Pokkiri
Pokkiri | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Prabhu Deva |
Written by | V. Prabhakar (dialogues) |
Screenplay by | Puri Jagannadh |
Story by | Puri Jagannadh |
Based on | Pokiri (Telugu) |
Produced by | S.Sathyaramamoorthy |
Starring | Vijay Asin Prakash Raj |
Cinematography | Nirav Shah |
Edited by | Kola Bhaskar |
Music by | Mani Sharma |
Production company | Kanagarathna Movies |
Distributed by | Aascar Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 160 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
Box office | ₹75 crore[1]
(initial 200 day run) |
Pokkiri (transl. Rogue) is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Prabhu Deva and produced by Kanagarathna Movies. It is the Tamil remake of the 2006 Telugu film Pokiri directed by Puri Jagannadh. The film stars Vijay in the lead role alongside Asin, Prakash Raj, Nassar, Mukesh Tiwari, Vadivelu, Sriman, Anandaraj, Napoleon, Vincent Asokan, Subbaraju and Master Bharath. The film is about a young IPS officer who works for Police Commissioner Mohammed Maideen Khan IPS and goes undercover as a rogue to take out the anti-socials.
The film was officially announced in July 2006, in addition to the official title. Principal photography commenced the same month. It was predominantly shot in Chennai, and wrapped by late-November. The film has music composed by Mani Sharma, cinematography handled by Nirav Shah and editing by Kola Bhaskar.
Pokkiri was released theatrically on 12 January 2007 and received positive reviews with praise for Vijay's performance, action sequences and music.[2] It became a huge commercial success, running for more than 200 days at the box office.[3] Six years later, it was dubbed in Hindi as Wanted Baaghi and was also dubbed in Odia as Wanted Police, as well as Malayalam under the same title as the Tamil version. Vijay's Pokkiri was re-released multiple times in Kerala.[4] A re-mastered version in 4K was re-released worldwide in theatres on 21 June 2024.[5]
Plot
[edit]The city of Chennai is rife with the nefarious activities of land mafia. There are two rival gangs: one under Ali Bhai, who resides in Dubai where he controls the India operations through his skilled henchmen Guru and Korattur Logu, as well as his girlfriend Mona; and another operated by a local goon named Narasimhan. They threaten builders and landowners into giving them protection money or property through force, extortion, or murder. Mohammed Maideen Khan takes charge as the new Police Commissioner of Chennai and starts cracking down on crime.
Tamizh, a thug in the city, is abducted by Logu and his henchmen. Tamizh has taken a contract from Narasimhan to beat up Logu, which he does. Seeing Tamizh’s potential, Guru and Mona invite Tamizh to join their gang. Tamizh declines, stating that he does not work for any gang but is ready to do anything for money. Meanwhile, Tamizh falls in love with Shruthi, an aerobics teacher, when he visits his best friend Saravana's aerobics class, but she mistakes him for a pervert. Shruthi lives with her widowed mother, Lakshmi, and younger brother, Pappu. Body Soda, a bogus kung fu master, lives above Shruthi's house and frequently, albeit comically and unsuccessfully, tries to convince her to marry him. Govindan is a corrupt inspector in the colony where Tamizh and Shruthi live. He is on Ali Bhai's payroll and is supporting him. He lusts for Shruthi and decides to make her his mistress, even after she rejects him multiple times.
Tamizh's first assignment with Ali Bhai's gang is to kill a member of Narasimhan's gang. However, the police show up at the spot where Tamizh and the other gangsters are waiting. Tamizh engages the cops long enough for the others to finish the task and flee. He also helps Shruthi escape from Govindan. She is impressed by his kindness, and a friendship soon blossoms between the two, leading to the development of unspoken romantic feelings for each other. When Shruthi tries to express her feelings to Tamizh, they are attacked by members of Narasimhan's gang, whom Tamizh finishes off in the presence of Shruthi. Shruthi is shocked to learn that Tamizh is a cold-blooded gangster with no qualms about killing people. Later, having been rebuked by Shruthi and Lakshmi multiple times, Govindan arranges for some thugs to pretend to assault Shruthi and they accept his demands. Tamizh learns of this and thrashes Govindan incognito. After much ado and mental anguish, Shruthi accepts Tamizh's love. Soon, Guru is found dead, presumably killed by Narasimhan in retaliation against the deaths of his gang members at the hands of Tamizh earlier, which forces Ali Bhai to come to Chennai from Dubai and kill Narasimhan. He also meets Tamizh to discuss the killing of a minister by blowing up a school. Tamizh disagrees with Ali Bhai's method as it would involve killing women and children, which goes against his principles.
