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 comedy 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 ...
directed by
Vignesh Shivan
Vignesh Shivan, credited sometimes as Vignesh Shivn (born 18 September 1985) is an Indian film director, film producer, actor, singer and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema.
Personal life
Shivan and actress Nayanthara had been in a relationshi ...
. The film stars
Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...
Ramya Krishnan
Ramya Krishnan (born 15 September 1970), also credited as Ramya Krishna (in the Telugu and Kannada film industries) is an Indian actress. She has appeared in over 260 films in five languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. Ramy ...
,
Keerthy Suresh
Keerthy Suresh (born 17 October 1992) is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Tamil and Telugu films, in addition to a few Malayalam films. She was recognised as Forbes 30 under 30 in 2021.She won the National Film Award for Best Act ...
,
Nandha
''Nandha'' is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Bala. The film stars Suriya in the lead role, while Rajkiran, Laila, Saravanan and Rajshree play other supporting roles. The film also marked the debut of co ...
,
Kalaiyarasan
Kalaiyarasan Harikrishnan is an Indian actor, who works in the Tamil film industry. He has collaborated with directors Myshkin and Pa. Ranjith, with whom he worked in ''Madras'' (2014) for which he received acclaim for his performance.
Career
...
,
RJ Balaji
Balaji Patturaj (born 20 June 1985), popularly known as RJ Balaji, is an Indian actor, radio jockey, television presenter, comedian and film director in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is best known as the host of the 92.7 Big FM shows ''The Night Sho ...
, and
Suresh Chandra Menon
Suresh Chandra Menon is an Indian actor, cinematographer and film director of Tamil and Malayalam films.
Personal life
After meeting the popular actress Revathi during a film shoot of Marumagal Tamil movie (1986), they fell in love and were ...
. The film's music was composed by
Anirudh Ravichander
Anirudh Ravichander (born 16 October 1990), also known Mononymous person, mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian film scorer music composer music producer singer and instrumentalist who primarily works in Tamil films. He is the son of actor Ra ...
and cinematography performed by Dinesh B. Krishnan and edited by
A. Sreekar Prasad
Akkineni Sreekar Prasad is an Indian film editor. He works predominantly in Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi language films. In a career spanning more than 35 years, he has edited over 600 films. He is a recipient of nine National Film Awards ...
. It is a remake of the 2013
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
film ''
Special 26
''Special 26'' is an Indian Hindi-language 2013 period heist thriller film written and directed by Neeraj Pandey. Based on the 1987 Opera House heist. The plot follows, A team of tricksters ( Akshay Kumar with Anupam Kher ) pose as CBI office ...
'', which was inspired by the true event
1987 Opera House heist
On 19 March 1987, a group posing as Central Bureau of Investigation officers executed a fake raid on the Opera House branch of Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri & Sons Jewellers in Bombay (present-day Mumbai), Maharashtra, India. The raid was led b ...
in Mumbai.
Principal photography of the film commenced in September 2016 and ended in August 2017. ''Thaana Serndha Kootam'' had a worldwide theatrical release on 12 January 2018. It received generally positive reviews from critics and audience with praise for the performances of the cast, writing, direction, screenplay, social message, background score and soundtrack. The film was a box office success.
Plot
All the events in this movie happen in the period of 1986–1987. The film begins with Pallavaram Paranjothi Pandian attending an interview for a clerk's post and getting rejected due to lack of money for giving bribes to the officials.
Now the story shifts to Nachinarkiniyan aka Iniyan attending CBI interviews and his friend attending police interviews. Both are rejected due to lack of bribe money for the post. Iniyan's father Porchelvan works as a CBI office clerk. He wants his son to be an officer, hence he pleads for the posting for his son to his higher officials.
However, he earned the wrath of his senior official officer Uthaman, a corrupt official. Once during a raid, he asks for money. Porchelvan did not approve of this and complains about Uthaman in the form of an anonymous letter. Uthaman learns of this and exacts revenge by purposely rejecting and humiliating Iniyan at the interview and later asking him to bribe in order to get the job. Iniyan and his father are dejected, and Iniyan's friend is dejected due to his failure in the interview, and he later commits suicide.
