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| name = Y NOT Studios

Revision as of 14:12, 8 October 2017

Y NOT Studios
Company typePrivate
Industry
HeadquartersChennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Key people
S. Sashikanth (founder)
Chakravarthy Ramachandra (CEO)
Products

Y NOT Studios is a film production company in Chennai, India, established by producer S. Sashikanth. As of 2017, the company has produced 12 feature films, which includes productions made in the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi film industries of India. It has frequently collaborated with filmmakers including Sudha Kongara, Balaji Mohan and Pushkar–Gayathri, who have directed some of the company's most well-known films.

The company's first release was Tamil cinema's first parody film Thamizh Padam (2010), which featured a predominantly new technical crew and a rookie star cast. The film became a critical and commercial success, and became the first of many "new-wave cinema" projects that the production house chose to specialise in.[1] Subsequent successful production included Balaji Mohan's bilingual romantic comedy films, Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi (2013) and Vaayai Moodi Pesavum (2014), with both films recognised by critics for their innovative narratives. Y NOT Studios also produced Vasanthabalan's period drama Kaaviya Thalaivan (2014), which focused on the competition between two theatre artistes in the 1930s and had a popular soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman.

Y NOT Studios produced several profitable films from 2016 onwards, with Sudha Kongara's sports drama Irudhi Suttru (2016), being made in three different languages. Their next films, Pushkar–Gayathri's crime drama Vikram Vedha (2017) and Prasanna's comedy drama Shubh Mangal Savdhan (2017), also won critical and commercial acclaim.

History

2010–2015

Y NOT Studios was created by Chennai-based architect and entrepreneur S. Sashikanth in 2009. Having previously worked in films as an assistant art director, Sashikanth remained in contact with film personalities through his architectural work and became a close acquaintance of ad filmmaker C. S. Amudhan and cinematographer Nirav Shah. Looking to make his directorial debut, Amudhan pitched film scripts in three genres for Y NOT Studios: a road film, a period film and a spoof film, with the latter later materialising as the studio's first film, Thamizh Padam (2010), Tamil cinema's first spoof film.[2][3]

Featuring a relatively new technical crew and a rookie cast led by Shiva, Sashikanth opted to sell the film to Dayanidhi Azhagiri's Cloud Nine Movies to ensure it received a wide release. Told in satirical fashion spoofing popular Tamil films and celebrities, the film narrated the tale of a young man looking to reunite with his long-lost family while tackling the criminalities of a notorious gangster. Upon release, the film received critical acclaim en route to becoming one of the box office successes of the year in Tamil Nadu. Rediff.com called the film a "must watch", while Sify.com labelled the film as a "rollicking comedy" and gave particular praise for Shiva's performance and the director's script and dialogues.[4][5] The studio's next film, Va (2010) by director duo Pushkar–Gayathri, earned positive reviews but did not perform well at the box office. Telling the tale of a man hunting for liquor on a dry day in Chennai before leaving to Saudi Arabia, the film was completely shot within the city and was again distributed with the assistance of Cloud Nine Movies.[6][7]

The studio next produced Balaji Mohan's Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi (2012), which was simultaneously made in Telugu as Love Failure (2012), and both films opened to critical and commercial acclaim.[8] After being impressed with a short film version released on YouTube by Balaji, Sashikanth approached him and opted to co-produce a full length feature of the script along with the film's lead actor Siddharth.[9][10] In their review of the film, Rediff.com praised the team's innovative style of film-making noting that "the story is told in a slightly new format" and that "the script is simple yet meaningful".[11]

The success of their first collaboration prompted Y NOT Studios to produce Balaji's next bilingual project, the comedy drama Vaayai Moodi Pesavum (2014) starring Dulquer Salmaan and Nazriya, which was shot in Tamil and Malayalam. The film narrated the tale of a fictional hill station which is hit with a virus that causes people to lose the power of speech, with the second half of the film being predominantly a silent film.[12] The film also opened to positive reviews, with a critic from Rediff.com writing it was "a totally new concept coupled with the director’s unique narrative style and a screenplay loaded with satire and comedy, that makes Vaayai Moodi Pesavum, a thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable film", concluding it was "definitely a must watch".[13][14] After the release of the film, Behindwoods.com remarked that Y NOT Studios regularly "associated themselves with gutsy new-wave cinema".[15]