In the middle of their argument, the police raid the club and arrest Ali Bhai. His gang members retaliate by kidnapping Maidenn's daughter, drugging her, and creating a lewd video of her which they threaten to release to the media if Ali Bhai is not released, forcing the embattled commissioner to release Ali Bhai. However, in her drugged state, Maideen's daughter reveals that her father had placed an undercover police officer as a mole in Ali Bhai's gang. The gang members find out that a police officer by the name of Satyamoorthy, the son of a retired police inspector Shanmugavel, has gone undercover to finish off the underworld mafia gangs and is now a part of their gang. Ali Bhai meets Shanmugavel and kills Saravana, believing he is Satyamoorthy and gets angry when he finds out it’s not him. Ali Bhai then kills Shanmugavel to lure the real Satyamoorthy. When Satyamoorthy actually turns up, everyone, especially Shruthi and Govindan, is shocked to see that he is none other than Tamizh (now revealing his true identity as an IPS officer). Satyamoorthy (Tamizh) had gone undercover by posing himself as a criminal. It is further revealed that Satyamoorthy was the one who killed Guru and not Narasimhan. After Shanmugavel's and Saravana's funerals, Satyamoorthy forces Govindan to call Ali Bhai to find out his location, which is Binny Mills. He goes there and starts to eliminate Ali Bhai's gang members one by one, rescuing Maideen's daughter in the process. In the end, Satyamoorthy thrashes and kills Ali Bhai by slashing his throat with a broken glass window. After this, he also shoots Govindan dead and says the following words: Oru vaati mudivu paniten naa yen pecha naane kekamaten (transl. Once I make a decision, I won't listen even to my own words).
Cast
[edit]- Vijay as S.Sathyamoorthy IPS / Tamizh, Shanmugavel's biological son and an undercover police officer.
- Asin as Shruthi, Tamizh's love interest
- Napoleon as Commissioner Mohammed Maideen Khan IPS
- Prakash Raj as Ali Bhai, an international mafia don
- Mukesh Tiwari as Inspector Govindan, corrupt police officer who supports Ali Bhai
- Vadivelu as Master Body Soda
- Nassar as Shanmugavel, Tamizh's biological father and retired police officer
- Sriman as Saravana, Shanmugavel's adopted son and Tamizh's best friend
- Anandaraj as Narasimman
- Vincent Asokan as Guru
- Subbaraju as Korattur Logu
- Master Bharath as Pappu, Shruthi's brother
- Sriranjani as Lakshmi, Shruthi's widowed mother
- Ajay Rathnam as ACP Rathnavel IPS
- Brinda Parekh as Mona, Ali Bhai's girlfriend
- G. V. Sudhakar Naidu as Das
- Dhamu as Juice Shop Owner
- Vaiyapuri as Mani, Tamizh's friend
- Karate Raja as Raja, Tamizh's friend
- Cool Suresh as Nayagan, Tamizh's friend
- Pandu as Elevator Operator
- King Kong as a lorry driver
- Scissor Manohar as Colony Member
- Besant Ravi as Ali Bhai's henchman
- Soundhar as Veluchamy
- Sampath Ram as Narasimman's henchman
- George Maryan as Nelson
- Japan Kumar as Kannayiram
- G. K. as Vishwanath
- Bobby as Thamba
- Arjunan as Perumal
- Mumaith Khan (special appearance in the song "En Chella Peru Apple")
- Sridhar (special appearance in the song "En Chella Peru Apple")
- Ashok Raja (special appearance in the song "Aadungada Yennai Suththi")
- Prabhu Deva (director and special appearance in the song "Aadungada Yennai Suththi")[6]
