Thalaivaa

Thalaivaa

Promotional poster
Directed by A. L. Vijay
Produced by S. Chandraprakash Jain
Written by A.L.Vijay
Starring
Music by G. V. Prakash Kumar
Cinematography Nirav Shah
Edited by Anthony
Production
company
Sri Mishri Productions
Distributed by Vendhar Movies
Release dates
 8 August 2013 (France, Singapore and Canada)
9 August 2013 (Worldwide)
Country India
Language Tamil
Budget INR60 crore (US$9.5 million)[1]
Box office INR74.5 crore (US$12 million)[2]

Thalaivaa (English: Leader) is a 2013 gangster thriller directed and written by A. L. Vijay. The film features Vijay and Amala Paul in the lead roles, Abhimanyu Singh as the main antagonist, as well as Sathyaraj, Santhanam, Ponvannan, Rajiv Pillai and Ragini Nandwani in supporting roles.[3] The film, produced by Chandraprakash Jain features background score and soundtrack composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar with cinematography handled by Nirav Shah released on 9 August 2013 worldwide positive to mixed reviews. The film was a moderate hit at box office.

Plot

Thalaivaa is about Vishwa (Vijay), a dancer in Australia who lives his good life engaging in dance competitions and managing his water distribution business with his partner and childhood friend Logu (Santhanam)and his dance team members. His father Ramadurai (Sathyaraj) is a don in Mumbai and the people’s leader for Mumbai Tamilians, a fact that Vishwa is unaware of. His Fathers arch enemy is Bhima Bhai (Abhimanyu Singh). His father keeps him away from India throughout his life and Vishwa is under the impression that his father is a businessman. He comes across Meera (Amala Paul), the daughter of one of his customers, and slowly falls in love with her. She joins his dance team and they win a major competition. Vishwa then asks for Meera’s hand in marriage from her father (Suresh), who wishes to discuss the matter formally with his father. So, Vishwa, Meera and her father head to Mumbai to meet Ramadurai. When they reach Mumbai, Vishwa realises that his father is no ordinary man but a powerful don and this is where Vishwa’s life changes forever as he discovers that Meera and her father are in fact CBI who are trying to arrest his father Ramadurai. In the meantime, Bhima Bhai devises a plot to kill Ramadurai and he gets killed in the bomb blast. Vishwa is completely devastated after the death of his father. He helps his comrades in danger but that results in the comrade getting grievously injured. Vishwa then gets attacked by assassins but he kills all of them. Police arrest him but nobody came as a witness. As a result , Vishwa is freed. He dons the title of 'Thalaivaa' and starts helping people using his friends. During a riot in Mumbai, Bhima causes mass agitation and as a result many people are grievously injured. All the evidence goes against Vishwa, but he finds a tape recorded by a cameraman and publicises it. Bhima is put in jail. Vishwa kills the corrupt chief minister of that state and puts the blame on Bhima. At last Bhima escapes and kills every single one of his comrades, including a girl named Gowri (Ragini Nandwani). In the end, a great fight occurs in which Vishwa's uncle Ranga(Ponvannan) stabs Vishwa and escapes. He tells his son about what he did in the car. Angered, his son drives the car into a petroleum truck, thus killing both.

Vishwa kills Bhima, but Meera acts quickly and shoots the corpes, implying that she killed them, thus saving Vishwa from jail time. At last, Meera resigns her police job and marries Vishwa, who quickly follows in his fathers footsteps as the new leader.

Cast

Production

Casting

Vijay on the sets of Thalaivaa

After watching A. L. Vijay's period drama film Madrasapattinam (2010), Vijay was impressed by the film and contacted the film director for a new project. A. L. Vijay later narrated the Thalaivaa story to Vijay and he agreed to play the role within fifteen minutes.[4] Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Yami Gautam were initially approached for the lead female role.[5][6] Later Amala Paul was selected.[7] Vijay Yesudas was reported to be finalized for antagonist role in this film,[8] but he denied it as rumour.[9][10] Sathyaraj was also selected to be a part of this film.[11] A. L. Vijay's brother Udhaya has been selected to feature in a prominent role.[12] G. V. Prakash Kumar will be the music director while Nirav Shah will crank the camera. R.K. Naguraj has been enrolled as art director. Rumors about a Hollywood star portraying a singer, were refuted by Vijay.[13]

