''Kaththi'' (; ) is a 2014 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
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
social drama film written and directed by
A. R. Murugadoss
Murugadoss Arunasalam (born 25 September 1974), commonly known as A. R. Murugadoss, is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for directing action films mainly on ...
, and produced by
Allirajah Subaskaran
Subaskaran Allirajah (born 2 March 1972) is a British-Sri Lankan Tamil entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of Lycamobile, a telecommunications company. He is also a producer of Tamil cinema, Tamil films through his entertainment subsid ...
under the banner
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 ...
, along with
Ayngaran International
Ayngaran International is a film distribution and production company, based in the United Kingdom. Historically, Tamil films from India have been distributed to overseas theaters and for home media consumption by Ayngaran. The chairman of the ...
, as the co-producer and
Eros International
Eros International Media Ltd (also known as Eros India) is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company, based and originated in Mumbai, India. Founded by Arjun Lulla in 1977, it is one of the leading production and distributi ...
, who distributed the film. The film stars
Vijay in a
dual role
A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...
as lookalikes Kathiresan and Jeevanantham, with
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu (formerly: Samantha Akkineni; born 28 April 1987) is an Indian actress who mainly works in Telugu and Tamil film industries. She is a recipient of several awards, including four South Filmfare Awards, six South Indian I ...
,
Neil Nitin Mukesh
Neil Nitin Mukesh Chand Mathur (born 15 January 1982) is an Indian actor, producer and writer who mainly works in Bollywood films . Born to singer Nitin Mukesh and grandson of Mukesh (singer), Mukesh, he debuted as a child artist in ''Vijay (19 ...
,
Tota Roy Chowdhury
Tota Roy Chowdhury is an Indian actor and martial artist based in Kolkata. He predominantly appears in Bengali and Hindi cinema. His notable roles include Feluda in the web TV series Feluda Pherot based on Satyajit Ray's Feluda
Feluda, or P ...
and
Sathish
Sathish Muthukrishnan (born 23 May 1987) is an Indian actor and comedian working in the Tamil film industry. He made a breakthrough portraying a role alongside Sivakarthikeyan in '' Ethir Neechal'' (2013). He won Edison Award for Best Comedian ...
appear in other prominent roles. It focuses on Kathiresan, a petty thief and lookalike of Jeevanantham, who attempts to lead a rebellion by farmers from the latter's village, Thanoothu, and helps them fight against an entrepreneur who exploited Thanoothu's water resources.
This film marks the second collaboration of Vijay and Murugadoss, after ''
Thuppakki
''Thuppakki'' () is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by AR Murugadoss. Produced by Kalaippuli S. Thanu under his studio V Creations, and distributed by Gemini Film Circuit, the film stars Vijay and Kaj ...
'' (2012). Following an official announcement in November 2013, the principal photography for the film commenced from February—September 2014. Primarily shot 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 ...
, it was also filmed in
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 ...
,
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
,
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...
,
Begumpet
Begumpet ("Begum's Place") is a part of Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Begumpet is named after the daughter of the sixth Nizam (Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI), Basheer Unnisa Begum, who received it as part of her wedding dowry when ...
,
Nellore
Nellore is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of the district, as well as Nellore mandal and Nellore revenue division. It is the List of cities in ...
and
Kadapa
Kadapa (colonial spelled Cuddapah) is a city in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located in the Rayalaseema region, and is the district headquarters of YSR Kadapa district. As of the 2022 Census of India, the city had a popula ...
. The cinematography for the film was handled by
George C. Williams and the film was edited by
A. Sreekar Prasad
Akkineni Sreekar Prasad is an Indian film editor. He works predominantly in Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi language films. In a career spanning more than 35 years, he has edited over 600 films. He is a recipient of nine National Film Awards ...
. The soundtrack and film score is composed by
Anirudh Ravichander
Anirudh Ravichander (born 16 October 1990), also known Mononymous person, mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian film scorer music composer music producer singer and instrumentalist who primarily works in Tamil films. He is the son of actor Ra ...
.
''Kaththi'' was released worldwide on 22 October 2014, coinciding with the
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 ...
festival, and received critical acclaim with critics praising Vijay and Neil's performance, technical aspects, background score, soundtrack, cinematography, editing, action sequences, social message, direction and the writing.
Before the film's release, it faced controversies for plagiarism allegations,
and the business link of Subaskaran, the film's producer, with Sri Lankan president
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
, which resulted Tamil fringe groups to protest against the film.
''Kaththi'' was a box-office success and emerged as one of the
highest-grossing Tamil films
Tamil cinema, popularly known as Kollywood, is the filmmaking industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The films are made primarily in Tamil language. The following is a list of the highest-grossing Tamil films. The Tamil film industry made the fi ...
, grossing .
It was one of the highest-grossing Tamil films in U.S at that time. The film was remade into Telugu as ''
Khaidi No. 150
''Khaidi No. 150'' () is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by V. V. Vinayak and produced by Ram Charan. The film stars Chiranjeevi and Kajal Aggarwal, marking Chiranjeevi's return to films in a lead role after a decade ...
'', starring
Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, film producer and former politician, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi starred in over 150 feature films in Telugu language, Telugu, as ...
.
A
recipient of various accolades, the film won three out of seven nominations at the
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
, including
Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil
The Filmfare Best Film Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil (Kollywood) films.
Winners
Nominations 1970s
*1972 - '' Pattikada Pattanama''
*1973 - '' Bharatha Vilas''
*1974 - ''Dikkat ...
. It won 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 ...
(including Best Film) and two
Vijay Awards
The Vijay Awards are presented by the Tamil television channel STAR Vijay to honour excellence in Tamil cinema. It has been given annually since 2006, with the latest—the 10th edition—of the award-giving ceremony having been held in ...
(
Favourite Film and
Favourite Director for Murugadoss). Additionally, the film won an
IIFA Utsavam
The annual IIFA Utsavam rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. The ceremony is organised by Wizcraft International, the team behind the IIFA Awards, and represents Tamil cinema, Telugu cinema, Malay ...
and
Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards
Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards is an annual awards ceremony for people in the Tamil film industry. It is presented by the Tamil language weekly magazine ''ananda vikatan''. The awards were introduced in the year 2008, honouring the films that w ...
each, three
Edison Awards
Edison Awards is an American company that runs an annual competition honoring excellence in innovation in a broad range of categories.
Company
The Edison Awards were established by the American Marketing Association in 1987 and has been an i ...
and a nomination for Best Social Awareness at the
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards is the annual film festival conducted in Oslo to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Tamil film industry. NTFF was arranged for the first time in 2010 by VN Music Dreams. NTFF i ...
, before losing eventually to ''
Sigaram Thodu
''Sigaram Thodu'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Gaurav Narayanan, which was also produced by UTV Motion Pictures. The film stars Vikram Prabhu, Sathyaraj, and Monal Gajjar while Sathish, Gaura ...
