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Kanthaswamy

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This article is about the Tamil language film. For other uses, see Kandasamy.

Kanthaswamy
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySusi Ganesan
Written bySusi Ganesan
Produced byKalaipuli S. Dhanu
StarringVikram
Shriya Saran
Prabhu Ganesan
Krishna
Ashish Vidyarthi
Vadivelu
Mukesh Tiwari
CinematographyN. K. Ekambaram
Edited byPraveen K. L.
N. B. Srikanth
Music byDevi Sri Prasad
Distributed byV. Creations (India)
Ayngaran International
(Worldwide)
Release date
  • 21 August 2009 (2009-08-21)
Running time
195 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget₹400 million (equivalent to ₹1.0 billion or US$12 million in 2023)
Box office₹600 million (equivalent to ₹1.5 billion or US$18 million in 2023)

Kanthaswamy (Tamil: கந்தசாமி, Kantacāmi) is a 2009 Tamil language Action film written and directed by Susi Ganesan starring Vikram in the titular role. Shriya Saran, Prabhu Ganesan, Krishna, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mukesh Tiwari, Mansoor Ali Khan, Vadivelu and Y. G. Mahendran form the supporting cast. The film's soundtrack and background score was composed by Devi Sri Prasad. The film's soundtrack was released on 17 May 2009 and the film was released on 21 August 2009 to average reviews.[1]

The film was dubbed and simultaneously released as Mallanna in Telugu. The Telugu version was later dubbed into Hindi as Shiva - The Superhero and does not feature the song 'Meow Meow'. It was remade in Bengali as Most Welcome, starring Ananta, Barsha and Sneha Ullal.

Plot

The film's plot revolves around Kanthaswamy (Vikram), who is an Income Tax officer in the CBI, and his friends, granting the wishes of the needy who write letters to a local Lord Muruga temple by disguising himself as an anthropomorphic rooster. During a CBI income tax raid, he discovers a stash of black money owned by Ponnusamy (Ashish Vidyarthi), a rich and corrupted entrepreneur. Ponnusamy pretends to be paralysed to escape the questioning. Angered by the news that her father is paralysed, Ponnusamy's daughter, Subbulakshmi (Shriya Saran) goes after Kanthaswamy to seek revenge by pretending to be in love with him. Kanthaswamy, knowing Subbulakshmi's real intentions plays along in the game. This forms a cat and mouse chase between the two. In a comical role, Thengakadai Thenappan (Vadivelu) is also sought after by a local police inspector who tries to solve the mystery of "Lord Muruga saving the people". The fate of Kanthaswamy's disguise leads into the climax of the story. The local police inspector was able to bring out the truth that a CBI is involved in the role behind the secret work of helping the needy people although he was not able to confirm it. Kanthaswamy finds the password of Subbulakshmi's family bank account, in which the black money is illegally saved. He tricks Subbulakshmi into revealing the password and answers for the security questions indirectly. Kanthaswamy finally transfers the money to his account which would be used for helping the poor and needy people. Ironically, in the end, Subbulakshmi's father was paralysed at the end knowing that the password which was used by him to access his black money was changed. After that Subbulakshmi and Kanthaswamy were married and were living in northern India. Kanthaswamy saw some letters tied to a tree, just like the ones at the Lord Muruga temple. He reads one and puts it into his pocket with a secret smile, which meant he will pursue being the anthropomorphic rooster again.

Cast

Production

File:Vikram in Kanthaswamy.jpg
Vikram as the anthropomorphic rooster in Kanthaswamy

Development

In January 2007, early reports suggested that Kalaipuli International were set to make a film starring Vikram directed by Susi Ganesan, titled Kanthaswamy for a release during Diwali 2007.[2] Soon after the announcement Shriya Saran, who was acting in Sivaji: The Boss at the time was roped in to play the heroine.[3] However, due to Vikram and Shriya's projects, the film was delayed and the first schedule was postponed to July 2007. The film's first photo shoot was carried out in June 2007 at Muthukadu near Chennai featuring the lead actors.[4] The film began filming a pre-launch trailer, the first of its kind in Tamil cinema, to be screened at the launch, with Vikram, Susi Ganesan and fashion designer Chetan travelling to Malaysia to look for Hollywood-inspired costumes.[5]

The inauguration of Kanthaswamy took place on 22 September 2007 at the Devi Paradise theatre in Chennai. For the event, a unique electronic invitation, made in China, was presented to guests who had been invited. The invitation was the size of a laptop and featured an 8-minute trailer of Kanthaswamy.[6] Each invitation had cost about Rs. 15,000, making it the most expensive invitation in Indian film history.[7] Following the launch ceremony, the team announced they had adopted two villages near Madurai; Sangampatti and Gandhi Nagar, to shoot in initially and then to provide basic amenities like school and proper roads among other things to the villagers for a year. The team, who were praised for their actions, were the first production team to take part in such activity in Tamil cinema.[8]

