Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei
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''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language historical-
comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
written and directed by
Chimbu Deven Chimbu Devan is an Indian film director also known as a writer, cartoonist, and screenwriter. His films mostly explore the fantasy and historical genres and also comedy. He debuted with the historical comedy-drama film Imsai Arasan 23 M Pulike ...
. The film stars
Vadivelu Kumaravadivel Natarajan (born 12 September 1960), known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and playback singer, having acted in supporting and lead roles in Tamil cinema. He gained widespread acclaim in Kollywood in the ...
in his debut as a solo lead actor. Monica and
Tejashree Tejashree (born Sonali Jaikumar Khele) is an Indian actress who has appeared predominantly in Tamil films. Besides, she has also acted in Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati and Marathi films. Tejashree is originally a from Nashik ( Tivandha Lane, Bhad ...
play the female leads, while Manorama, Nassar, Ilavarasu, Sreeman and
Nagesh Nagesh (born Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran; (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) was an Indian actor, mostly remembered for his roles as a comedian in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in over 1,000 fil ...
play supporting roles.
Sabesh–Murali Sabesh–Murali is an Indian music director duo, who have jointly composed for many Tamil films in Chennai, India. Sabesh and Murali are siblings who began their careers working under their brother, the music director Deva, as assistant composer ...
composed the soundtrack album and background score.
S. Shankar Shankar Shanmugam (born 17 August 1963), credited as S. Shankar or his mononym Shankar, is an Indian filmmaker who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He is one of the most prolific and highest paid film directors in India. His films typicall ...
produced and distributed the film under his production banner
S Pictures S Pictures is a film production company owned by film director S. Shankar. Many of the films produced by S Pictures are commercial hits with moderate budget. Filmography Films produced Films distributed In addition to the films produced by ...
. Set in the late 18th century during the early stages of the
British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
, the film tells the story of twin brothers separated at birth. Pulikesi XXIII, the foolish elder brother, becomes a puppet of his uncle, the Chief Minister, while Ukraputhan, the wise younger brother, becomes a patriot intent on saving his land and his brother. Principal photography began in November 2005 at
Prasad Studios Prasad Studios & Prasad Film Labs are motion picture post-production studios headquartered in Hyderabad, India, founded by Prasad Group in 1956. The production house has produced over 150 movies in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. ...
. ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi'' was released on 8 July 2006, and was the first historical Tamil film released since ''
Madhuraiyai Meetta Sundharapandiyan ''Madhuraiyai Meetta Sundharapandiyan'' () is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language historical action film, directed by M. G. Ramachandran, starring himself in the lead role, with M. N. Nambiar, P. S. Veerappa, Latha and Padmapriya. It was Ramachan ...
'' (1978). The film received positive reviews, with critics praising the screenplay, the performances, and the dialogues. A box office success, the film won two
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...
and one
Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
.


