Gemini (2002 film)
Gemini | |
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![]() DVD Cover | |
Directed by | Saran |
Written by | Saran |
Produced by | M. Saravanan M. Balasubramaniam M. S. Guhan B. Gurunath |
Starring | Vikram Kiran Rathod Kalabhavan Mani Murali Manorama Gemini Ganesan |
Cinematography | A. Venkatesh |
Edited by | Suresh Urs |
Music by | Bharathwaj |
Distributed by | AVM Productions |
Release date |
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Running time | 157 mins |
Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
Budget | ₹4 crore |
Box office | ₹20 crore[1] |
Gemini is a 2002 Indian Tamil action film, written and directed by Saran. The film stars Vikram in the titular role, while debutant Kiran Rathod plays his love interest. Malayalam actor Kalabhavan Mani made his Tamil debut with this film, portraying the main antagonist. Murali, Vinu Chakravarthy, Manorama, Thennavan, 'O Podu' Rani and Ilavarasu play supporting roles. The film was produced by M. Saravanan, M. Balasubramaniam, M. S. Guhan and B. Gurunath under the banner of AVM Productions. The story is about the gang wars in Chennai and is loosely based on two real life goons, Chera and Vellai Ravi.
Gemini was earlier titled Erumugham with Ajith Kumar in the lead. But when Ajith walked out of the project in favour of Red, the project was temporarily shelved. Later, Saran reworked the script and cast Vikram in the lead with the changed title Gemini. Kiran Rathod of Yaadein fame was cast against him. The film's soundtrack was composed by Bharathwaj while the lyrics were penned by Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu. While Saran wrote the dialogues, the cinematography was handled by A. Venkatesh and editing by Suresh Urs. Veteran actor Gemini Ganesan made a guest appearance which happened to be his last film appearance.
The film was slated for release on Tamil New Year but was later released two days ahead on April 12, 2002. Made at a budget of ₹4 crore, the film became one of the highest grossing films of the year.[2][3]
Owing to its success, Saran remade the film in Telugu under the same title with Venkatesh and Namitha in the lead, while Kalabhavan Mani and Murali reprised their roles. Gemini was also dubbed in Hindi as Angaar – Deadly One.
Plot
The film begins at a court hearing. A big shot don Teja (Kalabhavan Mani) and his gang members appear for the hearing. Another gang clashes with them resulting in the death of Sinthai Jeeva. Jeeva was a member of the rival gang headed by Gemini (Vikram), an up-and-coming goon in Chintadripet who also aspires to become a big don. To avenge his death, Gemini and his gang search for the murderer, Pandian. One of Gemini's men, Isaac, kills him. This begins a rivalry between Gemini and Teja. Later one day, a businessman approaches Gemini to evict people from a market to facilitate the building of a shopping complex. But since the market is in his control, Gemini refuses the offer. The businessman eventually approaches Teja to get the job done. Feigning an altercation with Gemini, his sidekick Kai (Thennavan) joins Teja's gang. Kai acts as the inside man and foils the plan. Thus, Gemini fools and wins against Teja, which drives him crazy.
Meanwhile, Gemini meets a Marwari girl, Manisha Natwarlal (Kiran Rathod), and falls in love with her. To pursue her, he joins an evening college as her classmate. Eventually she too falls for him. Meanwhile Pandian's mother Annamma (Manorama) approaches the gang and becomes their cook. She projects herself as an aging woman who has to work for getting her eye operated, all the while plotting to poison them one day.
In the meantime, Singaperumal (Murali), an astute police officer is posted as the Director General of Police (DGP). Keen on wiping out rowdyism, he arrests both Gemini and Teja. Since both of them have political influence, the arrests are made off the records. Understanding their rivalry, the DGP puts them in a private cell so they can beat up each other to death. While Teja tries to exact revenge for the market issue, Gemini doesn't fight back. Instead, Gemini convinces Teja to plead guilty to the DGP and request for a chance to turn over a new leaf. Gemini's trick works and they are released.
Since Gemini was actually arrested while he was at the college, Manisha gets to know about his real identity and starts ignoring him. To win his love back, Gemini reforms his ways. Now that Gemini and co. have regretted their actions, Annamma reveals her true identity and forgives them. Teja goes back to his gang and continues smuggling goods. He keeps on disturbing Gemini and wants him to help him out in his business. Instead Gemini informs about Teja's activities to the DGP. Teja gets caught red-handed smuggling narcotics. He gets prosecuted and serves a prison term.
