Pudhupettai
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''Pudhupettai'' is a 2006 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
crime action film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
written and directed by
Selvaraghavan Selvaraghavan is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor who has directed and acted predominantly Tamil cinema, Tamil films. His directorial debut had with ''Thulluvadho Ilamai'' (2002) but his father is credited for business reasons, w ...
. The film stars the director's brother
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
in the lead role, while
Sonia Agarwal Sonia Agarwal is an Indian actress known for her works predominantly in Tamil cinema and a few Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is best known for her performances in the films such as ''Kaadhal Kondein'' (2003), ''7G Rainbow Colony'' (2 ...
and Sneha play supporting roles.


Plot

The story is narrated by the main character, "Kokki" Kumar, in a jail cell. Kumar is a secondary school student who lives in the slums of Pudhupettai, in Chennai. After coming home from a film, he sees his mother's dead body. She was killed by his father, following an argument. After overhearing a conversation between his father and his friend that they plan on killing him too, as he was a witness, Kumar flees from home. Homeless and with no food, he resorts to begging. He is arrested, under false charges, while he watches the police arrest criminals on the street. After being released on bail, he befriends Mani and the others, all of whom work for a thug named Anbu. Anbu works for the opposition party's leader Thamizhselvan, who is a criminal and local politician. They take Kumar under their wing and give him petty jobs. During a confrontation with rival gangsters headed by the ruling party's politician Murthy, Kumar kills Murthy's brother single-handedly amidst 100 goons, earning the respect of his gang. Anbu makes him join a gang consisting of professional killers. There, Kumar learns the way of being a killer while surviving attacks from Murthy's men. The gang refuses to help Kumar avoid Murthy's men since their intervention would spark a gang war. Kumar murders several of his opponents singlehandedly, earning him respect from the others. Krishnaveni is a prostitute who works under Anbu. Kumar likes her and asks Anbu to release her. Anbu is shocked at Kumar's audacity and refuses his request. He thrashes Krishnaveni and orders his men to kill Kumar. Kumar approaches Anbu and begs pardon, but when Anbu refuses, Kumar kills him. Thamizhselvan allows Kumar to take over Anbu's business only if he can survive the night from Anbu's men. Kumar survives, and Thamizhselvan makes good on his word. Anbu's goons refuse to obey Kumar since he is young and inexperienced. But Kumar kills his opposition, as well as his father, and becomes a dreaded don in North Chennai. Murthy is paralysed by Kumar's men for refusing a truce. Kumar then meets Selvi, Mani's sister, and marries her forcibly on the eve of her wedding. Mani tries to kill Kumar unsuccessfully then joins Murthy's gang. Meanwhile, Krishnaveni reveals that she is pregnant with Kumar's child, and Kumar marries her as well. Mani becomes an
informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...
and testifies in court over Kumar's killings; Kumar threatens Selvi and her mother, and thus avoids charges through witness intimidation. Kumar is the given a post in the party by Thamizhselvan to prevent him from defecting. Due to his increasing crime record and fear of being killed, Kumar asks for a seat as a
Member of the Legislative Assembly A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. S ...
(MLA) but is ridiculed by everyone, including Thamizhselvan, and ultimately removed after threatening to kill the other members with an
aruval The aruval (, , ISO: ), also known as koḍuvāḷ (), is a type of billhook machete from southern India, particularly common in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is a type of long sickle with a knife-like scythe-handle, and is used b ...
. Murthy learns about this and plans to assassinate Kumar and his family. Fearing for their safety, Kumar sends Krishnaveni and his child away, but Murthy's men intercept them, kill her, and take the child. He requests Selvi to ask her brother Mani for help, but she refuses and reveals her displeasure at how Kumar ruined her life and that she plans to return to her former fiancé. Mani is compassionate enough to return the baby safely to Kumar, who then gives the baby to a kind-hearted woman. Kumar decides to exact revenge and kills Murthy's henchmen in his residence, but his right hand is crippled during a fight. Murthy ultimately commits suicide, which is then followed by Kumar’s arrest. In the present day, the police and prison warden come to retrieve Kumar from his cell, with Kumar under the impression that he is to be executed. However, during the epilogue, it is revealed that the incumbent Chief Minister arranged Kumar’s release and named him as an MLA candidate in the following election. Kumar praises Murthy and ironically states that he would have killed the people responsible for Murthy's death had India not been the birthplace of
Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
. It is also revealed that Kumar served three times as an MLA and twice as the Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu. Even though he grew politically, he still could not find his son. Selvi is also revealed to have been committed to an asylum, following the breakdown of her second marriage.


