''Maanaadu'' () is a 2021 Indian
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
-language
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
action thriller film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
written and directed by
Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian filmmaker, actor and playback singer in Tamil films. After completing his education, he began pursuing an acting career, with his first ...
and produced by Suresh Kamatchi. The film stars
Silambarasan
Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar, nicknamed as Simbu or his initials S. T. R., is an Indian actor, filmmaker and musician in Tamil cinema. He began his acting career by playing roles as a child artist in films directed by his father T. Rajendar, b ...
,
S. J. Suryah
S. Justin Selvaraj, known by his stage name S. J. Suryah is an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, composer, producer and music director who has worked predominately in Tamil film industry. He sought to become an actor but started out d ...
and
Kalyani Priyadarshan
Kalyani Priyadarshan (born 5 April 1993) is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ...
alongside
S. A. Chandrasekhar
S. A. Chandrasekar (born 2 July 1945) is an Indian film director, producer, writer, and actor who primarily works within Kollywood. He made his directorial debut with ''Aval Oru Pachai Kuzhanthai'' (1978), He got his breakthrough with ''Sattam ...
,
Y. G. Mahendran
Y G Mahendran (born 9 January 1950) is an Indian Actor, dramatist, actor, singer, playwright and comedian from the state of Tamil Nadu. He has acted in a number of plays and films. He is the son of Y. G. Parthasarathy, one of the pioneers of mo ...
,
Karunakaran Karunakaran may refer to:
* K. Karunakaran (1918–2010), Indian politician and member of the Indian National Congress (INC)
* Dr. T. Karunakaran (1946-2019), Indian academic, social reformer, rural developer, founder of AGRINDUS
* Karunakaran (ac ...
,
Premgi Amaren
Prem Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 26 February 1979), better known as Premgi, is an Indian playback singer, composer, songwriter, actor and comedian. The son of composer and director Gangai Amaran, he often composes rap songs in Tamil cinema and i ...
,
Aravind Akash
Aravind Akash is an Indian actor and dancer who predominantly works in the South Indian film industry. He rose to fame through 2002 Malayalam film ''Nandanam'' portraying the role of Lord Krishna. He has also been a judge for a few TV shows in ...
and
Anjena Kirti
Anjena Kirti is an Indian actress and model, who predominantly works in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. Anjena was born and raised in Chennai, she was an international
airline crew Etihad Airways. She left her airline crew job to pur ...
in supporting roles. The film's music and score is composed by
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja or Abdul Haliq (born 31 August 1979) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer-songwriter. He mainly scores music for Tamil films. Considered a versatile composer, he is particularly known for his use of Wes ...
, with cinematography handled by
Richard M. Nathan and editing done by
Praveen K. L (in his 100th film). It revolves around a common man and a police officer, whom are trapped in a
time loop
The time loop or temporal loop is a plot device in fiction whereby characters re-experience a span of time which is repeated, sometimes more than once, with some hope of breaking out of the cycle of repetition. The term "time loop" is sometimes us ...
, at the day of a public
conference
A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic.
Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...
of the chief minister and forced to live the same day over and over again.
The project was announced in July 2018, marking Prabhu's maiden collaboration with Silambarasan. During the extensive pre-production work, the producer ousted Silambarasan from the project in August 2019, citing his unprofessional behaviour, and the latter announced another project under the title ''Maghaa Maanaadu'' in that month, which he had dropped. The issue was resolved in November 2019, after Silambarasan agreed to allot his dates for the film.
Filming began on 19 February 2020 at
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, following a preliminary announcement about the cast and crew. Despite shooting being affected twice due to the restrictions followed during the first and second wave of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, the makers wrapped the shooting of the film within July 2021, taking only 68 working days for shooting.
It was filmed extensively in Chennai, with sporadic schedules taking place in
Pondicherry
Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...
,
Yercaud
Yercaud is a Hill station in Salem District, in Tamil Nadu, India.
History
Stone-age implements have been found from the ancient shrine located near Shevaroy Hills (also known as Shevarayan Hills), which is about 5 km from the Yercaud ...
and
Hosur
Hosur is an industrial city located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Hosur is one of the municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu. It is located on the bank of the river River Ponnaiyar, southeast of Bengaluru and west of Chennai, the state ...
.
''Maanaadu'' was theatrically released worldwide on 25 November 2021. It received positive reviews from critics and audiences with praise towards cast performances (particularly S.J Suryah and STR), direction, narrative style, action sequences and technical aspects (soundtrack, editing and others). The film was highlighted for the integration of the time-loop concept with commercial elements, with many publications calling it one of the best Tamil films of 2021.
It was declared as critically and commercially successful at the box office.
A sequel is confirmed by Venkat Prabhu with the main cast returning.
Plot
Abdul Khaliq is an
NRI
NRI or Nri may refer to :
* Kingdom of Nri, an Igbo kingdom that flourished between the 10th century and early 20th century
* National Radio Institute, a now defunct post-secondary vocational correspondence school
* National Resources Inventory
* N ...
, who is on his way via flight to
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 ...
from
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, to reach
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
. He is going to help his friend Eswaramoorthy elope with his lover Zarina Begum on the day of her marriage with the help of his other friend Syed Basha. He gets his co-passenger Seethalakshmi to join him after it is revealed that she is actually the groom's friend in Zarina's wedding. The next afternoon, They elope and escape from the bride's family in pursuit after them. On the way to the registrar's office, an unknown man suddenly falls on their car. The man is revealed to have been pursued by the cops headed by
Inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.