A few months later, Singaperumal gets transferred to the transport department and (Vinu Chakravarthy) is posted as the new DGP. A corrupt officer, the new DGP takes Teja's side and releases him. Now Teja and the new DGP urge Gemini to help them in the business. But he still tries to stay away from them. In order to force Gemini back to his old ways, Teja gets Isaac to conspire against him. With Isaac's help, Teja plots and kills Kai. Infuriated, Gemini decides to sort out the issue once and for all and confronts Teja. During the ensuing fight, the new DGP arrives and fires at Gemini killing him. It is later revealed that Gemini had actually interchanged his dress with Teja's and the DGP have killed Teja assuming it to be Gemini. While Vinu grieves for Teja's death, news arrives that Vinu has been transferred to the Sewage Control Board. The film ends on a lighter note, as the lead actors share a laugh.
Cast
- Vikram as Gemini
- Kiran Rathod as Manisha Natwarlal
- Kalabhavan Mani as Teja
- Murali as Singaperumal
- Vinu Chakravarthy
- Manorama as Annamma
- Thennavan as Kai
- 'O Podu' Rani as Kamini
- Gemini Ganesan in a cameo as himself
- Ilavarasu
- Isaac as Isaac
- Dhamu
- Vaiyapuri as Oberoi
- Omakuchi Narasimhan as Bombay Dawood
- Ramesh Khanna as Gopal M.A.
- Charle as Chinna Salem
- Madhan Bob as R.Anilwal IPS
- Thyagu as Sammandham
Production
Development
"Yes. It happened a year ago in Chennai. Two rowdies wanted to reform themselves and return to the society. A police officer helped them do so. I was fascinated by the incident."
— Director Saran, when asked whether the film was inspired by a real life incident.[4]
After the successes of Kaadhal Mannan and Amarkalam both starring Ajith in the lead, Saran announced his third film with Ajith. The film, which was to be produced by Lakshmi Productions, was titled Erumugham (Upward mobility). As with most of his films, Erumugham was also a gangster film. Laila was to play the heroine. The song recording began on March 16, 2001 while the shooting was to start in mid June, and continue through July and August 2001.[5] But after a week of shooting, Ajith lost interest in the project, finding a more engaging story in Red. So Ajith walked out and the project got stalled.[6] This created a temporary rift between the actor and the director with Saran claiming, "I will never do another film with Ajit".[7][8]
Sometime later, Saran reworked the script and began the project again. The plot, inspired by a real life incident, is about the gang wars in Chennai and is loosely based on North Madras rowdies, Chera and Vellai Ravi.[1] The reworked script was titled Gemini. The film, produced by AVM Productions, was the production house's 162nd film.[9][10] It was a comeback film for AVM after a gap of 5 years, their last production being the 1997 hit Minsara Kanavu.[11]
Casting
While Vikram was cast in the title role, Saran was scouting for a newcomer to suit the character of a Marwari girl and chose Kiran Rathod.[12][13] Malayalam actors, Kalabhavan Mani and Murali were approached to play significant roles. Incidentally, it was Vikram, who played Mani's role in the Tamil remake of Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum, who suggested Mani for the role of Teja.[14] When asked about casting them, Saran said "I like the dedication of Malayalee artistes towards their work. People like Kalabhavan Mani and Murali are in it because of their love for cinema and not for money".[8] Murali was to play a role with a villainous streak but the director later decided against it as he was "amazed to see awe in everyone's eyes when Murali entered the sets and performed".[4] Veteran actor Manorama, Thennavan, Vinu Chakravarthy, Ilavarasu, Charle, Dhamu, Ramesh Khanna, Vaiyapuri, Madhan Bob and Thyagu formed the supporting cast. Camera was handled by Venkatesh, editing done by Suresh Urs and lyrics were written by Vairamuthu.[9]
Filming
Due to other commitments in Malayalam, Kalabhavan Mani was initially hesitant to accept the film. So, the shooting was re-scheduled to film Mani's scenes first and let him off. Saran convinced him to allot dates for 12 days and completed his scenes.[4] A song sequence was shot at the highest point in Europe, Jungfraujoch in Switzerland.[15]
Soundtrack
Untitled | |
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The soundtrack album was composed by Bharathwaj, a staple fixture is most of Saran's films. The lyrics were written by Vairamuthu.