Cast

*
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
as ''Kokki'' Kumar, a normal boy who lives in Pudhupettai and later becomes a gangster. *
Sonia Agarwal Sonia Agarwal is an Indian actress known for her works predominantly in Tamil cinema and a few Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is best known for her performances in the films such as ''Kaadhal Kondein'' (2003), ''7G Rainbow Colony'' (2 ...
as Selvi, Mani's sister and Kumar’s bride. * Sneha as Krishnaveni, a prostitute who works under Anbu. Kumar falls for her and later marries her despite his marriage to Selvi. *
Azhagam Perumal Azhagam Perumal is an Indian film director and actor. Career Azhagam Perumal hails from the village of Kulasekharapuram in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. All his family members were working in the government service and his parents wanted h ...
as Thamizhselvan, a politician who controls Anbu and Kumar, following the former’s death. *
Bala Singh Bala Singh (7 May 195227 November 2019) was an Indian actor who appeared in Tamil language films. After making his debut in Nassar's '' Avatharam'' (1995), he appeared as the antagonist in over a hundred films. Early life and career Bala Sing ...
as Anbu, Tamizhselvan's right hand man. *
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 ...
as Murthy, Tamizhselvan's and Anbu's rival who eventually becomes Kumar's main rival. *
Thennavan ''Thennavan'' is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language political action film written and directed by newcomer A. M. Nandakumar and produced by Vijayakanth, who played the title role Thennavan IAS, in-charge as the Chief Election Commissioner and fight ...
as Selvam. *
Munnar Ramesh Munnar Ramesh is an Indian actor who works in Tamil-language films. He is known for his character and villain roles. He has acted in over 100 films. He is known for his frequent collaborations with Vetrimaaran. Career Ramesh worked in a tra ...
as Sekhar, Kokki Kumar's father. *
Nitish Veera Nitish Veera (1975/6 – 17 May 2021) was an Indian actor who worked in Tamil-language films. Career Veera portrayed small roles in several of them including ''Pudhupettai'' (2006) and ''Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu'' (2009). He contacted Pa. Ranjith ...
as Mani, Anbu's henchman and Kumar's best friend. * Bharathi Mani as Politician * Murugadoss as Anbu's henchman. *
Vijay Sethupathi Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi (born 16 January 1978), known professionally as Vijay Sethupathi, is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil films. He is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award. Fo ...
as Anbu's henchman. *
Sai Dheena Sai Dheena is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films since 2004. He played the antagonist in '' Attu'' (2017), '' Thimiru Pudichavan'' (2018) and ''Vaandu'' (2019). Career Sai Dheena worked as a signboard artist, before mo ...
as Anbu's henchman. * Pudhupettai Suresh as Ravi, Anbu's henchman. * Jai as Anbu's henchman. *
Pasi Sathya Pasi Sathya is an Indian actress who has worked predominantly in Tamil cinema and television. She has worked in popular movies like ''Veedu'', '' Magalir Mattum'', ''Pudhupettai''. She made her debut in the National award-winning Tamil film, '' ...
as a woman who adopts Kumar's baby.


Production

Selvaraghavan originally intended to make a film titled ''Oru Naal Oru Kanavu'' for Lakshmi Movie Makers, but shelved the venture and continued working with the same producers and cast as the scrapped film, consisting of
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
,
Sonia Agarwal Sonia Agarwal is an Indian actress known for her works predominantly in Tamil cinema and a few Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is best known for her performances in the films such as ''Kaadhal Kondein'' (2003), ''7G Rainbow Colony'' (2 ...
and Sneha. The film was launched on 6 March 2005, with
Aravind Krishna Arvind Krishna is an Indian cinematographer, producer and actor in Indian film and television industry. He is well known for his work in ''7G Rainbow Colony'' (2004) and ''Pudhupettai (2006)''. Early life Born in New Delhi on 11 May, Arvind K ...
as its cinematographer. Selva first approached
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 ...
for the movie's music, but he refused as it is not his type of genre. After his refusal, Selva finalised
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 ...
as the composer. Selvaraghavan called the film "an experiment" and stated it had "one of the most complicated screenplays", while revealing he was more nervous about the final product than his previous ventures. It was also the first Tamil film to be shot in Super 35 mm instead of the Cinemascope format, as well as the first to be released in digital format. This film marked the first major appearance of actor Vijay Sethupathi, prior to his role in
Pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...
. After the release of ''
Pattiyal ''Pattiyal'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film written and directed by Vishnuvardhan and produced by Punnagai Poo Gheetha. It stars Bharath, Arya, Pooja Umashankar, and Padmapriya Janakiraman while Cochin Haneefa and Santhan ...
'' whose theme was the same as ''Pudhupettai'', Selvaraghavan wanted to redo many of the scenes to avoid unintended comparisons, resulting in the film’s release being delayed. The re-recording was done in Bangkok, with everyone involved working overtime.


