''Parris Jeyaraj'' 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
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
film, directed by Johnson K, and produced by K Kumar. The film stars
Santhanam Santhanam or Santanam ( te, సంతానం) is an Indian name that may refer to:
People
* K. Santhanam (1895–1980), Indian politician
* Madabusi Santanam Raghunathan (born 1941), Indian mathematician
* Maharajapuram Santhanam (1928–1992) ...
and
Anaika Soti
Anaika Soti is an Indian actress and model. She appears mostly in Tamil language, Tamil films and in a few Telugu language, Telugu and Bollywood, Hindi films.
Career
Director Ram Gopal Varma met her on an elevator and found her to be attractiv ...
, with
Prudhvi Raj
Balireddy Prudhviraj (born August 6, 1964) is an Indian actor and politician who appears in Telugu films. Known for his comic roles, he has acted in over 100 films. He is noted for his dialogue of ''30 Years Industry'' in the 2002 film ''Khadga ...
and
Motta Rajendran
A. Rajendran,(born 1 June 1957) credited as Motta Rajendran or ''Naan Kadavul'' Rajendran, is an Indian stunt double and actor working mainly in Tamil cinema. He debuted in 2003 with the Tamil film ''Pithamagan'' and has worked as a stunt doubl ...
appearing in supporting roles. The film's music is composed by
Santhosh Narayanan
Santhosh Narayanan is an Indian composer and musician in the Tamil film industry.
Early life
Santhosh Narayanan was born in Tiruchirappalli, India. He is the younger of two children. He was educated at RSK Higher Secondary School, Tiruchirappa ...
, with cinematography handled by Arthur A. Wilson and editing by Prakash Babu. It was released on 12 February 2021, opening mixed to positive reviews and it became a success in the box office.
Plot
Parris
Parris is both a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
* Parris Afton Bonds, American novelist
* Parris Campbell (born 1997), American football player
* Parris Duffus (born 1970), retired American ice hockey go ...
Jeyaraj, a small-time YouTube singer, resorts to drinking after a heartbreak inflicted upon him by his father. Unknown to the fact that she was his son's love, he falls in love with Dhivya after meeting her at an event at her college. Dhivya, also reeling from a love failure because of her father, falls for him without knowing that Parris is the son of her father with his first wife. Little did they know that their relationship would face unexpected trouble with their father being the same. Jeyaraj's father, Prakash Raj, finds that his daughter and son are in love and thus, puts his best foot forward to separate them. Meanwhile, Dhivya's ex-boyfriend also comes back, with an apology for her, with the help of his father and uncle, who were trying to kill Prakash Raj. It is then that Parris' father reveals the truth that he had married twice and that Dhivya and Parris are siblings. Enraged, Parris leaves through the stairs where he meets the brother of Prakash Raj's second wife. He reveals the truth about Dhivya not being Prakash's daughter and that Parris can marry her. However, by the time Parris gets there, Dhivya has already gotten married, and so he leaves silently.
Several months later, Parris arrives to perform at a wedding. There, he meets a girl whom he first asks for the area she is from. She mentions being from Chengalpattu. He then asks what her father’s name was, to which she answers 'Raj'. Finally, he asks for her father's photo, to which she responds by introducing Parris to her father in person. Parris is shocked, and equal parts enraged, to discover Prakash Raj as someone else's father again. Furious at his father's numerous love children, he yells at him and throws the mic away.
Cast
Production
Following the relative commercial success of ''
A1'' (2019), director Johnson and Santhanam discussed potential film ideas together and announced that they would work on a gangster-based comedy film during January 2020.
In the original premise, Santhanam was set to play a gangster from North Madras who would attempt to take over the mantle from an ageing Malaysian don. The film's shoot was planned for Chennai, Madurai and Malaysia, and
Anaika Soti
Anaika Soti is an Indian actress and model. She appears mostly in Tamil language, Tamil films and in a few Telugu language, Telugu and Bollywood, Hindi films.
Career
Director Ram Gopal Varma met her on an elevator and found her to be attractiv ...
was signed to play the female lead. However, 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 ...
meant that the international element became unfeasible and Johnson reworked the script during the
COVID-19 lockdown in India
On the evening of 24 March 2020, the Government of India ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21days, limiting movement of the entire 1.38billion (138 crore) population of India as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic in India. It wa ...
, finalising a script where Santhanam would portray a
gaana
Gaana (or Gānā) is a genre of Tamil music, which is sung in the Madras Bashai dialect of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is rap-like "collection of rhythms, beats and sensibilities native to the Chennai people." It evolved over the past two c ...
singer from North Madras. The team chose the title of ''Parris Jeyaraj'', a pun on the name of music composer
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 ...
.
The title of the film was announced publicly during December 2020 after initially progressing without media attention.
At the audio release function for the film, Johnson's speech attracted controversy, with media reports noting that he turned up to the event intoxicated.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album is composed by
Santhosh Narayanan
Santhosh Narayanan is an Indian composer and musician in the Tamil film industry.
Early life
Santhosh Narayanan was born in Tiruchirappalli, India. He is the younger of two children. He was educated at RSK Higher Secondary School, Tiruchirappa ...
collaborating with
Santhanam Santhanam or Santanam ( te, సంతానం) is an Indian name that may refer to:
People
* K. Santhanam (1895–1980), Indian politician
* Madabusi Santanam Raghunathan (born 1941), Indian mathematician
* Maharajapuram Santhanam (1928–1992) ...
and Johnson after ''
A1'' (2019); lyrics for the songs were written by
Rokesh
Rokesh is an Indian lyricist working on Tamil language films, who specialises in song lyrics containing Madras Bashai.
Career
Rokesh worked as a machine operator in the Parry's area of Chennai and had established a reputation for being a gana s ...
, Asal Kolaar, Madras Miran. Out of five tracks, "Priya Priya" sung by Gana Muthu and
Isaivani
Isaivani (born 1996) is a gaana singer from Chennai, who performs with The Casteless Collective. In 2020 she was recognised for her achievements with one of the BBC 100 Women Awards.
Biography
Isaivani was born in Royapuram in Chennai in 1996 ...
was taken from the trio's previous film ''A1'', composed by himself. The song "Puli Manga Pulip" became a chartbuster upon release.
Release
The film was theatrically released on 12 February 2021, coinciding with the
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...
weekend.
Reception
Critical response
The film received a positive review from the critic at
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 ...
, who noted "Whilst it still is a typical Santhanam film, ''Parris Jeyaraj'' has an engaging narrative. Importantly, it does not have the pull-out-your-hair-kind of humour".
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 ...
gave the film a mixed review, noting " If ''Parris Jeyaraj'' is assessed only as a modern gaana album, it would get full points for engagement and quirkiness, but alas! It is a film, and one that collapses badly when the rest of the elements come into play."
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 ...
called the film a "watchable comedy entertainer", while Behindwoods noted it is "definitely an engaging film, with a simple, linear story that doesn't leave you with much to think".
References
External links
* {{imdb title, tt11980890
2020s Tamil-language films
2021 films
Indian romantic comedy films
2021 romantic comedy films