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]After the failure of Aathi in January 2006, for nearly six months Vijay was listening to stories, but none had appealed; he was supposed to remake Dharani's Bangaram (2006), until its failure made him look for other options.[7] Being a childhood friend of Mahesh Babu from his Madras days, Vijay watched the Telugu Pokiri (2006) and felt that it would also work well in Tamil.[8] After some difficulty in finding the right director for adapting it in Tamil, Prabhu Deva was selected, directing his first film in Tamil after the failure of his second directorial, Pournami (2006).[9][10]
Filming
[edit]The film was launched on 6 July 2006.[11] Vijay's father, S. A. Chandrasekhar, conducted a special puja at the Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai. On Saturday night, which was the full moon day, an auspicious occasion for the presiding deity there, he spent a full hour before the Lord seeking his blessings. He also prayed at the Sacred Church at Velankanni.[12] Asin was selected, pairing with Vijay for the second time after Sivakasi (2005).[13]
The first day of shoot for the film was held at the new Pillayar Kovil at AVM studios, with various dignitaries gracing the occasion. Vijay's mother Shobha Chandrasekhar gave the clap for the first shot. The first scene shot was with Asin and Vijay, the lead pair in the film, in an elevator that was specially designed for the film. Principal photography was completed in late November.[14]
Music
[edit]The soundtrack has 8 songs composed by Mani Sharma. Two of the songs from the original Telugu version were retained and remade in Tamil including "Dole Dole Than" and "En Chella Peru Apple". The soundtrack also features a remix of the song "Vasantha Mullai" from Sarangadhara (1958).[15][16]
Song | Artist(s) | Length | Lyrics |
---|---|---|---|
"Dole Dole Than" | Ranjith, Suchitra | 4:43 | Pa. Vijay |
"Aadungada Yennai Suththi" | Naveen | 4:29 | Kabilan |
"Nee Mutham Ondru" | Ranjith, Swetha Mohan | 4:52 | Pa. Vijay |
"Mambazhamam Mambazham" | Shankar Mahadevan, Ganga Sitharasu | 4:41 | Snehan |
"En Chella Peru Apple" | A. V. Ramanan, Suchitra | 4:35 | Pa. Vijay |
"Vasantha Mullai" | Rahul Nambiar, Krishnamoorthy | 4:19 | Na. Muthukumar |
"Nee Mutham Ondru" (Remix) | Ranjith, Shweta Mohan | 4:12 | Pa. Vijay |
"Pokkiri Theme" | Mani Sharma | 2:36 |
Release
[edit]Theatrical
[edit]The film was released on 12 January 2007 at the festival of Pongal weekend, alongside Ajith's Aalwar and Vishal's Thaamirabharani.[17] The USA's premiere happened on 11 January 2007, a day before its worldwide release. The film grossed ₹6.1 crore in Tamil Nadu in opening week from 142 screens.[18][19]
In 2019, the film also had a limited re-release on the occasion of Vijay's birthday.[20]
Distribution
[edit]The film's distribution rights were sold for around ₹12 crore (equivalent to ₹36 crore or US$4.3 million in 2023) or ₹15 crore (equivalent to ₹45 crore or US$5.4 million in 2023).[21]
Home media
[edit]The satellite rights were bought by Sun TV.[22] Ayngaran International released the DVD of the film in 2008.[23] The film also had a Blu-ray release in United Kingdom on 21 June 2009.[24]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]The film was commercial success and ran for over 200 days in Tamil Nadu.[25] The film completed a 50-day run in 146 centres and a 100-day run in 60 centres. The film completed a 175-day run in 15 centres, and a 275-day run at one theatre. The film ran for 100 days in one centre at Kerala.[26] It was the third-highest grossing Tamil film at that time in Kerala after Anniyan (2005).[27]
Critical response
