''Jananam'' () is a 2004
Tamil language
Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pudu ...
action drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-gen ...
directed by
Ramesh Selvan
Ramesh Selvan is an Indian film director, who has made Tamil films.
Career
Ramesh Selvan made his debut as a film maker with the action film ''Ulavuthurai'' (1998) starring Vijayakanth in lead role before making the revenge drama ''Jananam'' ( ...
. The film stars
Arun Vijay
Arun Vijay (born 19 November 1977), formerly known as Arun Kumar, is an Indian actor who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He also starred in a few films in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.
Born as Arun Kumar and being the only son of veteran actor ...
and
Priyanka Trivedi
Priyanka Upendra (née Trivedi) is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Kannada Language films.
Early life
Priyanka was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Her mother is from West Bengal and father from Uttar Pradesh. She spent ten yea ...
in lead roles, while
Ashish Vidyarthi
Ashish Vidyarthi (born 19 June 1962) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English, Odia, Marathi and Bengali films. He is noted for his antagonist and character roles. In 1995, he received t ...
,
Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran Velayutham (11 December 1958 – 19 March 2008) was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in films made in South India. He has acted in more than 200 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. According to the ''Hindustan T ...
,
Charle
Velmurugan Thangasamy Manohar (born 6 March 1960), professionally credited as Charle, is an Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema. He has acted in more than 800 Tamil films as a comedian and supporting actor. He was named after the English co ...
,
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 2 ...
and
Nassar
Nassar ( ar, نصار, lit=helper, protector, supporter, victory-maker), is a given name and surname, commonly found in the Arabic language. Alternative spellings of this name, possibly due to transliteration include Naser, Nasser, Nasir, Naseer ...
play supporting roles. The music was composed by
Bharathwaj
Ramani Bharathwaj known professionally as Bharadwaj is an Indian music director, composer, singer-songwriter, and music producer, predominantly known for his work in Tamil cinema. He is trained in Hindustani, Western and Carnatic music and is a ...
. The film was launched in 2002, but got delayed and was released in 2004.
Plot
Surya (
Arunkumar) is an angry young man who is a post-graduate student looking for a job. His girlfriend is Shruthi (
Priyanka Trivedi
Priyanka Upendra (née Trivedi) is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Kannada Language films.
Early life
Priyanka was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Her mother is from West Bengal and father from Uttar Pradesh. She spent ten yea ...
). She always tries to control his rage as he fights against injustice in society. Once, Surya fights for a friend, Ganesh (
Charle
Velmurugan Thangasamy Manohar (born 6 March 1960), professionally credited as Charle, is an Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema. He has acted in more than 800 Tamil films as a comedian and supporting actor. He was named after the English co ...
), who is a gold medalist but does not get a job as he is not able to get a loan from a bank because he does not have any collateral to pledge. Another gold medalist friend dies in an accident after running helter-skelter hunting for a job. All this changes Surya’s life, especially after he meets a well-known writer and intellectual Udaya Murthy (
Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran Velayutham (11 December 1958 – 19 March 2008) was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in films made in South India. He has acted in more than 200 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. According to the ''Hindustan T ...
), who urges him, along with others, to start a movement against corruption and injustice in society. They start an Unemployed Graduate Association which rubs the local politician and don Muthukaruppan (
Ashish Vidyarthi
Ashish Vidyarthi (born 19 June 1962) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English, Odia, Marathi and Bengali films. He is noted for his antagonist and character roles. In 1995, he received t ...
) the wrong way. The idealist Surya turns into a raging force after Murthy is shot dead by police and he is jailed. In jail, he is brutally tortured by the police as he becomes a rallying point for the youths who are fighting unemployment.
Cast
Production
The film was announced in 2002 with Arun Kumar and Priyanka Trivedi playing lead roles. The film got delayed by a year due to financing problems; also Priyanka's marriage caused the delay and it was finally released in 2004.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by
Bharathwaj
Ramani Bharathwaj known professionally as Bharadwaj is an Indian music director, composer, singer-songwriter, and music producer, predominantly known for his work in Tamil cinema. He is trained in Hindustani, Western and Carnatic music and is a ...
, with lyrics written by
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramasamy (born 13 July 1953) is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist working in the Tamil film industry. He is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world. A master's graduate from the Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai, he first ...
,
P. Vijay,
Snehan
Snehan (born Sivaselvam) is a Tamil poet, politician, lyricist, and actor who has worked in the Tamil film industry. In the year 2018 he entered politics with Makkal Needhi Maiam and contested in the Lok Sabha election. In 2021 Tamil Nadu Legis ...
and
Yugabharathi
Yugabharathi is a Tamil poet and lyricist. His birth name was "Santhanam Desan" and he was known as "Santhanam" by his family and friends. During the early 1990s when he began writing poems for magazines he started using the pen name "Yugabharat ...
.
Reviews
Indiaglitz wrote: "Though director Ramesh has tried to narrate an issue that the society is grappling with, it's certain that the delayed release will have an impact in the minds of the audience". Hindu wrote: "DESPITE A rather irrelevant and unrealistic theme that offers little support to the story and cast, if Crescent Movie International's "Jananam" is able to garner appreciation, much of the credit goes to the film's hero, Arun Kumar. The actor has slogged it out and the diligence shows. Be it action, emotion or subdued expression, Arun Kumar comes out with a commendable show in every frame. Sify wrote:" The story, plot development and packaging is old wine in a new bottle and has a hangover of films like Sethu and Nanda . Still it is watchable and has a positive message that unemployed youth can change the way of the society and administration, provided they are focused". Balaji b wrote: "Jananam belongs to the list of movies that is well-intentioned but not particularly well-made, the issue and its solution are presented in a screenplay that does not do justice to them" while another critic wrote: "The film begins with violence and finds the solution in peace talks. The story is weak and so is the screen play. The director focuses more on his punch dialogues and student revolution rather than building a story with flowing scenes to stimulate interest. Chennaionline wrote: "Director Ramesh may not have been able to convey all that he wanted to, nor in the exact way he had wanted to. But he should be commended for taking up a film with a message, and for his sincerity in depicting the plight of the educated unemployed from the poorer strata of society".
Jananam
/ref>
References
{{reflist
2004 films
Unemployment in fiction
2000s Tamil-language films
Films scored by Bharadwaj (composer)
Films directed by Ramesh Selvan