Plot

In the South Indian kingdom of Cholapuram Paalayam in the year 1771, Raja Mokkaiyappar and his queen, Rani Bhavani Ammaiyar are in desperate for a child, as all their previous twenty-two children have died at birth. Unknown to them, Bhavani's brother, Sangilimayan, who is also the Rajaguru (High priest), is responsible for the death of their children. Sangilimayan is shocked to see that his sister has given birth to twins. Before informing the king about the birth, he calls the palace astrologer, Chinnavadayaan, who predicts that the elder twin will be incapable of making decisions on his own while the younger one will be smarter. Sangilimayan orders the palace doctor, Kailasakaruppan, to kill the younger one, but Chinnavadayaan tells Sangilimayan that his actions would not be good for the kingdom. Instead, Sangilimayan orders the palace doctor to abandon the child in a nearby river. The elder child is named Pulikesi XXIII. Maragathavalli, Kailasakaruppan's childless wife, rescues the abandoned child from the river, and the couple decides to raise him as their own, naming him Ukraputhan. Twenty-five years pass, and Pulikesi is now the king of Cholapuram Paalayam. As foretold, he is foolish as well as lecherous. He is a puppet in the hands of Sangilimayan, who collaborates with the British for his own personal gain, and does not attend to the needs of the people of his kingdom. Pulikesi also tortures his subjects. He creates an outdoor stadium for different castes to fight against each other and punishes his palace guards even when they make the slightest of mistakes; he also uses his guards as targets for shooting practice. Ukraputhan, now an educated revolutionary, collaborates with his friends to overthrow the British. Ukraputhan falls in love with Vasantha Sundari, who reciprocates his feelings. When Ukraputhan plots to overthrow Pulikesi for serving the British, he is shocked to see that they look alike. Ukraputhan then learns about his birth from his foster-parents and realizes that Pulikesi is his identical-twin brother. To save the land from Sangilimayan and the British, Ukraputhan switches places with an unconscious Pulikesi as the king whilst sending Pulikesi to prison. As the king, Ukraputhan reveals his true identity to Agandamuthu, the commander-in-chief, and joins forces with him to help bring about new reforms. He converts the palace harem into a playground and helps fund and provide for the education of children; to grow crops, he creates fertile land for tilling the soil. In a break with past policies of the kingdom, Ukraputhan refuses to pay tributes and taxes demanded by the British. Bhavani Ammaiyar praises Ukraputhan's reforms, unaware that Ukraputhan is disguised as Pulikesi. In jail, Pulikesi is taken care of by Soolayini, who provides refreshments to the soldiers. Eventually, the two fall in love. All of this happens while Sangilimayan is away on a business trip visiting British officers 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 ...
pattinam. When he learns of the new reforms, he confronts Ukraputhan, who defies him. Later, Pulikesi escapes from prison and overhears a conversation between Ukraputhan, Agandamuthu, and Chinnavadayaan. Pulikesi learns the truth about his birth and realizes his mistake. He reunites with Ukraputhan to reform the kingdom, but is beaten by one of Sangilimayan's men and is locked up in the palace. However, he escapes with the help of Kollan, the palace blacksmith. Believing that Agandamuthu was responsible for Pulikesi's change of mind, Sangilimayan arrests him and Ukraputhan. After escaping, Pulikesi appears before Sangilimayan as Ukraputhan but is recognized by his minister, Mangunipandiyan when he inadvertently uses his catchphrase. A fight between the twins and Sangilimayan follows; Sangilimayan is overpowered by Ukraputhan and is about to be killed when Bhavani Ammaiyar intervenes. Feeling guilty for betraying his kingdom, Sangilimayan, at the behest of his sister, has a change of heart and apologizes to her; she forgives him. The kingdom attains independence from British rule and Pulikesi and Ukraputhan marry their respective lovers, Soolayini and Vasantha Sundari. Pulikesi then introduces 10 ordinances for the welfare of the people of Cholapuram Paalayam.


Cast


Production


Development

Chimbu Deven Chimbu Devan is an Indian film director also known as a writer, cartoonist, and screenwriter. His films mostly explore the fantasy and historical genres and also comedy. He debuted with the historical comedy-drama film Imsai Arasan 23 M Pulike ...
worked as a cartoonist in the Tamil magazine ''
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 ...
'' before venturing into mainstream cinema as an associate to director Cheran in three of his films, ''
Vetri Kodi Kattu ''Vetri Kodi Kattu'' () is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Cheran. The film stars starring Murali, Parthiban, Meena, and Malavika, while Vadivelu, Manorama, Anandaraj, Vijayakumar, and Charle play supporting ...
'' (2000), ''
Pandavar Bhoomi ''Paandavar Bhoomi'' () is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language family drama film, written and directed by Cheran. The film has Arun Vijay (credited as Arun Kumar) Shamitha and Rajkiran playing the lead roles. While Vinu Chakravarthy and Mukesh Tiw ...
'' (2001) and ''
Autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...
'' (2004). ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi'' draws inspiration from a cartoon created by Deven, which originally appeared in ''Ananda Vikatan''. Deven, who wrote the script, showed it to director S. Shankar. Shankar was impressed with the script as soon as he read it, and offered to produce and distribute the film under his production company S Pictures, making the film his third as producer after ''
Mudhalvan ''Mudhalvan'' () is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language political action thriller film produced by R. Madhesh and S. Shankar, written and directed by Shankar. The film stars Arjun, Manisha Koirala and Raghuvaran while Vadivelu and Manivannan appear in ...
'' (1999) and ''
Kaadhal ''Kaadhal'' () is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film based on a true story, directed by Balaji Sakthivel, starring Bharath (in his first film as a main lead actor) and Sandhya. It was produced by S. Shankar and featured music c ...
'' (2004). As a former comic strip illustrator, Deven used the storyboard technique to develop the film. Cinematography was handled by
Arthur A. Wilson Arthur A. Wilson (born 16 March 1968) is an Indian cinematographer. He has predominantly worked in south Indian films of languages such as Tamil and Telugu. He is best known for his successful movies ''Anbe Sivam'', ''Naan Kadavul'', and '' Ims ...
and editing by G. Sasikumar. Opening credits from 1:25 to 7:25. P. Krishnamoorthy was signed up as the film's art director. S. Naveen, who later directed ''
Moodar Koodam ''Moodar Koodam'' () is a 2013 Tamil language black comedy film written, produced and directed by Naveen. The film stars the director himself alongside Sendrayan, Kuberan, and Rajaj in lead roles. Oviya, Anupama Kumar, Jayaprakash, Five Star K ...
'' (2013), worked as an assistant director in the film. The dialogues for the film were written in chaste Tamil. Research was conducted at the Roja Muthiah Research Library.


