''Visaranai'' () is a 2015 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 drama film
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...
written and directed by
Vetrimaaran
Vetrimaaran is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, who works in the Tamil film industry. As of 2021, he has won five National Film Awards, eight Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, two Filmfare South Awards and the Amnesty Inter ...
. It is based on the novel ''Lock Up'' by M. Chandrakumar. The film stars
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 ...
,
Anandhi
Anandhi (born Rakshita; 10 December 1996) is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. After her debut in the Telugu film ''Bus Stop'' (2012), she appeared in Vetrimaaran's Tamil production ''Poriyaalan'' and ...
,
Samuthirakani
Samuthirakani (born 26 April 1973) is an Indian actor and film director who predominantly works in Tamil films and Telugu films besides appearing in a number of Malayalam films. He worked as an assistant to director K Balachander. He won the N ...
,
Aadukalam Murugadoss
Aadukalam Murugadoss is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. He made his breakthrough portraying Dhanush's friend in Vetrimaaran's critically acclaimed 2011 film. '' Aadukalam'', thus adding the name of the film as a prefix ...
,
Kishore, Pradheesh Raj, and Silambarasan Rathnasamy. The film deals with lives of two men before and after thrown into a
kafkaesque
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typi ...
scenario in which they get tortured for confession.
The film premiered in the Orrizonti (Horizons) section of the
72nd Venice Film Festival
The 72nd annual Venice International Film Festival took place from 2 to 12 September 2015. Alfonso Cuarón served as the President of the Jury for the main competition. A restored version of Federico Fellini's film ''Amarcord'' was shown at the ...
,
where it won the Amnesty International Italia Award. The film was released in India on 5 February 2016 and received highly positive reviews from both critics and audience alike. Many issues arose regarding the film in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
among the police force. At the
63rd National Film Awards
The 63rd National Film Awards was an award ceremony during which the Directorate of Film Festivals of India presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2015 in Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 28 March 2016 ...
, the film won three honours:
Best Feature Film in Tamil,
Best Supporting Actor for
Samuthirakani
Samuthirakani (born 26 April 1973) is an Indian actor and film director who predominantly works in Tamil films and Telugu films besides appearing in a number of Malayalam films. He worked as an assistant to director K Balachander. He won the N ...
and
Best Editing for
Kishore Te
Kishore Te (24 March 1978 – 6 March 2015) was an Indian film editor who worked in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu films. For his work in '' Aadukalam'' (2011) and ''Visaranai'' (2015), he won the National Film Award for Best Editing.
Career
At age ...
. It was selected as India's official entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
At the
64th Filmfare Awards South
The 64th Filmfare Awards South ceremony honoring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian cinema
The Cinema of South India refers collectively to the six distinct film industries based in Southern region of India namely Tamil ...
, the film was nominated for the
Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
,
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
for
Vetrimaaran
Vetrimaaran is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, who works in the Tamil film industry. As of 2021, he has won five National Film Awards, eight Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, two Filmfare South Awards and the Amnesty Inter ...
and won the award for the
Best Supporting Actor for
Samuthirakani
Samuthirakani (born 26 April 1973) is an Indian actor and film director who predominantly works in Tamil films and Telugu films besides appearing in a number of Malayalam films. He worked as an assistant to director K Balachander. He won the N ...
.
Plot
Pandi, Murugan, Afzal, and Kumar are Tamil labourers who are working in
Guntur
Guntur () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Guntur is spread across 168.49 km square and is the third-largest city in the state. It is situated to the west of the Ba ...
,
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
and living in a nearby park and working to make ends meet. A Tamil man named Muthuvel is shown to be undertaking some operation in Andhra Pradesh along with a group of men. The lives of the four labourers take a turn for worse when they are caught, beaten and tortured brutally in police lock-up for a theft that they did not commit, due to police's need to close a high-profile robbery case. The four resist the torture and refuse to confess but are forced to relent due to the police brutality. However, when produced in court, they speak out the true set of events to the judge. Muthuvel, who is shown to be a
police inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.
Australia
In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...
, helps them go free by translating for them in court and vouching for them. Before the men can leave, Muthuvel enlists their help to kidnap a high-profile auditor named K.K who has surrendered in the same court. It is shown that Muthuvel's police team had come there unofficially to nab KK before he surrendered. Since Muthuvel's team are closely watched by KK's lawyers inside the court, Muthuvel gives the 4 boys a task to bring KK out of the court. Muthuvel's seniors use their influence to make the court police aid them and KK is kidnapped by the 4 boys. The men are brought back to
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
, and Kumar is dropped on the way to
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 ...
. The remaining three men are asked by Muthuvel to clean the police station before leaving. The nature of Muthuvel's case is then revealed.