[edit]The Hindu wrote, "After watching the Telugu Pokkiri, one wondered how it could be rehashed to suit Vijay. Well, kudos to Prabhu Deva for doing a fine job of the remake".[28] Sify said that the film was "enjoyable while it lasts".[29] Indiaglitz stated that Vijay stole the show with his "typical 'Vijayisms' (action, humor and punch dialogues)" and that the show was "action-packed entertainer".[30] Behindwoods review felt that Vadivelu and Prakash Raj's performances were lackluster, and stated that Raj " might do well to sit back and analyze the roles that he accepts," but concluded that the movie overall "packs a punch."[31] Rediff.com gave the movie two stars, stating "there's nothing more tedious than a badly made remake."[32] Nowrunning.com stated that "Pokkiri is attractively packaged and presented".[33] Oneindia.in stated that "Pokkiri is a full length action movie of Vijay."[34] Ananda Vikatan rated the film 42 out of 100.[35] Malini Mannath of Chennai Online wrote "'Pokkiri' is not much different from the earlier gangster films. And if it manages to hold interest to a point, it's mainly due to the Vijay-factor and it's [sic] racy narrative style."[36] Lajjavathi of Kalki wrote Prabhu Deva has scored a six in the first film, and his screenplay is elegant and stunning, leading to the last scene and loved the way he moved the film by keeping suspense here and there.[37]
Accolades
[edit]Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vijay Awards | Favourite Film | Singanamala Ramesh | Won | [38] |
Favourite Director | Prabhu Deva | Won | [38] | |
Entertainer of the Year | Vijay | Won | [38] | |
Favourite Hero | Nominated | |||
Favourite Heroine | Asin | Nominated | ||
Best Actress | Nominated | |||
Best Villain | Prakash Raj | Nominated | ||
Best Choreographer | Dinesh ("Vasantha Mullai") |
Won | [38] | |
Best Stunt Director | Fefsi Vijaan | Nominated | ||
Filmfare Awards South | Best Actor | Vijay | Nominated | [39] |
Best Actress | Asin | Nominated | [39] | |
Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards | Best Comedian – Male | Vadivelu | Won |
Legacy
[edit]Some of the quotes from the film that became popular were: "Vada Poche",[40] "Plan Panni Pannanum" spoken by Vadivelu[41] and Vijay's dialogue "Oru Vaati Mudivu Panta, Yen Pecha Naane Kekka Maaten" (transl. Once I have made a decision, I won't listen to my own voice) became popular and was repeated multiple times in his 2022 film Beast.[42] One of Vadivelu's dialogue "Vada Poche" inspired a comedy show in Sun Music with same name. The dialogue also inspired a song sung by Velmurugan and Powerstar Srinivasan in Arya Surya (2013).[43] Other dialogue of Vadivelu, "Plan Panni Pannanum" (transl. Make a plan and execute it) also inspired a film of the same name.[41]
The intro fight scene was shown in the Malayalam film Daddy Cool (2009).[44] The scenes from the film were parodied in Thamizh Padam as hero being an undercover cop.[45] The song "Pokkiri Pongal" is mentioned during the song "Adada" in Pokkiri Simon (2017),[46] where Asin's jogging scene is also parodied.[47] Vijay's dialogue before entry fight "Nee adicha piece naan adicha mass"(transl. Your hit would tear me into piece but mine would be a mass hit) is referenced in the Shylock (2020) Malayalam movie during Mammootty's second entry fight. Nelson acknowledged Pokkiri as an inspiration for his directorial Beast (2022).[48] Pokkiri was also parodied in the Star Vijay comedy series Lollu Sabha, in an episode named Bakery.[49][50]
References
[edit]- ^ "Interesting facts about the Vijay starrer Pokkiri collects 75 crores and becomes a blockbuster". The Times of India. 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ ""Pokkiri is turning out to be my biggest hit": Vijay". Sify. Archived from the original on 23 March 2007.