- Tracklist[16]
All lyrics are written by Vairamuthu
No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Deewana" | Sadhana Sargam | 04:26 |
2. | "Kaadhal Enbatha" | Timothy | 02:56 |
3. | "Kaadhal Enbatha – Sad" | Reshmi | 01:16 |
4. | "O Podu" | Anuradha Sriram, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 04:03 |
5. | "O Podu – Alternate Version" | Anuradha Sriram, Vikram | 04:00 |
6. | "Katta Katta" | Shankar Mahadevan, Swarnalatha | 04:52 |
7. | "Pen Oruthi" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 05:11 |
8. | "Thala Keezha" | Manikka Vinayagam | 04:10 |
Total length: | 30:54 |
Reception
The songs were well received by the audience. The track O Podu was a huge hit[17] and earned actress Rani the moniker 'O Podu' Rani.[18] Following the song's success, Vikram sang another version of the song which featured during the closing credits. The album saw a boost in the sale of music, selling more than 100,000 cassettes.[19][20] The album remains to be the biggest hit in the career of Bharathwaj.[21] He won the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director.[22]
The music also received some unexpected reactions. The high-energy track 'O Podu' drove people mad, with some resorting to violence damaging public property in Malaysia, just for fun.[23] Vairamuthu's lyrics, which are typically in Tamil, contained slang terms in addition to words from other languages such as 'Deewana'. This departure was met with criticism with critics, who labelled the lyrics as 'pure gibberish'.[24][25]
Release
The film, which was supposed to hit the screens on April 14, 2002 coinciding with the Tamil New Year's day, was released two days early on April 12.[26] Gemini released alongside Vijay's Thamizhan, Prashanth's Thamizh, Vijayakanth's Raajjiyam and Vijayashanti's Sri Bannari Amman, while Mammootty's Junior Senior released on April 19.[27] The film was released with 104 prints across Tamil Nadu which is a first for a Vikram film.[28] The film was also premiered at Singapore on the same release date.[29]
Reception
Critical response
While the film was received well by the audience and was declared a hit,[30] it received positive to mixed reviews from critics. Thiraipadam.com reviewed that "it's running like a Rajinikanth movie in India, becoming a blockbuster so huge no one expected it" and further added that though the movie has its moments, "those shining moments don't come often enough".[31] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu praised Vikram stating, "Be it action or sensitive enactment, Vikram lends a natural touch. Thus even though the credibility level of Saran's storyline is low, Vikram helps Gemini score".[32] Kalabhavan Mani also received unanimous critical acclaim for his mimicry and portrayal of a villain with a comic sense. Rediff wrote, "The highlight in Gemini is undoubtedly Kalabhavan Mani's performance... As the paan-chewing Gemini, Vikram too delivers a convincing performance" and summed up as "Gemini is your typical masala potboiler and it works".[33] In contrast, Sify said "Saran should be blamed for this inept movie, which has no storyline and has scant regard for logic or sense".[34] Balaji Balasubramaniam criticised as, "Saran has nothing new to offer. The story is routine. The only category the movie provides something unique is, in the portrayal of the villain".[35]
Following the film's phenomenal success, Vikram was compared with fellow actor Rajinikanth. Vijay Vanniarajan said, " I think Tamil cinema may have found the next Rajinikanth, ... we've found him in Vikram".[31] Rajnikanth, who saw the film, met Vikram and praised his performance.[36]
The film's premise of an outlaw reforming his ways was appreciated. D. Ramanaidu of Suresh Productions, the co-producer of the Telugu remake said, "The story of a rowdy sheeter turning into a good man is a good theme".[37] The film was also screened as part of a six-day workshop conducted jointly by the Department of Journalism and Communication, University of Madras, and the Mass Communication Alumni Association, University of Madras (MCAUM), with the focus on 'The impact of cinema on society'.[38]
Box office
