''Monster'' is a 2019 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
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
, written and directed by
Nelson Venkatesan
Nelson Venkatesan is an Indian film director, who has directed Tamil language films. He rose to fame through the romantic drama ''Oru Naal Koothu'' (2016), and has gone on to make feature films including the comedy drama ''Monster (2019 film), ...
and produced by Potential Studios. Inspired by the 1997 American slapstick
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
film ''
Mouse Hunt
''Mouse Hunt'' is a 1997 American slapstick black comedy film written by Adam Rifkin and directed by Gore Verbinski in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Maury Chaykin, and Christopher Walken. The film follow ...
'', film features
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 ...
,
Priya Bhavani Shankar
Sathyapriya Bhavani Shankar (born 31 December 1989) known by her stage name Priya Bhavani, is an Indian actress and television presenter who primarily appears in Tamil and Telugu launguage films.She made her acting debut with commercially suc ...
, and
Karunakaran in the lead roles. Featuring music composed by
Justin Prabhakaran
Justin Prabhakaran (born 10 June 1986) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer. He has scored music mostly for Tamil films and also a few Malayalam and Telugu films besides one Hindi film. He made his debut as a film composer in the 2014 ...
, the film finished production in September 2018. The film released on 17 May 2019 to positive reviews from critics, with critics praising S. J. Suryah's performance and the comedy.
Plot
Anjanam Azhagiya Pillai (
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 ...
) is an ardent devotee of
Vallalar
Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalār Chidambaram Ramalingam (5 October 1823 – 30 January 1874), commonly known in India and across the world as Vallalār, Ramalinga Swamigal and Ramalinga Adigal, was one of the most famous Tamil Saints and also one of t ...
since childhood, and hence, he respects each and every living creature from very young age. Anjanam, aged 36, lives alone in Chennai, although he is an engineer in the state electricity board with good pay. He has two major goals in life - to get married soon and to own a good house. After the 150th marriage rejection, he buys a flat in a beautiful apartment. As soon as he moves to his new flat, Anjanam gets the nod from the former bride Meghala's (
Priya Bhavani Shankar
Sathyapriya Bhavani Shankar (born 31 December 1989) known by her stage name Priya Bhavani, is an Indian actress and television presenter who primarily appears in Tamil and Telugu launguage films.She made her acting debut with commercially suc ...
) side. Though the new house turns out to be lucky for Anjanam, he cannot sleep peacefully because of a naughty
rat which turns his house and life upside down. Despite all of Anjanam's effort, the
rat keeps on returning to his home and troubles him. Meanwhile, a diamond smuggler named Sarath (Anil Kumar), who lived in Anjanam's house before him, comes in search for his hidden diamonds, which he left in a hurry while vacating. A month later, he finds that the
rat had ingested the diamond and wants to cut the
rat open to get the diamond. The smuggler disguises himself as a pest and
rat control guy and comes to the aid of Anjanam. The smuggler hires a
rat specialist and tries to kill the
rat by many methods, such as by using like poisonous smoke and poisonous food.
That night, Anjanam gets a very disgusting smell in his house that makes him believe that the
rat is dead. The next day, Anjanam finds out that the
rat is not dead and tries to kill it with his help of his friend Ravi (
Karunakaran). In that chaos, he finds out that the
rat did not eat the poisoned food, but the neighbor's
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
did. The
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
was found in a decomposed stage with grubs on it. The
rat is captured finally, and the smuggler drops it inside a bucket of water to drown. However, Anjanam saves it as he is against the murder of any living thing. The smuggler and Anjanam fight for the
rat's life, and Anjanam saves it by letting it free. An hour later, Anjanam recaptures it, takes it out 10 km away, and frees it. Anjanam gets a call that Meghala, who was working in a diamond store, has been arrested by police for stealing a diamond. When Anjanam reaches the police station, the inspector clarifies saying that the CCTV camera shows that Meghala is innocent and that the diamond does not belong to the store after all. Hence, Anjanam gets hold of the diamond as a bonus. He plans to leave town for his impending marriage with Meghala and friends. While packing his bags, he hears squeals from his kitchen and finds the
rat's babies. He realizes that the
rat was returning only to protect its children. He reaches out to the same spot and leaves the
rat's children there. The
rat happily collects its babies.
Cast
Production
After Maya and Maanagaram, ''Monster'' is the third movie produced by Potential Studios, directed by Nelson Venkatesan who earlier directed
Oru Naal Koothu
''Oru Naal Koothu'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy drama film directed by Nelson Venkatesan and produced by J. Selva Kumar, featuring Dinesh, Miya, Nivetha Pethuraj, Abhinav, and Riythvika in lead roles. Lingesh, Karunakar ...
.
Justin Prabhakaran
Justin Prabhakaran (born 10 June 1986) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer. He has scored music mostly for Tamil films and also a few Malayalam and Telugu films besides one Hindi film. He made his debut as a film composer in the 2014 ...
, Gokul Benoy, and
V. J. Sabu Joseph are selected as music director, cinematographer, and film editor respectively, continuing their association with the director from his previous venture. Meanwhile, Siva Sankar was selected as the art director as well. Production of this film is completed and the producers have released the title animation on 1 October 2018.
Soundtrack
Justin Prabhakaran
Justin Prabhakaran (born 10 June 1986) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer. He has scored music mostly for Tamil films and also a few Malayalam and Telugu films besides one Hindi film. He made his debut as a film composer in the 2014 ...
, composed the soundtrack album for the film. The lyrics were written by
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 ...
,
Karthik Netha
Karthik Netha is an Indian poet, lyricist, best known for his Tamil language film songs. He has worked in popular movies like 96, Thirumanam Enum Nikkah, Nedunchaalai, Dear Comrade, Monster.
Biography
Karthik Netha grew up in a small villa ...
and Sankardass. Israelian musician, Offir J. Rock from the "Anna RF" band recorded one song "Tabakunnu" and was released on 4 May 2019. Another song, "Anthimaalai Neram" which was sung by
Sid Sriram
Sidharth "Sid" Sriram (born 19 May 1990) is an Indian Carnatic musician, music producer, playback singer, and songwriter. He is an R&B songwriter and has been working in the Tamil ,Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi and English music ...
was released on 7 May 2019. The soundtrack album was marketed and released by
Sony Music India
Sony Music Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd. is the record label operated by Sony in Chennai, India. The company began operation in 1997, and it was the first record company in India to be 100% foreign-owned, with Sony being a Japanese corporatio ...
on 8 May 2019.
Critical reception
M. Suganth from Times Of India says, "Monster's simple concept is elevated by inventive storytelling, credible performances and proficient technical work". Baradwaj Rangan described in his review as "Monster... An entertaining live-action cartoon about a man who battles a rat and said SJ Suryah fits this role perfectly". Anupama Subramanian from Deccan Chronicle says in her review "Monster: A feel-good film that'll leave a smile on your face".
References
External links
*
*
{{S. R. Prabhu
2010s Tamil-language films
Indian nonlinear narrative films
Films set in Chennai
Films shot in Chennai
2019 films
Films about mice and rats
Indian comedy films
Indian films with live action and animation
Animated films about mice