UpdateBot at 16:56, 15 March 2022

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imported>Ravensfire: Removed names from plot section per WP:FILMPLOT, removed unsourced material

2021-08-27T22:27:08Z

Removed names from plot section per WP:FILMPLOT, removed unsourced material

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>Kugan1997 at 19:00, 8 July 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Kushi
| image = Kushi (2000 film).jpg
| caption = poster
| director = [[S. J. Surya]]
| writer = S. J. Surya
| starring = [[Vijay (actor)|Vijay]] [[Jyothika]]
| producer = [[A. M. Rathnam]]
| cinematography = [[Jeeva (director)|Jeeva]]
| music = [[Deva (music director)|Deva]]
| editing = [[B. Lenin]] [[V. T. Vijayan]]
| studio = [[A. M. Rathnam|Sri Surya Movies]]
| distributor = Sri Surya Movies
| released = {{Film date|2000|05|19|df=y}}
| runtime = 170 minutes
| country = India
| language = Tamil
| gross = 
}}

'''''Kushi''''' ({{Translation}} Happiness) is a 2000 Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[romantic comedy]] film written and directed by [[S. J. Surya]] and produced by [[A. M. Rathnam]]. The film featured [[Vijay (actor)|Vijay]] and [[Jyothika]] in the leading roles, while [[Mumtaj]], [[Vivek (actor)|Vivek]] and [[Vijayakumar (Tamil actor)|Vijayakumar]] play other supporting roles. The film had cinematography by [[Jeeva (director)|Jeeva]], while music was composed by [[Deva (music director)|Deva]]. The film was released in May 2000 and was a blockbuster grossing ₹25,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kushi-collects-25-crore-at-box-office|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701103233/https://ibb.co/18ZSRmn|access-date=2021-07-02|website=ImgBB|language=en}}</ref> it spawned several remakes. The film was remade in Telugu as ''[[Kushi (2001 film)|Kushi]],'' in Hindi as ''[[Khushi (2003 Hindi film)|Khushi]]'', and in Kannada as ''[[Eno Onthara]]''. Jyothika went on to win the [[Filmfare Best Actress Award (Tamil)|Filmfare Best Actress Award in Tamil]] for her performance in the film.<ref name="trophy">{{cite news|last1=Ramya|first1=Kannan|title=Trophy time for tinseldom|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2001/03/24/stories/0424401t.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113163735/http://www.thehindu.com/2001/03/24/stories/0424401t.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 January 2016|access-date=29 May 2017|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=24 March 2001}}</ref>

==Plot==
The movie begins with the birth of the protagonists, Shiva and Jennifer "Jenny" [[also known as|aka]] Selvi, in [[Calcutta]] and [[Courtallam|Kuttralam]] [[Tirunelveli district]] of [[Tamil Nadu]] respectively. During the course of their childhood, they encounter each other a couple a times, though both don't know each other. When Shiva ([[Vijay (actor)|Vijay]]) turns 21, he decides to pursue his higher studies in [[Canada]], much to the disappointment of his mother, who is worried about him and wants him to stay in Calcutta. But while on the way to the [[Dum Dum airport|airport]], he meets with an accident and fractures his leg, forcing him to give up his dreams of studying abroad. At the same time, Jenny ([[Jyothika]]) wants to pursue her post-graduation, but this is opposed by her father Pandiyan ([[Vijayakumar (Tamil actor)|Vijayakumar]]), who wants her to get married. But when Jenny's marriage gets cancelled as the groom runs away on the night before the wedding to [[elopement|elope]] with his lover, Pandiyan agrees to Jenny pursuing higher studies, on the condition that she gets married once she completes her education.

Shiva and Jenny both enroll in [[Madras Christian College]], but in different classes. They meet each other at a temple and soon become close friends. Shiva's friend Babu ([[Nagendra Prasad]]) is in love with Jenny's friend Shanthi. They both work together to unite their friends. But one day, Jenny catches Shiva staring at her waist while she is studying. A heated argument ensues, following which both Shiva and Jenny end their friendship.