In November 2007, the shooting was halted temporarily due to an accident that occurred at the shooting spot at the Chennai Boat Club. Cameraman Ekambaram was canning the shots as per director Susi Ganesan's instructions when a pole erected on the sets unexpectedly fell on the director's head resulting in an injury.[9] The film has finished schedules at Italy, where the trailer was filmed as well as schedules in Tanzania, Kenya and Switzerland. A schedule in locations in Mexico was also held, after the team went location hunting there, with a song and several scenes canned.[10] The film, initially described as a "hilarious comedy", was rumoured to be a remake of the Hollywood cult hit, The Breakfast Club,[11] however Susi Ganesan has claimed that the film has a more Robin Hood feel to it.[12]

Casting

Following the announcement of the project, Shriya Saran was signed in February 2007, when she was in the middle of completing her other prestigious projects Sivaji: The Boss and Azhagiya Tamil Magan.[3] In September 2007, with the release of the trailer several other artistes names were featured as supporting cast. Prominent supporting actor Raghuvaran was selected to play as Shriya's father and shot scenes in the role, before his unexpected death during the production of the film, subsequently, his role was replaced by Ashish Vidyarthi.[13] Prabhu Ganesan was also added in a supporting role, as well as lesser established actors such as Vikram's father Vinod Raj, Y. G. Mahendran, Shiv, Arun Madhavan, Vinayak and Alex, whilst Mumaith Khan was assigned for an item number. Later on, veteran Telugu actor Krishna,[14] father of Mahesh Babu was signed to a role in the project as well as Indrajith, elder brother of prominent actor, Prithviraj, who will do a villainous role in the film.[15] Indrajith was selected for the role ahead of other prominent character actors Arjun Rampal, Irfan Khan and Suman.[16] Along with the change of actor for Raghuvaran's role, Indrajith's role was taken by Mukesh Tiwari and the role created for Santhanam was deleted. Moreover, Vivek, who had featured in the original trailer, opted out and was replaced by Vadivelu. Mansoor Ali Khan took up a negative role in the film to make a comeback ino the acting foray.[17]

The producer of Kanthaswamy, Kalaipuli S. Dhanu and Susi Ganesan the director ensembled an experienced team to produce the film. Veterans Thotta Tharani, A. S. Laxmi Narayanan and Viveka between them, take care of the art direction, audiography and lyrics respectively. Devi Sri Prasad composes the music for his biggest film to date following several compositions for smaller budget Tamil films and Telugu films. N. K. Ekambaram controls the cinematography of the film, whilst Praveen K L edits the film. Kanal Kannan and Chatrapathy Shakthi are the fight masters for the film, whilst Mittra media are responsible for the publicity designs the film outputs, adding to their work with the trailer and the invitations. The film is co-produced, by Chennai businessmen, A. Paranthaman and A. K. Natraj along with Dhanu.

Soundtrack

Untitled

The film has seven songs composed by Devi Sri Prasad. For the first time, Vikram has sung most of the songs in this movie. The songs from the bilingual albums were released to the public after an audio launch at the Chennai Trade Centre in Chennai on 17 May 2009.

Tamil Tracklist

All lyrics are written by Viveka

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Excuse Me"Vikram, Suchitra05:46
2."Allegra"Rita05:23
3."Meow Meow"Vikram, Priya Himesh04:30
4."Ithellam Dupe"Vikram, Devi Sri Prasad04:08
5."Mambo Mamiya"Vikram, Rita04:36
6."En Peru Meenakumari"Malathi Lakshman, Krishna Iyer04:20
7."Kanthaswamy Theme"Devi Sri Prasad03:03
8."Kanthaswamy Theme (DSP mix)"Devi Sri Prasad03:16
Total length:24:25

Telugu Tracklist

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Excuse Me"Vikram, Suchitra05:46
2."Allegra"Rita05:23
3."Meow Meow"Vikram, Priya Himesh04:30
4."Ivannee Dupe"Vikram, Devi Sri Prasad04:08
5."Mambo Mamiya"Vikram, Rita04:36
6."Naa Peru Meenakumari"Malathi Lakshman, Krishna Iyer04:20
7."Mallana Theme"Devi Sri Prasad03:03
8."Mallana - DSP mix"Devi Sri Prasad03:16
Total length:24:25

Release

The satellite rights of the film were sold to Sun TV. The original Tamil version of the film was given a "U" certificate, along with some cuts by the Indian Censor Board. However, the Telugu version Mallanna was granted a U/A certificate, with a few cuts from the Board.