Iniyan is depressed after all these events and decides to loot money from the corrupted and rich people. He loots black money and tries to reform society, making sure the deserved people get posting in the government departments. He forms a gang with him and starts to heist by posing as CBI and income tax officers.
The CBI appoints Kurunjivendhan to investigate and capture the thieves. Meanwhile, Iniyan falls in love with Madhu, and she accepts his marriage proposal. One day, the gang conducts an interview for the CBI (fake). The gang plans to raid a jewelry shop. Uthaman and Kurunjivendhan come to know about this, but learn that they already came and finished the raid. Kurunjivendhan apprehends Iniyan and wants him to be a police inspector, but he rejects the offer as he believes that even more good can be done if he continued to do his deeds. He then reveals the force with Kurunjivendhan is actually the men he gave jobs using the heist money. He escapes the place with ease.
Cast
*
Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...
as Nachinarkiniyan (Iniyan)/Uthaman (during raids)
* Karthik as Kurunjivendhan CBI Officer
*
Ramya Krishnan
Ramya Krishnan (born 15 September 1970), also credited as Ramya Krishna (in the Telugu and Kannada film industries) is an Indian actress. She has appeared in over 260 films in five languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. Ramy ...
as Azhagu Meena (Jhansi Rani)
*
Kalaiyarasan
Kalaiyarasan Harikrishnan is an Indian actor, who works in the Tamil film industry. He has collaborated with directors Myshkin and Pa. Ranjith, with whom he worked in ''Madras'' (2014) for which he received acclaim for his performance.
Career
...
as Iniyan's friend
*
RJ Balaji
Balaji Patturaj (born 20 June 1985), popularly known as RJ Balaji, is an Indian actor, radio jockey, television presenter, comedian and film director in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is best known as the host of the 92.7 Big FM shows ''The Night Sho ...
as 'Pallavaram' Paranjothi Pandian
*
Keerthy Suresh
Keerthy Suresh (born 17 October 1992) is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Tamil and Telugu films, in addition to a few Malayalam films. She was recognised as Forbes 30 under 30 in 2021.She won the National Film Award for Best Act ...
as Madhu
*
Senthil
Senthil (born 23 March 1951) is an Indian comedy actor who works in Tamil cinema. He is famous for his comedian roles along with fellow actor Goundamani. The pair dominated the Tamil industry as comedians in the 1980s and 90s.Sathyan as Muthukumar "Muthu"
* Sivasankar as Ondiveeran "Ondi"
*
Nandha
''Nandha'' is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Bala. The film stars Suriya in the lead role, while Rajkiran, Laila, Saravanan and Rajshree play other supporting roles. The film also marked the debut of co ...
as Police Inspector Vetrivel/Manga Madayan
*
Suresh Chandra Menon
Suresh Chandra Menon is an Indian actor, cinematographer and film director of Tamil and Malayalam films.
Personal life
After meeting the popular actress Revathi during a film shoot of Marumagal Tamil movie (1986), they fell in love and were ...
as Uthaman (Voice Dubbed by Gautam Vasudev Menon)
*
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 Porchelvan
*
Brahmanandam
Kanneganti Brahmanandam (born 1 February 1956), known mononymously as Brahmanandam, is an Indian actor, comedian, impersonator, and voice actor known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He is particularly known for his comic performa ...
as a Hyderabad Income Tax Officer
*
Anandaraj
Anandaraj (born May 15, 1959) is an Indian actor. He has acted in villain roles in several Tamil films and has appeared in over a two hundred films in different languages including Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi.
Career
Anandaraj was bor ...
as Kuthalingam (Gandhi Appa)
*
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'' (20 ...
as Narayanan
*
Sudhakar
Sudhakar is an Indian name and may refer to:
* Sudhakar (actor) (born 1959), Indian actor
* Patel Sudhakar Reddy (died 2009), member of the central committee of the Communist Party of India
* Sudhakar Chaturvedi (born 1897), Vedic scholar in Banga ...
as Azhagu Meena's husband
*
Nirosha
Nirosha is an Indian film and television actress. She is known for her works predominantly in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films.
