Jump to content

Darbar (film)

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Slakenger (talk | contribs) at 16:14, 16 January 2020 (adding more websites). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Darbar
File:Darbar release poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAR Murugadoss
Screenplay byAR Murugadoss
Produced byAllirajah Subaskaran
Starring
CinematographySantosh Sivan
Edited byA. Sreekar Prasad
Music byAnirudh
Production
company
Distributed byLyca Productions
Release dates
Running time
150 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget₹200 crore[2]
Box officeest. ₹150 crore[2]

Darbar (transl. Court) is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss, and produced by Allirajah Subaskaran under the banner of Lyca Productions. The film stars Rajinikanth, Nayanthara, Nivetha Thomas, and Sunil Shetty. The music for the film composed by Anirudh Ravichander while cinematography and editing are performed by Santhosh Sivan and Sreekar Prasad, respectively. The film was released in India on 9 January 2020, coinciding with Thai Pongal. The film received generally unfavourable reviews, mirchi website labelled the film for die-hard fans only and filmcompanion labelled the film "superstar being trapped in the superstar universe with illogical scenes".[3][4]

Plot

The film opens with Aadithya Arunachalam IPS on a hell bent rampage on eradicating gangsters in Mumbai. The next day he is questioned by the human rights officers about his violent attitude towards eradicating crime in Mumbai, for which he refuses & slaps the advocate of the human rights officer and forces the officer to alter the report at gunpoint. The officer who knows Aadithya Arunachalam, later narrates his past. Aadithya Arunachalam is revealed to be living with his daughter Valli since the demise of his wife when Valli was just two years old. Aadithya Arunachalam arrives with his daughter Valli and his sidekick Kaushik to Mumbai to take post as Commissioner of Police. Aadithya Arunachalam comes to know about the drug menace that is threatening youngsters in Mumbai. He gets to know that the daughter of the Chief Secretary is kidnapped by the drug dealers. He rescues the Chief Secretary's daughter but reveals that he is still searching for his daughter, while utilising this situation to apprehend drug dealers and woman traffickers. During the mission, he comes to know that some minor girls are kidnapped and gavaged drugs by Ajay Malhotra, the son of industrialist Vinod Malhotra. He rescues the girls and apprehends Ajay Malhotra. Aadithya Arunachalam meets Lily, as part of a marital request by Valli and love blossoms between them. Meanwhile, when Arunachalam goes to prison to meet Ajay Malhotra, he is shocked to see that Ajay has escaped and a proxy is in prison using his identity. Aadithya Arunachalam comes to know that Ajay is in Thailand and requests the Thailand government for deportation of Ajay back to India. Aadithya Arunachalam succeeds in bringing Ajay back to India and fakes Ajay's death by shooting his proxy in prison before requesting the Thailand government. But in a series of event it is later revealed that Ajay is killed after deporting him back to India. At Ajay's funeral Vinod Malhotra reveals that Ajay is not his child. Ajay is the real son of Hari Chopra, a notorious International drug lord.

Hari Chopra comes to know of his son's death. Hari Chopra enters India illegally by infiltrating the Bangladesh–India border in Assam and kills Vinod Malhotra for not taking proper care of his son. He plots to kill Aadithya Arunachalam by ramming a tow truck which injures him and his daughter Valli. The doctor who treats Adithya Arunachalam reveals to Valli that he is safe, however he tells her that she has only two hours to live because she had sustained a serious head injury from the accident. The next day when Aadithya Arunachalam gains consciousness he comes to know about his daughter's death. Aadithya Arunachalam becomes mentally disturbed because of his daughter's demise. Aadithya Arunachalam goes to kill Vinod Malhotra to avenge his daughter, but learns that he is not alive. Frustrated about the incident he goes on a rampage to kill drug dealers and gangsters of the Mumbai underworld. As a result of his wild nature he is suspended and transferred from Mumbai. Later, he comes to know about Valli's death when he views a video clip of Valli's confessions in her phone. In that video clip Valli reveals that Vinod Malhotra's life is in danger and the killer who took her life is actually the one who killed Vinod Malhotra. This prompts Adithya Arunachalam to look more into his daughter's death and rejoin the Mumbai police.

Finally, Aadithya Arunachalam comes to know about that Hariharan "Hari" Chopra & his link to Vinod Malhotra & Ajay Malhotra. Aadithya Arunachalam manages to kill Hariharan Chopra in the same police station which was set ablaze by him 27 years ago that killed many police officers, thus avenging his daughter's death and instilling peace in Mumbai.

