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Kandukondain Kandukondain

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Kandukondain Kandukondain
Directed byRajiv Menon
Written byStory
Jane Austen
Dialogue
Sujatha
Screenplay
Rajiv Menon
Produced byKalaipuli S. Dhanu
StarringMammooty
Aishwarya Rai
Tabu
Ajith Kumar
Abbas
Srividya
Raghuvaran
CinematographyRavi K. Chandran
Edited bySuresh Urs
Music byA. R. Rahman
Release dates
Template:Country data World May 4, 2000
Running time
151 min.
CountryIndia[1]
LanguageTamil

Kandukondain Kandukondain (Template:Lang-ta) (Template:Lang-en) is a 2000 Tamil musical and romantic film. Directed and co-written by Rajiv Menon and produced by Kalaipuli S. Dhanu, it stars Mammooty, Aishwarya Rai, Tabu, Ajith Kumar and Abbas in the lead roles. Srividya and Raghuvaran, prominent actors from the south Indian film industry, played other pivotal roles in the movie.

The film based around, Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility features two young sisters with differing views on love find themselves with three suitors. The elder sister attracts the attention of an aspiring film director, while a wounded commando falls for her younger, hopelessly romantic sister but hesitates because he is much older than she. Meanwhile, the younger sister meets and falls for a businessman with a passion for poetry. However problems lap up from different directions, resulting in emotional turmoil for both sisters. Whom the sisters marry at the end of the film form the crux of the story.

The film opened to Indian audiences after several delays, on May 4, 2000 just after the Tamil New Year, and in the process, becoming one of the biggest multi-starrers in Tamil cinema gistory. The film received positive reviews on the actors' performances and the complex storyline, with the film went on to become a major hit at the South Indian box office. Owing to its success, it was later dubbed into the Telugu language and released as Priyuraalu Pilichindi. Furthermore, the film went on to win several awards in different competitions, with Shankar Mahadevan winning a National Award in the process.

Synopsis

Set in modern India, it's a classical tale of the trials and tribulations of a family consisting of a mother and three daughters and about the men who walk into the lives of the elder two girls of marriageable age. In a cruel interplay of destiny and betrayal, the family stripped of their house and belongings sets out to the city to build a new life. How they eventually find success and love and learn to live a life of dignity

Cast

The cast featured five lead actors, who shared equal impotance. As per other Rajiv Menon films, the supporting cast was elaborate with several guest appearances by prominent artistes including A. R. Rahman, Dino Morea and Pooja Batra.

  • Mammooty as Bala. Bala lost his leg in an army mission in Sri Lanka and uses a wooden leg. His drinking habits, make him unpopular initially but his kind-hearted work and his occupation of being a florist help attract Meenkashi. He carries love for her and is annoyed with Srikanth, but opts to help her out thn nurse his own ambitions.
  • Aishwarya Rai as Meenakshi. A loving and an optimistic young woman, who aspires to become a singer. Furthermore, her passions include poems of Bharathi, a famous Tamil poet. She has ambitions of how her husband should be and is surprised to find that Srikanth fits the bill.
  • Tabu as Sowmiya. The responsible elder sister of Meenakshi, who is branded as being "unlucky" for prospective grooms, following the death of her fiance. Despite opting to avoid marriage altogether, she begins an emotional topsy-turvy relationship with Manohar.
  • Ajith Kumar as Manohar. A film director, who opts not to continue his father's business despite having studied in America. He is determined to direct his own feature film, but his relationship with Sowmiya slows him down, prompting the couple to quarrel and have misunderstandings.
  • Abbas as Srikanth. A prominent Indian businessman, who like Meenakshi has a passion for claasical music. He first appears as a "dream boy" to Meenakshi, only to marry a mortgager's daughter, after his business nearly collapses.
  • Srividya as Mahalakshmi. The mother of Sowmiya and Meenakshi, who lives as a widow with her father, estranged from her brother.
  • Raghuvaran' as '. Plays a vital cameo as the boss of Sowmiya, who helps her regain confidence in life, by offering her a place in an American company.
  • Manivannan' as '. Plays the uncle to Bala, who tries to help him get together with Meenakshi. Provides comic relief.
  • Shamili' as '. The youngest sister of Sowmiya and Meenakshi who has a passion for science.