Gemini was a commercial success at the box office. Since the films that released for Diwali and Pongal weren't successful, Gemini helped the industry turn the tide. Made at a budget of ₹4 crore (US$480,000), the film grossed more than ₹20 crore (US$2.4 million). Govardhan of The Economic Times noted, "The film's success has catapulted its hero, Vikram as the most sought after hero after Rajinikanth in the Tamil film industry today".[2] The film ran successfully for more than 125 days at the box office.[37] Abirami Ramanathan, the owner of Abhirami Mega Mall said that Gemini's success would slow the rapid closing down of theatres from 2,500 to 2,000.[39] Following the resounding success of the film, Saran named his production house as "Gemini Productions" under which he produced films like Aaru, Vattaram and Muni.[40]
Awards
Award | Ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|
International Tamil Film Awards | 1st International Tamil Film Awards[41][42] | Best Actor | Vikram | Won |
Best Villain | Kalabhavan Mani | Won | ||
Best Singer Female | Anuradha Sriram | Won | ||
Filmfare Awards South | 50th Filmfare Awards South[43] | Best Music Director | Bharathwaj | Won |
Best Female Playback Singer | Anuradha Sriram | Won | ||
Best Villain | Kalabhavan Mani | Won | ||
Cinema Express Awards | 22nd Cinema Express Awards[44] | Best New Face Actress | Kiran | Won |
Best Music Director | Bharathwaj | Won | ||
Best Dialogue Writer | Saran | Won | ||
Best Singer Female | Anuradha Sriram | Won |
Remakes
Following the success and immense popularity of the film, Saran remade the film into Telugu under the same title.[45] It is the only film made by Saran in a language other than Tamil. The film starred Venkatesh and Namitha in the lead,[46] while Kalabhavan Mani and Murali reprised their roles from the Tamil version. Most of the crew members were retained.[47] Posani Krishna Murali transliterated the dialogues to Telugu.[48] The soundtrack was composed by R. P. Patnaik who reused the tracks from the original.[49] Later the film was also dubbed in Hindi as Angaar – Deadly One.[50] It was also reported to be made in Kannada with Upendra playing the lead, but he dismissed the reports as rumours.[51]
Popular culture
There is a comic sequence between the characters played by Dhamu and Vaiyapuri where each of them brag about knowing a fighting technique without explaining what it is. While Vaiyapuri says 'Ek Maar Do Thukada' (Hindi for 'One Strike Two Pieces'), Dhamu tells that he knows 'Maan Karate' (Maan means Deer). When they get into a problem, Dhamu just runs away. Later he explains that Maan Karate is nothing but how a deer runs away when in danger.[52] This famous line has been used to name an upcoming film Maan Karate.[53] The film has been titled so because whenever there is a problem in his life, the hero Sivakarthikeyan fails to face them and runs for cover instead.[54]
A game-based reality show for children was titled 'O Podu'. AVM was also part of the show which was produced by Vikatan Televistas and directed by Gerald.[55] The show was telecast on Sun TV during Sundays. Anchored by Raaghav, the show went on for 26 weeks.[56]
The term 'O Podu' was also used for a social awareness movement during election.[57] 'O Podu' was used as a short form of 'Oatu Podu' (cast your vote), which encouraged people to exercise their right to vote to prevent proxy voting.[58][59] This was particularly significant when the election commission gave the public the option of not voting for any of the candidates according to Section 49-O of the Constitution Act of 1961.[60][61]
References
- ^ a b Sreedhar Pillai (31 May 2002). "The age of rage". The Hindu.
- ^ a b D Govardan (3 May 2002). "April brings cheer to Tamil film industry". The Economic Times.
- ^ "The Money Spinners".
- ^ a b c Shobha Warrier (18 May 2002). "All my films are my dreams – Saran". Rediff.
- ^ Ramya Kannan (17 March 2001). "In the land of the Yuppies". The Hindu.
- ^ "Something to chew about!".
- ^ "Ajith & Director Charan -Cold War?".
- ^ a b Sreedhar Pillai (28 May 2002). "Mean Street mogul". The Hindu.
- ^ a b S.R. Ashok Kumar (12 April 2002). "Ushering in the new year". The Hindu.
- ^ Sudhish Kamath (22 November 2001). "Waiting with bated breath". The Hindu.
- ^ S. Muthiah (December 03, 2001). "Banners on screen and stage again". The Hindu.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ S. R. Ashok Kumar (November 06, 2004). "Your photograph said it all". The Hindu.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ Malathi Rangarajan (19 April 2002). "From Jaipur to Chennai". The Hindu.
- ^ Sreedhar Pillai (30 April 2002). "Hat-trick hero". The Hindu.