The company's next release was Vasanthabalan's historical drama Kaaviya Thalaivan (2014), which narrated the tale of two stage actors who compete for roles, love, and the future of India during its quest for independence. Featuring Siddharth and Prithviraj in the lead roles and with music composed by A. R. Rahman, it became Y NOT Studios's biggest production till date. Kaaviya Thalaivan was announced in September 2012 and research work for the final script was carried out for nearly a year wherein facts, references and whereabouts were collected from veteran theatre artists across Tamil Nadu. Vasanthabalan was inspired to write the film's script after discovering more about Tamil stage actors from the 1930s and adapted real-life events from the lives of T. K. Shanmugam, K. B. Sundarambal, and S. G. Kittappa. Filming took a further year, before it had a theatrical release in November 2014.[16][17] Despite opening to positive reviews and winning critical acclaim, it performed poorly at the box office, with trade pundits blaming the time of release. Notwithstanding its relatively modest commercial performance, the film later won ten Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for 2014, including awards for Best Actor, Best Music Director and Best Cinematography.[18][19]

2016–present

From 2016 onwards, Y NOT Studios continued to contribute towards making "new wave films" in the Tamil film industry and experienced commercial success. The company collaborated with director Sudha Kongara, actor Madhavan, and debutante actress Ritika Singh to produce a bilingual sports drama film titled Irudhi Suttru (2016) in Tamil and Saala Khadoos (2016) in Hindi, which told the story of a boorish boxing coach taking on a rebellious young woman from a fishermen colony as his new student.[20] With a publicity budget of 9 crore rupees, the promotions for the films were described by The Hindu to be "unlike other film promotions in the South", considering that most film teams in the Tamil film industry do not usually tour around the state publicising their project.[21] Before the release of the film, the team held several screenings to select Hindi and Tamil audiences and edited the film accordingly to the taste of the audiences.[22] Irudhi Suttru opened to positive reviews, with a critic from Sify.com stating that the film was "a perfect sports drama, which should not be missed" and added that "this inspirational effort has a superb screenplay with all the typical elements of a good sports film in place", while Rediff.com agreed that the film was "not to be missed", adding "its refreshing characters, enjoyable plot, great music and visuals keeps you hooked".[23][24] Following the success of the film, Sudha Kongara remade the film in the Telugu language as Guru (2017) with Venkatesh in the lead role alongside Ritika Singh.[25]

Irudhi Suttru was later screened at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival during October 2016 and was then also selected to be a part of the Indian Panorama section at 47th International Film Festival of India. It went on to win a National Film Award for Ritika Singh; three Filmfare Awards for Best Director, Actor and Actress; as well as Best Picture at the South Indian International Movie Awards and the IIFA Utsavam.[26][27]

Y NOT Studios' next release was the crime drama Vikram Vedha (2017), where they collaborated again with duo Pushkar–Gayathri. Having been in talks with the duo since their previous joint venture in 2010, Sashikanth confirmed that pre-production work was ongoing by early 2015 and revealed that the film would tell the tale of an encounter cop and his pursuit of a gangster.[28][29] The directors revealed that the story for the film was inspired by the Indian meta-folktale Baital Pachisi (Vedhala Kadhai in Tamil), with the characterisation of King Vikramadithyan and the celestial spirit Vedhalam derived from that plot.[30][31][32] Actors Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi were signed to portray titular characters, with filming beginning in November 2016 and progressing for five months.[33][34]