'' (2014).
Plot
In
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 ...
, Kathiresan is a prisoner, who helps the police capture an escaping prisoner Vivek Banerjee but escapes afterwards.
Kathiresan goes to
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 ...
to escape to
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
with his friend Ravi. However, he drops this plan after meeting and falling in love with Ankitha, who dupes him into believing that she wants to marry him after realising that he is having a crush on her and gives him a false phone number. Later, Kathir and Ravi notice Jeevanandham, who resembles Kathir, being shot by a group of thugs. They admit him to a hospital, and Kathir decides to
impersonate
An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone:
*Entertainment: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of ...
the injured Jeeva to escape from the police. Under Jeeva's name, Kathir and Ravi enter an
old-age home run by Jeeva with the intention of stealing from there for their Bangkok trip, until Kathir learns about Jeeva's mission.
Jeeva was a
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
ideologue and post-graduate in
hydrology
Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...
from the arid village of Thanoothu in
Tirunelveli district who had discovered
groundwater
Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...
under some lands of the village which could be used as an irrigation source not only for the village, but for the entire Tirunelveli district and the neighbouring
Thoothukudi district
Thoothukudi District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The district was formed by bifurcation of Tirunelveli district on 20 October 1986. Thoothukudi is the district headquarters and largest city of the distric ...
. However, a greedy entrepreneur named Chirag cheated the villagers into giving their lands for the construction of a factory. Jeeva got arrested, and six villagers committed suicide to bring this news to the media forefront and get Jeeva released.
Moved by Jeeva's past, Kathir decides to fight for the villagers' cause while still posing as Jeeva. The people of the old home and Kathir go to the jury and try to convince him to go in favour of them, but Kathir starts stating rules and scares the main jury person (whom Chirag had bribed). Kathir then sends a person (disguised as a hairdresser) to Chirag and makes him lay a
fingerprint
A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...
on Chirag's neck. After that, Chirag sends 50 men to kill Kathir, but he defeats them. Meanwhile, Jeeva finds himself in the Kolkata prison. With the help of Vivek, who has heard his story and plans to kill Kathir, he escapes with Vivek's henchmen. Unaware that Jeeva is headed for Chennai with Vivek's henchmen, Kathir makes efforts to convince the media to bring the plight of the villagers to national consciousness, but the media is uninterested as they feel it is not a sensational news.
A few days later, at the
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High C ...
, the judge declares the verdict in favour of Jeeva and the villagers, but adds that Chirag has claimed that certain villagers working abroad have shown their support for the factory. If they cannot prove that their support was faked by Chirag within the next five days, the verdict will go in Chirag's favour. Since the villagers who have denied supporting the factory are abroad and cannot come to Chennai so soon to rebut Chirag's claims as their passports are held by their contractors, Kathir decides on drastic measures to sensationalise the issue. He, Ankitha, Ravi, and the old-age home inmates block water supply to Chennai by sitting on the pipelines which carry water to Chennai from five lakes. With the plight of Chennai people due to no water supply having gained national attention, Kathir comes out of the pipeline after a few days and highlights the villagers' plight to the media. His speech is telecast nationwide.
By now, Kathir has discovered that Jeeva has escaped and is searching for him. Meanwhile, Jeeva and Vivek's henchmen reach
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 ...
, but Jeeva is kidnapped by Chirag's henchmen. While in Chirag's custody, he sees Kathir's speech on television and is moved by his efforts to help the villagers. On the night before the verdict, Kathir's bluff is exposed, but he promises the villagers that he will surely help them. He tells them that Jeeva is alive, that he will rescue him from Chirag and hand him back to the villagers with the assurance of a positive verdict. Kathir goes to Chirag's office, rescues Jeeva and kills Chirag. The next day, the verdict is declared in favour of Jeeva and the villagers. Despite the success, Kathir does not take part in the ensuing celebrations. Instead, he surrenders to the police and returns to the Kolkata prison after promising Ankitha, who has now fallen in love with him, that he will marry her once he is released.
Cast
Production
Development
In February 2013, sources reported that
A. R. Murugadoss
Murugadoss Arunasalam (born 25 September 1974), commonly known as A. R. Murugadoss, is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for directing action films mainly on ...
will collaborate with
Vijay again, after the success of ''
Thuppakki
''Thuppakki'' () is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by AR Murugadoss. Produced by Kalaippuli S. Thanu under his studio V Creations, and distributed by Gemini Film Circuit, the film stars Vijay and Kaj ...
'' (2012). The director had pitched three scripts for the film, with the first one being a romantic drama script, an action film which has Vijay playing a
dual role
A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...
(also being planned as a
multi-starrer), and a sequel to ''Thuppakki''.
Later, Vijay chose the second script and asked Murugadoss to work on the project.
Ayngaran International
Ayngaran International is a film distribution and production company, based in the United Kingdom. Historically, Tamil films from India have been distributed to overseas theaters and for home media consumption by Ayngaran. The chairman of the ...
was reported to produce the film, whose shooting has been planned to begin in late-2013, after Vijay completing the shooting for ''
Jilla
''Jilla'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by R. T. Neason and produced by R. B. Choudary through the company Super Good Films. Starring Mohanlal and Vijay athe film revolves around the conflict betwe ...
'', and Murugadoss' completion on the
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
remake of ''Thuppakki'', titled ''
Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty''.
The project was officially confirmed by Murugadoss on mid-November 2013, through his
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
page.
Subaskaran Allirajah
Subaskaran Allirajah (born 2 March 1972) is a British-Sri Lankan Tamil entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of Lycamobile, a telecommunications company. He is also a producer of Tamil films through his entertainment subsidiary Lyca Prod ...
, a British-Sri Lankan based Tamil entrepreneur, agreed to become the major investor in the film, by producing it under his newly backed film distribution and production company
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 ...
.
The film eventually became the first production of the company, with Ayngaran International and
Eros International
Eros International Media Ltd (also known as Eros India) is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company, based and originated in Mumbai, India. Founded by Arjun Lulla in 1977, it is one of the leading production and distributi ...
jointly distributing the film.
Murugadoss replaced his usual music director
Harris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj (born 8 January 1975) is an Indian composer from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He composes soundtracks predominantly for Tamil films, while also having composed for a few films in Telugu and two films in Hindi.
He has been honoured with K ...
with
Anirudh Ravichander
Anirudh Ravichander (born 16 October 1990), also known Mononymous person, mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian film scorer music composer music producer singer and instrumentalist who primarily works in Tamil films. He is the son of actor Ra ...
signing for the project.
George C. Williams, who worked on the director's production ''
Raja Rani'' (2013), was signed as the cinematographer. Art director Lalgudi N. Ilayaraja was selected to handle the
production design
In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wor ...