Production

Development

Prabhu Deva who had worked earlier in Rajiv Menon's debut fillm Minsara Kanavu introduced Kalaipuli S. Thanu to Rajiv Menon, in mid 1998. Initially the film was planned as a low budget film, concentrating more on the characters rather than "star" power. Rajiv Menon practically met all the leading ladies of tamil and malayalam cinema at that time. But it was Tabu who agreed almost instantly. So did Ajith, who, at that time, was hospitalised with a back injury and didn't have any great offers. Rajiv Menon met Aishwarya Rai in Mumbai and narrated her the script, to which she readily agreed. It just happened that she had some dates free and it was then in February 1999, producer Kalaipuli S. Dhanu announced the film Kandukondain Kandukondain, with Rajiv Menon making his second appearance as a director. As like his previous film, A. R. Rahman was signed onto compose the music to Vairamuthu's lyrics. Sujatha wrote the dialogues for the film, whilst Menon decided not to cinematograph the film, allowing Ravi K. Chandran to handle the camera. Choreogaphy duties were shared between Brinda and Raju Sundaram, whilst, Vikram Dharma handled the stunts in the movie. The script was an Indian version of Jane Austen's novel, Sense and Sensibility, more precisely an adaptation of Ang Lee's 1995 film version of Sense and Sensibility, which had won an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Emma Thompson. But nowhere in the credits does one see any acknowledgement of the fact that the story is an adaptation for Jane Austen's novel. In fact Rajiv Menon takes this credit for himself Kandukondain Kandukondain

Almost all leading actors were approached for various roles in the movie, finally Mamooty, Ajith Kumar were given lead roles in the film whilst Abbas was in supporting role after Prabhu Deva and then Prashanth had opted out of the film.[2] Senior actor Srividya was selected to play the mother of the heroines, whilst Manivannan, Raghuvaran and Nizhagal Ravi were also given senior roles in the film. Shamili, Ajith's sister-in-law, made her first appearance as an actress since her National Award-winning role in Anjali, whilst Bollywood actors Pooja Batra and Dino Morea appeared in cameos. Menon's mother, Kalyani Menon, noted music director, A. R. Rahman and Malaysia Vasudevan Gangai Amaran all made cameo appearances as themselves in the project.

Soundtrack

Untitled
Song Artist(s)
Enna Solla Pogirai Shankar Mahadevan
Smayiyai Devan, Clinton Cerejo, Dominique Cerejo
Kanamoochi Chitra
Suttum Vizhi Hariharan
Konjum Mainakkale Sadhana Sargam
Kanamoochi (Duet) Chitra, Yesudas
Yengae Enathu Kavithai Chitra, Srinivas
Kandukondain Kandukondain Hariharan, Mahalakshmi Iyer

Credits

Cast

Crew

Trivia

  • Cinematographer Ravi K Chandran had already made a big impact in cinema with Virasat, directed by Priyadarshan in Hindi. After this he got to work with Mani Rathnam
  • The film was also dubbed in telugu as "Priyaralu Pilichindhi".
  • The song Yenna Solla Pogirai, for which Shankar Mahadevan won the Indian National Award. Was originally composed for a Hindi film. Fortunately for Shankar Mahadevan the tune was adapted for Kandukondain Kandukondain, in Tamil.
  • Most of the shooting is done on location in Karaikudi, which is the home town of the Chettiars.
  1. ^ "Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000)". IMDB.com. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  2. ^ http://www.rediff.com/movies/1999/feb/12ss.htm
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