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{{More plot|date=January 2026}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| image = Winner (2003).jpg
| caption = DVD cover
| director = [[Sundar C]]
| writer = [[Boopathy Pandian]] (dialogue)
| screenplay = Sundar C
| story = Sundar C
| producer = Suthan S. Ramachandran
| starring = {{ubl|[[Prashanth]]|[[Kiran Rathod]]}}
| cinematography = [[Prasad Murella]]
| editing = [[P. Sai Suresh]]
| music = [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]]
| studio = Mother India Movies International
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2003|09|27}}
| runtime = 145 minutes<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prashanth The Winner Always |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/prashanth-the-winner-always-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zndc4nte |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250106102914/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/prashanth-the-winner-always-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zndc4nte |archive-date=6 January 2025 |access-date=6 January 2025 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |language=en}}</ref>
| country = India
| language = Tamil
}}

'''''Winner''''' is a 2003 Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[romance film|romantic]] [[action comedy film]] directed and co-written by [[Sundar C]]. It stars [[Prashanth]] and [[Kiran Rathod]] in the lead roles, while [[Vadivelu]], [[Vijayakumar (Tamil actor)|Vijayakumar]], [[M. N. Nambiar]], [[M. N. Rajam]], [[Raj Kapoor (Tamil director)|Raj Kapoor]], Prathap Singh and [[Riyaz Khan]] play supporting roles. The film, which has music scored by [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]] and cinematography handled by [[Prasad Murella]], released on 27 September 2003.

== Plot ==
Sakthivel Sathyamoorthy is studying [[Engineering]] in a college in [[Chennai]], and gets into quarrels every other day. Unable to withstand the threats from hooligans, his wealthy parents send him to his mother's village in [[Pollachi]] where his maternal grandfather Velayutham and grandmother Sivagami reside. Though his grandparents are rich and respected farmers, Sakthi has not met them due to a small dispute between his father and grandfather. In the village, an innocent third cousin of Sakthi, Kaipulla, lives with the old couple with hopes of becoming their heir. He has a small gang and roams around the village with his mates. Kaipulla is constantly challenged by Sakthi's distant relative Kattadurai Thevar, also a rich landlord. Sakthi visits his grandparents and decides to stay in the village for a month. A marriage of their relative is planned, and the whole family from all over Tamil Nadu assembles. Neelaveni, who accompanies her relatives, sees Sakthi at the wedding and falls in love with him. Kattadurai is supposed to marry Neelaveni.

Many events follow. Kattadurai often clashes with Sakthi and gets beaten up. Amidst the wedding preparation, a group of former enemies including Vaira Kannan and Neelavani's aunt, along with Neelaveni's father, kidnap Neelaveni. After a huge tussle, Sakthi brings Neelaveni back.

== Cast ==
{{cast listing|
* [[Prashanth]] as Sakthivel Sathyamoorthy
* [[Kiran Rathod]] as Neelaveni
* [[Vadivelu]] as Kaipulla
* [[Vijayakumar (Tamil actor)|Vijayakumar]] as Sathyamoorthy
* [[M. N. Nambiar]] as Velayutham
* [[M. N. Rajam]] as Sivagami
* [[Raj Kapoor (Tamil director)|Raj Kapoor]] as Vaira Kannan
* Prathap Singh as Santhanapandi Thevar
* [[Riyaz Khan]] as Kattadurai Thevar
* Vimalraj as Vaira Kannan's brother
* [[Santhana Bharathi]] as Neelaveni's uncle
* [[Junior Balaiah]] as Kattadurai's uncle
* [[Vichu Vishwanath]] as Kattadurai's cousin
* [[Bonda Mani]] as Kaipulla's sidekick
* [[Crane Manohar]] as Kaipulla's sidekick
* [[Nirosha]] as Neelaveni's cousin
* [[Anuradha (actress)|Anuradha]] as Neelaveni's aunt
* Jaya Murali as Dhanalakshmi