Cast

Production

"Every one of us grew up with Rajini garu and even professionally, he just has a different vibe. Whenever you see Rajini on-screen doesn’t it remind you of your childhood? I made this movie and wrote the script as a fan, how I enjoyed him on-screen. I didn’t put the same sequences but with an updated concept. He plays a heroic cop from Mumbai. We even have a similar sequence in the film like the one that took place in the recent Hyderabad vet rape case. I had written a similar sequence in the film where the criminal is punished in the same place he committed the crime. We were surprised to see something like that happen in reality."
— AR Murugadoss about Darbar and Rajinikanth to Times of India[6]

Production of the film began with the working title Thalaivar 167. Lyca Productions announced that they would collaborate with Rajinikanth again after their previous collaboration 2.0 with A. R. Murugadoss directing the film. Principal photography began on 10 April 2019 in Mumbai.[7] Filming began on 8th April 2019, with a first look poster released by Lyca Productions on Twitter and Facebook the same day.[8][9] The first look of Rajinikanth had him surrounded by police dogs, belts, badges and handcuffs.[10]

It was earlier reported that Bollywood actor Prateik Babbar was the main antagonist in Darbar. However, later reports showed that Sunil Shetty was cast as the lead antagonist. Sunil Shetty agreed to play the antagonist despite decling previous offers to play the antagonist in other Tamil films.[11] Murgadoss approached Shetty while he was filming for Marakkar for which Shetty grew his hair long.[12] Murgadoss wanted to do something special with Shetty's long hair. Shetty showed Murgadoss the look of his man bun, which was ultimately used for the film.[13][14][15] Shetty returns to Tamil cinema after his debut film, 12B.[16] In a 2019 interview, Shetty revealed how Darbar is his first "meaty" role in Tamil cinema.[17]

The director further wrote that this action thriller is Rajinikanth's 167th film. Rajinikanth has taken up the role of a cop after almost 27 years, his last police role being the 1992 film Pandiyan.[18]. A.R. Murugadoss also stressed on the fact that Darbar is not a political film, "Darbar is a thrilling commercial mass entertainer. I repeat it's not a political film. It is a film about a tough cop like Alex Pandiyan," added the director.[19]

Soundtrack

Darbar
Soundtrack album by
Anirudh Ravichander
Released27 November 2019 (single)
7 December 2019 (full album)
Recorded2019
StudioAlbuquerque Records, Chennai
New Edge Studios, Mumbai
GenreFeature film soundtrack
LanguageTamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam
LabelRubax
Divo
ProducerAnirudh Ravichander
Anirudh Ravichander chronology
Gang Leader
(2019) 		Darbar
(2019) 		Indian 2
(2020)
Singles from Darbar
  1. "Chumma Kizhi"
    Released: 27 November 2019

The film's soundtrack and score was composed by Anirudh Ravichander, marking his second collaboration with actor Rajinikanth after Petta and also with director A. R. Murugadoss after Kaththi. An instrumental theme song for the film titled "Thalaivar Theme", that accompanies with the motion poster was released on 7 November 2019, the same day that the motion poster was released.

While the album would be released under Rubax audio label with Divo as their digital partner, the rights to stream the album were secured by Gaana through their online music streaming platform.

The film's first single, "Chumma Kizhi", with lyrics by Vivek and sung by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, was released on 27 November 2019.[20]

The film's album was launched on 7 December 2019 at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai.[21] The full album was simultaneously made available to stream via Gaana's online music streaming platform, on the same day itself.[22]

Tamil

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Thalaivar Theme" Instrumental0:44
2."Chumma Kizhi"VivekS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Anirudh Ravichander, Rajinikanth (voice-over)3:51
3."Thani Vazhi"Yogi B, Senthuzhan, SyanAnirudh Ravichander, Shakthisree Gopalan, Yogi B (rap portion)3:27
4."Dumm Dumm"VivekNakash Aziz4:33
5."Tharam Maara Single"VivekAnirudh Ravichander, Arjun Chandy3:49
6."Villain Theme" Instrumental1:06
7."Kannula Thimiru" Chandramukhi, Rachana, Priya Murthi3:15

Telugu

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Thalaivar Theme" Instrumental0:43
2."Dhummu Dholi"Anantha SriramS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Rajinikanth (voice-over)3:51
3."Pratyeka Margam"Rakendu Mouli, Yogi BAnirudh Ravichander, Yogi B (Rap Version), M. M. Manasi3:27
4."Dumm Dumm"Anantha SriramAnurag Kulkarni4:33
5."Nanytalo Marpu Single"Anantha SriramNakul Abhyankar, Anirudh Ravichander3:49
6."Villain Theme" Instrumental1:06

Hindi

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Thalaivar Theme" Instrumental0:43
2."Napde Killi"Raqueeb AlamNakash Aziz3:49
3."Aane Wali"Raqueeb AlamAmit Mishra, Yogi B (Rap Version), Antara Mitra3:27
4."Dumm Dumm"Raqueeb AlamNakash Aziz4:33
5."Dil Toh Cute Hai"Raqueeb AlamArmaan Malik3:49
6."Villain Theme" Instrumental1:06

