3 (2012 Indian film)
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''3'' is a 2012 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 romantic
psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and co ...
film written and directed by
Aishwarya R. Dhanush Aishwarya Rajinikanth (born 1 January 1982) is an Indian film director and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. She is the elder daughter of actor Rajinikanth and wife of actor Dhanush. She made her feature film directorial debut with '' ...
, the wife of actor
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
, who also produced the film, thus making their debut in both the fields. He also played the male lead role alongside
Shruti Haasan Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and playback singer who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. Born in the Haasan family, she is the daughter of actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika Thakur. ...
, whilst
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 ...
and
Sunder Ramu Sunder Ramu is an Indian film and stage actor, who has also worked as a photographer. He made his first film appearance in the 2011 drama film ''Mayakkam Enna''. After winning critical acclaim for his performance he has also gone on to feature ...
appear in prominent roles. The film follows Ram (Dhanush) and Janani (Shruti Haasan), two inter mediate sweethearts who eventually get married. However, Janani is mystified when Ram commits suicide all of a sudden and she tries to find out the truth behind his death. The film was launched on 5 August 2011 in Chennai, with Dhanush and
Amala Paul Amala Paul (born 26 October 1991) is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. She made her acting debut by appearing in a supporting role in the Malayalam-language ...
in lead roles, the latter was replaced by Shruti Haasan, due to schedule conflicts. The cinematography was handled by
Velraj Rajamani Velraj, ISC is an Indian cinematographer, director and writer who primarily works in Tamil and Hindi cinema. He is well known for his camera work in films like Asuran, Aadukalam, Vada Chennai, Kadaikutty Singam and Komban, and for dir ...
and editing was done by
Kola Bhaskar Kola Bhaskar (died 4 November 2020) was an Indian film editor. Personal life His son Balakrishna Kola made his acting debut with Maalai Naerathu Mayakkam (2016). Death He died on November 4, 2020 Notable filmography As producer * '' Maalai ...
. The soundtrack album and background score were composed by Dhanush's cousin-in-law
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 ...
, marking his debut as a composer with lyrics written by Dhanush, received positive reviews upon release. The song "
Why This Kolaveri Di 'Why This Kolaveri Di' () is a song from the soundtrack of the 2012 Tamil psychological thriller film '' 3'', starring Dhanush and Shruthi Hassan. The song is written and sung by Dhanush, and composed by Anirudh Ravichander. It became one of ...
" penned and sung by Dhanush, became one of the most streamed songs of all time, and also listed in one of the "Recently Most Popular (Gold) Videos" on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. The film released worldwide on 30 March 2012, to mostly positive reviews, praising the performances of the lead actors, especially Dhanush's performance, Anirudh's soundtrack and score, but criticising the narration of the film. The film won three
Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
for Best Actor and Best Male Playback Singer for Dhanush, and Best Music Director for Anirudh Ravichander. Dhanush won three awards, Best Actor, Best Lyricist and Best Male Playback Singer at the
2nd South Indian International Movie Awards The 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards were presented on September 12–13, 2013 in Sharjah (emirate), Sharjah, UAE, to honour the best cinematic achievements of the South Indian film industry in the year 2012. Initially planned for June ...
. Following the success of the song "Why This Kolaveri Di", Dhanush was invited by Former
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Dr. Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...
as a Guest of Honour.


