''Star'' is a 2001 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 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
Praveen Gandhi
Praveen Gandhi is an Indian film director, and actor known for his works in Tamil cinema.
Career
Praveen Gandhi was first given the opportunity to become a film maker by producer K. T. Kunjumon with '' Ratchagan'' (1997), who noted that in the ...
and produced by Vijaykrishna. The film stars
Prashanth
Prashanth Thiagarajan (born 6 April 1973), known professionally as Prashanth, is an Indian actor and businessman, known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil films, he has also appeared in few Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam fi ...
and
Jyothika
Jyothika Saravanan (; born 18 October 1978) is an Indian actress, model and film producer who predominantly appears in Tamil films. while
Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran Velayutham (11 December 1958 – 19 March 2008) was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in films made in South India. He has acted in more than 200 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. According to the ''Hindustan T ...
,
Vijayakumar, and
Praveen Gandhi
Praveen Gandhi is an Indian film director, and actor known for his works in Tamil cinema.
Career
Praveen Gandhi was first given the opportunity to become a film maker by producer K. T. Kunjumon with '' Ratchagan'' (1997), who noted that in the ...
play other pivotal roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by
A.R. Rahman, while the film is edited by M. N. Rajan.
Plot
Murthy earns his living taking the blame for the mistakes of other people, and so the jail is his second home. Dhanushkodi has sworn to kill ex-collector Ramanathan's son Santhosh, and so, Ramanathan has transferred Santhosh to Mauritius while telling the world he has run away. Wishing to save his son, he hires Murthy to act like him, hoping Dhanushkodi would kill him instead of his actual son. Murthy too accepts the gig since his lover Preeti is Ramanathan's niece. In the climax, Santhosh supports Dhanushkodi for killing his father, but Dhanushkodi kills Santhosh. The film ends with Murthy taking the blame for killing Santhosh and surrendering himself to the police.
Cast
*
Prashanth
Prashanth Thiagarajan (born 6 April 1973), known professionally as Prashanth, is an Indian actor and businessman, known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil films, he has also appeared in few Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam fi ...
as Murthy
*
Jyothika
Jyothika Saravanan (; born 18 October 1978) is an Indian actress, model and film producer who predominantly appears in Tamil films. as Preeti
*
Vijayakumar as Ramanathan
*
Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran Velayutham (11 December 1958 – 19 March 2008) was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in films made in South India. He has acted in more than 200 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. According to the ''Hindustan T ...
as Dhanushkodi
*
Praveen Gandhi
Praveen Gandhi is an Indian film director, and actor known for his works in Tamil cinema.
Career
Praveen Gandhi was first given the opportunity to become a film maker by producer K. T. Kunjumon with '' Ratchagan'' (1997), who noted that in the ...
as Santhosh
*
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 Preeti's father
*
Nizhalgal Ravi
Ravichandran Samanna (born 16 April 1956), known professionally as Nizhalgal Ravi, is an Indian film, television and voice actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He has performed in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films and television series. He st ...
as Sundaram
*
Chinni Jayanth
Chinni Jayanth (born Krishnamurthy Narayanan on 26 July 1960) is an Indian film director, producer, comedian, actor and mimicry artist who has appeared in many main, character and supporting roles in Tamil films. He is also a popular televisio ...
as Software Sagalmass
*
Ramesh Khanna
Ramesh Khanna (also spelt as Ramesh Kanna) is an Indian actor and film director who has worked in Tamil cinema. He has acted in a number of supporting and comedian roles.
Early life
Khanna was born on 12 June 1954 in Chennai and third child to ...
as Jail broker
*
Srividya
Srividya (24 July 1953 – 19 October 2006), also known as Sreevidya, was an Indian actress best known for her work predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films, along with few Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. In a career spanning for 40 years, ...
as Vidya
*
Hema Chaudhary
Durga Prabha, known by her stage name, Hema Chaudhary (born 1955) is an Indian actress who has predominantly acted in Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil films. Starting her career as a lead actress in the Telugu film ''Pelli Kani Pelli'' in 1 ...
as Preeti's mother
*
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...
as Badri
*
Anu Mohan
Anu Mohan (born 24 August 1990) is an Indian actor who works in Malayalam films.