- ^ S. R. Ashok Kumar (21 March 2003). "Jaunts abroad with a purpose". The Hindu.
- ^ "Gemini — Tracklist". Raaga.com.
- ^ Sudhish Kamath (31 March 2002). "'Gemini' already a hit!". The Hindu.
- ^ Kamath, Sudhish (23 September 2002). "Gemini's big day". The Hindu.
- ^ Sreedhar Pillai (16 April 2002). "Tuned to success". The Hindu.
- ^ Shobha Warrier (22 April 2002). "Gemini strikes gold at the Tamil marquee". Rediff.
- ^ Shobha Warrier (16 January 2003). "People started calling me 'O Podu' Bharadwaj". Rediff.
- ^ "Manikchand Filmfare Awards in Hyderabad". The Times Of India. 19 May 2003.
- ^ "'O Podu' ripples". The Hindu. 24 May 2002.
- ^ Sreedhar Pillai (18 June 2002). "In love with lyrics". The Hindu.
- ^ "Offensive lyrics sell music". Indiaglitz. September 01, 2004.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Chitra Mahesh (31 May 2002). "I want to strike a balance". The Hindu.
- ^ Tulika (11 April 2002). "What the marquee looks like this New Year". Rediff.
- ^ Sreedhar Pillai (12 April 2002). "Awaiting superhits – Gemini". The Hindu.
- ^ S. R. Ashok Kumar, Malathi Rangarajan (12 April 2002). "A lesson or two". The Hindu.
- ^ "Tamil Cinema Review – Gemini".
- ^ a b Vijay Vanniarajan. "Gemini – Tamil Movie Review". Thiraipadam.com.
- ^ Malathi Rangarajan (19 April 2002). "The Hindu : Gemini". The Hindu.
- ^ Pearl (26 April 2002). "Vikram chews paan, excels". Rediff.
- ^ "Movie Review : Gemini". Sify.
- ^ Balaji Balasubramaniam. "Movie Review: Gemini (2002)". Thiraipadam.com.
- ^ Malathi Rangarajan, S. R. Ashok Kumar (17 May 2002). "A shot in the arm". The Hindu.
- ^ a b Sudhish Kamath (24 September 2002). "Gemini's big day". The Hindu.
- ^ "The impact of cinema". The Hindu. Sept 2, 2002.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Akila Dinakar (20 May 2002). "Children's day". The Hindu.
- ^ "'Gemini Productions' launched!". Sify. 16 July 2005.
- ^ S.R. Ashok Kumar (31 October 2003). "ITFA ceremony in Malaysia". The Hindu. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ^ "International Tamil Film Awards 2003 (Malaysia)". The Hindu. 31 October 2003.
- ^ "Manikchand Filmfare Awards: Sizzling at 50". The Economic Times. 25 May 2003. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ^ "`Kannathil Muthamittal' bags 6 Cinema Express awards". The Hindu. 22 December 2002.
- ^ "Telugu remake of 'Gemini'". The Hindu. 29 May 2002.
- ^ "Working Hard". The Hindu. 12 July 2002.
- ^ Malathi Rangarajan (17 December 2004). "Cinema, success, Saran - The clique that never changes". The Hindu.
- ^ Gudipoondi Srihari (19 June 2002). "The making of Gemini". The Hindu.
- ^ "Gemini – Album Description". Archived from the original on 11 September 2013.
{{cite web}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 11 August 2007 suggested (help) - ^ "Angaar Deadly One – Synopsis".
- ^ Sharanya CR (8 March 2013). "No Gemini remake for Uppi". The Times of India.
- ^ "What is 'Maan Karate'?". IndiaGlitz. 19 July 2013.
- ^ V Lakshmi (30 June 2013). "Kollywood movie titles based on popular dialogues". The Times of India.
- ^ "Sivakarthikeyan, Hansika film titled 'Maan Karate'". 88db.com.
- ^ "O... Podu". The Hindu. Aug 01, 2003.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Malathi Rangarajan (31 January 2004). "Here, there, everywhere". The Hindu.
- ^ "'O Podu' is a social awareness movement". Keetru.com.
- ^ G. C. Shekhar (8 May 2006). "Wanna reject all candidates? Press O button". Hindustan Times.
- ^ "Vote! But vote for nobody!".
- ^ "Rule 49-O of Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961" (PDF). Election Commission of India.
- ^ "The Conduct of Election Rules 1961".