Filming

The muhurta of the film was held in Chennai on 16 November 2012.[14] The first schedule began in Mumbai from 23 November 2012.[15] The title song "Thalaivaa Thalaivaa" was shot in Mumbai with 500 junior artists.[16] A major portion of the film was shot in Australia.[17] The first look and title was revealed on 14 January 2013. Additional posters were released on 26 January 2013.[18]

As of 8 February 2013, 50 percent of total shootings were completed, with stunt scenes conducted by Stunt Silva.[19] Ragini Nandwani, who plays a North Indian, stated that all of her film sequences were shot in Mumbai over 25–30 days. They moved to Chennai and shot a song at Binny Mills.[20] A last shooting schedule in Australia was completed by 24 April.[21][22] They shot scenes at the Bondi Beach in New South Wales.[23] It was revealed that Vijay would portray a leader of a dance group based in Australia, performing dance styles of different genres including tap dancing with Sathish (June Ponal song fame), Karthik (Ungalil yaar Prabhu Deva winner) & their dance schoolmates.[24]

Music

Thalaivaa

Front cover
Soundtrack album by G. V. Prakash Kumar
Released 21 June 2013[25]
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length 31:25
Language Tamil
Label Sony Music India
Producer G. V. Prakash Kumar
G. V. Prakash Kumar chronology

Udhayam NH4 (2013) Thalaivaa (2013) Raja Rani (2013)

The soundtrack was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar and the lyrics were written by Na. Muthukumar, both teaming with A. L. Vijay for the fifth time. The soundtrack features five songs and two theme music tracks.[26] As of 21 November 2012, he had composed two songs for the film.[27] One song had been sung by Vijay alongside with Santhanam.[28] A third song was completed on 11 February 2013.[26] The audio launch took place on 21 June 2013 in Hotel Connemara.[29] The audio rights of Thalaivaa were bought by Sony Music.[30]

The album received positive reviews from the audience.Behindwoods rated it 3.5/5, stating "A true for the fans, high on energy and drama".[31] Oneindia said GV Prakash Kumar has composed the songs keeping new-age audience in mind. Thalaivaa album simply cannot be ignored.[32] Indiaglitz said "Thalaivaa is all about energy and jive. Ranging from foot tapping to soul lifting, the album is elevating in all respects. For a crowd puller like Vijay, this album is aptly scored to be cheery and soulful. In all, GV Prakash has redefined music crafted for dance and rated 3.75 / 5 – Energy packed album. Get up and dance."[33]

All lyrics written by Na. Muthukumar. 

Track listing
No. TitleSinger(s) Length
1. "Tamil Pasanga"  Benny Dayal, Sheezay.Psycho Unit 5:06
2. "Yaar Indha Saalai Oram"  G. V. Prakash Kumar, Saindhavi 5:12
3. "Vaanganna Vanakkanganna"  Vijay, Santhanam 5:31
4. "Sol Sol"  Vijay Prakash, Abhay Jodhpurkar, Megha 5:46
5. "The Ecstacy of Dance"  Kiran, Chennai Symphony 2:08
6. "Thalapathy Thalapathy"  Haricharan, Pooja Vaidyanath, Zia Ulhaq 5:36
7. "Thalaivaa Theme"  G. V. Prakash Kumar 2:46
Total length:
 31:25

Release

Thalaivaa distribution rights for the United States and Canada were bought by Bharat Creations.[34] Ayngaran International acquired the overseas rights for Thalaivaa[35] Tamil Nadu rights were bought by Vendhar Movies and Kerala rights by Thameens via Vendhar movies. The music rights were sold to Sony Music.[36] Prior to Vijay's birthday on 21 June a theatrical film trailer was released by Sony Music India on their YouTube channel.[37] Trailer got 1.2 million in 32 hours and 2 million views within 2 days on YouTube after its release. The film garnered totally 3.4 million hits on YouTube. The satellite rights of the film were secured by Sun TV for a record sum of INR15 crore (US$2.4 million).[38] The film's running length is 3 hours 2 minutes and was given a "U" certiticate by the Indian Censor Board. The film has been released on Friday, 9 August 2013 worldwide.