Casting

Deven approached Vadivelu in October 2005 and offered him the lead roles. Vadivelu was initially hesitant to accept the offer as he felt that the audience would not want to see him as the central character, but after Vadivelu read the script, he decided to take up the role. Regarding the selection of Vadivelu for the roles, Deven noted that one of the royal characters from his comic book strip in ''Ananda Vikatan'' closely resembled Vadivelu, including his complexion and nativity. Swarnamalya and actress
Nagma Nagma Arvind Morarji (born Nandita Arvind Morarji on 25 December 1974) is an Indian politician and former actress. She was a popular lead actress in the 1990s. She made her cinematic debut in the film '' Baaghi'' opposite Salman Khan in 1990. ...
were considered for the female leads, but Monica and
Tejashree Tejashree (born Sonali Jaikumar Khele) is an Indian actress who has appeared predominantly in Tamil films. Besides, she has also acted in Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati and Marathi films. Tejashree is originally a from Nashik ( Tivandha Lane, Bhad ...
eventually got the parts. Director-actor Ilavarasu played the role of Pulikecei's minister, Mangunipandiyan. Actress M. N. Rajam played Ukraputhan's mother.
Nagesh Nagesh (born Cheyur Krishnarao Nageshwaran; (27 September 1933 – 31 January 2009) was an Indian actor, mostly remembered for his roles as a comedian in Tamil films during the 1960s. Nagesh was born in Dharapuram. He acted in over 1,000 fil ...
played Raja Mokkayappar.


Filming

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 a ...
began at
Prasad Studios Prasad Studios & Prasad Film Labs are motion picture post-production studios headquartered in Hyderabad, India, founded by Prasad Group in 1956. The production house has produced over 150 movies in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. ...
on 16 November 2005, under the working title of ''Imsai Mannan 23am Pulikesi''. It was the first historical film made in
Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...
since ''
Madhuraiyai Meetta Sundharapandiyan ''Madhuraiyai Meetta Sundharapandiyan'' () is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language historical action film, directed by M. G. Ramachandran, starring himself in the lead role, with M. N. Nambiar, P. S. Veerappa, Latha and Padmapriya. It was Ramachan ...
'' (1978) almost three decades previously. Shooting also took place at AVM Studios. The second schedule of the film was held in Prasad Studios. The song "Aah Adivaa" was shot at Prasad Studios and choreographed by Sivasankar. Due to poor weather, the outdoor portions of the song were shot indoors. A total of eleven sets were created for all of the filming schedules. Filming also took place in
Chengalpattu Chengalpattu, previously known as Chingleput, is a city and the headquarters of Chengalpattu district of the state Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located near to the industrial and IT hub. It is the headquarters of the district and is away fro ...
,
Tiruvannamalai Tiruvannamalai ( Tamil: ''Tiruvaṇṇāmalai'' IPA: , otherwise spelt ''Thiruvannamalai''; ''Trinomali'' or ''Trinomalee'' on British records) is a city, a spiritual, cultural, economic hub and also the administrative headquarters of Tiruva ...
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 ...
. Spoofs on
Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ga ...
,
M. G. Ramachandran Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...
and Avvaiyar are seen in the film. Wipes and
split screen Split screen may refer to: * Split screen (computing) Split screen is a display technique in computer graphics that consists of dividing graphics and/or text into adjacent (and possibly overlapping) parts, typically as two or four rectangular ...
transitions are commonly used. Principal photography was completed in 5561 days.


