Kalavani (transl. Thief) is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by newcomer A. Sarkunam. It stars Vimal and debutante Oviya, with Saranya Ponvannan, Ilavarasu, Ganja Karuppu, and Soori in supporting roles. The music was composed by S. S. Kumaran with cinematography by Om Prakash and editing by Raja Mohammad. The film was made on a shoe-string budget, and released on 25 June 2010.[3][4] It became a sleeper hit of 2010 and later, the movie was remade in Kannada as Kirataka with Oviya reprising her role.[2][5]
| Kalavani | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | A. Sarkunam |
| Written by | A. Sarkunam |
| Produced by | Nazir |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Om Prakash |
| Edited by | Raja Mohammad |
| Music by | S. S. Kumaran |
Production company | Sherali Films |
| Distributed by | Ayngaran International |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | ₹1.5 crore (equivalent to ₹3.4 crore or US$400,000 in 2023)[1] |
| Box office | ₹5 crore (equivalent to ₹11 crore or US$1.3 million in 2023)[2] |
Plot
editTwo villages in Thanjavur are always at loggerheads with each other, and it spills even to a T20 cricket match between kids from both villages. Arivazhagan aka Arikki (Vimal) is a wayward son of Lakshmi (Saranya Ponvannan), who is in awe but at the same time fears him. Her husband Ramasamy (Ilavarasu) is away in Dubai, and a large part of the money he sends home is taken away by Arikki using extortionist methods, such as threatening to break the TV set at home. He is yet to pass his 12th standard. Arikki spends time in bars with friends, teases girls, asks them to profess their love for him, and gets into brawls after conning others. He meets Maheshwari (Oviya) and wants her to declare her love for him, which she finally confesses. He abducts her, and they eventually marry. Her brother Ilango (Thirumurugan) is a tough guy who has an axe to grind against Arikki and his gang, which leads to the twist in the climax. Ilango, fuming with rage, is out to slice Arikki into pieces. What transpires is answered in an interesting climax that is pleasantly humorous.
Cast
edit- Vimal as Arivazhagan (Arikki)
- Oviya as Maheshwari (Mahesh)
- Saranya Ponvannan as Lakshmi
- Ilavarasu as Ramasamy
- Ganja Karuppu as Panchayathu
- Soori as Manikandan
- Thirumurugan as Ilango
- Sujatha Sivakumar as Rajee
- Aswatha
- Mu Ramaswamy as Maheshwari's elder paternal uncle
- Thavasi
- Antony as Arikki's friend
- Kannan as Florist
- Kalai Arasan
Production
editA. Sarkunam approached K. Bhagyaraj with his script, and asked for help in improving the script and for Bhagayraj's son Shanthanu to play the lead role. Sarkunam later moved away from Bhagayraj citing that his producer was uncomfortable with the potential salary that Shanthanu may have expected.[6]
Soundtrack
editThe film score and soundtrack for Kalavani was composed by S. S. Kumaran. The album consists of seven tracks featuring lyrics penned by Na. Muthukumar. The song "Oru Murai" was well received and was retained in the Kannada remake.[citation needed]
| Kalavani | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Language | Tamil | |||
| Producer | S. S. Kumaran | |||
| S. S. Kumaran chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Song Title | Singers |
|---|---|
| "Oru Murai Iru Murai" | Harish Raghavendra, Srimathumitha |
| "Pada Pada Padavena" | Yash Golcha |
| "Peancha Mazhai" | A. Devendran |
| "Sinthaiyiley" | Prasanna |
| "Dubaikku" | Ranjith, Uma |
| "Ooradangum Samathiley" | Senthilvelan |
| "Edakku Madakku" | S.S.Kumaran |
Release
editCritical reception
editKalavani generally opened to positive reviews. Bhamadevi Ravi from The Times of India gave 4/5 and calling it "a complete entertainer."[7] Sify rated the movie 4 out of 5 and stated that "Kalavani is a knockout entertainer set in a rural milieu."[8] A critic from Top10Cinema wrote that "Kalavani is a blatant revision of Bharathiraja's yesteryear films based on villager's conflicts and guy-gal falling in love."[9] Gautaman Bhaskaran of Hindustan Times gave it 3/5 and wrote that "Kalavani is a canvas of delightful rural romance."[10]
Remakes
editFollowing the film's success, director Gautham Vasudev Menon's Photon Kathaas has acquired the film's rights to remake it other languages.[11] It was remade in Kannada as Kirataka with Oviya being retained as the female lead. It was also remade in Telugu as Umapathi in 2022.[12]
Litigation
editSeven years after the film's release, the Chennai branch of the Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) was served a notice by the High Court after a minor pregnant girl told the court that she obtained inspiration from the film Kalavani. The girl's parents claimed that the censor board had acted negligently in giving the film a U certificate.[13]
Sequel
editA sequel, Kalavani 2, was announced in 2016.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Kalavani another low budget film a hit?". Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
- ^ a b "Sify-Top 10 Kollywood Hits of 2010". Sify. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ IndiaGlitz – Kalavani Tamil Movie Review
- ^ "Kalavani – Movie Review". Archived from the original on 9 December 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
- ^ "Sarkunam's movie succeed at box office". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012.
- ^ ""This is Why My Son Missed These Films" - Veteran Filmmaker Opened - Chennai Memes". 28 November 2020. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ "Kalavani movie review: Wallpaper, Story, Trailer at Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Movie Review:Kalavani". Sify. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Kalavani | Movie Review". Top 10 Cinema. 29 June 2010. Archived from the original on 3 July 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Gautaman Bhaskaran's Review: Kalavani". Hindustan Times. 29 June 2010. Archived from the original on 16 November 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Kalavani goes places". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
- ^ "Vimal's Kalavani gets a Telugu remake, Anuragh and Avika Gor play the leads". Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ jha, subhash k (4 April 2017). "Censor Board in trouble for passing Kalavani". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ^ "'Kalavani 2' plans getting firmed up !!!". indiaglitz.com. 16 November 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.