Australia
In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...
John. They are subsequently interned extrajudicially on the orders of corrupt
DCP Dhanushkodi. Khaliq is forced by Dhanushkodi and John to attend a scheduled political gathering with
CM Arivazhagan present and is instructed to shoot Arivazhagan with a pistol else his friends would die, Khaliq reluctantly shoots Arivazhagan. John shoots Khaliq dead in the enduring chaos, despite his protests against his actions. Khaliq awakens only to find himself in the mid-flight where he was on the start of that day and proceeds to relive all the distinct incidents of that morning.
After attempting to help Eswaramoorthy elope again, he finds himself in the same spot where the police had previously accosted him. Khaliq is shocked to find the unknown man named Rafiq from his previous experience. Rafiq enters his car attempting to flee the police. The police catch up to them and Khaliq is shot dead by Dhanushkodi this time. Khaliq finds himself mid-flight once again, failing to realise he is
looping in time. He attempts to take a different path and prevent interacting with the police, but he eventually dies at the hands of Zarina's brother Mansoor. He wakes up mid-flight once again and finally realises that he is trapped in a time loop. Khaliq explains the matter to his friends and Seethalakshmi who tells him about the stories of time looping and
Ujjain
Ujjain (, Hindustani language, Hindustani pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Prad ...
's Kaal-Bhairav, the Hindu lord of time. Khaliq realises how he, having been born in Ujjain in Kaal-Bhairav's temple, might be behind the time loop (Khaliq looping at the same spot is the result of the aircraft flying over Ujjain at that moment) and that he has to reach a set objective to escape the loop. Khaliq begins investigating the political gathering once again and sees a cameraman shoot at Arivazhagan with a disguised
sniper rifle
A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...
.
Using the time loop to his advantage, Khaliq locates the hitman and restrains him to prevent the assassination. However, Arivazhagan is killed in an
IED bombing while leaving the gathering. Frustrated, Khaliq confronts Dhanushkodi and laments that Arivazhagan's assassination would lead to a dangerous
religious riot
Religious violence covers phenomena in which religion is either the subject or the object of violent behavior. All the religions of the world contain narratives, symbols, and metaphors of violence and war. Religious violence is violence that ...
and cause further societal conflict. It is revealed that Dhanushkodi has also been stuck in a time loop when his blood accidentally transfused into Khaliq as he was wounded in one of the previous loops. The two must struggle against each other to achieve their conflicting goals. Khaliq needs to stop the political gathering which would prevent Arivazhagan's public assassination and foil any possibility of a religious riot while Dhanushkodi needs to prevent Khaliq from doing so. Dhanushkodi is revealed to be working for Paranthaman, a veteran aide of Arivazhagan, who is unhappy with the
nepotism
Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...
inside his party. Paranthaman wants to get to power by assassinating Arivazhagan and Dhanushkodi expects to benefit from such a transfer of power by orchestrating the assassination. Khaliq is given a final warning by Dhanushkodi to stay away from his assassination and resets the loop.
Khaliq attempts to warn Arivazhagan's son Mugilan of the impending assassination. On failing to do so, Khaliq eventually figures out Tamizhvanan, a local
Hindu figurehead already knew of Paranthaman's plans to assassinate Arivazhagan. Tamizhvanan was murdered earlier that day. On knowing Arivazhagan and Tamizhvanan are close, Khaliq realizes that he needs to save Tamizhvanan and get him to warn Arivazhagan to prevent the gathering. After many futile attempts and loops, Khaliq successfully kidnaps Tamizhvanan and avoids Tamizhvanan himself to get murdered. He convinces Tamizhanan about Arivazhagan's impending assassination. Tamizhvanan helps Khaliq get to Arivazhagan but is captured by the police during a police chase. Khaliq smuggles himself into the memorial service of Kalaiselvanar (Arivazhagan's predecessor and former CM) where Arivazhagan, Mugilan, and Paranthaman attend the following afternoon. Khaliq convinces Arivazghan that an assassination was being planned by showing a video where Tamizhanan explains Arivazhagan to trust Khaliq.
Arivazhagan confronts Paranthaman by acting like he is suffering from sudden palpitation. He is convinced that Khaliq is telling the truth after Paranthaman pleas for him to attend the conference. A fight ensure between Khaliq and Dhanushkodi. Mugilan is shot, but successfully warns his guards, who come straight into action, Paranthaman attempts to suffocate Arivazhagan, but is killed by Khaliq. Dhanushkodi tries to kill Arivazhagan but Khaliq takes the bullet and saves him. Dhanushkodi is killed by the guards. Mugilan and Khaliq recover and Arivazghan thank Khaliq for saving his life. Khaliq seemingly ends his time-loop. Paranthaman's death is chalked up to be
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...
for political reasons. When Mansoor arrives, Khaliq stands to face him. In the
post-credits scene
A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...
, Khaliq awakens to find the time loop has still not ended.
Cast
The bus stand portrait of late actor
Manivannan
S. Manivannan Rajagopal (31 July 1953 – 15 June 2013), better known by his mononym Manivannan, was an Indian film director, actor and activist who worked mainly in Tamil cinema and also worked in a few Telugu & Malayalam films. In a care ...
is featured in the film as Kalaiselvanar, the predecessor of Arivazhagan in his political party.
