''Vettaikaaran'' () is a 2009 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, nati ...
-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 debutant
B. Babusivan and produced by
AVM Productions
AVM Productions is an Indian film production studio founded by A. V. Meiyappan. It is the final oldest survived studio in India. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai. It has produced over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, ...
. The film stars
Vijay and
Anushka, with
Srihari
Srihari (15 August 1964 – 9 October 2013) was an Indian actor who was active mainly in Telugu cinema. He appeared in a few Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films as well. He won seven Nandi Awards and one Filmfare Award.
Early life
Srihari was born ...
,
Salim Ghouse
Salim Ahmad Ghouse (10 January 1952 – 28 April 2022) was an Indian film, television and theatre actor, theatre director, and martial artist. He has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English films.
Early life
Salim Ghouse was born ...
,
Sayaji Shinde
Sayaji Shinde (Marathi pronunciation: əjaːd͡ʒiː ʃin̪d̪eː born 13 January 1959) is an Indian actor who has acted in Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Bhojpuri films and several Marathi Plays. Sayaj ...
and
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North Ind ...
in supporting roles. Gopinath handled
cinematography
Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography.
Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...
while
V. T. Vijayan
V. T. Vijayan is an Indian film editor who works in Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil films. He has collaborated in the past with editors including B. Lenin
B. Lenin born as Bhimsingh Lenin is an Indian film editor, writer and director who works in ...
was the film's editor. This was Vijay's first film with AVM Productions. This was the only film B. Babusivan had directed in his life until his death on 16 September 2020.
The film released to mixed reviews but was a commercial success.
The film has collected $1,399,911 at the overseas box office. The story is a tale of unexpected events in the life of auto rickshaw driver due to conspiracy by a crime boss, and how he manages to escape from him.
Plot
Ravi is a youngster from
Thoothukudi
Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and he ...
who aspires to become a police officer like his
role model
A role model is a person whose behaviour, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. The term ''role model'' is credited to sociologist Robert K. Merton, who hypothesized that individuals compare themselves ...
, Encounter Specialist
DCP Devaraj
IPS
IPS, ips, or iPS may refer to:
Science and technology Biology and medicine
* ''Ips'' (genus), a genus of bark beetle
* Induced pluripotent stem cell or iPS cells
* Intermittent photic stimulation, a neuroimaging technique
* Intraparietal sulcus, ...
. After completing his
PUC, he joins a college in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and also earns a living by driving an auto rickshaw. During the course, he meets Suseela, an
IT professional and falls in love with her.
Although Suseela rejects Ravi's advances at first, with the help of her grandmother, Ravi succeeds in winning Suseela's heart. Meanwhile, Chella is a gangster and
womaniser
Womanizer may refer to:
* "Womanizer" (term), a promiscuous heterosexual man
* "Womanizer" (song), a 2008 song by Britney Spears
* "Womanizer", a 1977 song by Blood, Sweat & Tears from '' Brand New Day''
* ''Womanizer'', a 2004 album by Absolute ...
, meets Ravi's friend Uma in a public place, where she is taking donations for some cause, and immediately develops an attraction to her. When Uma asks Chella to contribute money, he willingly donates by inserting a rupee note in her jacket. Uma feels shamed and tells to her father what happened.
Ravi finds out what had happened to Uma through her father, he comes to her defense and beats up Chella, hospitalising him. His troubles start from there as Chella's father, a powerful
don
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON
*Don (river), a river in European Russia
*Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name
*Don, Benin, a town in Benin
*Don, Dang, a vill ...
named Vedanayagam, with the help of his right-hand man, a corrupt police officer Kattabomman, begin to create havoc in Ravi's life. Ravi is soon thrown into jail on a false case of
drug smuggling
The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of drug prohibition, prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibitionism, prohibit trade, except under license, ...
and is expelled from college.
Suseela is willing to help him where she goes to Devaraj and pleads with him to help Ravi, but Devaraj initially refuses to help as his entire family had died at the hands of Vedanayagam and he himself was blinded by him because he had taken action against him and his gang. However, with the help of his people known in the police department, He saves Ravi from being killed in a fake encounter led by Kattabomman. It is at this stage that Ravi takes up a new persona called ''Police'' Ravi to clean up the illegal activities of Vedanayagam and instill hope in the public, something that Devaraj was unable to do.
In the process however, Vedanayagam kills Ravi's close friend Sugu, prompting Ravi to kill Chella in retribution. Vedanayagam decides to become a minister, in order to prevent Ravi from targeting him and his activities. As Ravi finally plans to kill the newly sworn-in minister Vedanayagam, The police arrive to arrest him. However, Ravi sees Devaraj in the crowd and announces Vedanayagam's location to him just as he is being arrested, allowing Devaraj to assassinate Vedanayagam, effectively avenging his family's death. Devaraj is reinstated into the police force and offers to make Ravi a police officer. However, Ravi refuses, stating that he has found the police officer within himself and that is all he needs to succeed in life.
Cast
Production
Development
During the filming of ''
Kuruvi
''Kuruvi'' () is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language superhero comedy film written and directed by Dharani. Produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin, the film stars Vijay in the titular role with Trisha and Suman in other prominent roles. Vivek, Ashish Vidya ...
'', directed by
S. Dharani
Dharani (born V. C. Ramani) is an Indian former film director, who primarily directed Tamil and Telugu action films. He is best known for directing super hit Tamil action films ''Dhill'', ''Dhool'' and ''Ghilli''.
Career
He first directed t ...