After her debut in Tamil in the film ''Agni Natchathiram'' (1988, directed by Mani Ratnam), Nirosha went ...
as Kuthalingam's wife
*
Vinodhini
Vinodhini is an Indian actress, who has appeared in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films and Tamil serials. Beginning her acting career as a child artist, she went on to play lead and supporting roles before acting in television series as well. ...
as Mangaiyakarasi
*
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 Gunasekaran
*
Venkatesh Harinathan
Venkatesh Harinathan is an Indian actor, who appears in Tamil cinema (Kollywood).
Career
Venkatesh made his acting careers in Stage Plays. He belongs to Chennai-based theater group Stray Factory and also appeared in various Television Commerc ...
as Kapil Gavaskar
*
Gadam Kishan
Gadam Kishan is an Indian actor, who has appeared in Tamil language films. He has acted in films including ''Deiva Thirumagal'' (2011) and ''Thirumanam Enum Nikkah'' (2014).
Career
Gadam Kishan began his career as a musician, performing the ghat ...
as Kapil's brother
* Abhirami as Azhagumathi (Azhagu Meena's daughter)
* Winner Ramachandran
Production
Development
Following the success of
Neeraj Pandey
Neeraj Pandey (born 17 December 1973) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. Pandey was made his directoral debut in ''A Wednesday!'', which was largely praised by critics and which later became a recip ...
's ''
Special 26
''Special 26'' is an Indian Hindi-language 2013 period heist thriller film written and directed by Neeraj Pandey. Based on the 1987 Opera House heist. The plot follows, A team of tricksters ( Akshay Kumar with Anupam Kher ) pose as CBI office ...
'' (2013), the director revealed that he was approached by several film makers who were keen on producing a Tamil version of the film.
Linguswamy
Nammalvar Lingusamy, (born 14 November 1967), is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and film producer in Tamil cinema based in Chennai. Lingusamy made his directorial debut with ''Aanandham'' in 2001 and followed by '' Run'' (2002), '' S ...
subsequently bought the rights of the film and planned to produce the venture in collaboration with
Friday Filmworks
Friday Filmworks is an Indian motion picture production company founded by Neeraj Pandey and Shital Bhatia in 2008.
Set up in 2008, Friday Filmworks has produced trend-setting films that are original in content and entertaining to the audienc ...
, who had made the original version. Linguswamy held initial discussions with
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...
,
Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...
,
Karthi
Karthik Sivakumar (born 25 May 1977), better known by his stage name Karthi, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He has won three Filmfare Awards South, an Edison Award, a SIIMA Award and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award. ...
and Vikram about portraying the film's lead role with
Sathyaraj
Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), professionally known as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, producer, director and a media personality who has predominantly appeares in Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema, Telugu Cinema. His 240 films also includ ...
, but the production failed to materialise. In August 2014, producer
Thiagarajan
Thiagarajan Sivanandam (born 21 June 1946) is an Indian actor, director and producer in Tamil cinema. Beside Tamil, he has also acted in several Malayalam and Kannada films and a few Telugu films. He is the father of Tamil actor Prashanth and t ...
announced that he had purchased the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada language rights to remake ''Special 26'', and revealed that he would also direct all four ventures. Thiagarajan's son
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 ...
was revealed to be playing the lead role in the Tamil version, while
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam-language films, he is the recipient of several ...
and
Sathyaraj
Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), professionally known as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, producer, director and a media personality who has predominantly appeares in Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema, Telugu Cinema. His 240 films also includ ...
were signed to portray supporting roles. A further press release in March 2015 stated that Srikanth Ravichandran, then husband of television host
Divyadarshini
Dhivyadharshini "DD" Neelakandan is an Indian television host and actress who prominently works in Tamil film and television industry.
Initially making her debut as an actress, she featured in supporting roles in films including Kamal Haasa ...
