''Rendu'' () 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
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 ...
directed by
Sundar C
Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1966), known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist.
His notable films include ''Ull ...
and produced by
Khushbu
Khushbu Sundar (born Nakhat Khan; 29 September 1970) is an Indian actress, politician, film producer and television presenter. She is known for her works predominantly in Tamil, besides Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is a rec ...
. The film stars
Madhavan Madhavan may refer to:
People
* James Madhavan (died 1973), Fijian politician
* Kavya Madhavan (born 1985), Indian actress
* Mahesh Madhavan (born 1963/64), Indian businessman, CEO of Bacardi
* N. S. Madhavan (born 1948), Indian writer
* O. Madha ...
in dual lead roles, with
Reema Sen
Reema Sen (born 29 October 1981) is an Indian actress and model who primarily appeared in Bengali theatre films, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films.
Early life and education
Sen was born in Kolkata on 29 October 1981. She completed high school fro ...
and
Anushka Shetty
Sweety Shetty (born 7 November 1981), known by her stage name Anushka Shetty, is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in Telugu and Tamil films. She is the recipient of Three Filmfare Awards South, Two Nandi Award, and One Tamil ...
(in her Tamil film debut) as the lead actresses.
Vadivelu
Kumaravadivel Natarajan (born 12 September 1960), known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and playback singer, having acted in supporting and lead roles in Tamil cinema. He gained widespread acclaim in Kollywood in the 2 ...
,
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
Bhagyaraj
Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj (born 7 January 1953) is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter, music director, producer and politician active mainly in Tamil films. He has also written and directed Hindi and Telugu films and TV serials. As an actor, ...
also appear in supporting roles alongside a large ensemble cast. ''Rendu'', which featured music composed by
D. Imman
Immanuel Vasanth Dinakaran (born 24 January 1983), better known as D. Imman, is an Indian film composer and singer, predominantly working in Tamil cinema. Also worked in Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, and Hindi film industry. His first film as mu ...
, released on 24 November 2006.
Plot
Shakti is a young man from a village with no job but much ambition and dreams. As he sees his life pass him by, stuck in a rut in his hometown, he decides that he will try his fortunes elsewhere. Chennai beckons him and off goes Shakti to join his uncle Kirikalan, who has a stall of magic tricks at an exhibition. Kirikalan is not really a magician, but poses as one, and his amateurish tricks don't exactly bring in big crowds.
Next door to Shakti and Kirikalam's stall though, is one ever-populated with visitors. The reason: it is an all-girls stand, with
mermaid
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
costumes as the theme. Velli is the 'head mermaid' at this stall run by her sister, and bitter quarrels between her and Shakti ensue, when he feels that she and her team are unfairly taking their customers away, and she has this impression of him being an unsavoury character. This misunderstanding is seen at different occasions where Velli and Shakti just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time — be it when Shakti gets off the bus from his village, asks for directions and is told to follow Velli, walking in the distance (Velli thinks he is a womaniser or when Shakti finally catches up with a miscreant who had picked his pocket and demands his money back — only Velli walks into the scene only at the demanding part. This whole
collage
Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...
of scenes is animated, with Kirikalan and Shakti trying to woo customers back to their stall, Shakti and Velli getting into arguments, and a general state of "fun" ruckus. Of course, love has been brewing as an undercurrent between the two young people.
The
exhibition
An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...
grounds owner keeps harassing Velli under some pretext or the other, like the rent not being paid on time. In fact, he has a soft spot for her, feelings thoroughly rejected by her. He finally abducts her, but Shakti rescues her. Similarly, Velli's plight is repeated when her "mora maapillai" (betrothed suitor) enters the scene and tries to force her to be with him, and Shakti steps in once again to save and protect Velli. The undercurrents of love blow up into a full-fledged torrent, and Velli and Shakti make up for all of their lost time professing their love for each other and romancing their way happily through the exhibition.
Meanwhile, we see a series of murders in different towns of the state and two perpetrators of these crimes slinking away from each. Not every time is it
foolproof though, and at one crime scene, a witness spots the main culprit. He is instructed by the police to sketch and give them a pictorial description of the murderer, when it comes to the police's knowledge that both the criminals have been seen at
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headq ...
some time ago. Going through various fact files, the police come across the incident of a bad fire at a marriage hall in Kumbakonam, and as the officer in charge of the investigation flips through the picture files of the deceased, Kannan's face is shown, and the witness jumps. He tells the police he doesn't need to sketch anything when the face of the main murderer itself is staring them in the eye — he points to the photo of Kannan - it is the face of Shakti, only this one has light eyes. Investigations into the murder lead the police to Chennai. As luck would have it, Shakti is spotted, recognized, and arrested. Kannan, on the other hand, follows the murder investigation and is upset to find that an innocent man has been captured for crimes he has committed. He meets Kirikalan and Velli and plots to help Shakti get out. And so he does, and Shakti and he escape by the skin of their teeth. After much chase-and-hide, Kannan tells the story of what led him to murder all those people.