. The film was earlier rumoured to be titled as ''Dheeran'' and ''Vaal''. However, in March 2014, Murugadoss confirmed that the film would be titled ''Kaththi'' and that it was scheduled to be released on
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 ...
.
In June 2014, Murugadoss speaking in an interview, dismissed claims of being a gangster film, and Vijay playing father-son role in the film, and added that the film will be set 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 ...
.
Casting
Murugadoss stated that Vijay will play dual roles in the film, and his character names were revealed as Kathiresan and Jeevanantham.
Even before the film was officially announced,
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu (formerly: Samantha Akkineni; born 28 April 1987) is an Indian actress who mainly works in Telugu and Tamil film industries. She is a recipient of several awards, including four South Filmfare Awards, six South Indian I ...
was selected as the female lead in September 2013, whose character was named Ankita. Speaking about her role in the film, Murugadoss stated that "Samantha has exceeded my expectations for the role
..She always carries a smiling face and bring a lot of energy on the sets and has added more flavor to every scene."
Bengali actor
Tota Roy Chowdhury
Tota Roy Chowdhury is an Indian actor and martial artist based in Kolkata. He predominantly appears in Bengali and Hindi cinema. His notable roles include Feluda in the web TV series Feluda Pherot based on Satyajit Ray's Feluda
Feluda, or P ...
was signed for a pivotal role in the film.
According to ''
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 ...
'', he was reported to play an international gangster named Vivek Banerjee.
In March 2014,
Neil Nitin Mukesh
Neil Nitin Mukesh Chand Mathur (born 15 January 1982) is an Indian actor, producer and writer who mainly works in Bollywood films . Born to singer Nitin Mukesh and grandson of Mukesh (singer), Mukesh, he debuted as a child artist in ''Vijay (19 ...
was selected to play the antagonist, thereby making his début 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 ''Kollywood' ...
through the film. Neil was inspired by his look in his début film, ''
Johnny Gaddaar
''Johnny Gaddaar'' () is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language neo-noir thriller film written and directed by Sriram Raghavan, produced under the banner Adlabs. It stars Neil Nitin Mukesh, in his film debut, alongside Dharmendra, Biswajit Chatterjee, Z ...
'' (2007). He described his character as one who does not "fight the hero with physical power, but with intelligence".
He learned Tamil for his role, as he did not want to speak his dialogues without understanding their meaning. Neil had lost weight for the role and modelled his looks to be along the lines of
Brad Pitt
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...
and
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...
.
Sathish
Sathish Muthukrishnan (born 23 May 1987) is an Indian actor and comedian working in the Tamil film industry. He made a breakthrough portraying a role alongside Sivakarthikeyan in '' Ethir Neechal'' (2013). He won Edison Award for Best Comedian ...
was chosen to play a supporting role.
Filming
The film was launched in
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 ...
on 3 February 2014 by Lyca Productions with a pooja ceremony in front of the
Kalighat Kali Temple
Kalighat Kali Temple is a Hindu temple in Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal, India dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. It is one of the Shakti Peethas.
Kalighat was a Ghat (landing stage) sacred to Kali on the old course (Adi Ganga) of the Ho ...
, after which
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 ...
began. A fight sequence was canned in this schedule for 7 days,
and later the team returned to Chennai on 10 February 2014, for a song shoot which took place at
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 air ...
from 14 to 17 February, with special permissions being procured to shoot at the runway.
On 20 February, the team headed to
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
for shooting a major 30-day schedule at
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...
and
Begumpet
Begumpet ("Begum's Place") is a part of Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Begumpet is named after the daughter of the sixth Nizam (Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI), Basheer Unnisa Begum, who received it as part of her wedding dowry when ...
.
After a break for two-weeks, shooting resumed on 13 March in Hyderabad with another song being shot at
Ramoji Film City
Ramoji Film City is an integrated film studio facility located in Hyderabad, India. Spread over 1,666 acres (674 ha), it is the largest film studio complex in the world and as such has been certified by the Guinness World Records. It was estab ...
.
A climax sequence featuring Vijay and Neil, made at a cost of was shot at Nellore in mid-April.
The film was then shot in Pushpa Gardens in Chennai, where a huge set which costed around was erected and most of the indoor scenes were completed in this set. Shooting continued for a 40-day-long schedule in and around the city by 2 June 2014. In between, Murugadoss, took a break to promote his then upcoming Bollywood film, ''Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty'' (2014) in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. After Murugadoss returned to Chennai on 8 June, followed by location scouting, shooting of the film resumed, the following day. On 26 June 2014, the team headed to
Kadapa
Kadapa (colonial spelled Cuddapah) is a city in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located in the Rayalaseema region, and is the district headquarters of YSR Kadapa district. As of the 2022 Census of India, the city had a popula ...
for a 12-day schedule, by July 2014, 60% of the shooting.
The final leg of the film began on 1 August 2014 at Chennai. In late August 2014, 15 days of filming, including patch-work and a few fight sequences, remained. Filming moved back to Hyderabad, where the rest of the fight sequences were canned. On 1 September 2014, the second half of the film was nearly completed. Additional filming took place at the
Chennai Central railway station
Chennai Central (station code: MAS, short for ''Madras''), officially known as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, is the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the busiest railway ...
. On 4 September 2014, Neil Nitin Mukesh dubbed in Tamil himself for his role and completed his dubbing portions for the first half of the film. The climax sequences were shot in
Nellore
Nellore is a city located on the banks of Penna River, in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of the district, as well as Nellore mandal and Nellore revenue division. It is the List of cities in ...
on 23 September 2014 and talkie portions have also been completed within two days. The song "Selfie Pulla" was shot in Mumbai, with about 100 dancers participated in the song sequence. Filming of that track was completed on 30 September 2014, with the filming of the entire film also being completed as a result.
Themes and influences
As similar to the actor-director's previous film ''
Thuppakki
''Thuppakki'' () is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by AR Murugadoss. Produced by Kalaippuli S. Thanu under his studio V Creations, and distributed by Gemini Film Circuit, the film stars Vijay and Kaj ...
'' (2012), which is based on terrorism caused by
sleeper cells, ''Kaththi'', deals with the suicide of farmers due to corporate encroachment. The film also deals with several themes such as
water scarcity
Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water Water resources, resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity: physical or economic water scarcity. Physical water ...
, corruption,
communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
, the ill-effects of
capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...
and
industralisation and problems faced by farmers in daily lives. The character Jeevanantham, is named after a social activist, whom Murugadoss had inspired. An article published by ''Behindwoods'', listed its similarities with that of
Rajinikanth
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...
's ''
Lingaa
''Lingaa'' is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar, based on a story by Pon Kumaran, and produced by Rockline Venkatesh under Rockline Entertainments. It stars Rajinikanth, Anushka Shetty, ...
