Honest Raj
| Honest Raj | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | K. S. Ravi |
| Written by | M. S. Madhu (Dialogues) |
| Screenplay by | K. S. Ravi |
| Story by | K. S. Ravi |
| Produced by | T. G. Thyagarajan |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ravi K. Chandran |
| Edited by | Anil Malnad |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | |
Release date | 14 April 1994[1] |
Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Honest Raj is a 1994 Tamil language action thriller film directed by K. S. Ravi. The film features Vijayakanth, Gouthami and Aamani in lead roles, while Devan, Manorama, Senthil, Vijayakumar, and Nizhalgal Ravi play supporting roles. It marked the debut of Ravi K. Chandran in Tamil cinema. The film, produced by G. Thyagarajan, had music composed by Ilaiyaraaja released to positive reviews on 14 April 1994 and became a blockbuster. It was dubbed in Telugu as Police Commando.[2] The film's title is taken from Vijayakanth's earlier film, Pulan Visaranai (1990). The film was remade in Hindi as Rakshak (1996) with Sunil Shetty playing the lead role and Raghuvaran playing the villain.
Plot
"Honest" Raj (Vijayakanth), a police officer in a coma for four years, wakes up suddenly. Abhinaya (Gouthami), a newly appointed doctor, saves him from a killer with the help of Raj's assistant Velu (Senthil).
In the past, Raj lived with his mother Maragatham (Manorama) and took the IPS exam. They shifted to their relative's house in a village. Pushpa (Aamani), a village girl, fell in love with Raj. Raj's best friend Bharatha (Devan) attempted to suicide after his father's creditors pressured him. Raj saved him, and Bharatha lent his printing press company to Pazhani. Raj and Pushpa got married, and he passed the IPS exam successfully. Bharatha found counterfeit money in his factory and started an illegal business with Pazhani. Bharatha then became rich and killed his partners.
Raj came back with his mother, wife, and son Babloo to see Bharatha. Raj found an illegal business thanks to Kesavan (Nizhalgal Ravi), a former henchman of Bharatha. Even though Bharatha was his best friend, Raj tried to arrest him. Bharatha soon killed his wife and mother. To save at least Babloo, Raj was hurt by bullets and lapsed into a coma. Gopalakrishnan (Vijayakumar), a veteran police officer, took care of Babloo.
Raj decides to take revenge and punish the culprit. Bharatha kidnaps Babloo and threatens to kill him. Raj saves Babloo; kills Bharatha, who does not want to surrender; and marries Abhinaya.
Cast
- Vijayakanth as "Honest" Raj IPS, Additional SP, Crime Branch Special Officer
- Gouthami as Dr. Abhinaya
- Aamani as Pushpa
- Manorama as Maragatham, Raj's mother
- Devan as Varadharajan
- Senthil as Velu
- Vijayakumar as Gopalakrishnan
- Nizhalgal Ravi as Kesavan
- Ponnambalam as Pandian
- Ajay Ratnam as Muthiah
- Madhan Bob
- Mohan Raman
- Ganapathy Subramaniam as Bablu
Soundtrack
| Honest Raj | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 1994 |
| Recorded | 1994 |
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
| Length | 26:07 |
| Producer | Ilaiyaraaja |
The film score and the soundtrack were composed by film composer Ilaiyaraaja. The soundtrack, released in 1994, features 5 tracks with lyrics written by Vaali.[3]
| Track | Song | Singer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 'Katuren Katuren' | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 5:50 |
| 2 | 'Izuthu Potheena' | Mano, Swarnalatha | 4:45 |
| 3 | 'Katti Pudikkattma' | Janaki | 5:42 |
| 4 | 'Vanil Vidivelli' | Mano, Janaki | 5:48 |
| 5 | 'Day by Day' | Viji Thomas | 5:14 |
Awards
Release & Reception
Honest Raj was released on 14 April 1994, during the Puthandu holiday.[1] The film opened up against other films like Indhu,[4] Veera,[5] Sakthivel and Seeman, which were released in the same week.[6][7]
The Indian Express wrote "Ravi's tightly knit screenplay and deft handling [..] give an added dimension to the characters and make the film engrossing."[8] New Straits Times wrote "Ravi's use of flashbacks and his treatment of the story lift this movie from ordinary and prevent it from turning dreary".[9]
References
- ^ a b https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19940414&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsA4AzeQYkk
- ^ "Honest Raj Songs". raaga.com. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ "Indhu". The Indian Express. 14 April 1994. p. 4.
- ^ Mannath, Malini (22 April 1994). "Two women in a boat". The Indian Express. p. 6.
- ^ "Sakthivel". The Indian Express. 15 April 1994. p. 4.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Seeman". The Indian Express. 15 April 1994. p. 4.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19940415&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
- ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=x8G803Bi31IC&dat=19940514&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
External links
- Honest Raj at IMDb