''Partner'' is a 2023 Indian Tamil-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 ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

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 Manoj Damodharan in his directorial debut. The film stars

Aadhi Pinisetty Aadhi Pinisetty is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil and Telugu films. He is the recipient of a Nandi Award and a SIIMA Award, in addition to two nominations for Filmfare Awards South. Born to film director Ravi Raja Pinisetty, he debuted ...

, Hansika Motwani and

Yogi Babu Yogi Babu (born 22 July 1985) is an Indian actor and comedian, who appears in Tamil films. A three time Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award winner, he performed in '' Aandavan Kattalai'' (2016), ''Kolamavu Kokila'' (2018) and '' Pariyerum Perumal'' (2 ...

with Pallak Lalwani,

Pandiarajan Pandiarajan is an Indian actor, director who has played leading roles in many humorous Tamil films and currently plays supporting and comedy roles. Personal life Pandiarajan was born to Sulochana in Saidapet, Chennai in a lower-middle-class ...

Robo Shankar Robo Shankar is an Indian standup comedian who has appears in character roles in Tamil films. He made his breakthrough with STAR Vijay's ''Kalakkapovathu Yaaru'', performing standup comedy. He is a now cast as regular on several shows on Sta ...

John Vijay John Vijay (born 20 November 1976) is an Indian actor who plays supporting roles in Tamil films. He has also worked in a few Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada films. Career John Vijay did his M.Sc. in Visual Communication from Loyola College ...

Ravi Mariya S. Ravi Mariya (born August 4, 1979) is an Indian film director and actor who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He appears in villain and supporting roles. Career Ravi Mariya's directorial debut was meant to be ''Nee Naan Kaadhal'' starring Pras ...

, Tiger Thangadurai,

Munishkanth Ramdoss, better known as Munishkanth, is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil language films. He had notable roles in films, including '' Mundasupatti'' (2014), '' Maanagaram'' (2017), ''Maragadha Naanayam'' (2017) and ''Raatchasan'' (2018). ...

, Rajendran,

Myna Nandhini Myna Nandhini (born 21 May 1991) is an Indian actress and television personality who is best known as Myna Revathi in ''Saravanan Meenatchi (season 2)'', Alabarai Myna in ''Chinna Thambi'' and for her major breakthrough role Mynavathi in ''Aran ...

and

Lollu Sabha Manohar Lollu Sabha Manohar is an Indian actor and comedian who has appeared in Tamil cinema. He started his career with the television show ''Lollu Sabha'' alongside other comedians, including Santhanam. Career Manohar first garnered attention throug ...

in supporting roles.

Cast

Production

Production on the film began in March 2019, with the project marking the debut of director Manoj Damodaran, who had previously apprenticed under

A. Sarkunam A. Sarkunam is an Indian film director, working in the Tamil film industry. He worked as an associate with director A.L Vijay. Career Sarkunam made his directorial debut with the romantic comedy '' Kalavani'' (2009). Featuring Vimal and Oviy ...

. Reported as a comedy with a science-fiction fantasy element,

Aadhi ''Aadhi'' is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. The film stars Pranav Mohanlal in the title role (in his debut adult role) and features Jagapathi Babu, Siddique, Lena, Aditi Ravi, An ...

was signed on to play the lead role, with Hansika Motwani in a role that would not represent the "typical Tamil cinema heroine". Pallak Lalwani and

joined the team in further roles, with the makers hoping to complete and release the film within a period of six months. 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 identi ...

subsequently delayed the completion and release of the film, with the makers later preparing the film for a mid-2023 release. At the audio launch of the film in July 2023, alleged sexist comments made by comedian

were widely criticised.

Music

The music for the film was composed by

Santhosh Dhayanidhi Santhosh Dhayanidhi is an Indian film composer and singer. He made his debut as a music composer through ''Inimey Ippadithan'' (2015). Career Dhayanidhi began his career in film music by working as a keyboard programmer for A. R. Rahman and w ...

. The song "Raati" composed for 7UP Madras Gig was reused.

Release and reception

The film was released on 25 August 2023. Narayani M of '' Cinema Express'' gave it 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "''Partner'' could have worked well if there had been genuine efforts in writing good comedy." Logesh Balachandran 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 the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Aadhi Pinisetty's ''Partner'' contributes to the collection of mindless comedic films in Tamil cinema that struggle to elicit genuine laughter."

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=tt28266169 Indian buddy comedy-drama films 2020s Tamil-language films Indian fantasy comedy-drama films