'', which was released on the same year, that highlighted the main plot and character traits of the protagonists.
Rockline Venkatesh
Thirupathi Narasimhalunaidu Venkatesh (born 23 March 1963), better known by his stage name Rockline Venkatesh, is an Indian actor and producer known for his works in Kannada, and Hindi cinemas. He is the founder and owner of the production and d ...
, the producer of ''Lingaa'', denied the connection of the film's script with that of ''Kaththi''.
In the film, the character Jeevanantham (Vijay), in a single dialogue, illustrates about the basic tenets of communism using
idli
Idli or idly () is a type of savoury rice cake, originating from the South India,popular as breakfast foods in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils (de-husked) and ric ...
es. In the press meet scene, Kathiresan (Vijay) spoke dialogues about several political incidents, that included
2G spectrum case
The 2G spectrum case was a political controversy in which politicians and private officials of the United Progressive Alliance coalition government India were involved in selling or allotting 122 2G spectrum licenses on conditions that provi ...
, and encroachment of
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 was ...
company in the banks of river
Thamirabharani. In October 2014, a petition was filed against Vijay and Murugadoss regarding the 2G spectrum case, and slammed them for defamation. The complainant R. Ramasubramanian questioned how a film can conclude that all those involved in the 2G spectrum case are corrupt when the case is still being heard in court, adding that the dialogue portrayed all those people in poor light and damaged their dignity. The court however, dismissed those claims later.
Sowmya Rajendran
Sowmya Rajendran is an Indian writer. She is the winner of Sahitya Akademi's 2015 Bal Sahitya Puraskar and has written over 20 books. She has written young adult fiction, picture books and inspirational books for children.
Career
Rajendran's w ...
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 ...
'' called ''Kaththi'' as what "Kollywood likes to call a "message" film made in a mainstream format" and the enormous success of the film "coupled with the general public mood (on social media especially) after the
jallikattu protests of 2017, which have made the "farmer sentiment" so popular on screen".
Music
![Anirudh Ravichander at Audi Ritz Style Awards 2017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Anirudh_Ravichander_at_Audi_Ritz_Style_Awards_2017.jpg)
The soundtrack and film score is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, in his first collaboration with Vijay and Murugadoss.
Before signing the project, Anirudh had composed the theme music of the film,
which was accompanied with the motion poster 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 ...
on 22 June 2014, coinciding with actor Vijay's birthday.
The album was under production from late-2013 and continued until September 2014. The soundtrack album consists of seven tracks, with lyrics written by
Madhan Karky
Madhan Karky Vairamuthu is an Indian lyricist, screenwriter, research associate, software engineer, and entrepreneur. A holder of a doctorate in computer science from the University of Queensland, Karky began his professional career as an ass ...
,
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 ...
,
Pa. Vijay
Pa. Vijay is an Indian actor, poet, writer, director, producer and film lyricist for Tamil cinema. He won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics in India for his song '' Ovvoru Pookalume'' in Cheran's ''Autograph'' (2004).
Career
Vijay is a na ...
and
Hiphop Tamizha
Hiphop Tamizha () is an Indian musical duo based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The duo consists of Adhithya "Adhi" Venkatapathy and R. Jeeva.
Their commercial break-through came with the song "Club le Mabbu le" in 2011. In 2012, Hiphop Tamizha rele ...
. The album, in its entirety was released on 24 September 2014, at the audio launch event held at
The Leela Palace Hotel in Chennai.
The songs as well as the film score was widely appreciated;
On 28 January 2015, the crew released the film's original background score through YouTube, to coincide with the film's 100-day celebration.
Marketing
Murugadoss roped in creative designer Gopi Prasanna to work on the promotional materials of the film. The first look and motion poster was released on 21 June 2014,
coinciding with the eve of Vijay's birthday (22 June 2014). The first look featured a still of Vijay being made with a collage of newspaper headlines.
The motion poster featured a creative design of prominent places in Chennai, and the entire city itself recreated and draped in the form of news headlines, and the final image, the still from the poster, in the end. According to Prasanna, ''Kaththi'' became the first mainstream Tamil film to introduce first looks.
He did not use the photograph of actor Vijay in the design, and created a newspaper collage to resemble Vijay's face. The production team being sceptical of the idea, but after the release, he was later appreciated for his creative efforts. Within a week, the motion poster, crossed more than 1 million views.
The official teaser of the film was released on 24 September 2014, coinciding with the film's audio launch event. An
Android game based on the film was launched during early-October, with the
3D and
2D versions of the game being released through
Google Play Store
Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sys ...
and
Windows Store
Microsoft Store (formerly known as Windows Store) is a digital distribution platform operated by Microsoft. It started as an app store for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 as the primary means of distributing Universal Windows Platform apps ...
. The trailer of the film was unveiled on 19 October 2014, three days ahead of the film's release, and got positive response from viewers. Before the theatrical release, the film's posters were branded in the AC coaches of
Parasuram Express
The Parasuram Express is an express train run by Indian Railways connecting Mangalore, Karnataka with Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu.
History
The train (Train No: 49/50) was initially run between Cochin and Shoranur. The train was later extended to Tr ...
which travels through
Nagercoil
Nagercoil, also spelt as Nagarkovil ("Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula, it lies on an ...
to
Mangalore
Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...
via
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 ...
, and at inter-state buses in Kerala and
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 ...
. Post release, two events were held to commemorate the film's successful theatrical run; one being held at
Coimbatore
Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...
on 27 October 2014, and another event at
Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tami ...
on 14 December 2014, to coincide the film's 50th day theatrical run.
Release
''Kaththi'' was released on 22 October 2014, coinciding with the
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 ...
festival. The film was released in more than 1300 screens worldwide.
The film released in 400 screens in Tamil Nadu,
and 200 screens in Kerala,
setting a record at screen count. In overseas, the film was released in US in 105 screens,
which is considered as the biggest Tamil release in the country, and in Canada, the film released on 21 screens.
The film released in United Kingdom on 70 screens,
and in France on 24 screens. The film released in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, on 28 screens, and in Australia on 16 screens.
The film was released in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
on 120 screens, which is highest for a Tamil film at that time.
The satellite rights of the film were sold to
Jaya TV
Jaya TV HD is a Tamil language satellite television channel based in Chennai, India. Jaya TV HD is also broadcast to the expatriate Tamil community via various media partnerships. Hemant Sahai of HSA had Jaya TV HD as his first client. Jaya TV ...
.
Shibu Thameens purchased the Kerala theatrical rights. The theatrical rights in
Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...
and
Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...
were sold to T. Siva of Boss Films. Prominent film producer Tagore Madhu acquired the theatrical rights in
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
and
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...
. MM Media, previously known as GK Media, acquired the film's theatrical rights in the USA. Goldie Films acquired the theatrical distribution rights in Karnataka.