Kannan, his elder brother, and his father were renowned caterers and were commissioned to cook for a marriage function in Kumbakonam. The host was Kannan's father's friend and this gentleman's daughter Manjula was going to be married in a joyous ceremony. There, Kannan meets Jyoti and falls in love instantly. At first he panics that Jyoti is the bride at the function but is vastly relieved when he finds out she is not. She really likes Kannan too and it all seems like Wonderland. Unfortunately, the groom's family creates trouble at the wedding and walks out, leaving the family distraught and desperate. Suddenly Kannan makes a suggestion, "Father, this is our friend's wedding and the bride is a wonderful girl. Why can't Anna (elder brother) marry her?" A brilliant idea and it is decided - only fate has to fell her axe right then, when all hell breaks loose and a raging fire attacks the marriage house. The father of the bride is a good man, and a dignitary in the town of Kumbakonam. He learns that some powerful thugs and gang leaders have sold a large piece of government property to a north Indian Landlord, completely illegally at exorbitant prices, with no gain for the townspeople themselves. He strongly opposes them and all their mischief comes to public notice and foils their plans. They want his blood as revenge.
They set fire to the building of the wedding and kill every single inmate inside — but two people escape, Kannan and his friend. Kannan, whose light eyes are a result of the fire (he walks with help and not very clear sight) is heartbroken and devastated at the loss of his entire family and lady love at what was to be a joyous, happy occasion. He vows retribution on the villains and sets about cold-bloodedly fulfilling this. Shakti decides to help Kannan achieve his revenge with the help of Velli and Kirikalan. At the end, however, Kannan sacrifices his own life to kill the final baddie, and he reunites with his family and lady love in heaven. Later that, Kannan jumps on Lava and he dies.
Cast
*
Madhavan Madhavan may refer to:
People
* James Madhavan (died 1973), Fijian politician
* Kavya Madhavan (born 1985), Indian actress
* Mahesh Madhavan (born 1963/64), Indian businessman, CEO of Bacardi
* N. S. Madhavan (born 1948), Indian writer
* O. Madha ...
as Shakthi and Kannan (dual role)
*
Reemma Sen
Reema Sen (born 29 October 1981) is an Indian actress and model who primarily appeared in Bengali theatre films, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films.
Early life and education
Sen was born in Kolkata on 29 October 1981. She completed high school fro ...
as Velli
*
Anushka Shetty
Sweety Shetty (born 7 November 1981), known by her stage name Anushka Shetty, is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in Telugu and Tamil films. She is the recipient of Three Filmfare Awards South, Two Nandi Award, and One Tamil ...
as Jothi
*
Vadivelu
Kumaravadivel Natarajan (born 12 September 1960), known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and playback singer, having acted in supporting and lead roles in Tamil cinema. He gained widespread acclaim in Kollywood in the 2 ...
as Kirikalan
*
K. Bhagyaraj
Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj (born 7 January 1953) is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter, music director, producer and politician active mainly in Tamil films. He has also written and directed Hindi and Telugu films and TV serials. As an actor ...
as CBI Officer
*
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 ...
as Exhibition Grounds owner
*
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) ...
as Seenu
*
Nikita Palekar as Manjula
*
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 Rathnasamy
*Kumaresan as Innocent auto driver
*Shyam Ganesh as Ganesh
*
Crane Manohar
Crane Manohar (born 4 October 1965) is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil films, mostly in comedy roles. He appeared in many Vadivelu and Vivek comedy tracks.
Career
Manohar initially worked as a crane technician for films and when he start ...
as Man who irritates Kirikalan at temple
*
Devadarshini
Devadarshini is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil films, in addition to few Telugu films and television series. She began her career as a television anchor before venturing into acting, first in television and then in films. ...
as Devi, Kannan's sister
*
Tharika
Tharika is an Indian actress who has appeared in Tamil films and television serials. She first appeared in a character role in Bharathiraja's '' Eera Nilam'' before she shifted to item numbers.
She participated in season 1 of the reality dance ...
as Velli's sister
*
Mayilswamy
Mayilsamy (born October 2, 1965) is an Indian actor and comedian who prominently plays supporting roles. Appearing in many Tamil films, he is also a regular guest judge on ''Asathapovathu Yaaru'' on Sun TV in Chennai.