Production
Pre-production
Venkat Prabhu
Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian filmmaker, actor and playback singer in Tamil films. After completing his education, he began pursuing an acting career, with his first ...
initially planned to collaborate with
Silambarasan
Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar, nicknamed as Simbu or his initials S. T. R., is an Indian actor, filmmaker and musician in Tamil cinema. He began his acting career by playing roles as a child artist in films directed by his father T. Rajendar, b ...
for ''Billa 3'', the third instalment in the
''Billa'' film series, which came under the news in late 2016. With Prabhu failing to helm the project, because of his ongoing commitments with his directorial ''
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...
'', Silambarasan decided to direct the film by himself, after a hiatus of nearly ten years, since ''
Vallavan
''Vallavan'' ( ''Expert'') is a 2006 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romance film, romantic action film written and directed by Silambarasan, starring himself as the titular character along with Reema Sen and Nayanthara as lead heoines whil ...
'' (2006). Silambarasan then decided to revive his shelved project ''
Kettavan''. The project was expected to take place in July 2017, with shooting being held at
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- ...
and the United States, but failed to materialise then.
Development
In June 2018, producer Suresh Kamatchi of V House Productions, officially confirmed their next venture with Silambarsan and Venkat Prabhu. The project was not considered to be the third instalment of ''Billa'' but another fresh script written by Prabhu; though it was rumoured to be a
gangster film
A gangster film or gangster movie is a film belonging to a genre that focuses on gangs and organized crime. It is a subgenre of crime film, that may involve large criminal organizations, or small gangs formed to perform a certain illegal act. The ...
, it was later revealed to be an
action-thriller
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
instead.
On 9 July 2018, Venkat Prabhu announced the title of the film as ''Maanadu'', with a poster release, revealing that the film will be based on political backdrop. Venkat Prabhu added that the film would be a
political thriller
A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The ...
, his first attempt at the genre. The film, however, uses this as a subplot for the film whilst the story revolves around
time loop
The time loop or temporal loop is a plot device in fiction whereby characters re-experience a span of time which is repeated, sometimes more than once, with some hope of breaking out of the cycle of repetition. The term "time loop" is sometimes us ...
, a first-of-a-kind in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
and Indian cinema; this had been kept under wraps by the team during the promotions for the film.
Despite few developments in the project, in August 2019, Suresh Kamatchi announced that he had ousted Silambarasan from the film citing the actor's failure to commit to dates properly, although the film had undergone pre-production work for close to a year before Silambarasan's exit. The producer claimed that the film will go on production with another actor in the lead role, while Silambarasan later chose to launch another new project titled ''Maghaa Maanaadu'' immediately after his removal from ''Maanaadu''. Suresh Kamatchi, along with several other producers came forward with an official complaint to the
Tamil Film Producers Council
Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC), is a union for film producers in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, based in Chennai. Formed on 18 July 1979, the group has a charitable trust fund to provide financial support to retired producers, voiced suppo ...
about Silambarasan's poor punctuality during the same month. In November 2019, the producers announced that Silambarasan would come back to the project after sorting out the issues, and the project was expected to be re-launched.
Casting
With the film's cast and crew not being announced yet, it was rumoured that
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
was being approached to compose the music and
P. C. Sreeram
P. C. Sreeram ISC (born 26 January 1956) is an Indian cinematographer and film director who works in Indian films. He is also the president of Qube Cinemas, a digital cinema technology company. He is an alumnus of the Madras Film Institute. ...
being hired as the cinematographer. In January 2019,
Raashi Khanna
Raashii Khanna (born 30 November 1990) is an Indian actress and playback singer who predominantly works in Telugu and Tamil film industries. She made her acting debut in a supporting role with the Hindi film ''Madras Cafe'' (2013) and subseque ...
, was in talks to play the female lead, however
Kalyani Priyadarshan
Kalyani Priyadarshan (born 5 April 1993) is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ...
, who paired up with
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 ''
Hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
'' (2019), was later cast. In June 2019,
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja or Abdul Haliq (born 31 August 1979) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer-songwriter. He mainly scores music for Tamil films. Considered a versatile composer, he is particularly known for his use of Wes ...
, who is known for his successful collaborations with Silambarasan and Venkat Prabhu, signed in as the composer.
In January 2020, the makers announced the complete cast and crew, which includes
S. A. Chandrasekhar
S. A. Chandrasekar (born 2 July 1945) is an Indian film director, producer, writer, and actor who primarily works within Kollywood. He made his directorial debut with ''Aval Oru Pachai Kuzhanthai'' (1978), He got his breakthrough with ''Sattam ...
,
Bharathiraja
Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with ''16 Vayathinile'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. ...
,
Premgi Amaren
Prem Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 26 February 1979), better known as Premgi, is an Indian playback singer, composer, songwriter, actor and comedian. The son of composer and director Gangai Amaran, he often composes rap songs in Tamil cinema and i ...
and
Karunakaran Karunakaran may refer to:
* K. Karunakaran (1918–2010), Indian politician and member of the Indian National Congress (INC)
* Dr. T. Karunakaran (1946-2019), Indian academic, social reformer, rural developer, founder of AGRINDUS
* Karunakaran (ac ...
, along with cinematographer
Richard M. Nathan, editor
Praveen K. L.
Kuchipudi Latha Praveen is an Indian film editor, based in Chennai, who works predominantly in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and English films. He is a recipient of one National Film Award, one Tamizh Nadu State Film Award among others. He ha ...