Career
He made his debut in the 2011 film, ''Orkut oru Ormakut''. He also played the antagonist in Roopesh Peethambaran's '' Theevram''. Anu Mohan is the young ...
as Sub-inspector Rathnam
*
Balu Anand
Balu Anand (1954 – 3 June 2016) was an Indian actor and director who worked in Tamil-language films (Kollywood). He appeared in over 100 films as an actor and directed several films, such as ''Naane Raja Naane Mandhiri'', ''Annanagar Mudhal T ...
as the Police inspector
*
Pandu
In the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Pandu ( sa, पाण्डु, Pāṇḍu, pale) was a king of the Kuru Kingdom. He was the foster-father of the five Pandava brothers, who were the boons bestowed upon his wife Kunti by a number of deities ...
as Sub-inspector
*
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 Ramanathan's assistant
*
Mayilsamy
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 ...
as a Police constable
* Crazy Venkatesh as Dhanushkodi's henchman
*
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 Advocate
*
Omakuchi Narasimhan
Narasimhan (c. 1936 - 12 March 2009), popularly known as Omakuchi, was an Indian stage and film actor. He acted in over 1,500 films in 14 Indian languages, predominantly in Tamil.
Early life
Born in Kumbakonam in 1936, Narasimhan made his ...
as Convict
* Sukran as Nagaraj
*
Vellai Subbaiah
Vellai Subbaiah was an Indian actor who had appeared in more than 500 films and 1000 stage plays. He featured mostly in comedy roles and also minor roles. He is well known for his dialogue, "Thirumba Thirumba pesura nee..." in the movie Nesam ...
as Sivaraj
* Naga Kannan as Convict
*
Scissor Manohar
Scissor Manohar is an Indian comedian and actor.
Career
Manohar began to work as a production assistant working on films such as ''Puthiya Vaarpugal'' (1979). Manohar earned the name Scissor for his character in '' Gokulathil Seethai'' (1996 ...
as Thief
*
Chelladurai
Chelladurai (1941 - 7 February 2015) was an Indian comedian who worked in Tamil-language films. He acted in over 350 films.
Career
Chelladurai made his film debut with ''Thooral Ninnu Pochchu'' (1982). He is known for his comic sequences w ...
as Convict
* Arulmani as Dhanushkodi's henchman
* Sahadevan as Computer centre worker
* Mahadevan as Computer centre worker
* Laxmi Rattan as Rich man
* Vijay Ganesh as Thief
* Sivanarayanamoorthy as a Police officer
* Soundar as Auto rickshaw driver
*
Mumtaj
Mumtaz, also credited as Mumtaj, (born Nagma Khan) is an Indian actress and a former item number known primarily for her work in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil films, She has also appeared in Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu films. She entered ...
in a special appearance
Production
The success of ''
Jodi
Jodi is a feminine given name which may refer to:
People
* Jodi Albert (born 1983), English actress
* Jodi Anasta (born 1985), Australian actress and model
* Jodi Anderson (born 1957), American heptathlete
* Jodi Appelbaum-Steinbauer (born 1956) ...
'' (1999) prompted director
Praveen Gandhi
Praveen Gandhi is an Indian film director, and actor known for his works in Tamil cinema.
Career
Praveen Gandhi was first given the opportunity to become a film maker by producer K. T. Kunjumon with '' Ratchagan'' (1997), who noted that in the ...
to collaborate with Prashanth and Simran again in a project called ''Star'', but Simran soon dropped out. Praveen moved on to relaunch the film with
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil films. To date, he has starred in over 60 films. His awards include four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil N ...
in the lead and producers Vijayam Cine Combines. Praveen began pre-production work and cast
Nagma
Nagma Arvind Morarji (born Nandita Arvind Morarji on 25 December 1974) is an Indian politician and former actress. She was a popular lead actress in the 1990s. She made her cinematic debut in the film '' Baaghi'' opposite Salman Khan in 1990. ...
in a proposed
item number
In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, and Be ...
, but was later dropped from the project after falling out with Ajith. Vijayam Cine Combines moved on to instead make ''
Dheena
''Dheena'' is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by then-debutante A. R. Murugadoss, starring Ajith Kumar, Suresh Gopi, in his Tamil debut, and Laila. The music and background score is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja ...