, would instead direct the film and that he had already begun work on planning music compositions with
Thaman
Ghantasala Sai Srinivas Thaman (born 16 November 1983), known professionally as Thaman S, earlier as S S Thaman, is an Indian music composer, professional drummer, and playback singer who predominantly works in Telugu films and Tamil films. Th ...
. The team also revealed that they had signed on actress
Trisha
Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia.
Notable people and characters with the name include:
People
*Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983)
* Trisha Baptie (born 1973 ...
to feature in the leading female role. After a period of little development, Prashanth revealed to the media in September 2015 that the film's shoot would commence soon after with
Madhesh
Madhesh Province ( Nepali language, Nepali/ mai, मधेश प्रदेश) is a Provinces of Nepal, province of Nepal that was formed after the adoption of the Constitution of Nepal. It is Nepal's most populous province, and smallest prov ...
as the director of the project.
A press release in December 2015 suggested that
Simran
Simran (Gurmukhi: ਸਿਮਰਨ; hi, सिमरण, सिमरन ; from Sanskrit: , ''smaraṇa'', 'to remember, reminisce, recollect'), in spirituality, is a Sanskrit word referring to the continuous remembrance of the finest aspect of ...
and
Devayani
Devayani ( sa, देवयानी, translit=Devayānī) is a character in Hindu literature. She is described to be the daughter of Shukra, the acharya (preceptor) of the asuras, and his wife Jayanti, the daughter of Indra. She marries K ...
would also be a part of the cast, while
Jacqueline Fernandez
Jacqueline Fernandez (born 11 August 1985) is a Sri Lankan actress and model. She has worked in Indian films, predominantly in Hindi, besides appearing in reality shows and music videos. Debuting with ''Aladin'' in 2009 she has since then es ...
would appear in a song. It was also stated that
Anirudh Ravichander
Anirudh Ravichander (born 16 October 1990), also known Mononymous person, mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian film scorer music composer music producer singer and instrumentalist who primarily works in Tamil films. He is the son of actor Ra ...
had been signed on to compose the film's music and Sreekar Prasad would be the film's editor. Thiagarajan revealed that he would adapt the original film's script and dialogues to suit a Tamil audience and that filming would take place in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. The film failed to materialise over 2016 and it was widely reported in the media that the remake rights of the original film had been transferred from Thiagarajan to
Studio Green
Studio Green is an Cinema of India, Indian film production and distribution company based in Chennai. The company was founded in 2006 by K. E. Gnanavel Raja, relative of actor Sivakumar and many of their films feature his sons Suriya and Karthi ...
and the film was to be made as ''Thaana Serndha Kootam'' by
Vignesh Shivan
Vignesh Shivan, credited sometimes as Vignesh Shivn (born 18 September 1985) is an Indian film director, film producer, actor, singer and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema.
Personal life
Shivan and actress Nayanthara had been in a relationshi ...
with
Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...
in the lead role. The title was taken from a dialogue spoken by
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 ...
in ''
Baashha
''Baashha'' is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language gangster
action film written and directed by Suresh Krissna. The film stars Rajinikanth, Nagma and Raghuvaran, with Janagaraj, Devan, Shashi Kumar, Vijayakumar, Anandaraj, Charan Raj, Kitty, Sath ...
'' (1995).
However, in an interview during February 2017, Thiagarajan insisted that the film was still being planned with Prashanth in the lead role. In late 2017, Thiagarajan made an application seeking an interim stay of the film's release, claiming that his studio of Staar Movies still owned the film's rights. He stated that Staar Movies had entered into an agreement with the original producers, Viacom, in August 2014 and obtained the rights to remake the movie in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada and that the agreement was valid for a period of three years. In early January 2018, the High Court refused the interim order application and called for the issues to be decided in a civil claim.
Filming
Vignesh Shivan
Vignesh Shivan, credited sometimes as Vignesh Shivn (born 18 September 1985) is an Indian film director, film producer, actor, singer and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema.
Personal life
Shivan and actress Nayanthara had been in a relationshi ...
agreed to work on ''Thaanaa Serndha Koottam'' at short notice, after another project, ''
Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal
''Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal'' () is an 2022 Indian Tamil-language romantic black comedy film written and directed by Vignesh Shivan. It stars Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara and Samantha. The soundtrack album and film score were composed by Ani ...