Reception

The film opened with positive to mixed reviews from critics."[39] Oneindia.in stated that the film is a typical Vijay's entertainer,and will make his fans to be proud as his fans.[40][41] IBN Live rated 3/5 stating that the film is a full-baked product. Sify stated "Thalaivaa is good and the movie was racy and shorter".[42] Behindwoods.com gave the movie 2.75/5 commenting "A different Vijay offering with enough impactful scenes, which takes its time to build up." .Relatively, greatandhra.com gave the movie 3.85/5 stating that the film is a typical entertainer[43] Metromasti.com gave the movie 3/5 stars stating, "Thalaiva which runs for 185 minutes has very intelligent scenes and is expected to be a complete class hit entertainer movie of the year".[44] AP Herald.com gave 3/5 stating that "the film just entertains the audience".[45]

'Times of India' gave 3/5 stating Vijay is in top form when he's normal and menacing.Sathyaraj as the don is effective. But the one who makes this arduous journey enjoyable is Santhanam,whose poker-faced humour provides relief in a largely grim story.[46] Chitriyala.com gave the movie 3.75/5 stating "First half is fast paced with romance, dance, funny scenes like chemistry between Vijay and Amala Paul and Santhanam and Amala Paul are glorified in the first half of the movie and second half is good with twists and revenge drama.[47] MovieCrow rated 3/5 stating that the movie is a typical entertainer.[48] APlive.net gave 3/5 and commented, Thalaivaa is old wine in new bottle".[49] Bookmyshow rated the film 3/5 stating that "Overall, Thalaivaa is a very good movie to watch, not just for movie fanatics down south but all across the nation. If it’s the one thing you learn from this flick is – If you’re your father’s son, you will follow his footsteps! ".[50]

Box office

India

In Chennai, the film had a good opening by fetching INR9.58 crore (US$1.5 million) in its opening day.[51] In Malaysia, the film overall grossed $1,902,959 (INR.80 million).[44][52]"Thalaivaa" is doing good business in Tamil Nadu.[53] Thalaivaa grossed more than INR21 crore (US$3.3 million) during the first weekend in Tamil Nadu.[54]"Thalaivaa" had a thunderous opening and topped the Kerala box office during the Eid weekend (9–11 August) raking in INR1.12 crore (US$180,000), even though four Malayalam films and one Hindi film – "Chennai Express" were released during that period.[55] From a total of 131 screens in kerela,the opening has been excellent and the first weekend gross is expected to be above 3 crores. The first day gross of INR1.12 crore (US$180,000) perfectly set the pace for constant improvements over the weekend.It must be noted that lot of audiences from Tamil Nadu are frequenting theatres in the TN – Kerala border to catch a glimpse of Thalaivaa. The Eid festival period has given a huge boost to the Kerala box-office and Thalaivaa stands on top. Distributors are confident that the movie’s overall collections will end up being as big as Thuppaki and Pokkiri in Kerala.[56] At the end of the third weekend,Thalaivaa grossed INR 5 crore in Kerela.[57]

Vijay Strikes Gold With Thalaivaa at Karnataka Box Office.Thalaivaa getting massive response from audience in the Garden City.Vijay star power has worked big time in Bangalore.Bangalore City has seen an extraordinary opening for Thalaivaa with occupancies ranging in the 85 to 90% range.In Karnataka,Thalaivaa has earned Rs 5.7 crores (both Tamil and Telugu versions) at Box Office in the first week. The distributor's share is INR2.7 crore (US$430,000), says a source. In Bangalore, the Tamil movie had done great business and it is expected to have collected more than Rs INR1.5 crore (US$240,000).In the following weekend, the occupancy for the recently released Thalaivaa was close to 80% in most of the multiplexes. And the single screens ran into packed house in the second weekend. Multiplexes such as Cinemax, Gopalan and PVR witnessed cent percent collections in the weekend[58] After the first day, 4 extra screens were added and trade pundits opine that the opening is better than the other recent big release Singam 2.A lot of fans had travelled from Tamil Nadu to see the movie, thereby adding to the craze in Bangalore City.[59]

The Telugu dubbed version, Anna, after a terrific day one opening share of 1 crore, settled at around INR2 crore (US$320,000) to INR2.25 crore (US$360,000) for the overall weekend share. Anna opened in around 275 screens, making it Vijay's biggest release in Andhra. The Tamil version of the movie is being screened in 3 properties in Hyderabad City. The overall feedback from audiences seem to be positive.[60]