'' (2001) with Ajith, selecting debutant
AR Murugadoss, an assistant of Praveen, as the project's director.
After their successful association in ''
Ratchagan
''Ratchagan'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language romantic action film written, produced by K. T. Kunjumon, and directed by Praveen Gandhi. It stars Nagarjuna and Sushmita Sen, alongside Raghuvaran, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vadivelu and Gir ...
'' and ''Jodi'', Praveen Kanth wanted Rahman to provide the music yet again, but the composer was short on time, so Rahman compromised to reinvent tunes earlier composed for films like ''
Thakshak
''Thakshak'' is a 1999 Indian action drama film written and directed by Govind Nihalani. Touted as Nihalani's attempt at popular cinema, this film stars Ajay Devgn, Tabu and Rahul Bose. The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman.
Plot
A ...
'' and ''Earth'' for the project. Prashanth and
Jyothika
Jyothika Saravanan (; born 18 October 1978) is an Indian actress, model and film producer who predominantly appears in Tamil films. were later confirmed as the lead pair, though Praveen Gandhi's sudden decision to act in the film irked Prashanth and his father, who threatened to opt out of the project, before the issue was mediated.
The introduction of Jyothika's character was filmed on the streets of Chennai. The team then went on a shooting stint to Kurinji village at
Gobichettipalayam
Gobichettipalayam () is the Selection grade municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Gobichettipalayam taluk. It is situated at the center of the South Indian Peninsula, from the district hea ...
and during the time there provided Rs 2 lakhs to help renovate a temple, which had been closed for twenty years.
Release
Critic Malini Mannath gave the film a negative review adding that "an artist can rarely rise above a bad script, consequently Prashanth’s attempts to infuse some life through fight scenes and dance numbers turn futile" and that "Jyotika’s expressions are becoming repetitive.". The critic concluded that had "ruinously shoddy script" and "the director’s attempt to enter into the acting arena, and play one of the crucial characters in the film adds insult to injury". Another critic added that the film would not give a boost to Prashanth's career as he had anticipated stating that it was a "below average movie". Another reviewer described that "the messy screenplay in the second half ruins the story that admittedly has enough potential for romance, laughs, sentiments and action".
The failure of the film ended the partnership between Rahman and Praveen Kanth, with the composer refusing to score the music for the director's next venture, ''
Thullal''. Plans were made in 2003 to remake the film in Telugu as ''Mahendra'', but the venture never took off.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
, with lyrics by
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramasamy (born 13 July 1953) is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist working in the Tamil film industry. He is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world. A master's graduate from the Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai, he first ...
,
Piraisoodan
Piraisoodan (6 February 1956 – 8 October 2021) was a Tamil poet and lyricist.
He won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Lyricist for his songs in movies like ''Thayagam'', '' En Rasavin Manasile'' and ''Neeyum Naanum'' in 1996, 1991 and ...
and
Palani Bharathi
Palani Bharathi is an Indian writer and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema.
Early life
Palani Bharathi was born in Karaikudi to Sami Palaniappan, a poet, and Kamala. He has a brother and four sisters. Palaniappan was an assistant of orator/w ...
. Due to lack of time, Rahman could not accept the film, but the director sought permission to re-use some songs from his previous Hindi album, ''
Thakshak
''Thakshak'' is a 1999 Indian action drama film written and directed by Govind Nihalani. Touted as Nihalani's attempt at popular cinema, this film stars Ajay Devgn, Tabu and Rahul Bose. The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman.
Plot
A ...
'' and one song from ''
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
''. The director followed the same approach in his previous film ''
Jodi
Jodi is a feminine given name which may refer to:
People
* Jodi Albert (born 1983), English actress
* Jodi Anasta (born 1985), Australian actress and model
* Jodi Anderson (born 1957), American heptathlete
* Jodi Appelbaum-Steinbauer (born 1956) ...
''. Singer
Karthik made his playback debut with this soundtrack.
;
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Star (Film)
2001 films
2000s Tamil-language films
Films scored by A. R. Rahman
Indian action thriller films
Films directed by Praveen Gandhi
2001 action thriller films