Sunil Tani: Creating A Stub

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{{Short description|2022 Indian Tamil film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| image = Taanakkaran poster.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| director = Tamizh
| writer = Tamizh
| producer = S. R. Prakash Babu<br />[[S. R. Prabhu]]<br />P. Gopinath<br />Thanga Prabaharan R.
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Vikram Prabhu]]
* [[Anjali Nair (actress, born 1995)|Anjali Nair]]
* [[Lal (actor)|Lal]]
}}
| narrator =
| cinematography = Madhesh Manickam
| editing = [[Philomin Raj]]
| music = [[Ghibran]]
| studio = Potential Studios
| distributor = [[Disney+ Hotstar]]
| released = {{Film date|2022|04|08|df=yes}}
| country = India
| language = Tamil
}}

'''''Taanakkaran''''' ({{translation|[[Circle officer|Circle Inspector]]}}) is a 2022 Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[action drama]] film written and directed by Tamizh (in his directorial debut) and produced by Potential Studios.<ref name="Taana announce sify" /> The film stars [[Vikram Prabhu]], with [[Anjali Nair (actress, born 1995)|Anjali Nair]], [[Lal (actor)|Lal]], [[M. S. Bhaskar]], and [[Madhusudhan Rao (actor)|Madhusudhan Rao]] in supporting roles.<ref name="Taana FL Hindu" /> The film is based on real life incidents from 1997 related to police training.<ref name="Taana N18" /><ref name="Taana poilce violence TNM" />

''Taanakkaran'' was released directly on the streaming platform [[Disney+ Hotstar]] on 8 April 2022. The film won the [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film|Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Third Best Film]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2026-01-30 |title=Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for 2016-2022 announced; see full list |url=https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/regional-indian-cinema-news/article/tamil-nadu-state-film-awards-for-2016-2022-announced-see-full-list-23614375 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260130060303/https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/regional-indian-cinema-news/article/tamil-nadu-state-film-awards-for-2016-2022-announced-see-full-list-23614375 |archive-date=30 January 2026 |work=[[Mid-Day]] |language=en |access-date=3 February 2026 }}</ref>

==Plot==
The story is set in 1999 where Arivu (Vikram Prabhu) is a young cop who just got selected into [[Tamil Nadu Police]] topping his batch and is sent to a Police Recruit School (PRS) for training. He is joined by a few of his friends and soon befriends other trainees of his batch. A few amongst them are much older trainees, who cleared their selection rounds in 1982, but due to some political reasons, could not get placed. They all get placed only in 1999 following a long court process. Most of the trainers of the school see these old trainees as unfit men and constantly mock them. However, Arivu supports them.

The PRS is run by Inspector Muthupandi (Madhusudhan Rao), a stern but corrupt officer, who is feared by all. One of his aides Eshwaramurthy (Lal), is a very strict and ruthless trainer, who has a record of winning all the parades and even resulting in the deaths of a few trainees in the name of extreme training, known as Extra Drill (ED). On the very first day of training, one of Arivu's friends from the '82 batch, faces the wrath of Muthupandi after he complains about the lack of proper toilet facilities in the campus. Soon, Eshwaramurthy starts seeing Arivu as his rival, and warns him that he will not allow him to pass the training. He devices many tactics to brutally punish and demotivate Arivu and his batch. Eshwaramurthy warns Arivu and his friends to leave the training and find some other job. However, Arivu stays stubborn in continuing the training and also motivates his fellow batchmates to fight without fearing for Eshwaramuthy. Eeshwari (Anjali Nair) is a constable in PRS who develops an affection towards Arivu. Mathi (Bose Venkat) is a good Inspector who handles law classes for the trainees and has a good image on Arivu.

One of the trainees from ’82 batch dies due to extra drill punishment given by Eshwaramurthy leading to riots inside the PRS. Arivu complaints to the Commandant about the mistakes that keep happening at the PRS such as bribes, favouritism and extreme punishments in the name of training. Arivu and his friends are now moved out of Eshwaramuthy's team to Sellakkannu's team (MS Bhaskar) who happens to be a kind-hearted trainer. However, Sellakkannu gets no respect from his fellow police officers owing to his straightforward nature making him stay in lower ranks without promotion for several years. Sellakkannu advises Arivu to leave the police job as honesty is not rewarded here, but Arivu does not agree. A small flashback is shown for Arivu's strong determination to become a police officer, which was the dream of his father Rajendran (Livingston) who died when Arivu was young.