Malayalam

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Thalaivar Theme" Instrumental0:43
2."Kaliyakunnu"Rafeeq AhamedVijay Yesudas, Rajinikanth (voice-over)3:49
3."Pratyeka Valli"Rafeeq AhamedUnni Menon, Yogi B (Rap Version), Shashaa Tirupati3:27
4."Dumm Dumm"Rafeeq AhamedM. G. Sreekumar4:33
5."Gunanilavarattilekk Maruka Single"Rafeeq AhamedVijay Prakash, Shankar Mahadevan3:49
6."Villain Theme" Instrumental1:06

Marketing

The first look poster, announcing the film's title was released on 9 April 2019, through the official Twitter handle of the production house. The poster was decked up with police instruments and equipment, with the punchline, "You decide whether you want me to be good, bad or worse."[8] The poster was decked up with police instruments and equipment.[23] The second look posters starring Superstar Rajinikanth with two different shades were released by the director AR Murugadoss by his official twitter handle for the fans art.[24] Another poster was released as a Diwali special on 26 October 2019.[25] Rajinikanth's character was revealed to be Aaditya Arunachalam, which is a combination of Murugadoss's son and father's respective names.[26]

The motion poster along with the theme music, was released on 7 November 2019, by Kamal Hassan, Mahesh Babu, Mohanlal and Salman Khan in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi respectively.[27] The first look of Sunil Shetty with salt and pepper hair tied back into a man bun was released in December of 2019.[28]

Speaking to The Hindu, R. Kannan, COO, Lyca Productions said, "The film will release in 7,000 screens across the world. We are planning to release it in a few islands to reach out to the maximum number of people". Mr. Kannan said that around 15 brands such as SpiceJet, Cadbury’s, BookMyShow and Airtel have tied up with the film. "We are spending ₹7-8 crore to promote the film. The marketing investment for this film is one of the highest in Tamil cinema,” he said, adding that the trade is expecting a super hit.[29] The movie promotion began when SpiceJet airlines unveiled Darbar Rajini livery on its flights. The outside branding on the aircraft bearing an image of Rajinikanth in police uniform from the movie Darbar was displayed.[30] A few years ago, producer Kalaipuli S. Thanu, managed to get the decals of Rajinikanth printed on an Air Asia flight. Now, Rajinikanth has become the only Indian actor to get two aircraft with his pictures on it.[31]

Release

The film had its worldwide release in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi on 9 January 2020, coinciding with the season of Thai Pongal.[9][32]

Reception

Critical response

Behindwoods wrote "Rajini's Darbar has the substance perfectly laced with Superstar's style and mass".[33] Firstpost wrote "Yet another ode to superstar Rajinikanth and a celebratory film for his fans".[34] NDTV wrote "Darbar is targeted fair and square at Rajinikanth fans, but it does nothing to give masala cinema a fresh shot of energy".[35]

Neeshita Nyayapati from Times of India wrote "Rajinikanth and Nivetha Thomas let it rip in this one and Murugadoss makes the best use of it."[36] A Mumbai-based critic from mid-day.com noted "Darbar disposes notions of subtlety to present a film that celebrates the loud and the kitschy".[37]

Box office

India

International

The film grossed $400,000 (USD) on its opening day in the United States.[38] Just over the opening weekend, Darbar has comfortably raked in $1 million (₹7.09 crore) in the US.[39]

Controversy

Darbar has two scenes where characters speak of prison inmates being allowed to go out and shop. The dialogues are not mouthed by Rajinikanth in either scene, though the actor is present in the shot in the movie. Lyca Productions announced that it will be removing controversial dialogues in the film, deemed to be a reference to V. K. Sasikala, the jailed aide of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. Lyca Productions released a statement on Twitter that read: “In Darbar, particular words and dialogues having references to prisoners or inmates going out of jail or prison during their imprisonment was only included with an intention of providing entertainment to the audience and not intended to refer to any specific individual or to offend anyone. However, since some of those words seemed to have hurt some people, we have hereby decided to remove the same from the film."[40] Talking about the same, Sam Daniel from NDTV wrote, "Fans watching superstar Rajinikanth's Darbar will miss his dialogues on irregularities inside prisons which many felt were a tacit dig at jailed Sasikala Natarajan, close friend of late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa".[41]