, action director
Stunt Silva
Stunt Silva is an Indian stunt actor, action director and stunt co-ordinator who has worked in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi and Sinhala films. He made his debut with the 2005 Telugu film '' Chatrapathi'', directed by S. S ...
and costume designer
Vasuki Bhaskar
Vasuki Bhaskar is an Indian fashion design, fashion and costume designer, working in the Tamil film industry. She is the daughter of film producer R.D. Bhaskar and Pavalar Creations is their own production house.
Career
Vasuki was born as the o ...
, being a part of the project. Furthermore, the team also included
S. J. Suryah
S. Justin Selvaraj, known by his stage name S. J. Suryah is an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, composer, producer and music director who has worked predominately in Tamil film industry. He sought to become an actor but started out d ...
,
Manoj Bharathiraja
Manoj K. Bharathi (born 11 September 1976 as Manoj Bharathiraja) is an Indian actor. He is most noted as the son of director Bharathiraja. Manoj made his acting debut with ''Taj Mahal'' in 1999.
He has been the part of few Tamil movies like ''S ...
,
Daniel Annie Pope
Daniel Annie Pope is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. After appearing in uncredited and minor roles, he made his breakthrough as an actor with his comic role in ''Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara'' (2013).
Career
Da ...
and
Y. G. Mahendran
Y G Mahendran (born 9 January 1950) is an Indian Actor, dramatist, actor, singer, playwright and comedian from the state of Tamil Nadu. He has acted in a number of plays and films. He is the son of Y. G. Parthasarathy, one of the pioneers of mo ...
, to the film's cast. Prabhu initially wanted
Arvind Swamy
Arvind Swamy (born 18 June 1970) is an Indian actor, model, entrepreneur and television presenter known for his work in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam films. He was introduced as an actor by Mani Ratnam with the blockbuster ...
to play the DCP Dhanushkodi, but he could not allot dates, resulting in Suryah being cast. Silambarasan was reported to play a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
in the film, whose character name was revealed as "Abdul Khaaliq" with a poster release on Silambarasan's birthday, 3 February 2020. It is a reference to Abdul Haliq, the legal name of Yuvan Shankar Raja following his conversion to Islam in 2014. Badava Gopi joined the film's sets during the filming schedule in Pondicherry in November 2020.
Filming
Principal photography commenced on 19 February 2020 with a customary pooja ceremony being held on
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, where the team planned to few scenes in the venue and move 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 a 40-day schedule. Following the accident held on the sets of ''
Indian 2
''Indian 2'' is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language vigilante action film directed by S. Shankar, intended as a sequel to his 1996 film ''Indian'', and produced by Lyca Productions and Red Giant Movies. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Kajal Aggarwal ...
'', the producer Suresh Kamatchi had assured an insurance of crores to the film's cast and crew, also ensuring the safety of the workers on the film sets. On 27 February 2020, the team moved to
VGP Golden Beach at Chennai, for a song shoot featuring Silambarasan which was choreographed by
Raju Sundaram
Basuva Raju Sundaram is an Indian dance choreographer, actor and director, who works primarily in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu films. He appeared as an actor in films such as but not limited to: ''Jeans'' (1998), '' 123'' (2002), ''I Love You Da' ...
, was being filmed at a huge set with around 200 dancers from
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- ...
and
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 ...
.
The team later moved to
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 ...
at Hyderabad on 11 March for the film's second schedule. However, the film council in Hyderabad declined permission to shoot the film until 19 March for safety reasons due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, thus the film's shooting being put on hold. Later the shooting of the film resumed at
Pondicherry
Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...
on 9 November 2020, with Silambarasan joining the sets post the completion of his film ''
Eeswaran
''Eeswaran'' is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Suseenthiran, and produced by Balaji Kapa under banners Madhav Media. It stars Silambarsan, Bharathiraja, Nidhhi Agerwal marking the debut in Tamil cinema an ...
'' (2021). The schedule took place for a month and was completed within 9 December 2020. The team headed to
Yercaud
Yercaud is a Hill station in Salem District, in Tamil Nadu, India.
History
Stone-age implements have been found from the ancient shrine located near Shevaroy Hills (also known as Shevarayan Hills), which is about 5 km from the Yercaud ...
on 25 December 2020, to shoot major sequences without featuring Silambarasan.
A huge set was erected at the EVP Film City in Chennai, resembling a political gathering, and several lead stars were part of this schedule.
The set works began in mid-February 2021 and took place for more than a month.
Venkat Prabhu revealed that it was a challenging one to shoot a sequence with lot of artistes involved during this pandemic situation. He further added that the team planned to shoot this sequence in a quick time, citing the rise of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
infections in Chennai following the hot weather in the city. The shooting of the schedule was wrapped up on 5 April 2021, and then planned for another sequence to be filmed in
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
airport, but was delayed further since the government had imposed ban on passengers from India arriving in the country due to surge in COVID-19 cases. After the statewide lockdown due to second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, the team later shifted to
Hosur Aerodrome
Hosur Aerodrome is an airport located at Belagondapalli 10 Kilometres southwest of Hosur, Tamil Nadu, India.
The airfield is owned by Taneja aerospace and aviation Limited (TAAL), established in 1994 as the first private sector company to manu ...
on 6 July 2021 for the final schedule and filming was completed on 9 July 2021. The production team eventually planned to shoot the entire film in 85 days, but filming was completed within 68 days.
Post-production
The
post-production
Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments.
The ...
began in July 2021, soon after the completion of the film. In September 2021, according to a report, the film "is shot in several locations, with a huge political gathering scene in the film, it requires almost 900 computer graphic shots".