Reception

Critical response

Kanthaswamy received mixed reviews from both the critics and audiences.[18] Indiaglitz reviewed that "the movie was delight to watch and praised Shriya that as a cool cat, she plays a perfect foil to Vikram in the film".[19] Sify also reviewed that "the movie was a roller coaster ride of pure unadulterated masala. It praised Vikram and Shriya saying while Vikram rocked and the film belongs to him, Shriya sizzled throughout and carried the glamorous role with élan and the attitude".[20] Rediff gave the film 2.5/5 stars and commented: "Watch Kandhasamy for its beautiful locales, a ravishing heroine, and Vikram's smile but go with nil expectations as this particular super-hero doesn't have much to offer a discerning viewer".[21] Behindwoods rated the film 2/5 and stated that it was "A hollow hype".[22] Cinema Chaat gave the film 3.5/5 stars, and stated that "Kanthaswamy is not a great film, but instead serves as an excellent example of what might have been."[23]

For the Telugu version Mallanna, Fullhyd.com gave the film a positive rating of 3.25/5, writing that "Well, it's been long since we saw the good guys consistently act much smarter than the bad guys. And for that alone, Mallanna comes out a winner."[24]

Box office

The film collected ₹ 13.7 million in the UK.[25] In Malaysia it collected a whooping $1,077,658 in its total run.[26] In Chennai box office it collected ₹ 72.8 million in seven weeks.[27][28][29] It grossed a gigantic ₹ 370 million in the opening week including ₹ 160 million from Tamil Nadu alone. Made on a budget of ₹ 400 million, it grossed around ₹ 600 million near the end of run and was declared a Hit by trade pundits.[30]

Awards and Nominations

Amrita Mathrubhumi Award
Edison Awards
Vijay Awards

The film has been nominated for the following categories:[32]

References

  1. ^ "Kanthaswamy... When?". Behindwoods. 2 March 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Susi-Vikram venture named 'Kandasamy'". Nowrunning.com. 2007. Retrieved 28 January 2007.
  3. ^ a b "What makes Shriya click?". Indiaglitz.com. 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2007.
  4. ^ "Vikram begins work on Kandasamy". Galattatime.com. 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
  5. ^ "Vikram's costume party". Behindwoods.com. 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
  6. ^ Ashok Kumar, S.R (2007). "Invitation for launch of 'Kandasamy' not commonplace". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
  7. ^ Warrior, Shobha (2007). "'I want my movies to be the biggest film of 2008'". Rediff.com. Retrieved 25 September 2007.
  8. ^ Kavitha, S.S (2007). "Adoption with a difference". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  9. ^ "'Kandasamy' shooting comes to a halt". Cinesouth.com. 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
  10. ^ "Bangkok purchases for 'Kandasamy'". Cinesouth.com. 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2007.
  11. ^ "Vikram's Kandasamy remake of the English movie "The Breakfast Club"". TamilFilmRatings.com. 2007. Archived from the original on 13 May 2007. Retrieved 10 May 2007.
  12. ^ "The Robin Hood of Kollywood". OneIndia.com. 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2007.
  13. ^ "Kanthaswamy's latest replacement". Behindwoods.com. 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  14. ^ "A new star joins Kanthaswamy". Behindwoods.com. 2007. Retrieved 5 November 2007.
  15. ^ "Prithiviraj's sibling in Kanthaswamy". Behindwoods.com. 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
  16. ^ "Kanthaswamy's new villain!". Sify.com. 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2007.
  17. ^ "Mansoor's Kanthasamy connection". Chennai365.com. 2008. Retrieved 17 January 2008.
  18. ^ "Movie Review — Kanthaswamy". Tamilomovie.com. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  19. ^ "Kanthaswamy Tamil Movie Review". IndiaGlitz. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  20. ^ "Movie Review:Kandasamy". Sify. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  21. ^ "Kandasamy is a commercial cocktail". Rediff. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  22. ^ "Kanthaswamy — Tamil Movie Reviews". Behindwoods. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  23. ^ Kanthaswamy Review: Cinema Chaat
  24. ^ Mallanna Review: Fullhyd.com
  25. ^ https://web.archive.org/20091223095325/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com:80/trade/overseas_boxoffice/280.html. Archived from the original on 23 December 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2009. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "Malaysia Box Office, October 1–4, 2009". Boxofficemojo.com. 8 April 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012. {{cite web}}: C1 control character in |title= at position 31 (help)
  27. ^ "2009- Kollywood Hits & Misses!". Sify.com. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  28. ^ Pillai, Sreedhar (11 November 2009). "Kollywood sets a new milestone". The Times of India.
  29. ^ "Article Window". Epaper.timesofindia.com. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  30. ^ "Kanthaswamy - Behindwoods.com - Tamil Top Ten Movies". Behindwoods. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  31. ^ "Suriya & Shriya to win Mathrubhumi awards". Indiaglitz. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  32. ^ "Countdown for the Vijay awards". Behindwoods. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
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