Shiva and Jenny try to avoid each other, but can't as Shanthi's father Ambareesh ([[Rajan P. Dev]]), a powerful and influential industrialist and politician, has found out about his daughter's relationship with Babu, and goes to great lengths to avoid the couple from meeting each other. Shiva and Jenny are forced to work together to help Babu and Shanthi meet each other, despite Ambareesh's opposition. When Shiva is caught trying to sneak Babu into Shanthi's house, Ambareesh sends his men to attack Shiva. When one of the men attempt to stab Shiva, Jenny attempts to save Shiva, but in the process she cuts her hand and loses consciousness due to heavy bleeding. Shiva gets Jenny admitted in hospital, where she soon recovers. It is at this stage that both Shiva and Jenny realise they are in love with each other, but refuse to admit it. Shiva pretends to accept the sexual overtures of the college [[Bombshell (slang)|bombshell]] Anita ([[Mumtaj]]), just to make Jenny jealous.

Meanwhile, Ambareesh tries to get Shanthi forcibly married to someone else. Shiva finds out and sneaks Shanthi out of the wedding hall, thus stopping the wedding. Shanthi and Babu get married at a register office with the support of Shiva and Jenny. Before leaving for their honeymoon, Babu and Shanthi advise them to sort out their relationship. When both Shiva and Jenny complete their post-graduation and leave for their respective hometowns, they attempt to contact each other by phone to declare their love, but fail. Shiva rushes to the [[Chennai Egmore railway station]] (where Jenny is to board a train to Tirunelveli), while at the same time, Jenny goes to the [[Chennai Central railway station]] (where Shiva is to board a train to Calcutta). They miss each other, but they write a letter declaring their love for each other and hand it over to their co-passengers on the train which they are respectively going to board. Jenny reaches her village the following morning in a sad mood, but soon is in for a surprise; she is to marry none other than Shiva that day. Shiva had read Jenny's letter and then informed Pandiyan about their relationship, who agreed to get them married. The movie ends with Shiva and Jenny happily hugging and kissing each other.

==Cast==
{{colbegin}}
*[[Vijay (actor)|Vijay]] as Shiva
*[[Jyothika]] as Jennifer "Jenny" (Selvi)
*[[Mumtaj]] as Anita
*[[Nagendra Prasad]] as Babu
* Karishma Singh as Shanti
*[[Vivek (actor)|Vivek]] as Vicky
*[[Nizhalgal Ravi]] as Shiva's father
*[[Vijayakumar (Tamil actor)|Vijayakumar]] as Pandiyan, Jennifer's father
*[[Beena Banerjee]] as Shiva's mother
*[[Janaki Sabesh]] as Jennifer's mother
*[[Rajan P. Dev]] as MP Ambareesh, Shanti's father
*Jaya Murali as a Doctor
*[[Besant Ravi]] as Ambareesh's henchman
*[[Manish Borundia]] as Shiva's friend
*[[Shilpa Shetty]] as Macarena (guest appearance)
*[[S. J. Surya]] in a cameo appearance as a person in Kolkata
* [[Sridhar (choreographer)|Sridhar]] as dancer
*[[Shaam (actor)|Shaam]] as Shiva's friend (uncredited)
*[[Ravi Mariya]] as man at the temple (uncredited)
*Thadi Balaji as security guard (uncredited)
{{colend}}

==Production==
After watching the premiere show of ''[[Vaalee (1999 film)|Vaali]]'', Rathnam offered [[S. J. Surya]] an opportunity to direct his next venture with Vijay and Jyothika being signed on soon after.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jeevi|url=http://www.idlebrain.com/celeb/interview/interview_sjsurya.html |title=Interview with SJ Surya|website=Idlebrain.com |date=2001-06-12 |access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref> Jyothika was cast as the lead heroine after [[S. J. Surya]]'s ''[[Vaalee (1999 film)|Vaali]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cinematoday2.itgo.com/Interviews-jothika.htm |title=Jothika|website=Cinematoday}}</ref> Actress [[Aswathi Menon]] was also considered for a leading role, but she opted to continue with her education.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20041117070038/http://www.chennaionline.com/reeltalk/mar123.asp</ref> Vijay began shooting for the film during the same time he was shooting [[Fazil (director)|Fazil]]'s ''[[Kannukkul Nilavu]]'' and revealed how hard it had been to shift between the two characters he was portraying.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cinematoday.itgo.com/vijai.htm |title=Vijai's Answers|website=Cinematoday|access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref>