Vikram Vedha opened to positive reviews from critics and audiences, with critic Manoj Kumar of The Indian Express labelling it as "by far the best film to release in Tamil this year so far" adding readers "not to miss the film".[35] The Hindustan Times's Karthik Kumar called it "a film to remember", "a must watch" and "path-breaking", while adding "not only is the film entertaining from start to finish, it’s equally engaging and it succeeds in piquing the intellect of audiences like no recent Tamil film".[36] The film was a commercial success, becoming the second highest grossing Tamil film of the year after Baahubali 2 (2017) at the time of its release.[37] Made at a budget of 11 crore rupees, the film grossed ten crores in Tamil Nadu alone within the first weekend, earning seventeen crores worldwide.[38] Within a week of its release, the film had grossed over forty crores worldwide and performed especially well in the United States.[39][40][41]

Y NOT Studios achieved further critical and commercial acclaim with R. S. Prasanna's Hindi comedy drama Shubh Mangal Savdhan (2017), which was co-produced in association with Colour Yellow Productions and Eros International. A remake of the successful Tamil film Kalyana Samayal Saadham (2013), the film narrates the story of an arranged marriage which becomes threatened by the groom's potential erectile dysfunction and stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead roles. The company had earlier planned to produce the film in Hindi during 2014 with Thirukumaran Entertainment and Abi & Abi Pictures, but problems with casting meant that production was postponed and the film was later sold to different production houses.[42] The film opened in September 2017 to positive reviews, with critics praising the screenwriting and the approach the filmmaker took in subtly narrating a taboo subject with humour.[43][44] At the box office, the film outperformed other high-profile films released during the same period.[45]

In late July 2017, Y NOT Studios announced that they had begun production work on Thamizh Padam 2 by C. S. Amudhan, which would be a sequel to their first production. Sashikanth had requested Amudhan to work on the film during November 2016, following which the director completed the scripting process.[46][47]

Productions

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Title Year Language Director Cast Synopsis Ref(s).
Thamizh Padam 2010 Tamil C. S. Amudhan Shiva, Disha Pandey A young man looks to reunite with his long-lost family while tackling the criminal activities of a notorious gangster, told in satirical fashion. [48][a]
Va 2010 Tamil Pushkar–Gayathri Shiva, Lekha Washington, Charan Sripathi With the help of his sister's fiancé, a man hunts for liquor on a dry day in Chennai before leaving to Saudi Arabia. [50]
Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi 2012 Tamil Balaji Mohan Siddharth, Amala Paul A college boy falls in and out of love with the same girl, over and over again, before finally reuniting with her. [51][b]
Love Failure 2012 Telugu Balaji Mohan Siddharth, Amala Paul [54][b]
Vaayai Moodi Pesavum 2014 Tamil Balaji Mohan Dulquer Salmaan, Nazriya A quiet doctor and a smooth-talking salesman meet when a strange disease breaks out. [55][c]
Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram 2014 Malayalam Balaji Mohan Dulquer Salmaan, Nazriya [59][c]
Kaaviya Thalaivan 2014 Tamil Vasanthabalan Siddharth, Prithviraj, Vedhika, Anaika Soti Two theatre artistes from 1930s Madras have an ego clash following the death of their master. [60][c]
Irudhi Suttru 2016 Tamil Sudha Kongara R. Madhavan, Ritika Singh, Mumtaz Sorcar A boorish boxing coach takes on a rebellious young woman from the fishermen colony as his new student. [61][d]
Saala Khadoos 2016 Hindi Sudha Kongara R. Madhavan, Ritika Singh, Mumtaz Sorcar [63][e]
Guru 2017 Telugu Sudha Kongara Venkatesh, Ritika Singh, Mumtaz Sorcar [65]
Vikram Vedha 2017 Tamil Pushkar–Gayathri R. Madhavan, Vijay Sethupathi, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Shraddha Srinath A tough police officer sets out to track down and kill an equally tough gangster. [66]
Shubh Mangal Savdhan 2017 Hindi R. S. Prasanna Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar An arranged marriage is threatened by the groom's potential erectile dysfunction. [43][f]
Thamizh Padam 2† 2018 Tamil C. S. Amudhan Shiva TBA [67]
Films distributed