Overseas

Thalaivaa opened well at International markets,especially in USA and UK.[61] In UK From the paid previews on Thursday till Saturday, Thalaivaa’s gross in the UK is INR78 lakh (US$120,000) approximate from 34 locations and it is seen as a very impressive opening.Vijay's films generally embark on a great start in the UK, and Thalaivaa is no exception.[62] The film's UK collection is said to be INR1.14 crore (US$180,000) in its opening weekend.[61]Vijay starrer Thalaivaa has been declared a Hit in UK.In UK "Thalaivaa" made an impressive start earning INR1.14 crore (US$180,000) (£1,21,249) from 36 screens in the opening weekend. The film has made higher collections than Suriya's "Singam 2" in the UK. "Singam 2" earned around INR99 lakh (US$160,000) in the first week of its release. But Vijay's "Thalaivaa" crossed "Singam 2" collections in its debut weekend.The film continued its dream run at the UK box office even in its second weekend. Its total UK collections are now pegged at INR2.09 crore (US$330,000).[63]

At the end of the first weekend, the US gross of Thalaivaa from 44 reported locations is 212,000 USD INR1.29 crore (US$200,000). A record total of 70 locations are screening Thalaivaa and the total gross for the first weekend is expected to be in the 250,000 USD range[62] Thalaivaa fared well in Malaysia too.Thalaivaa has maintained exceptionally well in its second weekend in Malaysia.The film has become ninth highest grosser of all time in Malaysia box office in just 10 days collection.In its second weekend the film has collected INR1.14 crore (US$180,000) (MYR 579,153) on 60 screens and average working out per screens INR1.90 lakh (US$3,000) (MYR 9,654).[64] Thalaivaa collected around INR8.34 crore (US$1.3 million) in just 10 days at the Malaysian box office.[65] The overall box office collection of the movie is estimated around 74.5 Crores[66]

Awards

Award Category Recipient Result
Vijay Awards Favourite Hero Vijay Won
Entertainer of the Year Vijay Nominated
Favourite Film Thalaivaa Nominated
Techofes#Awards Favourite Actor Vijay Won