Silambarasan started dubbing for the film in May 2021, earlier before the post-production works, with the dubbing took place in his home studio. In mid-October 2021, Premgi Amaren completed dubbing for his portions for the film. The following day, S. J. Suryah started dubbing for his portions in the film and completed within five days. However, it was reported that Silambarasan refused to dub for the portions in the film, citing pending renumeration.
Suresh Kamatchi, assured Silambarasan to pay him as the remainder, which convinced the actor, and had completed dubbing for the remaining portions of his film, within a day.
Yuvan started re-recording for the film's music and score in August 2021, which was completed within early-October 2021. The final copy of the film was submitted to the
Central Board of Film Certification
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provision ...
and was received
U/A certificate (in concern of few action sequences) with a runtime of 147 minutes.
Themes and influences
Following the official teaser, which released on Silambarasan's birthday (3 February 2021), netizens and fans of the actor claimed uncanny comparisons have been made to that of the American film ''
Tenet
A tenet is a synonym for axiom, one of the principles on which a belief or theory is based.
Tenet may also refer to:
Media
* Tenet (band), a heavy metal band
* TENET (ensemble), an American early music vocal and instrumental group
* ''Tenet'' (f ...
'' (2020), directed by
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Cinema of the United States, Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. ...
, as the frames from the teaser had made the use of reverse editing, as it deals with
reverse-time formula. However, Venkat Prabhu refused such claims saying that it has no connection to that film. In the trailer, it was revealed that the film is based on a time loop concept (a common trope used in science-fiction films), where two characters were forced to repeat the same day after an unfortunate incident. It is the second Indian film to deal with the concept of time loops after ''
Jango'', released earlier the same year. Prabhu acknowledged ''
Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day ( pdc, Grund'sau dåk, , , ; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from ...
'' (1993) and ''
Vantage Point
Vantage Point (formerly Archway Tower) is a 195-foot (59m) 17-storey residential apartment building above Archway Underground station, designed by Grid Architects, and owned and operated by Essential Living.
History
Archway Tower was built ...
'' (2008) as influences on ''Maanaadu''.
Apart from time-loop, the film explores the concept of on
Islamophobia
Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism.
The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...
, the
demolition of the Babri Masjid
The demolition of the Babri Masjid was illegally carried out on 6 December 1992 by a large group of activists of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and allied organisations. The 16th-century Babri Masjid in the city of Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh, had ...
, and how Muslims are being alienated.
It was reported to normalise Muslim identity and mount opposition to
anti-Muslim
Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism.
The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...
rhetoric and prejudice. Silambarasan said in February 2021, saying that "I have faith in God but not any particular religion. Generally, there is a misconception about Muslims in society and I wanted to do something to change it. ''Maanaadu'' will clear the misconception about the religion and its followers."
Music
The film's soundtrack is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, after regularly collaborating with Venkat Prabhu and Silambarasan. The soundtrack album consists of seven tracks — only two songs, titled "Meherezylaa" and "Voice of Unity" (the latter was used as a promotional song and not featured in the film),
and few instrumentals used in the background score were released along with the album. The track "Meherezylaa" was released on the occasion of
World Music Day
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
(21 June 2021), with the entire cast and crew being present at the
Twitter Spaces
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 ...
to launch the track from the album. The promotional song "Voice of Unity" was released at an event held in Chennai.
The soundtrack album was released by
U1 Records
U1, U.I or U-1 may refer to:
Mathematics
*U(1), the degree one ''unitary group''
Military
*U-1, the USAF and US Military's designation for the De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter light transport aircraft
*U-1, Soviet designation for Avro 504 traine ...
on 7 November 2021, to positive response.
Release
Theatrical
''Maanadu'' was earlier scheduled for a theatrical release on 14 May 2021 (
Eid-al-Fitr
, nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast
, observedby = Muslims
, type = Islamic
, longtype = Islamic
, significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan
, date ...
) but due to the extensive post-production activities the film's released was postponed to August 2021, which was further delayed due to the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
restrictions. On 11 September 2021, it was announced that the film would be released in five Indian languages on 4 November 2021, during Diwali. Suresh Kamatchi said that the extensive visual effects work delayed the post-production process, thereby resulting in the film being scheduled for release on that date.
However, on 18 October 2021, he announced that the film will be postponed to 25 November 2021, in order to ensure a wider release and large number of screens being provided for the film, thereby avoiding clash with
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 ...
-starrer ''
Annaatthe
''Annaatthe'' () is an 2021 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Siva and produced by Kalanithi Maran under the banner of Sun Pictures. The film stars Rajinikanth, Khushbu, Meena, Nayanthara and Keerthy Suresh. While Jagapathi Babu, ...
'' (2021), which also scheduled for release on the same day.
The decision was made to avoid losses for the stake holders involved, according to the producer Suresh Kamatchi.
Furthermore, the issues revolving over the film's copyrights and Silambarasan's refusal to dub for the film, citing his pending renumeration, were the reasons for the delay.
Distribution
The
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 ...
theatrical rights were acquired by Subbiah Shanmugham of SSI Productions.
Seyons International acquired the rights for distributing the film in countries such as
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. Scandinavian Tamil Media Group AS acquired the rights for distributing the film in countries such as
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. DMY Productions and BMN acquired the theatrical marketing rights 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 ...
and
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 ...
regions. United India Exports purchased the distribution rights in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and
Gulf
A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...
regions respectively.