In addition to the films produced by Y NOT Studios since 2010, the following films from other banners were distributed by the company:[68]

References

  1. ^ "An interview with producer S.Sashikanth of Y NOT Studios". Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  2. ^ http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/funny-once-more/article6688970.ece
  3. ^ "Why Not?". The Hindu. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  4. ^ "Review :". Sify.com. 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  5. ^ "Review: Thamizh Padam is a rip-roaring spoof - Rediff.com Movies". Rediff.com. 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  6. ^ "On a high - Va, Quarter Cutting". The Hindu. 2010-11-06. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  7. ^ "Va Quarter Cutting could have been funnier - Rediff.com Movies". Rediff.com. 2010-11-05. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  8. ^ "Love Failure goes viral - The Times of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2012-01-17. Retrieved 2014-05-03.
  9. ^ "Future Stock". The Hindu. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  10. ^ "Short, succinct & successful". The Hindu. 2013-08-04. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  11. ^ "Review: Love Failure is refreshing - Rediff.com Movies". Rediff.com. 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  12. ^ Share on FacebookShare on Twitter. "Vaayai Moodi Pesavum Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2017-09-24. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ "Review: Vaayai Moodi Pesavum is a total entertainer - Rediff.com Movies". Rediff.com. 2014-04-25. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  14. ^ Share on FacebookShare on Twitter. "Vaayai Moodi Pesavum Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2017-09-19. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ "An interview with producer S.Sashikanth of Y NOT Studios". Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  16. ^ "'Kaaviya Thalaivan' - packed with 7 National Award winners". Behindwoods. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "Who inspired Vasantha Balan to make Kaaviya Thalaivan?". Only Kollywood. 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  18. ^ "Tamil cinema goes national". The Hindu. 2015-01-10. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  19. ^ "Full list of the Tamil Film Awards from 2009-2014 announced by the TN govt". The Hindu. 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  20. ^ "Madhavan to do a film for YNot studios". Behindwoods.com. 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  21. ^ "A gentleman and an actor - Madurai". The Hindu. 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  22. ^ "Celebrities at 'Irudhi Suttru' Premiere". IndiaGlitz.
  23. ^ "Review: Irudhi Suttru is not to be missed". Rediff. 29 January 2016.
  24. ^ "Review : Irudhi Suttru review". Sify.
  25. ^ "My next film would be on an escapist subject". Times of India.
  26. ^ "Madhavan overwhelmed with response to 'Irudhi Suttru' in Tokyo". The New Indian Express. 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  27. ^ "Baahubali and Sultan starring Salman Khan to be screened at IFFI 2016". The Indian Express. 2016-10-29. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  28. ^ "Tamil cinema goes national". The Hindu. 2015-01-10. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  29. ^ "From Indian pizzas in San Francisco to bhangra competitions in Boston". Thereel.scroll.in. 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  30. ^ Karthik Kumar (2016-02-15). "After Boxing Coach, Madhavan to Play an Encounter Specialist". The Quint. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  31. ^ "Vijay Sethupathi, Madhavan's film is based on Vikramathithan Vethalam". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2016-02-17. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  32. ^ Sruthi Ganapathy Raman. "Interview: Director Gayathri Pushkar about her upcoming film 'Vikram Vedha' starring Madhavan". :. Retrieved 2017-09-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  33. ^ "Vijay Sethupathi plays an aged gangster?". Sify.com. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  34. ^ "Madhavan-Excited about his look in `Vikram Vedha`". Sify.com. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  35. ^ Ggoutham (2017-07-21). "Vikram Vedha movie review: Don't miss this thriller starring Madhavan, Vijay Sethupathi". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  36. ^ "Vikram Vedha movie review: Madhavan, Vijay Sethupathi thriller is a film to remember | movie reviews". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  37. ^ "Madhavan opens up on 'Vikram Vedha's success". The News Minute. 