The film was sold out in all the territories, nine days before the film's theatrical release.
The
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 ...
-dubbed version, which was planned to release along with the Tamil version, was pushed to 31 October 2014 and later to 21 November. The dubbed version was dropped, in favour of a Telugu remake titled ''
Khaidi No. 150
''Khaidi No. 150'' () is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by V. V. Vinayak and produced by Ram Charan. The film stars Chiranjeevi and Kajal Aggarwal, marking Chiranjeevi's return to films in a lead role after a decade ...
'', which was planned by the producer.
The film was also dubbed and released in Hindi under the title ''Khaki Aur Khiladi''. and was released through YouTube in 2017.
Controversies
Plagiarism allegations
The 41-second first-look motion poster drew comparisons with the popular minute-long advertisement campaign run by a Turkish newspaper, ''
Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
'', to announce their distribution of the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' as a supplement. The original advertisement features iconic images of the cities of New York City and
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, designed using news articles and headlines from the newspaper to show the two cities in the form of newspaper clippings. The motion poster of the film showed prominent places in Chennai and the entire city itself in the form of newspaper clippings and headlines, just like the advertisement campaign, without an acknowledgement to the makers of the original.
Minjur Gopi Nayinar filed a case against Murugadoss, claiming that the plot of the film was copied from his novel ''Mootha Kudi''. Responding to the issue, Murugadoss said that he was neither aware of Minjur nor that his story was a copy, further citing the allegation as a tactic by the plaintiff to garner free publicity. He, in turn, requested the court to dismiss the petition.
In late-September 2014, the court declared the case in Murugadoss's favour, citing lack of proper evidence found against him.
Anbu Rajasekar, a short film director also claimed the plagiarism allegation, levied against Murugadoss saying that the plot was lifted from his 2013 short film ''Thaaga Bhoomi'', which was selected at the
Norway Tamil Film Festival and also won second prize in a short film contest judged by Director
Balu Mahendra
Balanathan Benjamin Mahendran (19 May 1939 13 February 2014), commonly known as Balu Mahendra, was a Sri Lankan-born Indian cinematographer, director, screenwriter and film editor who worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. Widely regarded as ...
.
He further shared a scene-to-scene comparison of the short film with ''Kaththi'' to further substantiate his claim and wrote a letter to Murugadoss on late-October, claiming that his story was used in the film without permission. Since, there was no favourable reply from the director, he filed a case in the
Thanjavur High Court against Vijay, Murugadoss, Lyca Productions and the cinematographer George C. Williams. The case went on for four years, and since there is no development, Anbu with his family, subjected to a 10-day hunger strike from 31 October to 10 November 2018, and also filed a petition signed by over 100 villagers, which was submitted to the office of
Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Edappadi K. Palaniswami (born 12 May 1954), also known as E.P.S., is an Indian politician and the leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He served as the 7th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, from 2017 to 2021. He has been th ...
, the then-
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...
.
In December 2019, the
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High C ...
dismissed the proceedings against Vijay, Lyca and three others, saying that "there was no material against them about the allegations of plagiarism and the short film had not been registered under the
Copyright Act, 1957".
Business link allegations
![Subaskaran-Allirajah-Profile](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Subaskaran-Allirajah-Profile.jpg)
Subaskaran Allirajah, chairman of Lyca Mobiles, whose company Lyca Productions co-produced the film along with
Ayngaran International
Ayngaran International is a film distribution and production company, based in the United Kingdom. Historically, Tamil films from India have been distributed to overseas theaters and for home media consumption by Ayngaran. The chairman of the ...
, was claimed to have had business links with the
President of Sri Lanka
The President of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ''Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi''; ta, இலங்கை சனாதிபதி ''Ilankai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of t ...
,
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
. Murugadoss and Karunamoorthy of Ayngaran International met pro-Eelam leaders – Pazha Nedumaran, director
Seeman and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi's (VCK)
Thol. Thirumavalavan
Tholkappiyan Thirumavalavan (born 17 August 1962), better known as Thol. Thirumavalavan is a political leader, scholar and activist from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He is a Member of Parliament from Chidambaram. Founder and Presid ...
— to explain their position regarding the allegation, but the talks proved to be inconclusive at that time. A collective of four student bodies – Maatram Maanavar Ilaiyor Iyakkam, Free Tamil Eelam Students Organisation, Tamil Youth and Students Association, and Progressive Students Front – in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
called for a ban on the film, stating that the film promoted the economic and political interests of Sri Lanka. The students were willing to reconsider their position on the film if Lyca Productions formally withdrew as producer. In August 2014, directors Seeman and
Vikraman
Vikraman is an Indian film director primarily working in Tamil cinema.
Career 1990–1994
He worked as an assistant to actor and director R. Parthiban in ''Puthiya Pathai'' (1989), which was the latter's debut film as a director and an actor. ...
showed support for the film.
Despite clarifications, as many as 65 Tamil groups came together to oppose the film, leading to speculations regarding Lyca stepping down as producer and handing the reins to another production group.
Karunamoorthy, however, again denied that Allirajah had business links with either Mahinda Rajapaksa or his family in any way, further saying that a press meet would be held where all doubts and suspicions regarding Lyca Productions would be clarified and that the film would be released under the Lyca Productions banner. As per Karunamoorthy's statement, a press meet was held on 16 September 2014, where the vice-chairman of Lyca Productions, Premananthan Sivasamy, Subaskaran and Karunamoorthy were present. A statement with a detailed clarification was shown in which it was mentioned that Lyca did not have any business links with Rajapaksa or anyone else related to him, thereby confirming the planned release of the film on Diwali.
A meeting with the pro-Tamil groups, with Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association, exhibitors and distributors was held, three days before the release and after a favourable response, the theatre owners officially confirmed the planned release. However, on 20 October, few members from the Tamil groups had damaged the properties and glass panes at
Sathyam cinemas
SPI Cinemas is an Indian multiplex chain originally owned by the SPI Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The company is often lauded for its premium quality and inexpensive pricing. Its theatres, primarily Sathyam, are often used by ...
and Woodlands Cinemas, which resulted in huge trouble before its release. Later, actor Vijay confirmed that the issues with the pro-Tamils' have been resolved and Lyca Productions' name being removed from the film and its promotional materials, thereby meeting their demands. He also thanked the then-
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...
,
J. Jayalalithaa
Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...
for extending the support towards the film's release.
Reception
Box office
''Kaththi'' netted around worldwide on the opening day of its release (22 October 2014).
The film collected in Tamil Nadu alone on its opening day, and registered the best opening collections in
Trichy
Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...
,
Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...
,
Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tami ...
,
Kanyakumari
Kanniyakumari (; , referring to Devi Kanya Kumari), also known as Cape Comorin, is a city in Kanniyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent and the southernmost city in mainland Ind ...