Allu Aravind
Allu Aravind (born 10 January 1949) is an Indian film producer and distributor in Telugu cinema under his banner Geetha Arts. He co-owns the Indian Super League club ''Kerala Blasters FC''.
A part of the Allu–Konidela family, Aravind is th ...
's
Geetha Arts
Geetha Arts is an Indian film production and distribution company known for its works in Telugu cinema. It is established in 1972 by Allu Aravind. The company is based out of Hyderabad. It has produced around 60 films majority of them in Telu ...
had acquired the rights of the film to be presented in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions, which was called off in favour of a Telugu remake.
In mid-November, it was reported Great India Films will distribute the film in the United States. The theatrical rights in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
, were purchased by Mukesh R. Mehta of E4 Entertainment. AV Media Consultancy purchased the
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 ...
theatrical rights, while
UFO Moviez
UFO Moviez India Limited is an Indian digital cinema
Digital cinema refers to adoption of digital technology within the film industry to distribute or project motion pictures as opposed to the historical use of reels of motion picture film, ...
acquired the distribution rights in
North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...
.
Home media
The post-theatrical streaming rights of the film were bought by
SonyLIV
SonyLIV is an Indian over-the-top freemium streaming platform owned by Culver Max Entertainment. SonyLIV was introduced in 2013 as the first OTT service in India. As a streaming service, it is carrying content from its local networks, includi ...
, and it was premiered through the streaming service on 24 December 2021, four weeks after the film's theatrical premiere. Initially,
Kalaignar TV
Kalaignar is an Indian general entertainment satellite television channel based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The channel was launched on 15 September 2007 as Kalaignar in respect of former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi. Malaysia ...
was reported to acquire the satellite rights, but it was later sold to
Star Vijay
Star Vijay is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly Star India), a subsidiary of Asianet Star Communications. The channel's headquarters is in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Star Vijay change ...
.
Controversies
Legal issues from TFPC
T. Rajendar
Thesingu Rajendar (born 9 May 1960), also known as Vijaya T. Rajendar or T. R., is an Indian actor, filmmaker, musician, cinematographer and distributor who works primarily in Tamil film industry. He is also a politician in Chennai, Tamil Nadu ...
and Usha Rajendar, Silambarasan's parents, filed a police complaint against the Tamil Film Producers Council for the film's postponement, over the issues revolving ''
Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan
''Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan'' (), also known as ''AAA'', is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film, written and directed by Adhik Ravichandran and produced by S. Michael Rayappan. The film stars Silambarasan in a triple role, ...
'' (2017). It has been reported that one of the members from the council demanded Silambarasan to compensate the losses incurred by the film's producer
Michael Rayappan
Siluvai Michael Rayappan (born 19 March 1963) is an Indian politician and former Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Radhapuram (State Assembly Constituency), Radhapuram constituency. He represented the Desiya Murpokku Dravid ...
after its failure, and they even tried to send death threats to the actor, if he releases the film without refunding the dues. They also warned that they might stage protests outside the office of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,
M. K. Stalin
Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin ( , born 1 March 1953), often referred to by his initials MKS, is an Indian Tamil politician serving as the 8th and current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The son of the former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, Stalin ...
, if the perpetuators stop the film's release.
At the pre-release event held in November 2021,
Silambarasan gave an emotional speech referring to his controversies concerning both his personal and professional life, as many producers in the past few months, have filed complaints against the actor at the
South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce
South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, abbreviated as SIFCC, is a South Indian film producers, distributors and exhibitors association, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It consists of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, Karnataka Fil ...
over multiple issues. In the event, he said that "I've faced a lot of problems in the past few months. But, I will take care of them. You guys
ans
Ans or ANS or ''variation'', may refer to:
Places
* Ans, Belgium, a municipality in Belgium
* Ans, Denmark, a village in Denmark
* Angus, Scotland, UK; a council area by its Chapman code
* Ainsdale railway station, England, UK (by station code ...
should take care of me."
Financial problems
On 24 November 2021, a day before the film's scheduled release, Suresh Kamatchi announced that the film had been postponed due to reasons involving financial settlements within the distributors and film financier Uttam Chand. It received a shocking response from the actor's fans and trade industry sources, as the film had a tremendous response at the pre-sale bookings in advance, and analysts believed that the film will be the "biggest opener for Simbu at the box office". The night of the same day,
DMK MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin
Udhayanidhi Stalin (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian film producer, actor, and politician who prominently works in the Tamil cinema. He is the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu in the ministry led by his father, ...
, had arranged a meeting with the producers and financiers to clear the dues, which was eventually solved quick and the film was released as scheduled. Despite financial settlements being done, the film's early morning shows, scheduled for 5:00 A.M. were cancelled as the Key Delivery Message (KDM) did not arrive in time, as planned and the first show began at 8:30 A.M.
Satellite rights ownership issue
In December 2021,
T. Rajendar
Thesingu Rajendar (born 9 May 1960), also known as Vijaya T. Rajendar or T. R., is an Indian actor, filmmaker, musician, cinematographer and distributor who works primarily in Tamil film industry. He is also a politician in Chennai, Tamil Nadu ...
filed a case regarding the price negotiations of satellite rights, where he had claimed the ownership for the same name. In his complaint, it has been stated that he was involved in sorting out the release issues of the film and had apparently signed a guarantee letter to take responsibility for the amount that needed to be paid to Uttam Chand. Both the parties have agreed upon Rajendar taking responsibilities for the remainder to be paid after negotiating deals for satellite and digital streaming rights. But the deal was negotiated without his consent, where he was not present during the price negotiation. In response, the Tamil Film Active Producers Council, headed by director
Bharathiraja
Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with ''16 Vayathinile'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. ...
condemned Rajendar's actions for claiming the film's satellite rights as a very false precedent and said that how a guarantor apply for a license for the property whether it is fair for a reputable artist in the film industry". He strongly claimed that no one is in charge of a traditional business organization.