Themes and influences

Although ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi'' is a historical film set in the late 18th century AD, most of the issues it raises are contemporary. Topics discussed include child labour, globalisation, the bureaucratic inefficiency of government, pesticide usage in soft drinks, and divisions in the caste system. In their 2010 book, ''Cinemas of South India: Culture, Resistance, Ideology'' under the section ''Dualities and Negotiation 23rd Imsai Arasan Pulikesi'', Sowmya Dechamma C. C., Elavarthi Sathya Prakash and Jananie Kalyanaraman mention the soft drinks that are satirized include
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
and
Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...
. The two are called Akka Mala and Gup-C respectively. They also note that Pulikesi and Ukraputhan have contrasting differences with respect to attitude towards women, education, governance, and demonstration of both skill in weaponry and physical prowess. Kalyanaraman compares Vadivelu's balancing of both his comic and heroic abilities through the roles of Pulikesi and Ukraputhan to Nagesh's roles in ''
Server Sundaram ''Server Sundaram'' is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by Krishnan–Panju and produced by A. V. Meiyappan. The film stars Nagesh as the title character. Muthuraman and K. R. Vijaya play the other lead roles while ...
'' (1964) and '' Ethir Neechal'' (1968), where Nagesh plays more serious roles. The mustache sported by Vadivelu is inspired and modeled after mustaches worn by the Spanish Catalan surrealist painter,
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...
and
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 ...
poet, Subramania Bharati. Historical references in the film include places like Nalanda University, which was active around the 2nd century AD, and people like
Veerapandiya Kattabomman Veerapandiya Kattabomman was an 18th-century Tamil Palayakarrar and king of Panchalankurichi in Tamil Nadu, India. He refused to accept the sovereignty of the British East India Company and waged a war against them. He was captured by the Briti ...
, Robert Clive, and
Ettappan Ettayapuram is a panchayat town in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the birthplace of Tamil poets Mahakavi Bharathiar and Umaru Pulavar. Muthuswami Dikshitar, one of the triads of Carnatic music, was patronized in his final years ...
. S. Theodore Baskaran and Malathi Rangarajan called the film a parody of '' Uthama Puthiran'' (1958). Malathi Rangarajan said that the sequences in the song "Aah Aadivaa" are reminiscent of scenes from the song "Yaaradi Nee Mohini" from ''Uthama Puthiran''. Theodore Baskaran also compared the film to M. G. Ramachandran films like ''
Malaikkallan ''Malaikkallan'' () is a 1954 Indian Tamil-language action film starring P. Bhanumathi and M. G. Ramachandran. The film was released on 22 July 1954, and was an astounding success and highest collection of the year. It ran more than 140 days i ...
'' (1954) and ''
Nadodi Mannan ''Nadodi Mannan'' () is a 1958 Indian Tamil-language action adventure film directed by M. G. Ramachandran in his debut as a filmmaker. He stars in dual roles alongside P. Bhanumathi, M. N. Rajam and B. Saroja Devi. P. S. Veerappa, M. N. N ...
'' (1958). Saraswathy Srinivas of
Rediff Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...
compared the film to Alexandre Dumas's novel, '' The Man in the Iron Mask''.


Music

Sabesh–Murali Sabesh–Murali is an Indian music director duo, who have jointly composed for many Tamil films in Chennai, India. Sabesh and Murali are siblings who began their careers working under their brother, the music director Deva, as assistant composer ...
composed both the film's soundtrack album and background score. The soundtrack album features five songs with lyrics written by Pulamaipithan. The songs were rendered in a style authentic to the film's period setting. The soundtrack album was released on 9 June 2006. The album was received positively by critics. G. Dhananjayan, in his book ''Best of Tamil Cinema'', said the songs contributed to the film's success and were popular during its theatrical run. Praises were directed mainly towards the musicians, the melodious interludes of "Aah Aadivaa" and the fusion of modern western and traditional Indian music in "Vaanam Namakul".