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 ...
. It reported a full 100% occupancy on the film's opening day, despite the controversies, delayed advance bookings and low-key promotions.
The film also collected in Kerala and in Karnataka, thereby collecting an estimated at the domestic box office. At
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
(Karnataka), the film had earned in the second day of the release (23 October 2014) and another in the state, thereby bringing the two-day collections to .
In the extended-five day weekend, the film collected at the worldwide box office, and became the actor's first film to cross the mark worldwide, in a quick-span of time. At the domestic box-office, the film collected around in Tamil Nadu, in Karnataka and in Kerala, to achieve a net collection of in five days.
In Chennai city alone, the film netted in the first week with an average theatre occupancy of 97% and stood in the first position.
[Kaththi box office collection](_blank)
Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 27 September 2016. The second week witnessed an occupancy of 85% in the city and netted around . The film still stood at the number one position in Chennai by the third week resulting in a total collection of .
It surpassed the collections of ''
Velaiilla Pattadhari
''Velaiilla Pattadhari'' (), popularly referred to as ''VIP'', is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film written and directed by Velraj, in his directorial debut. The film stars Dhanush and Amala Paul, while Vivek, Saranya Ponvannan, S ...
'', ''
Maan Karate
''Maan Karate'' () is a 2014 Tamil-language sports comedy film written and directed by Krish Thirukumaran. The film was written and co-produced by AR Murugadoss and produced by P. Madhan under banner of Escape Artists Motion Pictures. It s ...
'',
''Veeram'' and ''
Jilla
''Jilla'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by R. T. Neason and produced by R. B. Choudary through the company Super Good Films. Starring Mohanlal and Vijay athe film revolves around the conflict betwe ...
'' at Chennai box-office.
''Kaththi'' reached the mark in 12 days of its release. The film took a worldwide distributor share of within twelve days of its release. The film was bought for a record price in Karnataka by a leading distributor, and opened well at the box-office there. The film collected around in Tamil Nadu, in Karnataka and in Kerala in five days.
After a long run for nine weeks at the Chennai box office, the film netted around .
''Kaththi'' completed a 100 days theatrical run on 29 January 2015.
In its final theatrical run, the film grossed an estimated worldwide, making it one of the highest grossing Tamil films of all time and the second
highest-grossing Tamil film of 2014, behind ''Lingaa''.
The film earned $142,805 in its USA premiere on 21 October 2014. It is considered to be an "all-time record for a non-Rajinikanth film in the US" and became the second Tamil-film to gross $100,000 besides and surpassing ''
Enthiran
''Enthiran'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film written and directed by S. Shankar. It is the first instalment in the ''Enthiran'' franchise. The film stars Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with Danny De ...
'' (2010).
Within five days of its release, the film surpassed the $5,00,000 mark. ''Kaththi'' became the highest grossing Tamil film of 2014 in US. In France, ''Kaththi'' opened with about which is a new record for an Indian film. The distributor Ayngaran International stated that ''Kaththi'' had the biggest opening for a Tamil film in UK since it released in over 70 screens there and also topped the weekend box office in Malaysia. It also has set new records in Singapore grossing over $201,408. In the UK box office it grossed £319,310 in 12 days. In Australia, ''Kaththi'' collected $160,890 and has surpassed the opening weekend collection of ''Kochadaiyaan'' ($119,597) and ''
Anjaan'' ($107,013) for 2014. The film had a lifetime business of over A$194,341 in Australia and became the highest grossing Tamil film of the year there. The film made approximately $1.86 million in Malaysia and has emerged as the third highest Tamil grosser.
Critical response
''Kaththi'' received critical acclaim from critics.
["'Kaththi' Review: Vijay Excels in Dual Roles; Treat for Fans"](_blank)
''International Business Times
The ''International Business Times'' is an American online news publication that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on busi ...
.'' Retrieved on 22 October 2014. Prakash Upadhyaya of ''
International Business Times
The ''International Business Times'' is an American online news publication that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on busi ...
'' gave the film 4 out of 5 and called it as "a message-oriented and highly entertaining commercial movie" and further wrote "Vijay, in two roles, steals the show in ''Kaththi''. His strong screen presence adds a huge value to the project. His co-star Samantha is just his an arm candy but Neil Nitin Mukesh looks rich in stylish costumes. Rest other characters have played their parts well. And the director himself appears in one scene and it gets huge applause from the audience." Critic based at ''
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 ...
'' gave it 4 out of 5 and stated, "the movie is a well made entertainer with a powerful message". ''Behindwoods'' gave it 3 out of 5 and stated, "Murugadoss delivers a strong commercial movie with a nice social angle, in true
Vijay style". 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 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "''Kaththi'' will definitely be picked up by a big Bollywood star for a remake, for the knife was bang on target".
S. Saraswathi 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 ...
'' stated, "''Kaththi'' attempts to highlight the pathetic condition of farmers, whose lives are being destroyed by callous multinational corporations" and rated it 3/5 as well. Baradwaj Rangan 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 ...
'' wrote "The ideas are snappy – the reveal of the person injured in a shootout; the identity of a couple of television reporters – but the staging is shockingly flat." Writing for ''
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 ...
'', Haricharan Pudipeddi gave 2.5 out of 5 and summarised "Kaththi is a commercial film and naturally audiences except some heroism, action and romance in it. But here Murugadoss has portrayed his hero as a messiah, a man of the masses willing to even sacrifice his life." Umesh Punwani of ''
Koimoi
Koimoi is a Bollywood entertainment website providing Bollywood news, box-office reports and film reviews. In January 2021, its Alexa ranking in India was 2530.
Origin
On 23 November 2009, Contest2win.com and Komal Nahta's Faith Entertainment j ...
'' gave 2.5 out of 5 and stated that "Kaththi picks up slowly, but delivered a power packed performance." ''
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 ...
'' rated the film 42 out of 100.
Anupama Subramanian 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 ( ...
'' gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated, "Vijay as Kathiresan in an author backed role does a neat job to satiate his fans playing his role packing with punches, humor, romance , right emotions and of course his forte – breezy dance movements. Vijay’s lengthy speech with the press towards the end earns lot of appreciation. On the contrary, the director has etched a weak characterization for Jeevanandham, who fights for a cause, but beyond that he is projected neither brainy nor brawny. Murugadoss brings to the fore critical social issues like farmers suicide, water scarcity, etc, but at times it looks too preachy. Wish Murugadoss could have opted for a tauter screenplay." ''Indiaglitz'' gave 3.25 out of 5 and stated "Vijay & Murugadoss have redefined the term ‘commercial’ once again and delivered a perfect diwali treat for the Tamil audience." ''Moviecrow'' gave 3.25 out of 5 and stated "The movie deserves a lot of credit for taking a social cause and delivering it sincerely with just the right amount of commercial elements."