Early reports indicated that the film would portray an illicit relationship where a young widowed mother (Mumtaj) would lust for the lover (Vijay) of her own daughter (Jyothika). The producer rubbished the rumors claiming that the film would be a romantic comedy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eelamnation.com/kushi.html |title=EelamNation Cinema Section |website=Eelamnation.com |access-date=2012-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221143230/http://eelamnation.com/kushi.html |archive-date=21 February 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The producers initially readied themselves to release the film on April 14, 2000 but pushed dates back to accommodate the release of bigger budget ventures such as [[Mani Ratnam]]'s ''[[Alaipayuthey (film)|Alaipayuthey]]'' and [[Rajiv Menon]]'s ''[[Kandukondain Kandukondain]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Specials/2000/tnyspecial.htm |title=Tamil New Year's Special 2000 |website=Indolink.com |date=2000-04-24 |access-date=2012-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210005955/http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Specials/2000/tnyspecial.htm |archive-date=10 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The film eventually released on 19 May 2000.

==Release==
''[[Rediff.com]]'' felt that "overall, the light, airy romance of ''Kushi'' works just right for the holiday season, with an appeal calculated for the teen and family audiences", praising the director's story-telling.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2000/jun/14kush.htm |title=The Kushee review |website=[[Rediff.com]] |date=2000-06-14 |access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref> Entertainment portal ''Bizhat.com'' gave the film a below average review and claimed that the film "does not justify the title in any way nor does it come anywhere near his first" and that it "is interesting in the beginning, but monotonous after a time as the narration gets stuck in a groove".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.bizhat.com/review_kushi.php |title=Kushi Review |website=Bizhat.com |access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref>

''[[The Hindu]]'' featured the film as runner-up in their list of top Tamil films in 2000, placing it behind [[Vikraman]]'s ''[[Vanathai Pola]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2001/01/19/stories/09190224.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001180529/http://hindu.com/2001/01/19/stories/09190224.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-10-01 |title=Hits and misses of the year that was |website=[[The Hindu]] |date=2001-01-19 |access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/jan/03mallu.htm |title=Ajith to star with Suresh Gopi |website=[[Rediff.com]] |date=2001-01-03 |access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref> Jyothika went on to win the [[Filmfare Best Actress Award (Tamil)|Filmfare Best Actress Award in Tamil]] for her performance in the film.<ref name="trophy"/> [[Deva (music director)|Deva]] won the [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director]] in 2000 for his work in the film along with his work in ''[[Uyirile Kalanthathu]]'' and ''[[Sandhitha Velai]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/10733.html |title=Tamil Nadu announces film awards for three years|website=IndiaGlitz |date=2004-10-01 |access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref>