Release

The satellite rights of the film were sold to
Kalaignar TV Kalaignar is an Indian general entertainment satellite television channel based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The channel was launched on 15 September 2007 as Kalaignar in respect of former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi. Malaysia ...
. The film was originally scheduled for release on 19 May 2006. However, the film's release was delayed due to its use of animals without prior approval from the
Animal Welfare Board of India The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), headquartered at Ballabhgarh in Haryana state, is a statutory advisory body advising the Government of India's Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying(Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy ...
(AWBI). According to a rule issued in 2001, film producers must obtain prior approval from the AWBI to use animals in a film. Further, scenes with animals must be filmed with a veterinary physician on the set. Crucial to the film's story, the scenes were not re-edited. In an interview, Deven stated that the elephants and horses in the film were not subjected to any cruelty. When Shankar approached the AWBI for a
No Objection Certificate No Objection Certificate, popularly abbreviated as NOC, is a type of legal certificate issued by any agency, organisation, institute or, in certain cases, an individual. It does not object to the covenants of the certificate. The certification is ...
(NOC), he was denied. On 18 May, the Madras High Court requested that the AWBI issue the necessary certificate, but the organisation refused and said that it was the responsibility of the
Central Board of Film Certification The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provision ...
(CBFC). In response, the CBFC cited a rule issued by the Bombay High Court, which noted that it was mandatory for the AWBI to provide an NOC to films which used animals. This led to the initial postponement of the film's release until 9 June. On 13 June, the Madras High Court ordered that the film be given a censorship certificate by 19 June, along with the NOC from the AWBI. Because of this sequence of events, the film's release date was further postponed. Shankar and Vadivelu requested the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi, to intervene. A week before the release date, and with the help of Karunanidhi, ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei'' was cleared by the
Central Government A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or dele ...
. The film received an NOC, and was subsequently given a 'U' (Universal) certificate without any cuts by the CBFC. After months of delay, the film's release finally occurred on 8 July in 135 screens across
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
.
R. B. Choudary Ratanlal Bhagatram Choudary is an Indian film producer who has worked in several film industries, predominantly in Tamil and Telugu along with a few films in Malayalam and Hindi. He is the founder of the production company Super Good Films. C ...
's Super Good Films purchased the theatrical rights of the Telugu dubbed version, which was released with the title, ''Himsinche 23 Va Raju Pulikesi''. Vadivelu's voice was dubbed by
Brahmanandam Kanneganti Brahmanandam (born 1 February 1956), known mononymously as Brahmanandam, is an Indian actor, comedian, impersonator, and voice actor known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He is particularly known for his comic perfor ...
in the Telugu version. The film was banned in
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
as the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce objected to a spoof film with Pulikecei's name in the title being released in their state.
Pulakesi II Pulakeshin II (IAST: Pulakeśin, r. c. 610–642 CE) was the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi (present-day Badami in Karnataka, India). During his reign, the Chalukya kingdom expanded to cover most of the Deccan region in p ...
was a famous king who belonged to the
Western Chalukya Empire The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the Deccan Plateau, western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada people, Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalya ...
and ruled the Karnataka region in the seventh century. Post-release, vendors sold unauthorised copies of the film on VCD in many areas of Tamil Nadu, especially 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 ...
, where CDs were sold for 35 to 40, and
Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...
and
Dindigul Dindigul, also spelt Thindukkal (), is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul is located southwest from the state capital, Chennai, away from Tiruchirappalli, away ...
, where CDs were sold at 45 to 50. Police conducted raids in the
Avadi Avadi () is a suburb of Chennai within Chennai Metropolitan Area limit, located in the Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is a municipal corporation west of Chennai, about from Chennai Central Railway Station. It is surrounded by majo ...
and
Ambattur Ambattur is located in northwestern part of Chennai City, in Ambattur taluk of the Chennai District, surrounded by Avadi, Anna Nagar, Padi, Mogappair, Kallikuppam, Surapet, Korattur, Ayappakkam, and Thiruverkadu. It covers an area of . The nei ...
areas of Chennai where they seized 6636 VCDs. Although infringement helped increase the film's popularity, its theatrical run at the box office was still a financial success. Sri Lankan Cricketer
Muttiah Muralitharan Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan ( si, මුත්තයියා මුරලිදරන්, ta, முத்தையா முரளிதரன், also spelt Muralidaran; born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, former professional ...
watched the film in Kamala Theatres in Chennai with his family on 11 July 2006. He praised the film's innovative story, further saying that Vadivelu had developed a huge fan following in Sri Lanka through this film. To further promote the film, 50 children who watched it were given "Pulikesi moustaches". 'sic''.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''ref name="mr"/> The moustache became quite popular with children and further boosted the film's popularity. Deven said that the moustache would become as popular as Superman's outfit and Spider-Man's mask.