Career
He is a popular a ...
as Thief
*
Madhan Bob
S. Krishnamoorthy (born 19 October 1953) professionally known as Madhan Bob, is an Indian actor and comedian, appearing in many Tamil films in supporting roles. Madhan Babu is known for his amusing facial expressions, laughter and protruding ey ...
as Eyewitness
*
A. C. Murali Mohan as Devi's husband
*
Neelu
R. Neelakantan (20 July 1936 – 10 May 2018), best known by his stage name Neelu, was an Indian actor known for his comedy and supporting role performances in Tamil cinema, television and theatre. He has acted in over 7,000 plays and 160 fil ...
as Kannan's grandfather
*Bayilvan Ranganathan as magic show audience
*V. M. Subburaj as magic show audience
*
Amarasigamani
Amarasigamani (12 November 1950 – 21 June 2021) was an Indian actor and poet who worked on Tamil films and television serials.
Career
Amarasigamani began his acting career in drama troupes, working with actors such as S. V. Sahasranamam, Kom ...
as Wedding guest
*Raviprakash as Jothi's father
*
Thambi Ramaiah
Thambi Ramaiah is an Indian actor, director and comedian who works in the Tamil film industry. He has also worked occasionally as a lyricist. He directed three films, ''Manu Needhi'' (2000), '' Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan'' (2008) and '' Maniy ...
as Velli's father
*Hariraj as Rakesh
*Kritheeka
*Bonda Mani as Kirikalan's assistant
Production
In mid-2006, Sundar C asked
R. Madhavan
Ranganathan Madhavan (born 1 June 1970) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who predominantly appears in Tamil and Hindi films. Madhavan has won four Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
Madhava ...
to allot fifty days of his schedule to make a fun comedy entertainer film, to which the actor agreed. Madhavan shot for the film alongside his commitments in
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
's ''
Guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
'' (2007) and lost eight kilogrammes for that particular role. Playing two roles in ''Rendu'', he worked out to make one character appear more built than the other and often exercised in between schedule breaks to look thinner for the second role.
Reemma Sen
Reema Sen (born 29 October 1981) is an Indian actress and model who primarily appeared in Bengali theatre films, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films.
Early life and education
Sen was born in Kolkata on 29 October 1981. She completed high school fro ...
was signed on to appear in the project, while
Anushka Shetty
Sweety Shetty (born 7 November 1981), known by her stage name Anushka Shetty, is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in Telugu and Tamil films. She is the recipient of Three Filmfare Awards South, Two Nandi Award, and One Tamil ...
was signed on to make her first appearance in Tamil films. Hariraj, who had made his debut as a lead actor in
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 ...
's ''
Valli
Vaḷḷi ( ta, வள்ளி) ("Creeper, Sweet potato plant") is a Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chiefta ...
'' (1993), made a comeback as an antagonist through the project. The film began production in July 2006, with initial reports suggesting that the film would be shot on a cruise liner.
The film was predominantly shot in Chennai, with a small portion of the flashback shot in Karaikudi. A set resembling Courtallam was put up by art director Jana at Island Garden in Chennai, with twenty truckloads of water used for the scene.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album was composed by
D. Imman
Immanuel Vasanth Dinakaran (born 24 January 1983), better known as D. Imman, is an Indian film composer and singer, predominantly working in Tamil cinema. Also worked in Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, and Hindi film industry. His first film as mu ...
.
Release
Behindwoods.com gave the film a positive review stating "Sundar.C’s screenplay is riveting and keeps us guessing with unexpected twist" and "worth a mention is his handling of Maddy’s dual roles which is kept under wraps and hits us in our faces when disclosed". The critic added that the film "was pure time pass and worth a watch". Sify.com labelled the film as "corny but unpretentious and adequate time pass for an unfussy viewer", adding that "the charisma of Madhavan that makes the film watchable" and that "he looks good and proves his mettle for comedy and with Vadivelu the combo runs riot". In contrast, Rediff.com gave the film a negative review stating the venture was "too dumb to watch" and that "since most of the stars in the movie seemed to be adlibbing, one wonders what exactly was directed by Sundar C." The film performed well at the box office. Soon after the film's release, the team renamed the project as ''Irandu'' in order to gain tax exemptions as the government had considered ''Rendu'' to be colloquial.
References
External links
*
{{Sundar C.
2006 films
2000s Tamil-language films
Films directed by Sundar C.
Indian action films
Indian films about revenge
Films shot in Chennai
Films shot in Karaikudi
Films scored by D. Imman
2006 action films