Protests from Bharatiya Janata Party
The
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
's minority wing opposed the film claiming that it portrays Muslims in bad light and asked the Chief Minister to ban it. The affair ended with BJP's Tamil Nadu state president Annamalai K restraining BJP cadres and members from making further claims (or) criticism of the film, calling it a harmless entertainment film made with good intentions and sealed the issue.
Reception
Box office
On the opening day of its release, the film crossed 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 ...
. In the
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
city box-office, the film collected . The film earned US$100,000 ( lakh) from preview shows in
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
held on 24 November, a day before the film's release in India.
At the second day, the film earned around in Tamil Nadu.
In the third and fourth day, the film made and in Tamil Nadu, respectively,
thereby making the first weekend collection to be around . The film was considered to become a profitable venture, as it achieved break-even within four days of its release.
At the end of the first week, the film earned . Within 25 days of its release (19 December 2021), the film had grossed over , becoming the second
Silambarasan
Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar, nicknamed as Simbu or his initials S. T. R., is an Indian actor, filmmaker and musician in Tamil cinema. He began his acting career by playing roles as a child artist in films directed by his father T. Rajendar, b ...
film to enter the
100-crore club.
The film is the third
highest-grossing Tamil film of 2021, behind
''Master'' and ''
Annaatthe
''Annaatthe'' () is an 2021 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Siva and produced by Kalanithi Maran under the banner of Sun Pictures. The film stars Rajinikanth, Khushbu, Meena, Nayanthara and Keerthy Suresh. While Jagapathi Babu, ...
''.
Critical response
The film received positive reviews from critics and audience.
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 a rating of 4 out on 5 and wrote "Venkat Prabhu superbly Indian-ises the time loop concept and delivers an edge-of-the-seat masala movie. After the set-up, the film moves at a breakneck pace, hardly letting go of either momentum and drama."
Srivatsan S. 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 ...
'' stated that, "
enkat Prabhutakes a mainstream Hollywood trope and converts it into a
''masala'' film, thereby making the final product look refined
..Part of the reason why ''Maanaadu'' is thrilling is because, in essence, it is good ''masala'' that hides behind the facade of time-loop".
Sudhir Srinivasan of ''
Cinema Express
''Cinema Express'' was an Indian Tamil-language entertainment fortnightly magazine published from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was a part of The New Indian Express Group, which also publishes ''Samakalika Malayalam Vaarika'' weekly as well as '' Din ...
'' rated the same and said "''Maanaadu'' has two stars—TR Silambarasan and SJ Suryah—and no duets, love stories, punch dialogues, or why, even fight sequences that threaten your suspension of disbelief. Venkat Prabhu reposes his faith squarely in the joys emergent from the time-loop idea and brings out an ace each time. Every time Khaaliq dies and gets reborn, the story explores a new idea. And yet, Venkat Prabhu manages to tie all these iterations and their events into a clever mystery that must be solved by Khaaliq, one step at a time."
Ranjani Krishnakumar of ''
Film Companion
Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...
'' wrote, "Maanaadu is entertaining not because the two leads are smart, but because they are ridiculously ordinary
..''Maanaadu'' is not the best sci-fi film you’ll ever see. In fact, it’s hardly the genre film. It’s a mainstream film that uses a sci-fi trope for its convenience."
Haricharan Pudipeddi 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 ...
'' praised the film, saying that "Maanaadu highly enjoyable is that each iteration of the same scene is presented in a way that it isn't boring and there's something new to offer to the viewers each time. Another interesting perspective is that the time loop is told from the hero's point of view in the first half and from the villain's standpoint post interval. SJ Suryah as the antagonist is unbelievably good. Very few actors can so effectively make even over-the-top performances stand out, and Suryah is brilliant throughout the movie. The scenes in which he's trying to understand why he's stuck in a time loop while trying to get a grip over reality leaves the audiences in splits."
Manoj Kumar of ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'' gave a rating of 3.5 out on 5 and wrote, "Director Venkat Prabhu has several catchy ideas and has engagingly strung them together. The endless loop and the seemingly endless efforts of the protagonists to get out of the time trap has an innate novelty to it. You respond to such movies like many characters in these films as if you are watching such a concept for the first time. We don't get bothered by the last film with the same theme as long as the current movie is enjoyable."
Vivek of ''
Deccan Herald
''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by K. N. Guruswamy, a liquor businessman from Ballari and was launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printe ...
'' rated the film with 3.5 out of 5 stars, stating that "''Maanaadu'' doesn't begin extraordinarily but once it gets into its groove, it doesn't have dull moments. Full marks to Venkat for cleverly using a complicated concept in a 'masala film' template and emerging a winner."
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 ...
, chief editor 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 ...
'' gave 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The film's willingness to respect the audience's intelligence is charming".
''Behindwoods'' gave the film positive review 3/5, writing "Overall ''Maanaadu'' is a well made political film that wants you to take its politics seriously, while justifying the humour and science fiction tag." ''
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 a rating of 3.5 out on 5 and wrote, "Maanaadu has a few minor flaws, but the film is engaging and entertaining with a high concept core theme" with the final verdict as "A time loop film for the masses."