Arivu wants to teach Eshwaramurthy a lesson by breaking his over confidence of winning all the parades for consecutive years. Eshwaramurthy challenges Arivu that he would quit his job if Arivu's team won the competition. Similarly, Arivu agrees that if Eshwaramuthy wins, then he would leave the police force. Meanwhile, Muthupandi secretly tries to strike a deal with Sellakkannu to make Arivu lose in the parade competition by providing wrong and confusing commands and promises a promotion for Sellakkannu. However, Sellakkannu supports Arivu in the final parade and his team wins. But the senior police officers still declare Eshwaramurthy's team to be the winners as they don't want to break the legacy. However, Eshwaramurthy understands that he has lost to Arivu and feels embarrassed in front of Arivu and his team members. Arivu feels dejected and decides to leave the police force, However, Mathi motivates Arivu that the current police system is highly corrupted, and this can be changed only if energetic youngsters like Arivu could join the police force. Arivu agrees and decides to continue in police force hoping that a change could be brought sometime.

==Cast==
{{Colbegin}}
* [[Vikram Prabhu]] as Arivazhagan (Arivu)
* [[Anjali Nair (actress, born 1995)|Anjali Nair]] as [[Constable]] Eeshwari
* [[Lal (actor)|Lal]] as [[Drill instructor|Assistant Drill Instructor]] Eshwaramurthy
* [[M. S. Bhaskar]] as Assistant Drill Instructor Sellakkanu
* [[Bose Venkat]] as [[Inspector]] Mathi
* [[Madhusudhan Rao (actor)|Madhusudhan Rao]] as Inspector Muthupandi
* [[J. Livingston|Livingston]] as Rajendran, Arivu's father
* [[Pavel Navageethan]] as Kadar Basha, Arivu's friend
* [[Nitish Veera]] as [[Councillor]] Sahul Bhai
* Karthick Kannan as Murugan, Arivu's friend
* [[Lingesh]] as Manimaran, Arivu's friend
* [[Uday Mahesh]] as Nandhakumar
* Madhankumar Dhakshinamoorthy as Nagachi Mani, a money lender
{{Colend}}

==Soundtrack==
The soundtrack and score is composed by [[Ghibran]].
{{Track listing
| headline = Track listing
| title1 = Kattikoda
| lyrics1 = Chandru
| extra1 = [[Shweta Mohan]]
| length1 = 3:21
| title2 = Thudithezhu Thozha
| lyrics2 = Chandru
| extra2 = Shenbagaraj, Aravind Srinivas, Narayanan, Sarath Santosh
| length2 = 3:51
| extra_column = Singer(s)
}}