'' with
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 ...
,
Nayanthara
Diana Mariam Kurian, known professionally as
Nayanthara, is an Indian actress and film producer who is known for her work in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. She was in the ''Forbes India'' "Celebrity 100" 2018 list, with her total annual ...
and
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Samantha Ruth Prabhu (formerly: Samantha Akkineni; born 28 April 1987) is an Indian actress who mainly works in Telugu and Tamil film industries. She is a recipient of several awards, including four South Filmfare Awards, six South Indian I ...
became delayed.
Studio Green
Studio Green is an Cinema of India, Indian film production and distribution company based in Chennai. The company was founded in 2006 by K. E. Gnanavel Raja, relative of actor Sivakumar and many of their films feature his sons Suriya and Karthi ...
's
K. E. Gnanavel Raja
K. E. Gnanavel Raja is an Indian film producer and entrepreneur from Tamil Nadu, India. He initially began his career by producing and distributing films starring Suriya and Karthi, before branching out to own two studios — Studio Green and A ...
asked Vignesh to do a project to star
Suriya
Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...
and the team chos to use an earlier script planned by Vignesh on the
1987 Opera House heist
On 19 March 1987, a group posing as Central Bureau of Investigation officers executed a fake raid on the Opera House branch of Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri & Sons Jewellers in Bombay (present-day Mumbai), Maharashtra, India. The raid was led b ...
, like ''Special 26'', where a group posing as
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and governmen ...
(CBI) officers executed an income tax raid on the jeweller in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, which he initially wanted to make with either actors
Sivakarthikeyan
Sivakarthikeyan (born 17 February 1985), also referred to as SK, is an Indian actor, singer, film producer, lyricist, and television presenter, who works predominantly in Tamil films. He has also won a Tamil Nadu State Film Award, four Edison A ...
or Vijay Sethupathi. The team claimed to legally purchase the remake rights of ''Special 26'', but instead of copying the film scene-by-scene, Vignesh was insistent that it was adapted to make it suitable for Tamil-speaking audiences. The film was announced to the public in September 2016, with the shoot starting thereafter in October 2016.
Keerthy Suresh
Keerthy Suresh (born 17 October 1992) is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Tamil and Telugu films, in addition to a few Malayalam films. She was recognised as Forbes 30 under 30 in 2021.She won the National Film Award for Best Act ...
was signed on as the lead actress, while an ensemble cast of veteran actors including
Ramya Krishnan
Ramya Krishnan (born 15 September 1970), also credited as Ramya Krishna (in the Telugu and Kannada film industries) is an Indian actress. She has appeared in over 260 films in five languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. Ramy ...
,
Suresh Chandra Menon
Suresh Chandra Menon is an Indian actor, cinematographer and film director of Tamil and Malayalam films.
Personal life
After meeting the popular actress Revathi during a film shoot of Marumagal Tamil movie (1986), they fell in love and were ...
,
Senthil
Senthil (born 23 March 1951) is an Indian comedy actor who works in Tamil cinema. He is famous for his comedian roles along with fellow actor Goundamani. The pair dominated the Tamil industry as comedians in the 1980s and 90s.Sudhakar
Sudhakar is an Indian name and may refer to:
* Sudhakar (actor) (born 1959), Indian actor
* Patel Sudhakar Reddy (died 2009), member of the central committee of the Communist Party of India
* Sudhakar Chaturvedi (born 1897), Vedic scholar in Banga ...
were also a part of the first schedule. Suresh Chandra Menon initially dubbed in his own voice, but it was later replaced with Gautham Menon's voice.
The film was predominantly shot across Chennai and Mysore, with the shoot finishing in August 2017. Post-production works for the film were completed at Knack Studios in Chennai. The film was also dubbed Hindi as well as in Telugu as ''Surya Ki Gang'' and ''Gang'', respectively with Suriya choosing to dub for himself for the Telugu version titled ''Gang'' for the first time.