Reception


Critical response

Critics responded positively to ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikesi'', noting the quality of its story, Vadivelu's performance, its highlighting of contemporary political and social concerns, and the film's art direction, cinematography, and music. Malathi Rangarajan of ''The Hindu'' approved of the way Deven presented comedy, saying that it came in "the most unexpected situations." Film historian Sundararaj Theodore Baskaran described ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei'' as "a parody with healthy concerns". Both Bijoy Bharathan 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 ...
'' and Sudhish Kamath of ''The Hindu'' applauded Vadivelu's comic timing. ''
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 ...
'', in its original review of the film dated 23 July 2006, lauded Vadivelu's performance. S. Sudha of Rediff.com said that Vadivelu was the strength of the film. She credited the film's art direction and cinematography as one of its major highlights. Art director Krishnamoorthy performed intense research to create the costumes for the characters and to design the palace sets. According to Theodore Baskaran, Arthur A. Wilson's cinematography "creates a series of arresting images" which helps facilitate the directorial narrative. However,
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 ...
criticised the inclusion of songs in the film post-interval, stating that they "mar the film's tempo".


Box office

''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei'' was a box office success. The film opened to full houses in theatres across
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 ...
, Coimbatore and
Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...
. At the Mayajaal Multiplex centre in Chennai, the film grossed 301,000 in its first week and a total of 427,000 by the end of the second week of its theatrical run. Tickets were sold in black at the Devi Cineplex in Chennai for 150 against the original theatre price of 50. The film completed a theatrical run of 100 days at the box office. The film's 100th day celebration function was held on 14 October 2006 at the Kalaivanar Arangam located in the Chepauk district of Chennai. Rajinikanth, Vijay, Vivek, Sathyaraj,
Prabhu Ganesan Prabhu Ganesan (born 25 December 1956), known professionally as Prabhu, is an Indian actor, businessman and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan. He is popularly known as ''Ilaya Th ...
, Abirami Ramanathan and directors Lingusamy and
Balaji Sakthivel Balaji Sakthivel is an Indian director of Tamil films. He is best known for directing the 2004 film, '' Kaadhal''. Career Balaji Sakthivel began as an assistant director to S. Shankar. In 2002, he directed his first film, ''Samurai'' for Vikra ...
attended the function. Rajinikanth presented Vadivelu with a trophy for his performance in the film. Technicians who were involved with the film were also honoured. According to an analysis in 2007 by T. V. Mahalingam of '' Business Today'', the film earned a worldwide box office collection of 150 million.


Accolades

The film won two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. Vadivelu won the Best Comedian award while P. Krishnamoorthy won the Best Art Director award. Vadivelu also won the Filmfare Award for Best Comedian for his performance in the film.