The kidnapping was masterminded by the
Deputy Commissioner (DCP), under directions from the top brass of the ruling political party of the state, to use K.K in court and take down the President of the opposition party, since general elections are merely 5 months away. Meanwhile, the
Assistant Commissioner (ACP), who is on the payroll of the opposition party, convinces the DCP to play a double game and get three crores (30 million) rupees from the opposition for dropping the case. However, buying the DCP's bluff, the opposition party fears that K.K has given up their secrets and orders the ACP to interrogate him, during which he dies from the injuries sustained. Since the death happened in Muthuvel's station when Muthuvel was on charge, he and his men take KK's body to KK's beach house and set up his death as suicide by hanging. Later, A discussion ensues to figure out a way to get the bribe and to cover up the
death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
as a
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
.
After the meeting, the DCP sees Pandi and Afzal cleaning in an adjoining bathroom and suspects that they might have overheard the plan. To cover up, they decide to frame Pandi and his friends as convicts in a pending
ATM robbery case, and eliminate them under the cover of an
encounter
Encounter or Encounters may refer to:
Film
*''Encounter'', a 1997 Indian film by Nimmala Shankar
* ''Encounter'' (2013 film), a Bengali film
* ''Encounter'' (2018 film), an American sci-fi film
* ''Encounter'' (2021 film), a British sci-fi film
* ...
. Muthuvel, who feels responsible for the three men, is fed up with the corruption and immorality of the events that have transpired and initially refuses to cooperate, but he is coerced because of his deep involvement. During the staged encounter, Afzal is killed, causing Pandi and Murugan to run away. In the ensuing pursuit, Murugan is shot and killed. Muthuvel chases Pandi and negotiates with him, assuring no harm and promising a spot in front of the media to expose the corruption. Meanwhile, orders arrive from the DCP to tie up loose ends and eliminate Muthuvel as well. As the film cuts to black, gunshots are heard, followed by a conversation that reveals the deaths of both Muthuvel and Pandi. A plan is made for the press coverage of Muthuvel's death 'in the line of duty', alongside photographs of his family to hold the attention and sympathy of the public.
In the eiplogue it is shown that this film is based on the novel written by real-life Kumar, who has been felicitated by multiple human rights organisations.
Cast
*
Attakathi Dinesh
Dinesh Ravi, better known as Attakathi Dinesh, is an Indian actor who has acted in leading roles in Tamil cinema. He made his breakthrough playing the lead role in ''Attakathi'' (2012), portraying Dinakaran.
Career
Dinesh completed his high ...
as Pandi
*
Murugadoss as Murugan
*
Samuthirakani
Samuthirakani (born 26 April 1973) is an Indian actor and film director who predominantly works in Tamil films and Telugu films besides appearing in a number of Malayalam films. He worked as an assistant to director K Balachander. He won the N ...
as Muthuvel
*
Kishore as K. K.
*
E. Ramdoss
E. Ramdoss (died 23 January 2023) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor who worked on Tamil films.
Life and career
Ramdoss was born in Villupuram to freedom fighter Ethirajalu Pillai and Poongavanam. As a youngster, he regularl ...
as Ramachandran
*
Ajay Ghosh as Vishveshwara Rao
*
Anandhi
Anandhi (born Rakshita; 10 December 1996) is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. After her debut in the Telugu film ''Bus Stop'' (2012), she appeared in Vetrimaaran's Tamil production ''Poriyaalan'' and ...
as Shanthi
* Pradheesh Raj as Murugan
* Silambarasan Rathnasamy as Afzal
* Pradheesh Raj as Kumar
*
Misha Ghoshal
Meesha Ghoshal is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil films. After making her debut in the Tamil film '' Pokkisham'' (2009), she has appeared in ventures including A. R. Murugadoss's ''7aum Arivu'' and Atlee's '' Raja Rani''.
...
as Sindhu
*
Saravana Subbiah
Saravana Subbiah is an Indian film director and actor, who has appeared in Tamil language films. He made his directorial debut with ''Citizen'' (2001), before making the romantic drama, '' ABCD'' (2005).
Career
Saravana Subbiah made his directo ...
as Saravanan
*
Halwa Vasu
Vasu, popularly known as Halwa Vasu, (died 17 August 2017) was a comedian in the Tamil film industry in India. He worked in around 900 films.
Career
Vasu who hailed from Madurai district, came to Chennai to work in cinemas after his graduati ...
*
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 Ramesh
* Dhaya Senthil as Neethipathi
* Vettai Muthukumar as Rathnasamy
* Cheran Raj as Goule
* Supergood Subramani
Production
The film was adapted from the novel titled ''Lock up'', written by M. Chandrakumar, an
auto rickshaw
An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many terms in various countries including auto, auto rickshaw, baby taxi, mototaxi, pigeon, jonnybee, bajaj ...
driver in
Coimbatore
Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...
.
Vetrimaaran chose to begin the film before the schedule for his other venture ''
Vada Chennai
''Vada Chennai'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action crime drama film written and directed by Vetrimaaran in his fourth film as a director. It is the first instalment in a planned trilogy. Produced by A. Subaskaran's Lyca Production ...