In 2001, [[A. M. Rathnam]] re-signed Surya to direct the Telugu version of the film, also titled ''[[Kushi (2001 film)|Kushi]]''. The film starring [[Pawan Kalyan]] and [[Bhumika Chawla]] also similarly won positive reviews and commercial success.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sify.com/movies/telugu/fullstory.php?id=14641958&cid=14625527 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414041412/http://sify.com/movies/telugu/fullstory.php?id=14641958&cid=14625527 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-04-14 |title=Andhra Box Office: Jalsa creates a record |website=[[Sify.com]] |date=2008-04-10 |access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref> Surya also directed the Hindi version of the film in 2003 as ''[[Khushi (2003 Hindi film)|Khushi]]'' for producer [[Boney Kapoor]], with [[Fardeen Khan]] and [[Kareena Kapoor]] in the lead roles. The success of the lead pair's chemistry prompted Vijay and Jyothika to team up again in 2003 for ''[[Thirumalai]]'', while the director and actor briefly reunited for a project titled ''Puli'' in 2005, before Vijay opted out.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/10/23/stories/2003102300150300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031110180845/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/10/23/stories/2003102300150300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2003-11-10 |title=High hopes |website=[[The Hindu]] |date=2003-10-23 |access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.behindwoods.com/features/News/News39/12.01.06/simbu.html |title=Simbu:The reason behind Vijay killing Puli |website=Behindwoods.com |date=2006-01-12 |access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref> In an interview prior to the release of ''[[Anbe Aaruyire (2005 film)|Anbe Aaruyire]]'' (2005), Surya revealed that the film was "like a sequel to Kushi".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/kannada/article/11867.html |title=Sequel to Kushi |website=IndiaGlitz |date=2004-12-11 |access-date=2012-08-25}}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name = Kushi
| type = [[Soundtrack]]
| artist = [[Deva (composer)|Deva]]
| cover =
| alt =
| released = 14 April 2000
| recorded = 1999-2000
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Film soundtrack|Feature film soundtrack]]
| length = 35:23
| label = Five Star Audio [[Sa Re Ga Ma]] [[Ayngaran International|Ayngaran Music]] An Ak Audio Star Music
| producer = [[Deva (composer)|Deva]]
| prev_title = [[Eazhaiyin Sirippil]]
| prev_year = 2000
| next_title = [[Mugavaree]]
| next_year = 2000
}}
The soundtrack of the film was composed by [[Deva (music director)|Deva]], while [[Vairamuthu]] penned the lyrics for the songs. "Mottu Ondru" was based on "[[Why You Wanna Trip on Me]]" by [[Michael Jackson]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20090703-152487.html |title=Hanging up their sequinned gloves for good? |date=3 July 2009 |website=[[AsiaOne]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20171107042058/https://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20090703-152487.html |archive-date=7 November 2017 |url-status=dead |access-date=28 January 2017}}</ref> and "Oh Vennila" is based on the Portuguese song "[[Harem (song)|Canção do Mar]]" sung by [[Dulce Pontes]] for ''[[Primal Fear (film)|Primal Fear]]'' (1996).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.filmcompanion.in/deewangee-soundtrack-borrowed-from-1996-thriller-primal-fear-carbon-copy |title=When Deewangee Not Only Borrowed Its Plot, But Also Its Soundtrack From 1996 Thriller Primal Fear |last=Srinivasan |first=Karthik |date=5 March 2019 |website=[[Film Companion]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305071030/https://www.filmcompanion.in/deewangee-soundtrack-borrowed-from-1996-thriller-primal-fear-carbon-copy |archive-date=5 March 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=5 March 2019}}</ref> The songs "Macarena Macarena", "Megam Karukuthu", and "Oru Ponnu Onnu" were reused as "Macarina Macarina", "Megham Karigenu", and "Oka Konte Pillane" in the Telugu film [[Naaga]] (2003), which also had the music composed by [[Deva (music director)|Deva]].

{{tracklist
| headline = Track-list
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| total_length = 35:20
| title1 = Megam Karukuthu
| extra1 = [[Harini (singer)|Harini]]
| length1 = 6:04
| title2 = Macarena Macarena
| extra2 = [[Devan Ekambaram|Devan]], [[Sowmya Raoh]], [[S. J. Surya]]
| length2 = 6:40
| title3 = Oru Ponnu Onnu
| extra3 = [[Hariharan (singer)|Hariharan]], [[Anuradha Sriram]]
| length3 = 5:36
| title4 = Mottu Onru
| extra4 = Hariharan, [[Sadhana Sargam]]
| length4 = 6:07
| title5 = Kattipudi Kattipudida
| extra5 = [[Shankar Mahadevan]], [[Vasundhara Das]]
| length5 = 5:41
| title6 = Oh Vennila
| extra6 = [[P. Unni Krishnan|Unnikrishnan]], Anuradha Sriram
| length6 = 5:12
}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0361818}}

{{S. J. Surya}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kushi (2000 Film)}}
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by S. J. Suryaah]]
[[Category:2000s Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:Indian romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:Tamil films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Films scored by Deva (composer)]]
[[Category:Films shot in Tirunelveli]]
[[Category:Films shot in Kolkata]]
[[Category:Films featuring an item number]]
[[Category:2000 romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:2000 films]]

Kushi (2000 film) - Revision history

UpdateBot at 16:56, 15 March 2022

imported>Ravensfire: Removed names from plot section per WP:FILMPLOT, removed unsourced material

>Kugan1997 at 19:00, 8 July 2021