Music

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 ...
and
Selvaraghavan Selvaraghavan is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor who has directed and acted predominantly Tamil cinema, Tamil films. His directorial debut had with ''Thulluvadho Ilamai'' (2002) but his father is credited for business reasons, w ...
renewed their association with this film, who had earlier teamed up to create music for the films ''
Thulluvadho Ilamai ''Thulluvadho Ilamai'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language teen drama film written and directed by Selvaraghavan, but Kasthuri Raja is credited for business reasons and the film marks the acting debut of Dhanush, who plays the lead role. The fi ...
'' (2001), ''
Kaadhal Kondein ''Kaadhal Kondein'' () is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic psychological thriller film written and directed by Selvaraghavan, starring his brother Dhanush and newcomers Sonia Agarwal and Sudeep Sarangi, while Nagesh and Daniel Balaji pla ...
'' (2004) and ''
7G Rainbow Colony ''7G Rainbow Colony'' is a 2004 Indian romantic drama film written and directed by Selvaraghavan. The film is shot simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu languages, the latter titled ''7G Brindavan Colony.'' It stars debutant Ravi Krishna and Sonia ...
'' (2005). Both the soundtrack and score were composed in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, where Yuvan Shankar Raja worked with the Chao Phraya Symphony Orchestra of
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
. The soundtrack was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and released on 15 December 2005. The lyrics were written by
Na. Muthukumar Nagarajan Muthukumar (12 July 1975 – 14 August 2016) was a Tamil poet, lyricist, and author. Best known for his Tamil language film songs, he received the most Filmfare Awards for Best Lyricist in Tamil and was a two-time recipient of the Nat ...
, who had previously written the lyrics for Selvaraghavan's earlier films.


Reception


Critical reception

The film received mixed to positive reviews, although critics pointed out the film's slow pace. A reviewer from Sify.com saying it was "heartbreakingly disappointing and is nowhere in the league of his earlier films", and that it "doesn't unfold quickly and moves at snail pace (sic), puffs and pants with too many characters, subplots and (is) quite long for a gangster genre film". A reviewer from ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' wrote, "Selvaraghavan dishes out a protracted bloodbath and somehow you feel he has let you down", while the critic at Rediff.com stated that "coming from a director like Selvaraghavan, Puthupettai is unbelievable. He loses grip over the plot and the narration goes haywire". Ten years after its release, Baradwaj Rangan of ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' retrospectively praised the film, stating that "Ten years on, we still haven’t seen another film so unapologetic about the truth that crime does pay."


Box office

''Pudhupettai'' took the best ever opening for a Selvaraghavan film at the time, netting nearly from five Chennai screens in three days, including from Sathyam Cinemas. It went on to have an average run at the box office despite taking a grand opening, with Selvaraghavan suggesting that excessively violent scenes might have kept family audiences away.


Legacy

Dhanush made a cameo appearance in the 2015 film ''
Vai Raja Vai ''Vai Raja Vai'' ( Place It King, Place It) is a 2015 Indian Tamil language black comedy crime thriller film written and directed by Aishwarya Dhanush, and produced by AGS Entertainment featuring an ensemble cast starring Gautham Karthik, Priya ...
'' directed by his wife
Aishwarya Aishwarya (Devanagari : ''ऐश्वर्य'') is a Hindu Indian or Nepalese male or feminine given name, which means "prosperity" and "wealth". Notable people named Aishwarya * Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran (born 1971), Indian actress * Aishwar ...
, reprising his role of Kokki Kumar. The dialogues "Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru" (You have to work like fire, Kumar) and "Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru" (God is there, Kumar) inspired the
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and
2016 films 2016 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, and a list of films released and deaths. Evaluation of the year In his article highlighting the best films of 2016, Richard Brody of ''The ...
of the same names, respectively. The dialogue "Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru" was also reused by
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) ...
in ''
Boss Engira Bhaskaran ''Boss Engira Bhaskaran'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by M. Rajesh who earlier directed ''Siva Manasula Sakthi'' (2009). Starring Arya, Nayanthara and Santhanam in lead roles, the film is produce ...
'' (2010).


References


External links

* {{Selvaraghavan 2006 films 2000s crime action films 2006 crime drama films 2006 crime thriller films Films about organised crime in India Indian political films Indian gangster films Films directed by Selvaraghavan Political action films Films scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja Films set in Chennai Films shot in Chennai Indian crime drama films Indian crime action films 2000s Tamil-language films