Accolades
''Kaththi'' received eight nominations at the
62nd edition of
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
and won three —
Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
,
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
(Murugadoss) and
Best Dance Choreographer (Shobi). It was nominated at ten categories at the
9th Vijay Awards, winning two —
Favourite Film and
Favourite Director (Murugadoss), and seven categories at the
4th South Indian International Movie Awards and won four awards: Best Film, Best Actor in a Negative Role (Neil), Best Fight Choreographer (Anal Arasu) and Best Dance Choreographer (Shobi). It was nominated in three categories at the inaugural
IIFA Utsavam
The annual IIFA Utsavam rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. The ceremony is organised by Wizcraft International, the team behind the IIFA Awards, and represents Tamil cinema, Telugu cinema, Malay ...
awards, where it fetched the award for Best Music Director (Ravichander), the only win in that ceremony. Among other wins, the film received three
Edison Awards
Edison Awards is an American company that runs an annual competition honoring excellence in innovation in a broad range of categories.
Company
The Edison Awards were established by the American Marketing Association in 1987 and has been an i ...
and one
Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards
Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards is an annual awards ceremony for people in the Tamil film industry. It is presented by the Tamil language weekly magazine ''ananda vikatan''. The awards were introduced in the year 2008, honouring the films that w ...
. It also received a nomination for Best Social Awareness at the
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards is the annual film festival conducted in Oslo to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Tamil film industry. NTFF was arranged for the first time in 2010 by VN Music Dreams. NTFF i ...
, but it lost to ''
Sigaram Thodu
''Sigaram Thodu'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Gaurav Narayanan, which was also produced by UTV Motion Pictures. The film stars Vikram Prabhu, Sathyaraj, and Monal Gajjar while Sathish, Gaura ...
'' (2014).
Remakes
The film's Telugu remake was eventually planned by few distributors before the release, but in November 2014, the distributor B. Madhu had claimed that there will not be a Telugu remake of this film.
In April 2015, plans for adapting the film in Telugu-language eventually processed with
N. T. Rama Rao Jr.
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr. (born 20 May 1983), also known as Jr. N.T.R. or Tarak, is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu cinema. One of the highest paid Telugu film actors, Rama Rao Jr. has won several accolades, including two Fil ...
playing the lead role. In October, it was announced that
Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, film producer and former politician, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi starred in over 150 feature films in Telugu language, Telugu, as ...
will star in the remake, which will be directed by
V. V. Vinayak
V. V. Vinayak (born 9 October 1974) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his works in Telugu films. He is known for directing Action comedy film, action comedy and Masala film, masala films.
Vinayak made his directorial debut w ...
and will be his 150th film as a lead actor, and was officially confirmed in December 2015, with Chiranjeevi's son
Ram Charan
Konidela Ram Charan Teja (born 27 March 1985) is an Indian actor, producer, and entrepreneur who works predominantly in Telugu films. One of the highest-paid Telugu film actors, he is the recipient of three Filmfare Awards and two Nandi Award ...
making his debut as a producer, by financing the project under
Konidela Production Company
Konidela Production Company is an Indian film production company established by actor Ram Charan
Konidela Ram Charan Teja (born 27 March 1985) is an Indian actor, producer, and entrepreneur who works predominantly in Telugu films. One ...
. The film titled ''
Khaidi No. 150
''Khaidi No. 150'' () is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by V. V. Vinayak and produced by Ram Charan. The film stars Chiranjeevi and Kajal Aggarwal, marking Chiranjeevi's return to films in a lead role after a decade ...
'', was directed by V. V. Vinayak and released in January 2017. In July 2019, it was reported that the film will be remade in Hindi as ''
Ikka
Inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit alpha (IKK-α) also known as IKK1 or conserved helix-loop-helix ubiquitous kinase (CHUK) is a protein kinase that in humans is encoded by the ''CHUK'' gene. IKK-α is part of the IκB kinase co ...
'' (2021), starring Akshay Kumar and will be directed by Jagan Shakti. The film expected to beigin production in late-2019, was shelved in December 2020, after the co-producer
Fox Star Studios
Star Studios (formerly known as Fox Star Studios) is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney Star, part of the Disney International Operations segment of The Walt Disney Company. Th ...
exit from film production in India.
Legacy
''Kaththi'' eventually featured in the list of "Best Tamil Films of 2014" by various publications including ''
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 ...
'' and ''
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 ...
''.
According to Nivedita Mishra of ''
Hindustan Times
''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia.
It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...
'', the film "set records through box-office and social media".
Srivatsan S. of ''The Hindu'' called it as one of the "best
masala film
Masala films of Indian cinema mix multiple genres into one work. Masala films emerged in the 1970s and are still created as of the 2020s. Typically these films freely mix action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. They also tend to be ...
s of the decade in Tamil cinema" and one of the "films with best 'mass' music being featured in the last decade in Tamil cinema". ''Kaththi'' which became the first in mainstream Tamil cinema to introduce the concept of "first look" and "motion poster",
became one of the "best first looks designed for Vijay's films" according to ''
Times News Network
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...
''. Kaththi was also the first Tamil film that did not contain disclaimer about smoking and drinking, as there were no smoking or drinking scenes being featured in the film.
Other films which followed the similar pattern, were ''
Miruthan
''Miruthan'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action horror film written and directed by Shakti Soundar Rajan, starring Jayam Ravi, Lakshmi Menon and Anikha Surendran. D. Imman composed the music, while Venkatesh S. handled the cinematograp ...
'' (2016), ''
Spyder
The SPYDER ("Surface-to-air Python and Derby") is an Israeli short and medium range mobile air defence system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with assistance from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Rafael is the prime contractor a ...
'' (2017), ''
Thaanaa Serndha Koottam
''Thaanaa Serndha Koottam'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language crime comedy film directed by Vignesh Shivan. The film stars Suriya, alongside Karthik, Ramya Krishnan, Keerthy Suresh, Nandha, Kalaiyarasan, RJ Balaji, and Suresh Chandra Menon ...
'' (2018) and
''Hero'' (2019).
Social media and news articles cited that ''Kaththi'' became one of Vijay's films that elevated him to the path of super-stardom, that eventually continued after the success of ''
Mersal'' (2017), ''
Sarkar'' (2018) and ''
Bigil
''Bigil'' () is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language sports action film written and directed by Atlee and produced by Kalpathi S. Aghoram under the banner AGS Entertainment. The film stars Vijay in the titular role. It also stars Nayanthara, Jacki ...
'' (2019). Irrespective of the controversies, the film became a profitable venture for its producers
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 ...
.
The film's success also led Lyca Productions' to become one of the popular film production and distribution studios 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 ''Kollywood' ...