'' (2018) and signed up actors
Attakathi Dinesh
Dinesh Ravi, better known as Attakathi Dinesh, is an Indian actor who has acted in leading roles in Tamil cinema. He made his breakthrough playing the lead role in ''Attakathi'' (2012), portraying Dinakaran.
Career
Dinesh completed his high ...
and
Aadukalam Murugadoss
Aadukalam Murugadoss is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. He made his breakthrough portraying Dhanush's friend in Vetrimaaran's critically acclaimed 2011 film. '' Aadukalam'', thus adding the name of the film as a prefix ...
to play convicts in the film. The film earlier had the working titles of ''Kutravaali'' and ''Lock-Up'', during the first schedule in
Guindy
Guindy is one of the most important neighborhoods of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and is nicknamed as ''The Gateway to Chennai''. The Kathipara junction where Anna Salai, Mount-Poonamallee Road, Inner Ring Road, 100 Feet Road or Jawaharlal Nehru Roa ...
. The first half of the film was finished completely in September 2014 in locations across Hyderabad. The director later announced that the film would be an experimental film lasting only 60 minutes.
Anandhi
Anandhi (born Rakshita; 10 December 1996) is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. After her debut in the Telugu film ''Bus Stop'' (2012), she appeared in Vetrimaaran's Tamil production ''Poriyaalan'' and ...
joined the cast as heroine in October 2014, being selected after Vetrimaran was impressed with her performance in his production venture, ''
Poriyaalan
''Poriyaalan'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language thriller drama film directed by Thanukumar, written by Manimaran and produced by Vetrimaaran. The film features Harish Kalyan and Rakshita in the leading roles. Velraj is the cinematographer fo ...
'' (2014) and Prabhu Solomon's ''
Kayal'' (2014). Telugu film actor Ajay Ghosh stated that he played the role of an inspector in the film and would appear throughout the first half.
Release
The satellite rights of the film were sold to
STAR Vijay
Star Vijay is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly Star India), a subsidiary of Asianet Star Communications. The channel's headquarters is in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Star Vijay change ...
. The film is also available as
VOD on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
.
Critical reception
This film received the best movie award from Tamil magazine
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 ...
in Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards 2016. IndiaGlitz.com had rated the film 4.5 out of 5 and said, "Visaranai is by no means only an art or docu film, but fits into the commercial arena as well as it has thrills, especially a nail biting climax, humour, action, a little painful love story in the background and above all filled with real life incidents which one can easily relate to".
Twitch Film
Screen Anarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...
viewed Visarnai as a top class film about reality comparable to
2012 Cannes favourite ''
Gangs of Wasseypur
''Gangs of Wasseypur'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language two-part crime film produced and directed by Anurag Kashyap, and written by Kashyap and Zeishan Quadri. Centered on the coal mafia (Mafia Raj) of Dhanbad, and the underlying power struggle ...
''.
''The Hindu'' wrote "Visaranai is beautifully filmed, though there isn't much room for beauty. The frames appear to have been snatched from the back alleys of life. The verité illusion is aided by the utterly lifelike performances—even if the word "performance" seems wrong.". ''Rediff'' wrote "Director Vetrimaaran deserves credit for having extracted the best from all his actors. They are so remarkable you sense their terror as they stutter and stumble with their broken and bruised bodies. The hard-hitting screenplay is relentless, making no effort to shield you from the harsh realities of the ruthless world we live in today." ''Behindwoods'' wrote "Some may call Visaranai to be a violent film, while most of the others may say it is a brilliant piece of art that is so real and suspenseful. But if you’re a fan of crime thriller or film that depicts pain, do not miss it!"
Overseas, Hollywood Reporter wrote "Vetri Maaran’s tense socio-political thriller lands a well-aimed punch at rampant police brutality and corruption, to which the only response from the viewer is towering indignation. It may not break new ground in its subject or style of narration, but it covers the old ground extremely well, and its premise is so convincing and realistic that it seems like non-fiction. The first part, at least, is non-fiction, while the film’s second half turns into a fast-paced thriller...Maaran and Kumar extend the horror to include the upper echelons in the police and government, who also need scapegoats to cover their crimes. This mirror plot becomes an ever more threatening nocturnal thriller, and takes the film much wider in terms of potential audience."
Awards and nominations
See also
*
*
References
External links
*
* Visaranai a
Moviesda* Visaranai a
Isaimini* Visaranai a
Moviesda
{{National Film Award Best Feature Film Tamil
2015 films
Films based on Indian novels
2015 crime thriller films
Indian prison films
Indian crime thriller films
Indian films based on actual events
Films about police brutality
Films set in Andhra Pradesh
Films scored by G. V. Prakash Kumar
Films based on crime novels
Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor National Film Award-winning performance
2010s Tamil-language films
Films about police misconduct
Fictional portrayals of the Tamil Nadu Police
Films shot in Hyderabad, India
Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing National Award
Best Tamil Feature Film National Film Award winners
Fictional portrayals of the Andhra Pradesh Police
Films set in Chennai
Films shot in Vijayawada
Films shot in Andhra Pradesh
Films directed by Vetrimaaran