Music
Vignesh Shivan teamed up with Anirudh Ravichander to compose the soundtrack and background score of the film, once again after Naanum Rowdydhaan. This film also marks the first collaboration of Anirudh with Suriya. The tracklist features five songs, with lyrics for songs were written by
Thamarai
Thamarai (born 10 November 1975) is a noted Tamil poet and lyricist. She is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world. She made her debut in the Tamil film industry through the 1998 film Iniyavale, which was directed by Seeman and music co ...
,
Vignesh Shivan
Vignesh Shivan, credited sometimes as Vignesh Shivn (born 18 September 1985) is an Indian film director, film producer, actor, singer and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema.
Personal life
Shivan and actress Nayanthara had been in a relationshi ...
and Mani Amudhavan, where the former and latter penned two songs each and the rest of the songs were penned by Vignesh Shivan.
Sony Music acquired the rights of the soundtrack album. The first single track "Naana Thaana" was released on 26 July 2017, sung by Anirudh himself with lyrics written by Vignesh Shivan. On 16 October 2017, coinciding with Anirudh Ravichander's birthday the teaser of the second single "Sodakku" was released of YouTube. The full song was released on 26 October 2017. The promotional video song of "Sodakku" was released on 27 October 2017, featuring members of the film's cast as well as Sheril, who rose to fame with her dance cover of the song "
Entammede Jimikki Kammal
Entammede Jimikki Kammal, or simply Jimikki Kammal, is a 2017 song from the soundtrack of the Malayalam film ''Velipadinte Pusthakam'' (2017). The song is composed by Shaan Rahman and sung by Vineeth Sreenivasan and Ranjith Unni. Taken from variou ...
" from ''
Velipadinte Pusthakam
''Velipadinte Pusthakam'' () is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language tragic, action film directed by Lal Jose and written by Benny P. Nayarambalam. The film was produced by Antony Perumbavoor through Aashirvad Cinemas; it stars Mohanlal with Anoop ...
'' (2017).
Another single track "Peela Peela" was released on 23 December 2017. The title track of Thaana Serndha Koottam, was released on 30 December 2017. The video jukebox and full album of the movie was unveiled on 6 January 2018. The soundtrack album of its Hindi version ''Surya Ki Gang '' and its Telugu version ''Gang'', were released on 10 January 2018.
Track listing
All lyrics written by Niharika Baijal.
Reception
A critic from Behindwoods.com noted "Anirudh's magical combination with Vignesh Shivan continues as the album shines high on variety", and gave the album a rating of 3.25 out of 5 stars. Another reviewer from
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 ...
wrote "Anirudh and Vignesh's combination has worked again – and the composer only proves, time and again, to experiment and give some fine tracks for each album he works on".
Firstpost
''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18.
The ''Network 18'' group was originally owned by Raghav ...
reviewed the soundtrack as "The album is low on romance, but high on fun". Studioflicks rated the soundtrack as 3.25 out of 5, stating that "Thaana Serndha Koottam brings us a much valuable package of tracks based on different genres. Moreover, for Suriya this is a real big success for most of his erstwhile albums weren’t the favourite of music lovers. Anirudh and Vignesh Shivn encompass best music with simple lyrics and right choice of singers to offer the best treat to everyone."
Controversy
The song "Sodakku" attracted controversy after an
AIADMK
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; AIADMK) is an Indian Regionalism (politics), regional political party with great influence in the Federated state, state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory) ...
office bearer, Sathish Kumar, lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Police seeking changes in the lyrics, which he claimed were offensive and anti-political. Kumar's claims were widely criticised by those in the film industry, with
RJ Balaji
Balaji Patturaj (born 20 June 1985), popularly known as RJ Balaji, is an Indian actor, radio jockey, television presenter, comedian and film director in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is best known as the host of the 92.7 Big FM shows ''The Night Sho ...
speaking out against the complaint.