Legacy

''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei'' became an important film in Vadivelu's career. It continued a trend of films with different themes that focused on social issues. K. Jeshi of ''The Hindu'' placed it in a category of films that discuss social issues like '' Sethu'' (1999), ''
Kaadhal ''Kaadhal'' () is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film based on a true story, directed by Balaji Sakthivel, starring Bharath (in his first film as a main lead actor) and Sandhya. It was produced by S. Shankar and featured music c ...
'' (2004), ''
Veyil ''Veyil'' ( en, Sunshine, italics=yes or ''Sun Blaze'') is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Vasanthabalan. Bharath and Pasupathy are the male leads whereas Bhavana, Priyanka and Sriya Reddy plays the female le ...
'' (2006), '' Mozhi'' (2007) and ''
Paruthiveeran ''Paruthiveeran'' () is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Ameer. The film stars Karthi in his feature film debut as the title character, with Priyamani as the female lead and Ponvannan, Saravanan, Ganja ...
'' (2007). Another critic from ''The Hindu'', Sumit Bhattacharjee, compared it with other period films like '' The Ten Commandements'' (1956) '' Ben-Hur'' (1959) ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...
'' (1997), '' Gladiator'' (2000), ''
300 __NOTOC__ Year 300 ( CCC) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 1053 ''Ab ...
'' (2007) and ''
Jodhaa Akbar ''Jodhaa Akbar'' is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language epic historical romantic drama film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. It stars Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the titular roles. Set in the 16th century, the film shows the life and ...
'' (2008). Mahendran included ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei'' in his list of all-time favourite films. H. Murali, who produced the film '' Jaganmohini'' (2009), in an interview with Malathi Rangarajan of ''The Hindu'', says the success of ''Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei'' inspired him to make ''Jaganmohini''. Subha J. Rao and K. Jeshi of ''The Hindu'' placed the film in league with other successful comedy films like ''
Kadhalikka Neramillai ''Kadhalikka Neramillai'' () is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film produced and directed by C. V. Sridhar, who also conceived and co-wrote its script with Chitralaya Gopu. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Balaia ...
'' (1964), ''
Thillu Mullu ''Thillu Mullu'' () is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by K. Balachander and written by Visu. A remake of the 1979 Hindi film '' Gol Maal'', it stars Rajinikanth, with Thengai Srinivasan, Nagesh, Poornam Viswanathan, Sowcar ...
'' (1981) and ''
Michael Madana Kama Rajan ''Michael Madana Kama Rajan'' is a 1990 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao and written by Kamal Haasan, with Crazy Mohan penning the dialogues. The film stars Haasan in four roles alongside Urvasi, Rupini an ...
'' (1990). Behindwoods included the "Pulikesi moustache" in its list of "Best accessories used in Tamil Cinema". A dialogue spoken by Vadivelu in the film, "Ka Ka Ka Po", which expands into ''Karuththukkalai Katchithamaaga Kavvikkondir Pongal'' (You have understood what I am saying), became a very popular meme used on social networking sites. Behindwoods included this dialogue in its list of Vadivelu memes. "Ka Ka Ka Po" also served as the title for a 2016 Tamil film by P. S. Vijay and as an
acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
for director
Nalan Kumarasamy Nalan Kumarasamy is an Indian film director who works in the Tamil film industry. He started his career as a short filmmaker and won the title of the first season of ''Naalaya Iyakunar''. He made his feature film debut with Tamil film, ''Soodhu ...
's
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
'' Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum'' (2016). The dialogue "Pandrikku Nandri Solli" (Saying thank you to the Pig) inspired the title of a 2022 film.


Cancelled sequel

In August 2017, Shankar announced that a sequel, titled ''Imsai Arasan 24th Pulikecei'', was scheduled for release in 2018. Vadivelu signed on to reprise his role as Pulikesi while Chimbu Deven and Shankar were to return as director and producer respectively. Shankar would have co-produced the film with Allirajah Subaskaran of
Lyca Productions Lyca Productions is an Indian entertainment company, which was established by Subaskaran Allirajah in 2014. A subgroup of Lycamobile, the production studio has been involved in the production and distribution of Tamil films made in India. It h ...
.
Parvathy Omanakuttan Parvathy Omanakuttan (born 13 March 1987) is an Indian actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss India 2008 and later became first runner-up at Miss World 2008. She was also awarded the titles of ''Miss World Asia & Oce ...
was cast as the film's heroine.
Ghibran Ghibran (often credited as M. Ghibran) is an Indian composer. He has composed music for Indian films, advertising films and television commercial jingles in different languages. Early life Ghibran was born and raised in Coimbatore. When he w ...
joined as the music composer while R. Saravanan, a former assistant to
Nirav Shah Nirav Shah (born 16 November 1974) is an Indian cinematographer. He has worked on a number of major box office hits in Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam since his debut with the 2004 Hindi film '' Paisa Vasool''. Career After having worked as an ...
, was hired to handle the cinematography.
Vivek Harshan Vivek Harshan (born 28 May 1981) is a National Film Awards winning Indian film editor who works predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films. He has frequently collaborated with Amal Neerad since the beginning of his career. '' Big B'', ''Iyobinte ...
and T. Muthuraj was chosen the editing and art direction respectively. Vadivelu later opted out, citing creative differences, and the project was dropped mid-way through shoot.


Notes


References


Sources

* *


External links

* {{Chimbu Deven Fictional kings Films set in the 1700s 2006 films Twins in Indian films 2000s Tamil-language films Indian historical comedy films Indian satirical films 2000s historical comedy films 2006 directorial debut films Films directed by Chimbu Deven 2006 comedy films