, and had produced several Tamil films, whose notable ventures include ''
Naanum Rowdy Dhaan
''Naanum Rowdy Dhaan'' () is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Vignesh Shivan, produced by actor Dhanush under his banner Wunderbar Films, and distributed by Lyca Productions. The film stars Vijay Sethupat ...
'' (2015), ''
Visaranai
''Visaranai'' () is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film written and directed by Vetrimaaran. It is based on the novel ''Lock Up'' by M. Chandrakumar. The film stars Dinesh, Anandhi, Samuthirakani, Aadukalam Murugadoss, Kishore, Pradhee ...
'' (2016), ''
Kolamaavu Kokila
''Kolamaavu Kokila'' () (abbrev. COCO) is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language black-comedy crime film written and directed by Nelson in his directorial debut, and produced by Lyca Productions. The film stars Nayanthara alongside a supporting cast inc ...
'', ''
Vada Chennai
''Vada Chennai'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action crime drama film written and directed by Vetrimaaran in his fourth film as a director. It is the first instalment in a planned trilogy. Produced by A. Subaskaran's Lyca Productions an ...
'' and ''
2.0'' (2018), which was considered to be the
most expensive Indian film to date.
''Kaththi''
's success led several filmmakers to direct films based on agriculture and problems faced by farmers.
The interest eventually shown a steeping growth after the
2017 pro-jallikattu protests
The 2017 pro-jallikattu protests, also known as the pro-jallikattu movement, were leaderless apolitical youth protests which took place in January 2017 in large groups in several locations across the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Some sporadic smal ...
and the month-long
Tamil Nadu Farmers protest happened in the same year, with film-makers covering the subject to cope up with the general sentiments of the public.
As a result, several Tamil films based on farming and agriculture were produced in the last few years.
Sowmya Rajendran
Sowmya Rajendran is an Indian writer. She is the winner of Sahitya Akademi's 2015 Bal Sahitya Puraskar and has written over 20 books. She has written young adult fiction, picture books and inspirational books for children.
Career
Rajendran's w ...
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 ...
'' had said that "From 'mother sentiment', films have now moved to ‘farmer sentiment’".
In its article to ''The Hindu'', about the "decade’s top 10 trends in Tamil cinema", editors Srinivasa Ramanujam, Srivatsan S., Pradeep Kumar and Gautam Sunder opined that the farmer's issue is "the hottest sub-genre in Tamil cinema, and has become an easy gateway for filmmakers to package 'valuable' messages".
This eventually became a subject of criticism from cinephiles, as the trope being felt "repetitive" and "formulaic"
and the commercial factors divert the "message regarding the problems faced by farmers in India".
Popular culture
The scene where Kathiresan (Vijay) visualises a floor plan in three-dimensions was parodied by
Neeraj Madhav
Neeraj Madhav (born 26 March 1990), also known by his stage name NJ is an Indian actor, rapper and dancer who predominantly works in Malayalam films. Neeraj is most popular for his role as Moosa Rehman in the Amazon prime web series ''The Fami ...
in ''
Adi Kapyare Kootamani
''Adi Kapyare Kootamani'' ( is a 2015 Indian Malayalam comedy horror film co-written and directed by John Varghese and starring Dhyan Sreenivasan, Namitha Pramod, Mukesh, Aju Varghese, Neeraj Madhav, Vineeth Mohan and Bijukuttan. The film was ...
'' (2015) and
Sivakarthikeyan
Sivakarthikeyan (born 17 February 1985), also referred to as SK, is an Indian actor, singer, film producer, lyricist, and television presenter, who works predominantly in Tamil films. He has also won a Tamil Nadu State Film Award, four Edison A ...
in ''
Rajinimurugan
''Rajinimurugan'' is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by Ponram, and produced by director N. Lingusamy and N. Subash Chandra Bose under the banner Thirrupathi Brothers. This is the second directorial venture of Ponr ...
'' (2016). Kathiresan's introduction in the pipeline was spoofed by Vishal in ''
Kaththi Sandai
''Kaththi Sandai'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Suraj (director), Suraj. The film is produced by S. Nanthagopal. The film features Vishal (actor), Vishal and Tamannaah in the lead r ...
''. In the 2017 film ''
Balloon
A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...
'', actor Jai walks with an iron rod to beat up a group of goons, which was similar to the coin fight scene in the film, and the instrumental theme "The Sword of Destiny" was mimicked in the background. Jai's character in the film was named Jeevandhanam, similar to one of the characters played by Vijay. The extended press conference scene featured in the film was spoofed in ''
Tamizh Padam 2
''Tamizh Padam 2: Police Athiyayam'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language parody film written and directed by C. S. Amudhan and produced by S. Sashikanth and Ramachandra of YNOT Studios. A sequel to the successful ''Thamizh Padam'' (2010), the f ...
'' (2018).
The 2019 Tamil film ''
Boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
'', was said to be heavily inspired from the film, as the lead actor
Atharvaa
Atharvaa Murali is an Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema. The son of actor Murali and grandson of director S. Siddalingaiah, Atharvaa began his acting career with ''Baana Kaathadi'' (2010). He then garnered critical acclaim for his perform ...
played dual roles and it also dealt with farmers' issue, similar to this film. The Telugu film ''
Maharshi
Maharishi is a Sanskrit word, written as "महर्षि" in Devanagari (formed from the prefix mahā- meaning "great" and r̥ṣi - sage, poet or a singer of sacred hymns), indicating members of the highest order of ancient Indian sages, po ...
'', which was released on the same year, starring
Mahesh Babu
Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu (born 9 August 1975) is an Indian actor, producer, media personality, and philanthropist who works mainly in Telugu cinema. He has appeared in more than 25 films, and won several accolades including, eight Nandi Award ...
has said to be influenced by ''Kaththi'' as both the film's focus on agriculture. Janani K. of ''India Today'' gave a mixed review for the film and wrote: "Mahesh Babu gets his own underwhelming ''Kaththi''".
Notes
References
External links
*
{{FilmfareAwardBestTamilMovie
2014 films
2010s Tamil-language films
2014 action drama films
2010s vigilante films
Indian action drama films
Tamil films remade in other languages
Films directed by AR Murugadoss
Films scored by Anirudh (composer)
Films about corruption in India
Films about farmers' suicides in India
Films about social issues in India
Films about water scarcity
Films about poverty in India
Indian business films
Films about communism
Films about water
Films about agriculture
Films shot in Andhra Pradesh
Indian prison films
Indian vigilante films
Films set in prison
Films set in Kolkata
Films set in Chennai
Indian nonlinear narrative films
Films shot in Chennai
Films shot in Kolkata
Films shot in Mumbai
Films shot in Hyderabad, India
Films shot in Rajahmundry
2010s business films
2010s masala films
Water scarcity in fiction
Films involved in plagiarism controversies
Film controversies in India
Films about lookalikes
Indian intellectual property law