References

  1. ^ "Darbar (2019)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b "'Darbar' box office collection: Rajinikanth starrer mints Rs 150 crore worldwide in first weekend". Times Of India. 13 January 2020.
  3. ^ https://www.mirchi9.com/reviews/darbar-movie-review/
  4. ^ https://www.filmcompanion.in/readers-write-rajinikanth-darbar-ar-murugadoss-legacy-petta
  5. ^ "'He's MY appa, Aaditya Arunachalam': Nivetha Thomas on playing Rajinikanth's daughter in 'Darbar'". The New Indian Express. 18 October 2019. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  6. ^ "AR Murugadoss talks about 'Darbar', Rajinikanth and more - Times of India". The Times of India.
  7. ^ "Rajinikanth starts Darbar shoot in Mumbai". The Indian Express. 10 April 2019. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Rajinikanth's 'Darbar' first look poster out!". www.filmsbit.com. Filmsbit News Network. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  9. ^ a b "The title and first look of #Thalaivar167 released!". Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  10. ^ "Rajinikanth starts shooting for his much awaited film Darbar in Mumbai". Pinkvilla. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  11. ^ Sharanya CR (28 February 2018). "I'm in cinema because of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan: Suniel Shetty". Times of India.
  12. ^ K Janani (23 May 2019). "Darbar update: Not Prateik Babbar, Suniel Shetty is main villain in new Rajinikanth film - Movies News". Indiatoday.in. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Exclusive! Suniel Shetty on his man bun for 'Darbar': I am one of the few heroes with hair left on my head! - Times of India". The Times of India.
  14. ^ "'I deliberately did not reveal Darbar's plot in the trailer' - Times of India". The Times of India.
  15. ^ World, Republic. "Suniel Shetty talks about his look from Darbar, says he is proud of his hair". Republic World.
  16. ^ "Why 'Darbar' is a big deal for Rajinikanth fans". gulfnews.com.
  17. ^ "DARBAR Climax Fight Scene Making - Suniel Shetty Reveals Unheard Secrets! SUPER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW" – via www.youtube.com.
  18. ^ "Rajini's 'Darbar' releases to a full house". Deccan Herald. 9 January 2020.
  19. ^ "AR Murugadoss reveals how Darbar with Rajinikanth happened". India Today.
  20. ^ "Superstar Rajinikanth AR Murugadoss and Anirudh's Chumma Kizhi from Darbar sung by SPB out". behindwoods.com. 27 November 2019., followed by it's respective version in Telugu and Hindi.
  21. ^ "ARM directed Thalaivar Rajinikanth's Darbar Audio launch on 7 December Details here". behindwoods.com. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  22. ^ @divomovies (8 December 2019). "Listen to the full album of #Darbar exclusively on @gaana" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "Rajinikanth starrer Darbar poster released, Tamil superstar to play a cop after 25 years". www.businesstoday.in.
  24. ^ "New motion poster of Rajinikanth's 'Darbar' is out - Times of India". The Times of India.
  25. ^ "Darbar new poster: Rajnikanth's stylish look is a Diwali gift for fans". 27 October 2019.
  26. ^ "Rajinikanth is Aaditya Arunachalam in 'Darbar'". 17 October 2019 – via www.thehindu.com.
  27. ^ "Mahesh Babu joins the league of superstars to release Darbar motion poster - Times of India". The Times of India.
  28. ^ "Suniel Shetty's baddie avatar for Rajinikanth's Darbar has all our attention, see first look". India TV News. 11 December 2019.
  29. ^ "Rajini's Darbar to release in 4,000 screens across India". The Hindu.
  30. ^ "Crazy Marketing Strategy Of Rajnikanth's Darbar Is Catching Attention". marketingmind.in.
  31. ^ "After Kabali, Rajinikanth gets Darbar-themed aircraft ahead of film's release". India Today.
  32. ^ "தர்பார் படத்தின் ஃபஸ்ட் லுக் போஸ்டர் - இதையெல்லாம் கவனித்தீர்களா?". Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  33. ^ "Darbar (aka) Dharbar review". Behindwoods. 9 January 2020.
  34. ^ "Darbar movie review: Yet another ode to superstar Rajinikanth and a celebratory film for his fans - Entertainment News, Firstpost". Firstpost. 9 January 2020.
  35. ^ "Darbar Movie Review: The Film Is Disappointing, Rajinikanth Isn't". NDTV.com.
  36. ^ "Darbar Movie Review : A celebration of all things Rajinikanth". TimesofIndia. 9 January 2020.
  37. ^ "Darbar Movie Review: Got Rajini Written All Over It". mid-day.com. 10 January 2020.
  38. ^ "'Darbar' USA Box Office: Rajinikanth's film sets a new record on a working day - Times of India". The Times of India.
  39. ^ "Darbar box office collection: Day 3". India Today.
  40. ^ "Controversial scenes to be removed from Rajini's Darbar". The Hindu.
  41. ^ "Rajinikanth's "Darbar" To Remove Tacit Reference To Sasikala In Jail". NDTV.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Darbar_(film)&oldid=936082232"