Plot

At Ram's funeral, his wife Janani hallucinates about him running away, and the film flashes back to when Ram and Janani were 12th-grade students, when Ram helps Janani fix her bicycle and tells his friends Senthil and Kumaran that he has a crush on her. He joins her tuition, in order to see her everyday, in the hopes that she will reciprocate his love for her. As time goes by, she eventually reciprocates his love. Back in the present, Janani has a teary conversation with her mother about Ram. Asleep, she experiences another flashback about when her family had a visa to go to the US. She lets her family know that she is in love with Ram. Her parents berate her, after learning that she burnt her passport, in order to stay with Ram. She leaves her home and requests Ram to marry her, since her parents will not allow her back into her home, and also, because she loves him. They later get married, despite the opposition from their respective parents. After Janani is awoken by her maid, she tries to hunt for Ram's friend, Senthil, for knowing the mystery behind Ram's death. She enquires Senthil's parents but she doesn't find any clue. Later, she finds a suicide letter from Ram in his coat. She again requests Senthil's parents to convince Senthil to help Janani and she asks him to reveal what they were hiding from her. A distraught Senthil tells her that when she was leaving for the US, Kumaran got a job in Singapore at the same time. Upon finding out that his two friends have moved on, Ram hallucinates and almost drowns when he tries to swim past a beach but is saved. Senthil doesn't suspect anything strange and just thinks that this happened because Ram was drunk. Later on a day when Ram took a 3.2 crore loss, he kicks and kills Tom, their dog. This leads Senthil to consult a doctor, and notices him being strange having extreme emotions, the primary emotions being despair or anger. Senthil tells a doctor about Ram's actions, the doctor reveals it might be Bipolar Disorder, and if not treated, could lead to suicide. When Senthil tries to warn him by inviting him to spend nights out with him, Ram loses his sense of control and attacks Senthil with a bottle, chair, and leaves the place. Later, Senthil finds Ram unconscious on the road. The visit from the doctor confirms Ram has severe bipolar disorder, but Ram refuses to get admitted because of his love for Janani. To stay away from Janani, Ram then goes on a pilgrimage, causing further anguish. Janani takes notice of Ram's absurd behavior and asks Ram why he is acting weird. Later, at a club, Ram picks a fight with a drunkard who was trying to misbehave with Janani. Later, Ram and Senthil are beat up by the gang of the drunkard's friends. When the drunkard tries to kill him, Ram beats up the gang and incapacitates them. That night, Ram and Senthil get back home with wounds. Janani becomes restless seeing Ram injured. After this incident, Ram decides not reveal about his condition to Janani. Ram spends time in the hospital for shockwave treatment as his condition worsens. Janani becomes frustrated with Ram not telling her where he goes, and why. She suspects Ram of having an extramarital affair. She lashes out at him and sobs. After a while, Ram, in a manic state, tries to kill Janani, unbeknownst to her (since she was in a deep sleep) but is stopped by Senthil. This makes Ram feel guilty. Ram requests his father to transfer his company shares to Janani, and wants Senthil to leave him to see her. Senthil refuses, and Ram suddenly bashes his head against a steering wheel, rendering him unconscious. Ram tearfully says goodbye to Senthil and leaves the car. In the present, Senthil and Janani are both crying profusely. As Ram goes to Janani's bedroom and watches her sleep, he suddenly hallucinates seeing a young girl saying "Either kill her or you die." Terrified, he immediately gets away from her bed. He goes to his office and writes a suicide note while the hallucinations continue. Ram grabs a knife and struggles to kill himself. Janani in the present is wailing in grief as she learns her husband's fate. The film ends with Ram slitting his throat saying his final words, "I love you, Janani". The movie includes a message in end that "Suicide is not a solution. Bipolar disorder can be treated with proper medical help."


Cast

*
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
as Ramachandran "Ram" *
Shruti Haasan Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and playback singer who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. Born in the Haasan family, she is the daughter of actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika Thakur. ...
as Janani Ramachandran (Janani), Ram's wife *
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 ...
as Kumaran (Kumar), Ram's friend since school days (special appearance) *
Sunder Ramu Sunder Ramu is an Indian film and stage actor, who has also worked as a photographer. He made his first film appearance in the 2011 drama film ''Mayakkam Enna''. After winning critical acclaim for his performance he has also gone on to feature ...
as Senthil (Sanjay), Ram's friend since school days, the only one who knew Ram's condition *
Prabhu ''Prabhu'' means master or the Prince in Sanskrit and many of the Indian languages; it is a name sometimes applied to God. The term is also used by devotees of the Hindu God Lord Krishna/Vishnu as a title and form of address. It is also appended ...
as a businessman, Ram's father *
Bhanupriya Bhanupriya (born Mangabhanu; 15 January 1967) is an Indian actress, Kuchipudi dancer, and voice artist. In a career spanning over 4 decades, Bhanupriya has appeared in 155 feature films- predominantly in Telugu & Tamil, in addition to occasiona ...
as Ram's mother *
Jeeva Ravi Jeeva Ravi is an Indian actor, casting director and television actor who has worked in Tamil-language films and television. He made a breakthrough as an actor with his performances in '' 3'' (2012) and '' Jeeva'' (2014), with the latter film bei ...
as Janani's father * Rohini as Janani's mother * Gabriella Charlton as Sumi, Janani's sister * Sunita Gogoi as Priya, Janani's friend * Sumathi Sree as Eshwari, Ram and Janani's housemaid *
Badava Gopi Badava Gopi is an Indian stand-up comedian and actor. Career Badava Gopi is an Indian stand-up comedian, actor, singer, hailing from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was introduced into films in 2005 in the movie ''Poi'', shot in Sri Lanka by the veter ...
as Teacher * Anuradha Krishnamurthy as Senthil's mother *
Manoj Kumar Harikrishan Goswami (born 24 July 1937), better known by his screen name Manoj Kumar, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic theme ...
as Senthil's father