- ^ "The Top 7 Vijay Movies – Pokkiri". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ^ Rajith, Swathi P (22 June 2023). "Celebrating Thalapathy Vijay's birthday: Revisiting his unforgettable roles". Onmanorama. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Thalapathy Vijay's Pokkiri To Re-release In Theatres On June 21". News18. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
- ^ "7 1/2, காமெடி காலனி". Vikatan (in Tamil). 11 June 2008. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ rediff.com: Vijay and Asin sizzle in Pokiri Archived 25 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Specials.rediff.com (13 July 2006). Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- ^ "Friday Review Chennai : Scaling heights with 'Pokkiri'". The Hindu. 26 January 2007. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "Prabhudeva directs Tamil 'Pokiri'". Cinesouth. Archived from the original on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ "Prabhu Deva as a Director in Tamil". IndiaGlitz. 8 June 2006. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "Events – 'Pokiri' Movie Launch". IndiaGlitz. 15 June 2006. Archived from the original on 13 September 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "Tamil movies : Pokiri announced! Vijay's father offers prayers at temples!!". Behindwoods.com. 13 June 2006. Archived from the original on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "Asin in 'Pokiri' remake!". Sify. 21 January 2006. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- ^ "Tamil movies : Vijay's Pokkiri sold at record price!". Behindwoods.com. 6 July 2006. Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "'Vasantha Mullai' song recreated for Pokkiri". Chennai Mirror. 6 December 2006. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ Srinivas, Saraswathy (18 December 2006). "Pokkiri has racy music". Rediff. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Pokkiri Tamilnadu collection". IndiaGlitz. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ "Pokkiri Tamilnadu collection". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ "Pokkiri Tamilnadu collection". screendaily. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ "Actor Vijay's films to be re-released in many theatres across Kerala as throwback". Behindwoods. 17 June 2019. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Comparison and analysis of Pokkiri and Alwar". Behindwoods. 6 January 2007. Archived from the original on 11 February 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "KNOW WHO OWNS THE SATELLITE RIGHTS OF VIJAY FILMS SINCE 2000?". Behindwoods. 7 March 2018. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Amazon.in: Pokkiri DVD". Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Pokkiri Blu-ray Release Date June 21, 2009 (United Kingdom)". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Looking at Vijay's TOP 7 landmark films". Rediff. 23 June 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Tamil movies big grossers in State". The Hindu. 19 June 2007. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ MK Surendhar (22 June 2019). "Tracing Vijay's exponentially increasing box office dominance over the years in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and overseas". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ Ashok Kumar, S. R. (19 January 2007). "With lots of punch—Pokkiri". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ "Movie Review:Nanban". Sify. Archived from the original on 23 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ Pokkiri – Action aplenty Archived 6 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Indiaglitz 15 January 2007
- ^ "Tamil movie : Pokkiri Review". BehindWoods. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Pokkiri: Watch only for Vijay, Asin". Rediff.com. 15 January 2007. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Movie Review:Pokkiri". Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ "Movie Review:Pokkiri". Oneindia.in. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ சார்லஸ், தேவன் (22 June 2021). "பீஸ்ட் : 'நாளைய தீர்ப்பு' டு 'மாஸ்டர்'... விஜய்க்கு விகடனின் மார்க்கும், விமர்சனமும் என்ன? #Beast". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ Mannath, Malini (30 January 2007). "Pokkiri". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 14 July 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ லஜ்ஜாவதி (28 January 2007). "போக்கிரி". Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 4–5. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Star Vijay awards | Vijay TV awards| Vijay awards gallery | Kollywood films". 26 July 2008. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008.
- ^ a b "The 55th Filmfare South Awards in Chennai on July 12". Televisionpoint. Bhash Media Private Limited. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
- ^ "Filmi dialogues used in everyday lingo". The Times of India. 15 January 2017. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ a b C R, Sharanya (12 January 2020). "Rio and Ramya's next takes a cue from Vadivelu's lines". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ Says, Putlocker toda (23 May 2018). "Thalapathy Vijay's most iconic punch dialogues". Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (31 August 2013). "Audio beat: Arya Surya - Songs to lighten the mood". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Thalapathy Vijay reference in Megastar Mammootty Malayalam Movie". YouTube. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Clash of the spoof boys – 9 years of Goa and Thamizh Padam!". IndiaGlitz. 29 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Pokkiri Simon is about Surya and Vijay fans". Cinema Express. 22 August 2017. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Pokkiri Simon Review". Indiaglitz. 23 September 2017. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Nelson speaks to us about Beast, says 'script of Beast is influenced by Pokkiri'". Cinema Express. 8 April 2022. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Bakkiri out of Pokkiri: someone does not like the mockery". Behindwoods. 27 March 2007. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ S, Srivatsan (9 April 2020). "The rise and fall of 'Lollu Sabha': Director Rambala on the untold story". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2022.