,
B. Babusivan served as one of his assistant directors in the film and wrote the dialogues. Sivan was later prompted to begin his maiden directorial venture with Vijay in the lead role. He was eventually chosen as the director for the next feature film to be produced
AVM Productions
AVM Productions is an Indian film production studio founded by A. V. Meiyappan. It is the final oldest survived studio in India. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai. It has produced over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, ...
. The project was originally titled as ''Police Ravi'' but in August 2008 it was re-titled as ''Vettaikkaaran'', taken from the
Vettaikaaran (1964 film)
''Vettaikkaran'' () is a 1964 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by M. A. Thirumugam and produced by Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran and Savitri Ganesh, with M. R. Radha, M. N. Nambiar, S. A. ...
starring
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...
.
''Vettaikaran'' was formally launched the next month. The film's director Babusivan, producers M. Balasubramaniam and B. Gurunath Meyyappan, Vijay and his wife,
Vijay Antony
Vijay Antony (born 24 July 1975) is an Indian music composer, playback singer, actor, film editor, lyricist, audio engineer, and filmmaker working predominantly in Tamil cinema. He made his debut as music composer in 2005. He is the first India ...
,
S. A. Chandrasekhar
S. A. Chandrasekar (born 2 July 1945) is an Indian film director, producer, writer, and actor who primarily works within Kollywood. He made his directorial debut with ''Aval Oru Pachai Kuzhanthai'' (1978), He got his breakthrough with ''Sattam ...
and director
Dharani
Dharanis (IAST: ), also known as ''Parittas'', are Buddhist chants, mnemonic codes, incantations, or recitations, usually the mantras consisting of Sanskrit or Pali phrases. Believed to be protective and with powers to generate merit for the Bud ...
were present at the film's inauguration.
Casting
Commercial directors
Perarasu
Perarasu (born 8 January 1967) is an Indian film director who works primarily in Tamil film industry. As a director, he is best known for his commercial Tamil movies with actors Vijay and Bharath Srinivasan. He has also been credited as an act ...
and
Hari
Hari ( sa, हरि) is among the primary epithets of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, meaning 'the one who takes away' (sins). It refers to the one who removes darkness and illusion, the one who removes all obstacles to spiritual progress ...
were mentioned, but AVM Productions chose
B. Babusivan to be the director of the film.
Anushka waa selected as lead female role opposite to Vijay for the very first time. Cinematographer Gopinath was chosen to be the lead cameraman in the film after
Ravi Varman
S. Ravi Varman (born 9 May 1972) is an Indian cinematographer, filmmaker, producer and writer. He has predominantly worked in films of Indian languages such as Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. Known for his realistic and poetic framing sense, Rav ...
was dropped from the film.
V. T. Vijayan
V. T. Vijayan is an Indian film editor who works in Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil films. He has collaborated in the past with editors including B. Lenin
B. Lenin born as Bhimsingh Lenin is an Indian film editor, writer and director who works in ...
was signed as the film's editor.
Filming
Vijay experimented with his look in two songs. In "Karigalan", the left half of his body is a man where the right half is a female. The song is also notable for featuring Vijay without a moustache in his career as of date. The look in Karigalan was suggested by
Dinesh
Dinesh (Devanagari: ') is a common Hindu male given name. The Sanskrit word ' is a compound of ' 'day' and ' 'lord', meaning 'day-lord', an epithet of the Sun. Notable people with the name include:
* Dinesh, Indian film actor
* Dinesh Baboo, Ind ...
after he watched Aamir Khan in a
Tata Sky
Tata Play (stylised as TΛTΛ PLΛY, formerly TΛTΛ , sky) is an Indian direct broadcast satellite (DTH) service provider using MPEG-4 digital compression technology, transmitting using INSAT-4A and GSAT-10 satellite. Incorporated in 2005; it ...
advertisement. In "Oru Chinna Thamarai", Vijay sports a long hair wig. Regarding his long hair look, Vijay reveals that he "always wanted to" try long hair.
Soundtrack
Soundtrack was composed by Vijay Antony and met with a positive response.
Release
Critical reception
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 ...
gave the film a 4/5 star rating, and wrote the "major plus for the movie are the five peppy songs tuned by
Vijay Antony
Vijay Antony (born 24 July 1975) is an Indian music composer, playback singer, actor, film editor, lyricist, audio engineer, and filmmaker working predominantly in Tamil cinema. He made his debut as music composer in 2005. He is the first India ...
which are choreographed well ... The action scenes by
Kanal Kannan
Kanal Kannan (born as V. Kannan) is an Indian actor, action choreographer and screenwriter who works in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi films. He has worked with actors Mammootty, Prithviraj , Unni Mukundan
Unnikrishnan Mukund ...
are superbly choreographed. Gopinath’s camera is slick and editing is fast-paced". Behindwoods rated 4/5 and stated "The charismatic screen presence of
Vijay, enjoyable musical tracks, sparkling stunts, fiery punch lines, the signature lighter moments and foot tapping numbers, makes the movie entertain the family audience, and stated that director
B. Babusivan had made a wholesome family entertainer movie.
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
gave 3.5 stars out of 5 criticising Babusivan for failing to properly tell the story in the second half. ''
Ananda Vikatan
''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India.
History and profile
''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 wa ...
'' rated the film 38 out of 100.
Dubbed versions
The film was dubbed in Hindi as ''Dangerous Khiladi 3'' and was released on 2014.
Accolades
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vettaikaaran
2009 directorial debut films
2009 films
2000s action films
Indian action films
2000s masala films
2000s Tamil-language films
Films scored by Vijay Antony
AVM Productions films