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Thamizh
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Wikipedia article
'Thamizh' is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Hari, in his directorial debut and produced by Amudha Durairaj. The movie stars Prashanth and Simran, while Vadivelu, Urvashi, Nassar, Ashish Vidyarthi and Livingston portray supporting roles. Featuring music composed by Bharathwaj, the film opened to positive reviews upon release in 14 April 2002 and became a commercial success. The film was remade in Bengali as 'Aakrosh'.
Plot
Thamizh leads a happy life with his mother and sister-in-law Kalaichelvi. Thamizh's brother Anbazhagan is working in Kuwait, and he too dreams of joining him there. Meenakshi, their tenant, and Thamizh fall in love. When the goons of Periyavar injure Thamizh's niece, he stops Periyavar's car on the road and questions him. He then beats up one of Periyavar's goons when insulted. This makes him Periyavar's target, and though he tries to withdraw from the violence, he is forced to join forces with Rathnam, Periyavar's sworn enemy, and eventually defeats him.
Cast
*Prashanth as Thamizh
*Simran as Meenakshi
*Vadivelu as Moorthy
*Nassar as Rathnam
*Livingston as Anbazhagan (Thamizh's brother)
*Urvashi as Kalaichelvi (Thamizh's sister-in-law)
*Manorama as Thamizh's mother
*Ashish Vidyarthi as Periyavar (Voice dubbed by TNB Kathiravan)
*Delhi Ganesh as Meenakshi's father
*K. S. Ravikumar as Police Inspector
*Minnal Deepa as Moorthy's sister
*Thalaivasal Vijay as Haneefa
*Ponnambalam as Thangam
*Charle as Ammavasai
*Crane Manohar
*Besant Ravi
*Karnaa Radha
*Bava Lakshmanan
Production
The film marked the debut of director Hari, who earlier worked as an assistant director to K. Balachander, while Prashanth agreed to work in the film in early 2001. The film's title of 'Thamizh' was given by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who also helped create the film's logo for Deivanai Movies. Simran was selected as heroine pairing with Prashanth, for fourth time after successful collaborations in 'Kannedhirey Thondrinal' (1998), 'Jodi' (1999) and 'Parthen Rasithen' (2000). Actress Mamta Kulkarni was also attached to the project, but eventually did not feature. Director Saran assisted Hari with the dialogues in the film, supervising his writing. The team had worked on pre-production for close to a year and the script was ready prior to the start of the shoot, with Hari revealing he was inspired by the 1989 Malayalam film 'Kireedam'. For his role, Prashanth worked out at the gym, grew a beard and began smoking cigarettes to get into character. Shooting commenced in Chennai and proceeded in locations like Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. Scenes were also shot in Sikkim, reportedly becoming the first time that a Tamil film is shot there. A few scenes were also later picturised on Prashanth, Charlie, Vadivelu, and Crane Manohar in Karaikudi. Prashanth had performed a lengthy dialogue in front of Madurai Meenakshi Temple which gained accolades from the onlookers. Prashanth shot action scenes for the film through pain after he had injured his knee during the making of 'Majunu' (2001).
Release
The similarities of title and release date between 'Thamizh' and Vijay-starrer 'Thamizhan' created confusion with the producers of both films unable to accommodate any changes. Made at a cost of 20 million, the film failed to get a distributor before release due to competition from other films, so producer Amudha Durairaj marketed the venture herself. The film was released on Tamil New Year 2002 (14 April) alongside Vijay's 'Thamizhan', Vikram's 'Gemini' and Vijayakanth's 'Raajjiyam'.
Critical reception
The film gained positive reviews upon release, with a critic noting the "debutant director has woven an action packed entertainer and has etched out the roles well".http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/BB92C2FF1CAC36F7E5256BC0000D7C80 Another critic wrote "When one leaves the theatre, one gets the satisfaction of watching a good film. This feeling has been rare in recent lives. 'Thamizh' has turned out as the thirst quencher". Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu noted "'Thamizh' is backed by a strong storyline and a significant end [sic] and the positive twist is appealing."Box office
The film became a box office success despite opening with little publicity, with positive word of mouth significantly helping the film's prospects. The film's success established Hari as a popular director in Tamil cinema.Soundtrack
The film score and the soundtrack were composed by Bharathwaj in his first collaboration with director Hari. The soundtrack, released in 2002, features 7 tracks.
References
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