund to provide financial support to retired producers, voiced supp ...
(TFPC) and producer S. Nanthagopal, and had described in an audio note saying that he had stopped the release. A project starring Vishal and Nanthagopal did not materialize, and the producer failed to repay the funds, that both of them had arranged, the amount was under the tune of crore.
A tripartite agreement signed between the producer and actor was signed in front of the TFPC members, with one of them stated that the funds will be repaid before the release of '96, but as Nanthagopal failed to repay the funds before its release, the makers stalled the film, leading to its first show being cancelled.
Following the issue, the lead actor Vijay Sethupathi decided to withdraw his salary being offered for the film. However, despite the smooth release and the theatrical run, in November 2018, Nadigar Sangam had banned producer Nanthagopal, and also advised the artists not to work with any of the projects produced by the company, over this issue.
Legacy
Bengaluru-based Tamil writer C. Saravanakarthikeyan wrote a book based on the film titled ''96 – Thanipperum Kadhal'', which was released by Prem Kumar by late December 2018. Inspired by the film, Gulbonda, a
Calicut
Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...
-based art studio created dolls based on the film's two main characters, Ram and Jaanu, which became sought-after by fans and saved the then newly launched startup company. The yellow
kurta
A ''kurta'' is a loose collarless shirt or tunic worn in many regions of South Asia, (subscription required) Quote: "A loose shirt or tunic worn by men and women." Quote: "Kurta: a loose shirt without a collar, worn by women and men from South ...
outfit worn by Trisha's character Jaanu became popular after the film's release and was sold by a textile store in Chennai.
A year after the film's release, the poster designer Gopi Prasanna designed an illustrated poster featuring the lead characters walking on the road, similar to the first look poster.
The film's commercial success, also led Lalit Kumar's Seven Screen Studios becoming one of the leading film studio companies in Tamil film industry.
At the 100th day celebrations of the film held in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
in February 2019, the company announced, another film with Sethupathi, which was titled ''
Tughlaq Durbar''
and later on ''
Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal
''Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal'' () is an 2022 Indian Tamil-language romantic black comedy film written and directed by Vignesh Shivan. It stars Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara and Samantha. The soundtrack album and film score were composed by Ani ...
''. In addition, the film also acquired the rights of the
Vijay-starrer ''
Master
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
'', which had Sethupathi playing the antagonist.
Gouri G. Kishan and
Varsha Bollamma
Varsha Bollamma is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Tamil and Telugu films. She debuted in the Tamil film '' Sathuran'' (2015). Her works include '' Yaanum Theeyavan'' (2017), '' Kalyanam'' (2018), '' Seemathurai'' (2018) and ''Bigi ...
, who appeared in pivotal roles in the film gained popularity and later went on to be a part of big-budget films. The Tamil film ''
Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee
''Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee'' () also known by the initialism ''MNMN'', is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age film written and directed by Darbuka Siva, in his directorial debut, who also scored music for the film. Produced by Sameer Bha ...
'' (2022) had connections with the premise of ''
'96'' which was reviewed by media outlets.
Remakes
Even before the theatrical release of the film, producer
Dil Raju
Velamakucha Venkata Ramana Reddy (born 17 December 1970), known professionally as Dil Raju, is an Indian film producer and distributor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also financed some Tamil and Hindi films and owns the productio ...
acquired the rights for adapting the film in
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
-language, under his
Sri Venkateswara Creations banner.
Nani, who watched the preview show of the film, left emotional and decided to sign for the remake as an actor and co-producer, and was reported to be paired opposite
Samantha Ruth Prabhu. Prem Kumar, who helmed the original version was also reported to direct the remake. Though, Nani did not act in the film, the makers decided to rope in multiple actors before finalizing
Sharwanand
Sharwanand Myneni (born 6 March 1984) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu films alongside a few Tamil films. He made his acting debut in the year 2004 with the film ''Aidho Tareekhu.'' For ''Engeyum Eppodhum'' (2011), he received S ...
as the male lead. Titled ''
Jaanu'' (2020) Prem Kumar retained the technicians who worked in the original film, which released worldwide on 7 February 2020. ''96'' was remade in
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
by
Preetham Gubbi
Preetham Gubbi is an Indian film screenwriter turned director who works in Kannada film industry. He made his debut as a script writer for the blockbuster Kannada film ''Mungaru Male'' in 2006. He debuted as a director for the film '' Haage Su ...
as ''
99'' (2019), with
Ganesh
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...
and
Bhavana
''Bhāvanā'' (Pali;Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), p. 503, entry for "Bhāvanā," retrieved 9 December 2008 from "U. Chicago" a Sanskrit: भावना, also ''bhāvanā''Monier-Williams (1899), p. 755, see "Bhāvana" and "Bhāvanā", retriev ...
reprising the roles played by Sethupathi and Trisha in the original. In September 2021, Ajay Kapoor announced a Hindi remake of the film, while also acquiring the rights of the original.
Even a Punjabi movie ''Lekh''(2022) seem to be inspired from this movie as in this movie too, two sweet hearts separated after 10th meet again. But in this movie the ending is different and presented as positive.
Rumoured sequel
In February 2022, reports have been surfaced that Prem Kumar had developed the idea for a sequel which could be materialised, and
Vijay Sethupathi
Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi (born 16 January 1978), known professionally as Vijay Sethupathi, is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil films. He is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award.
Fo ...
and
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 197 ...
reported to reprise their characters from the original. Contradicting the reports, Kumar had claimed that no such sequel is in the offering.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:96 (film)
2018 films
2010s Tamil-language films
2018 romantic drama films
Indian romantic drama films
Indian nonlinear narrative films
Films involved in plagiarism controversies
Films scored by Govind Vasantha
Films set in 1996
Films set in Chennai
Films shot in Chennai
Films shot in Kolkata
Films shot in Rajasthan
Films shot in Puducherry
Tamil films remade in other languages
2018 directorial debut films
Films about travel
Indian coming-of-age films
Films set in schools
Films set in universities and colleges