References

  1. ↑ http://behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-news-10/vijay-thalaivaa-25-07-13.html
  2. ↑ http://www.indianmoviestats.com/tamil/kollywood-2013/thalaivaa.html
  3. ↑ "Amala to pair opposite Vijay". Times of India. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "Every scene in Thalaivaa will be like RDX". Behindwoods. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "Samantha in Vijay's next?". Times of India. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "I'm a private person: Yami". Times of India. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "It's official: Amala Paul opposite Vijay". Indiaglitz. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  8. ↑ "Director Vijay, hero Vijay and villain Vijay". Behindwoods. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  9. ↑ "There won't be a third Vijay in Thalaivaa,". Behindwoods. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  10. ↑ "I want to focus on my music for now, says Vijay Yesudas". Deccan Chronicle. 7 September 2012. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  11. ↑ "Sathyaraj with Vijay again". Indiaglitz. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  12. ↑ "Udhaya in 'Thalaivaa'". IndiaGlitz. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "Vijay trashes Hollywood star act rumour". The Times of India. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  14. ↑ "Vijay-Vijay project pooja held!". Times of India. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  15. ↑ "Vijay-Vijay start shoot in Mumbai". Times of India. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  16. ↑ "Vijay's new Tamil film titled Thalaiva". NDTV. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  17. ↑ "Vijay & Amala does photoshoot!". Sify. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  18. ↑ "Thalaivaa new look". Behindwoods. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  19. ↑ "'Thalaivaa' paces fast". IndiaGlitz. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  20. ↑ "Super 6 for Vijay's Thalaivaa !". behindwoods. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  21. ↑ "It was delightful working with Vijay in Thalaivaa: Ragini". OneIndia. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  22. ↑ "Thalaivaa wrapped up". IndiaGlitz. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  23. ↑ "The Australian spot which the Thalaivaa team cherishes". Behindwoods. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  24. ↑ Karthik, Janani. "Vijay tap dances in Thalaivaa!". Times of India. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  25. ↑ "GV confirms Thalaivaa audio launch date". timesofindia. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Prasad, Shiva (11 February 2013). "Vijay's Thalaivaa scores 3 out of 5". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  27. ↑ "Vijay chooses Spain as milieu for his Vijay film". Sify. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  28. ↑ "GV Prakash to do Ilayathalapathy film!". Sify. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  29. ↑ "Thalaiva Audio Release Posters". moviegalleri.net. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  30. ↑ "Ilayathalapthy Vijay’s Thalaivaa – Audio Launch". Badhil.
  31. ↑ "Thalaivaa Songs Review Thalaivaa, Vijay, Amala Paul". behindwoods.com.
  32. ↑ "Thalaivaa Music Review". http://www.filmibeat.com''. 21 June 2013
  33. ↑ "Thalaiva Music Review songs lyrics". IndiaGlitz. 21 June 2013
  34. ↑ "Thalaivaa snapped by Bharath Creations!". The Times of India. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  35. ↑ "Ayngaran International acquired the overseas rights for Thalaivaa". Ayngaran. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  36. ↑ "Vijay's New film 'Thalaiva' Audio and Film Rights Sold". Indiaglitz. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  37. ↑ Thalaivaa — Official Theatrical Trailer (YouTube). Sony Music India.
  38. ↑ http://www.cinemakaramkapi.com/2014/10/deepawali-2014-movies-on-tv.html
  39. ↑
  40. ↑ Critics Review: Thalaivaa Gets Mixed Response – Oneindia Entertainment. Entertainment.oneindia.in (10 August 2013). Retrieved on 1 June 2014.
  41. ↑ Thalaivaa box office collection. Behindwoods.com. Retrieved on 29 December 2013.
  42. ↑ Thalaivaa. sify.com
  43. ↑ 'Anna' (Thalaiva) Review: Tests Patience. Greatandhra.com (9 August 2013). Retrieved on 29 December 2013.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Thalaiva Review Vijay's Thalaivaa a class entertainment hit film | Reviews. Metromasti.com (9 August 2013). Retrieved on 29 December 2013.
  45. ↑ Anna Telugu Movie Review, Rating. Apherald.com. Retrieved on 29 December 2013.
  46. ↑ Thalaivaa movie review: Wallpaper, Story, Trailer at Times of India. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved on 29 December 2013.
  47. ↑ Venkat, Chitriyala (August 2013) . chitriyala.com
  48. ↑ 'Thalaivaa Review – Rehashed Godfather' Tamil Movie, Music Reviews and News. Moviecrow.com. Retrieved on 29 December 2013.
  49. ↑ Thalaivaa/ Anna Movie Review – Old wine in new Bottle. Aplive.Net (9 August 2013). Retrieved on 29 December 2013.
  50. ↑ Thalaivaa: Film Review
  51. ↑ Thalaivaa box office collection. Behindwoods.com. Retrieved on 29 December 2013.
  52. ↑ Malaysia Box Office, August 15?18, 2013. Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved on 29 December 2013.
  53. ↑ Sangeetha Seshagiri (26 August 2013) "'Thalaivaa' Box Office Collection: Vijay Starrer Rules Chennai BO". International Business Times.
  54. ↑ "Thalaivaa – TN Box Office August 23 To August 25- Cinemalea | Cinemalead.com". cinemalead.com.
  55. ↑ Sangeetha Seshagiri (29 August 2013) "'Thalaivaa' Box Office Collection: Vijay Starrer Performs Decently in Kerala". International Business Times.
  56. ↑ "Thalaiva release | Box office release report of Thalaiva (aka) Thalaivaa outside Tamil nadu". behindwoods.com.
  57. ↑ Thalaivaa's Kerala box-office collection report. Behindwoods.com (28 August 2013). Retrieved on 29 December 2013.
  58. ↑ "Vijay Strikes Gold With Thalaivaa At Karnataka Box Office". http://www.filmibeat.com''.
  59. ↑ Kanchana Devi (12 August 2013) Box office collection : Vijay starrer Thalaivaa gets thunderous opening in Kerala, Karnataka and abroad. truthdive.com.
  60. ↑ behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-news-10/how-has-thalaiva-opened-outside-tamil-nadu-thalaivaa-thalaiva-12-08-13.html
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 http://www.cinemalead.com/news-id-thalaivaa-usa-and-uk-box-office-report-box-office-analysis-12-08-133080.htm
  62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 http://behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-news-10/how-has-thalaiva-opened-outside-tamil-nadu-thalaivaa-thalaiva-12-08-13.html
  63. ↑ http://www.ibtimes.co.in/039thalaivaa039-box-office-collection-vijay-starrer-a-hit-in-uk-earns-over-2-crore-500110
  64. ↑ http://www.glintcinemas.com/2013/08/thalaivaa-2nd-weekend-collection-in-malaysia.html
  65. ↑ http://www.glintcinemas.com/2013/09/malaysia-thalaivaa-5th-weekend-collection.html
  66. ↑ http://www.indianmoviestats.com/tamil/kollywood-2013/thalaivaa.html

External links