==Release and reception==
''Taanakkaran'' was released directly on the streaming platform [[Disney+ Hotstar]] on 8 April 2022.<ref name="Taana OTT Mint" /><ref name="Taana OTT Sify" /> M. Suganth of ''[[The Times of India]]'' gave it 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Vikram Prabhu comes up with a sturdy performance, capturing Arivu's physicality very well. MS Bhaskar shines as a veteran cop who is paying the price for an insubordination years ago, and Lal makes us hate his character. Bose Venkat, as Madhi, an honest cop who wants to turn the recruits into good policemen despite being aware of the system's flaws, pitches in with an empathetic performance. These performances hold the film together and keep us engaged."<ref>{{Cite news |title=TAANAKKARAN REVIEW : AN ENGAGING, IF MELODRAMATIC, DRAMA ON ABUSE OF POWER |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/tamil/taanakkaran/ottmoviereview/90684858.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |archive-date=7 May 2022 |access-date=7 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507194556/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/tamil/taanakkaran/ottmoviereview/90684858.cms |url-status=live |last=Suganth|first=M|date=8 Apr 2022}}</ref> Navein Darshan from ''[[Cinema Express]]'' gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars and said that "A powerful film about a lesser-known problem '<ref>{{Cite web |last=Darshan |first=Navein |date=8 April 2022 |title=Taanakkaran Movie Review: A powerful film about a lesser-known problem |url=https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/review/2022/apr/08/taanakkaran-movie-reviewa-victory-march-30760.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523214826/https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/review/2022/apr/08/taanakkaran-movie-reviewa-victory-march-30760.html |archive-date=23 May 2022 |access-date=2023-03-10 |website=[[Cinema Express]] |language=en}}</ref> Bharathy Singaravel from ''[[The News Minute]]'' noted that "Lal in well-written roles is a phenomenal actor. His Yama raja in Karnan showed off the depth of his skill and ability for nuance. Unfortunately, nuance is exactly what’s missing in his characterization".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singaravel |first=Bharathy |date=2022-04-08 |title=Taanakkaran review: Tamizh's debut film revels in brutality, fails to engage the audience |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/taanakkaran-review-tamizh-s-debut-film-revels-brutality-fails-engage-audience-162726 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313131514/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/taanakkaran-review-tamizh-s-debut-film-revels-brutality-fails-engage-audience-162726 |archive-date=13 March 2023 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=[[The News Minute]] |language=en}}</ref> Janani K from ''[[India Today]]'' gave 3 out of 5 rating and noted that "Taanakkaaran is an engaging cop drama that is refreshing to watch."<ref>{{Cite web |last=K |first=Janani |date=8 April 2022 |title=Taanakkaran Movie Review: Vikram Prabhu's cop film is searing piece on abuse of power |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/taanakkaran-movie-review-vikram-prabhu-s-cop-film-is-searing-piece-on-abuse-of-power-1935080-2022-04-08 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313131829/https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/taanakkaran-movie-review-vikram-prabhu-s-cop-film-is-searing-piece-on-abuse-of-power-1935080-2022-04-08 |archive-date=13 March 2023 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=[[India Today]] |language=en}}</ref> Thinkal Menon from ''[[OTTplay|OTTPlay]] noted that "''Watch it if you're a fan of realistic cop dramas that effectively address serious issues in society" and rated it 3 out of 5.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Menon |first=Thinkal |date=Apr 8, 2022 |title=Taanakkaran movie review: This Vikram Prabhu-starrer is an earnest attempt and largely entertaining |url=https://www.ottplay.com/review/taanakkaran-movie-review-this-vikram-prabhu-starrer-is-an-earnest-attempt-and-largely-entertaining/7971e195b2624 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251105045351/https://www.ottplay.com/review/taanakkaran-movie-review-this-vikram-prabhu-starrer-is-an-earnest-attempt-and-largely-entertaining/7971e195b2624 |archive-date=5 Nov 2025 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=[[OTTPlay]] |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="Taana announce sify">{{Cite web |date=11 March 2021 |title=Vikram Prabhu is back, in and as 'Taanakkaran' |url=https://www.sify.com/movies/vikram-prabhu-is-back-in-and-as-taanakkaran-news-tamil-vdlgMzhffejfj.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311065906/https://www.sify.com/movies/vikram-prabhu-is-back-in-and-as-taanakkaran-news-tamil-vdlgMzhffejfj.html |archive-date=11 March 2021 |access-date=11 March 2021 |website=[[Sify]]}}</ref>
<ref name="Taana FL Hindu">{{Cite web |date=11 March 2021 |title=விக்ரம் பிரபுவின் 'டாணாக்காரன்' ஃபர்ஸ்ட் லுக் வெளியீடு |url=https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/644067-taanakkaran-first-look-released.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251103212742/https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/644067-taanakkaran-first-look-released.html |archive-date=3 Nov 2025 |access-date=11 March 2021 |website=[[Hindu Tamil Thisai]] |language=ta}}</ref>
<ref name="Taana N18">{{Cite web |date=3 November 2021 |title=Here's The Link Between Suriya's Jai Bhim And Vikram Prabhu's Upcoming Taanakkaran |url=https://www.news18.com/news/movies/heres-the-link-between-suriyas-jai-bhim-and-vikram-prabhus-upcoming-taanakkaran-4400156.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106031937/https://www.news18.com/news/movies/heres-the-link-between-suriyas-jai-bhim-and-vikram-prabhus-upcoming-taanakkaran-4400156.html |archive-date=6 November 2021 |access-date=3 November 2021 |website=[[News18]]}}</ref>
<ref name="Taana poilce violence TNM">{{Cite web |date=17 July 2021 |title=Teaser of Vikram Prabhu's 'Taannakkaran' takes on violence in police training |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/teaser-vikram-prabhus-taannakkaran-takes-violence-police-training-152505 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251103221027/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/teaser-vikram-prabhus-taannakkaran-takes-violence-police-training-152505 |archive-date=3 Nov 2025 |access-date=17 July 2021 |website=[[The News Minute]]}}</ref>
<ref name="Taana OTT Mint">{{Cite web |date=20 March 2022 |title=Disney+ Hotstar to premiere Tamil drama 'Taanakkaran' |url=https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/disney-hotstar-to-premiere-tamil-drama-taanakkaran-11647757076868.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331171157/https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/disney-hotstar-to-premiere-tamil-drama-taanakkaran-11647757076868.html |archive-date=31 March 2022 |access-date=20 March 2022 |website=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]}}</ref>
<ref name="Taana OTT Sify">{{Cite web |date=26 October 2021 |title=Vikram Prabhu's 'Taanakkaran' to skip theatrical release |url=https://www.sify.com/movies/vikram-prabhus-taanakkaran-to-skip-theatrical-release-news-tamil-vk0fIKcifdiag.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026092833/https://www.sify.com/movies/vikram-prabhus-taanakkaran-to-skip-theatrical-release-news-tamil-vk0fIKcifdiag.html |archive-date=26 October 2021 |access-date=5 November 2021 |website=[[Sify]]}}</ref>
</references>

== External links ==
*{{IMDb title}}
*{{Rotten Tomatoes}}
{{Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film}}
[[Category:2022 Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:2022 action drama films]]
[[Category:2022 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:2022 films]]
[[Category:2022 Indian films]]
[[Category:Films produced by S. R. Prabhu]]
[[Category:Films scored by Ghibran Vaibodha]]
[[Category:Films set in 1998]]
[[Category:Films set in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Indian action drama films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language action drama films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language Disney+ Hotstar original programming]]
[[Category:Tamil-language Indian films]]

Taanakkaran - Revision history

Sunil Tani: Creating A Stub