Production

Aishwarya R. Dhanush Aishwarya Rajinikanth (born 1 January 1982) is an Indian film director and playback singer who works in Tamil cinema. She is the elder daughter of actor Rajinikanth and wife of actor Dhanush. She made her feature film directorial debut with '' ...
stated that the script was written with
Shruti Haasan Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and playback singer who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. Born in the Haasan family, she is the daughter of actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika Thakur. ...
in mind, but the actress was initially unavailable to do the film. Aishwarya signed
Amala Paul Amala Paul (born 26 October 1991) is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. She made her acting debut by appearing in a supporting role in the Malayalam-language ...
to the role after being impressed by her work in ''
Mynaa ''Mynaa'' is a 2010 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic drama film directed and written by Prabu Solomon. Jointly distributed by Udhayanidhi Stalin and Kalpathi S. Aghoram, it stars Vidharth (actor), Vidharth, Amala Paul and Thambi Ra ...
''. This film's press meet was held at the Star City Hotel on 5 August 2011 in Chennai with the director, the cinematographer and the lead pair, Dhanush and Amala Paul. The film was originally meant to begin its first schedule in October 2011 but in a turn of events, Dhanush had free dates in August and September 2011. However, Amala Paul was unavailable to start the film early and left the project, and
Shruti Haasan Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and playback singer who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. Born in the Haasan family, she is the daughter of actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika Thakur. ...
joined the team after her Telugu film was delayed.


Music

The soundtrack and score for this film is 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 ...
, marking his debut as a music composer. The song.... "
Why This Kolaveri Di 'Why This Kolaveri Di' () is a song from the soundtrack of the 2012 Tamil psychological thriller film '' 3'', starring Dhanush and Shruthi Hassan. The song is written and sung by Dhanush, and composed by Anirudh Ravichander. It became one of ...
" was released as a single by
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
on 16 November 2011. This song written and performed by
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
, became one of the most streamed songs of all time. It also featured in the "Recently Most Popular (Gold) Videos" on YouTube. The full soundtrack album was released at a launch event, held on 23 December 2011, and gained extremely positive reviews.


Release

The satellite rights of the film were secured by Sun TV. The film released on 30 March 2012. Its
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 ...
dubbed version was supposed to release on 29 May 2012 but it was released in 2020. The film released with 1000 prints in Tamil. The film released in 1250 screens worldwide for both versions. Film producer and distributor Natti Kumar reportedly said that out of the Rs. 60  million (US$1.33 million approximately) he spent on distribution rights and publicity, he had been able to recover only Rs. 47.0 million (US$0.83 million approximately).


Reception

The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Vishnupriya Bhandaram of ''
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 ...
'' wrote "Aishwarya R. Dhanush takes a twisted look at love and its meaning – when you put someone before your own existence – comes across as profound, underlining theme in the film. It fades out as a moving and tragic ode to romance, to the grand idea called 'love'". Moviebuzz of ''
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 ...
'' called the film "poignant", quoting that "On the whole, ''3'' has its heart in the right place, though the second half seem scattered. Overlook these faults, and make it a point to watch 3". ''
One India Oneindia.com is an Indian website established in January 2006 by BG Mahesh. The website provides news updates, information on sports, events, travel, entertainment, business, lifestyle, videos, and classifieds in seven different Indian language ...
'' concluded that "''3'' is an engaging tale backed by wonderful performances of Dhanush and Shruti Hassan" and rated it 60 out of 100. Pavithra Srinivasan of ''
Rediff Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...
'' rated the movie 3 out of 5, saying that "There are certain moments in ''3'' that defy logic at times, and sentiment rules the roost, but Aishwarya Dhanush has chosen to present a take on romance that is appealing in its freshness. The lead actors help as well. Her little thriller-twist aside, 3 is a movie that is an ode to romance, above all else." L Romal M Singh of ''
DNA India ''Zee Media Corporation Limited'' (abbreviated as ZMCL; formerly Zee News Limited) is the news broadcasting company of the Essel Group which is controlled by Subhash Chandra. The company is engaged mainly in the business of broadcasting of news ...
'' gave the movie 3 stars out of 5, commenting that "We do not think anyone would want to watch the movie again, only because it demands too much from you emotionally. We however, plan to watch this movie once more and walk out during the interval, we'd advise the romantics to do the same." '' In'' rated the film 3.5 out of 5, claiming that "3 is average and not worth watching in the theaters. Better wait for the DVD! It fails to meet the expectations and works only in parts, but Aishwarya had shown promise by taking a serious subject in her very first film". ''Behindwoods'' rated the film 3 stars out of 5, commenting that "''3'' has good performances, but is let down by slower narration". " There has been an unofficial remake of the movie in Turkish language. The 2015 Turkish movie Delibal by Ali Bilgin shares a similar plotline with the movie.