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  38. ^ "Vikram vedha collects Rs 10 crores and Meesaya Murukku Rs 5 crores 60 lakhs in first weekend in Tamil Nadu - Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  39. ^ "R Madhavan to be guest of honour at I-Day event in US : Celebrities, News - India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  40. ^ "Madhavan-Vijay Sethupathi's Vikram Vedha becomes highest grossing film in US : Regional cinema, News - India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  41. ^ "Is Vikram Vedha going to Bollywood?". The New Indian Express. 2017-07-29. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  42. ^ "A wedding feast in Hindi". The Hindu. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  43. ^ a b "Shubh Mangal Savdhaan review: Cinema of small things". The Hindu. 2017-09-01. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  44. ^ "Shubh Mangal Saavdhan Movie Review: Keep it up! - Entertainment". Mid-day.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  45. ^ "Box office day 2: Shubh Mangal Saavdhan makes a dent in Simran, Lucknow Central's business | bollywood". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  46. ^ "Yes, Tamizh Padam 2.0 is coming! | Tamil Movie News - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  47. ^ "Director CS Amudhan announces Tamil Padam 2.0 with Mirchi Shiva". The Indian Express. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  48. ^ Friday Review. "Laugh away your blues - Tamizh Padam - MADS". The Hindu. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  49. ^ "Small not always successful". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 September 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  50. ^ "Cut and dried". The Hindu. 2010-11-13. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  51. ^ "Kadhalil Sodhapuvadhu Yeppadi: Simple is beautiful". The Hindu. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  52. ^ "Ayngaran International". Ayngaran.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  53. ^ "Siddarth turns producer with Love Failure". Apnewslive.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  54. ^ "Love Failure: The zing thing". The Hindu. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  55. ^ "Vaayai Moodi Pesavum: When speech is banned". The Hindu. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  56. ^ Share on Twitter (2014-11-19). "Why Ragini's name is dragged in Trisha's engagement rumours? - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  57. ^ Updated, Gayathry (2014-04-15). "Dulquar Salman Becomes A Salesman!". Filmibeat. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  58. ^ "Siddharth-Prithviraj's 'Kaaviya Thalaivan' Official Teaser Released". Ibtimes.co.in. 2014-06-13. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  59. ^ "Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram Review - Malayalam Movie Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram nowrunning review". Nowrunning.com. 2014-04-28. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  60. ^ "Kaaviya Thalaivan: a great premise that doesn't fulfill its potential". The Hindu. 2014-11-28. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  61. ^ "Irudhi Suttru: A heart-warming boxing drama". The Hindu. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  62. ^ a b "Tamil Irudhi Suttru (aka) Iruthi Suttru Movie Preview cinema review stills gallery trailer video clips showtimes - IndiaGlitz Tamil". Indiaglitz.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  63. ^ "Saala Khadoos fails to rise above clichés". The Hindu. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  64. ^ "'Saala Khadoos' is going to be a landmark film of 2016: R Madhavan". Firstpost.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  65. ^ "Guru review: An absorbing sports drama". The Hindu. 2017-03-31. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  66. ^ "'Vikram Vedha' review: Grey matter". The Hindu. 2017-07-21. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  67. ^ Chakraborty, Sanjana (2017-08-31). "Weekend Watch: 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan', 'Baadshaho', 'Puriyadha Puthir', 'Paisa Vasool' And More". Silverscreen.in. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  68. ^ "'Enakkul Oruvan' from March 6". Sify.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.

Footnotes

  1. ^ The film was co-produced with Cloud Nine Movies.[49]
  2. ^ a b The film was co-produced with Etaki Entertainment.[52][53]
  3. ^ a b c The film was co-produced with Radiance Media Group.[56][57][58]
  4. ^ The film was co-produced with Thirukumaran Entertainment and UTV Motion Pictures.[62]
  5. ^ The film was co-produced with Rajkumar Hirani Films and UTV Motion Pictures.[64]
  6. ^ The film was co-produced with Colour Yellow Productions and Eros International.[62]

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=YNOT_Studios&oldid=804362278"