Marketing
The first look was released on 23 July 2017, coinciding with Suriya's birthday. The teaser of the film was released on 30 November 2017, gaining positive reviews. Another poster was released on December clarifying that the film is slated for
Pongal Pongal may refer to:
* Pongal (festival), an annual Tamil festival
* Pongal (dish)
Pongal, also known as pongali or huggi, is an Indian rice dish. In Tamil, "pongal" means "boil" or "bubbling up". The two varieties of pongal are ''chakarai pong ...
release.
Release
''Thaana Serndha Kootam'' got a worldwide release on 12 January 2018, two days before the
Thai Pongal
Pongal (, ), also referred to as Tai Pongal (), is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival celebrated by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka.
festival. It was dubbed and released into Telugu as ''Gang'' and in Hindi as ''Surya Ki Gang '' and released on the same day.
Awards and nominations
*
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
*
Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer - Tamil
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, an ...
-
Anthony Daasan
Anthony Dasan is an Indian folk singer, who is currently working in the Tamil film industry. He is known for contributing a powerful voice to fusions of Tamil-folk, country, jazz, electronica and rock styles. Before this phase of playback singi ...
- Sodakku mela sodakku-Nominated
*
Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist - Tamil
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, an ...
-
Vignesh Shivan
Vignesh Shivan, credited sometimes as Vignesh Shivn (born 18 September 1985) is an Indian film director, film producer, actor, singer and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema.
Personal life
Shivan and actress Nayanthara had been in a relationshi ...
- Sodakku mela Sodakku-Nominated
*
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress - Tamil
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, an ...
-
Ramya Krishnan
Ramya Krishnan (born 15 September 1970), also credited as Ramya Krishna (in the Telugu and Kannada film industries) is an Indian actress. She has appeared in over 260 films in five languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. Ramy ...
- Nominated
Critical reception
The film opened to generally positive reviews.
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 ...
rated 3.5 out of 5 stars stating "The film works wonderfully well as long as it stays closer to the plot of Special 26, and the changes are superficial."
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...
rated 2.5 stars out of 5 stating that "The film Thaanaa Serndha Koottam, starring Suriya released today and our review says that the film has not lived up to the original, Special 26."
Firstpost
''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18.
The ''Network 18'' group was originally owned by Raghav ...
rated 3 out of 5 stars stating "TSK is an enjoyable ride for the entire family, and it’s refreshing to see Suriya back in form."
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 ...
rated 3 out of 5 stars stating "It’s Suriyas committed performance, that keeps you invested in the narrative and the fascinating characters etched out brilliantly by Vignesh."
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 ...
stated "For a film that handles serious topics, TSK remains a feel good, light-hearted film, tailor-made for the festival weekend".
Film Companion
Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...
rated 3 out of 5 stars stating "Vignesh Shivn’s mass-ified remake of Special 26, starring Suriya, is quite entertaining."''Behindwoods'' rated 2.8 stars out of 5 stating "A smart heist film!"
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
rated 2.5 stars out of 5 stating "Walk in without expectation and let the Suriya and Keerthy Suresh starrer’s humour entertain you. As hard as the film tries to be serious, it is tough to take it so."
Deccan Chronicle
''Deccan Chronicle'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded by Rajagopal Mudaliar in the 1930s & currently owned by Samagrah Commercial Pvt Limited. It is published in Hyderabad, Telangana, by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited ( ...
rated 3.5 out of 5 stars stating "Thaanaa Serndha Koottam is a fast paced heist that barely wastes a minute in portraying a comedic entertainer."''IndiaGlitz'' rated 3 out of 5 stars stating "TSK is yet another feather in the cap moment for Vignesh Shivan. The timing of the movie could not have been better with IT raids becoming a routine in TN, a light hearted take on the raids makes the film an enjoyable watch." ''Cinestaan'' rated 2 out of 5 stars stating "If you haven't watched the Hindi film Special 26 (2013), chances are you will like Thaanaa Serndha Koottam."
Box office
The film collected 19cr from worldwide box office in its opening day of which 6.5cr in Tamil Nadu,1.9cr in Kerala, 1.1cr in Karnataka and over 9.5cr from rest of India and World. The film collected 90.2 cr worldwide during its lifetime.