Bharat Kumar of ''
News Today
''News Today'' is an English language evening daily newspaper in Chennai, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country ...
'' called the film, "Touted as a political thriller, the movie has enough elements to engage the audience. With Silambarasan back in the scheme of things and a strong antagonist in SJ Suryah, Venkat Prabhu has won the battle before it begins."
Sujatha Narayanan of ''
The Quint
''The Quint'' is an English and Hindi language Indian general news and opinion website founded by Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur after their exit from Network18. The publication's journalists have won three Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Aw ...
'' wrote "''Maanaadu'' is that film for Venkat Prabhu where the film’s potential for a super-hit was written large in the first look poster itself
..The ingenuity of the writing and direction lies in making a Nolan-esque film accessible to the common man."
A review from ''
ABP News
ABP News is an Indian Hindi-language free-to-air television news channel owned by ABP Group. The news channel was launched in 1998 originally as STAR News before being acquired by ABP Group. It won the Best Hindi News Channel award in the 21st ...
'' called the film a decent entertainer narrated with great skill.
Akshay Kumar of ''
DT Next
''DT Next'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by Daily Thanthi Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was launched on 1 November 2015 in Chennai, with Ninan Thariyan as CEO. On 30 June 2021, Thariyan resigned, and the ...
'' gave a rating of 3.5 out on 5 and wrote, "The film is not without flaws, the reason why Silambarasan is stuck in a time-loop could have been better and why SJ Suriya is stuck along with Simbu in the loop is not clear. With the fast-paced screenplay you will forgive and forget the logic loopholes and enjoy the film which is the actor's best since ''
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa
''Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, starring Silambarasan and Trisha. Jointly produced Elred Kumar, Jayaraman, VTV Ganesh and P. Madan under the bann ...
'' (2010) and Venkat Prabhu's best since ''
Mankatha
''Mankatha'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action crime film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu. It stars Ajith Kumar in his 50th film, along with an ensemble cast including Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Lakshmi Rai, Anjali, Andrea Je ...
'' (2011)."
Ashwin Ram of ''Moviecrow'' rated the film with 3.5/5 stars, praising the director "Trendy director Venkat Prabhu proves his mettle again by coming up with an experimental high concept entertainer that's delivered in a simplified manner. A smartly packaged commercial crowd-pleaser, sets fireworks on-screen and takes us back to the crazy Diwali mood."
Impact
''Maanaadu'' received unanimous praise from celebrities, with
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 ...
appreciating Venkat Prabhu for the unique concept and making. Later,
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 ...
appreciated the team and also congratulated Prabhu for his "neat execution" in the film. Director
S. Shankar
Shankar Shanmugam (born 17 August 1963), credited as S. Shankar or his mononym Shankar, is an Indian filmmaker who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He is one of the most prolific and highest paid film directors in India. His films typicall ...
took to
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 ...
to appreciate the film and Prabhu for the concept, he further heaped praise on the technical departments as "everyone was at their best", calling the film as "an entertaining and new experience for Tamil cinema".
Praveen Sudevan, writing for ''
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 ...
'', compared the similarites for ''Maanaadu'' with that of ''Master'' and ''Doctor'', as both the films have "solid antagonists", noting that S. J. Suryah's character Dhanushkodi, a ruthless cop "outwits the protagonist for most of the film" and added that "his performance equally contributed to the film’s success as Silambarasan's".
He further heaped praise on Prabhu for "putting the hero and the villain on a level playing field".
''Maanaadu'' was further listed as one of the best Tamil films of 2021, by news articles, which include: ''
Firstpost
''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18.
The ''Network 18'' group was originally owned by Raghav ...
'' (Ashameera Aiyappan), ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'' (Manoj Kumar R.), ''
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 ...
'' (
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 ...
) and ''
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 ...
'' (Haricharan Pudipeddi).
Sequel
Following the success of the film, in December 2021, Venkat Prabhu confirmed a sequel to the film with Silambarasan and S.J. Suryah returning. Prabhu added that the basic plot revolves around Khaliq going back to the loop resulting in Dhanushkodi returning to life.
Remakes
In January 2022,
Suresh Productions
Suresh Productions (also known as Suresh Movies, Vijaya Suresh Combines) is an Indian film production and distribution company known for its works in Telugu cinema. It is established in 1964 by D. Ramanaidu. It is one of India's largest film p ...
acquired the film's remake rights in all other Indian languages as well as the dubbing rights of the film in Telugu version for . In March, Venkat Prabhu said he planned to direct both the Hindi and Telugu remakes
simultaneously
Simultaneity may refer to:
* Relativity of simultaneity, a concept in special relativity.
* Simultaneity (music), more than one complete musical texture occurring at the same time, rather than in succession
* Simultaneity, a concept in Endogene ...
with different star casts.
See also
*
List of films featuring time loops
This list of films featuring time loops where characters experience the same period of time which is repeatedly resetting: when a certain condition is met, such as a death of a character or a clock reaches a certain time, the loop starts again, w ...
References
External links
*
{{Venkat Prabhu
2020s political thriller films
2021 action thriller films
2021 films
2021 science fiction films
Film productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Films directed by Venkat Prabhu
Films scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja
Films set in Chennai
Films shot in Chennai
Films shot in Puducherry
Indian action thriller films
Indian political thriller films
Indian science fiction action films
Politics in fiction
Time loop films