Awards

;
2nd South Indian International Movie Awards The 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards were presented on September 12–13, 2013 in Sharjah (emirate), Sharjah, UAE, to honour the best cinematic achievements of the South Indian film industry in the year 2012. Initially planned for June ...
* Best Actor -
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
* Best Lyricist -
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
for "Kannazhaga" * Best Male Playback Singer -
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
for "
Why This Kolaveri Di 'Why This Kolaveri Di' () is a song from the soundtrack of the 2012 Tamil psychological thriller film '' 3'', starring Dhanush and Shruthi Hassan. The song is written and sung by Dhanush, and composed by Anirudh Ravichander. It became one of ...
" * Nominated—Best Actress - Shruti Haasan * Nominated—Best Music Director - Anirudh Ravichander. * Nominated—Best Male Playback Singer -
Mohit Chauhan Mohit Chauhan (born 11 March 1966) is an Indian playback singer, known for his work in Hindi films. He was a part of the Silk Route band. Chauhan has received two Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer and three Zee Cine Award For Best ...
for "Po Nee Po" * Nominated—Best Female Playback Singer -
Shruti Haasan Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and playback singer who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. Born in the Haasan family, she is the daughter of actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika Thakur. ...
for "Kannazhaga" * Nominated—Best Female Playback Singer -
Shweta Mohan Shweta Mohan (born 19 November 1985) is an Indian playback singer. She has received four Filmfare Awards South for Best Female Playback Singer, one Kerala State Film Award and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award. She has recorded more than 700 so ...
for "Nee Partha Vizhigal" * Nominated—Best Debutant Producer - Dhanush * Nominated—Best Debutant Director - Aishwarya Dhanush ;
60th Filmfare Awards South The 60th Filmfare Awards South ceremony honouring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian cinema in 2012 is an event that held on 20 July 2013 at the Hyderabad International Convention Center. The Black lady was unveiled by actress ...
* Best Actor - Dhanush * Best Male Playback Singer - Dhanush ("Why This Kolaveri Di") * Nominated—
Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...
- Shruti Haasan * won— Best Music Director - Anirudh ;
Asiavision Awards Asiavision Awards have been held annually since 2006 to honor the artistes and technicians of Indian cinema and television & is organized under the leadership of renowned journalist Nissar Syed. More than 40,000 people across United Arab Emirates ...
* Excellence in Tamil - Shruti Hassan ;
Vijay Awards The Vijay Awards are presented by the Tamil television channel STAR Vijay to honour excellence in Tamil cinema. It has been given annually since 2006, with the latest—the 10th edition—of the award-giving ceremony having been held in ...
* Best Actor - Dhanush * Best Male Playback Singer -
Mohit Chauhan Mohit Chauhan (born 11 March 1966) is an Indian playback singer, known for his work in Hindi films. He was a part of the Silk Route band. Chauhan has received two Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer and three Zee Cine Award For Best ...
for "Po Nee Po" * Best Find of the Year - Anirudh * Nominated—
Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...
- Shruti Haasan * Nominated— Best Music Director - Anirudh * Nominated— Favourite Hero - Dhanush * Nominated— Favourite Heroine - Shruti Haasan * Nominated— Favourite Song - "
Why This Kolaveri Di 'Why This Kolaveri Di' () is a song from the soundtrack of the 2012 Tamil psychological thriller film '' 3'', starring Dhanush and Shruthi Hassan. The song is written and sung by Dhanush, and composed by Anirudh Ravichander. It became one of ...
"


See also

* Mental disorders in fiction *
List of mental disorders in film This is a non-exhaustive list of films which have portrayed mental disorders. Inclusion in this list is based upon the disorder as it is portrayed in the canon of the film, and does not necessarily reflect the diagnosis or symptoms in the real wo ...
*
Bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control 2012 films Films about suicide Films about bipolar disorder Indian romantic thriller films Indian psychological thriller films 2010s romantic thriller films Films scored by Anirudh (composer) 2010s Tamil-language films 2012 psychological thriller films 2012 directorial debut films