*[[Aarthi Agarwal]] (uncredited appearance in the song "Mathapoo")
}}

== Production ==
Actor [[Prashanth]] signed on to star in the film in late 2001, with [[Aarthi Agarwal]] signed on as the lead actress, her Tamil debut.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cinebits |url=http://www.nilacharal.com/enter/cinebit/c32.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909070245/http://www.nilacharal.com/enter/cinebit/c32.html |archive-date=9 September 2013 |access-date=1 December 2016 |website=Nilacharal}}</ref> It was reported that Agarwal had impressed actress [[Khushbu Sundar|Khushbu]] with her performances in Telugu films and Khushbu thus recommended her to her filmmaker husband, [[Sundar C]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tulika |date=5 March 2002 |title=The Beautiful South |url=http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/mar/05spice.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408215028/http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/mar/05spice.htm |archive-date=8 April 2014 |access-date=1 December 2016 |website=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref> [[Vivek (actor)|Vivek]] was the director's original choice for the comic role of Kaipulla, that was eventually played by [[Vadivelu]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yuvashree |date=9 May 2024 |title=வின்னர் படத்தில் வடிவேலுவுக்கு பதில் நடிக்க வேண்டியவர்! அட, இந்த நடிகரா.. |trans-title=The man who should have acted instead of Vadivelu in the film ''Winner''! Huh, this actor.. |url=https://zeenews.india.com/tamil/movies/director-sundar-c-says-comedy-actor-vivek-was-the-first-choice-for-kaipulla-character-before-vadivelu-in-winner-movie-502966 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509211516/https://zeenews.india.com/tamil/movies/director-sundar-c-says-comedy-actor-vivek-was-the-first-choice-for-kaipulla-character-before-vadivelu-in-winner-movie-502966 |archive-date=9 May 2024 |access-date=6 January 2025 |website=[[Zee News]] |language=ta}}</ref> Agarwal was later replaced by [[Kiran Rathod]]. Despite this, Agarwal can be seen in the beginning of the song "Mathapoo", which was filmed in [[Thiruvananthapuram]].<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VBbVXcZUAQ |title=GOAT பாட்டு ஹிட்டானதுக்கான காரணம் இது தான்! {{!}} Prashanth {{!}} Sundar C {{!}} Winner Secrets😂🤣 {{!}} Part 02 |date=29 April 2024 |language=Ta |publisher=[[Cinema Vikatan]] |trans-title=This is the reason why the GOAT song became a hit! |time=5:45 to 6:18 |time-caption=From |access-date=9 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709145252/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VBbVXcZUAQ |archive-date=9 July 2024 |url-status=live |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Scenes showcasing a wedding at Rathod's character's house were shot at Vasan House, [[Chennai]]. Other scenes were shot in [[Hyderabad]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mannath |first=Malini |date=10 September 2002 |title=Winner |url=http://www.chennaionline.com/location/winner.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030306235548/http://www.chennaionline.com/location/winner.asp |archive-date=6 March 2003 |access-date=9 June 2012 |website=Chennai Online}}</ref> Prashanth was briefly hospitalised after injuring himself filming an action scene.<ref>{{Cite web |title=An Interview with Prashanth |url=http://cinematoday3.itgo.com/An%20Interview%20with%20Prashanth.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408213827/http://cinematoday3.itgo.com/An%20Interview%20with%20Prashanth.html |archive-date=8 April 2014 |access-date=1 December 2016 |website=Cinematoday3.itgo.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rangarajan |first=Malathi |date=15 February 2002 |title=Young and mature at once |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2002/02/15/stories/2002021501180300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030704160813/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2002/02/15/stories/2002021501180300.htm |archive-date=4 July 2003 |access-date=1 December 2016 |website=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> Vadivelu was injured on a separate occasion and could not walk properly, so his limp was written into the script as a result of his character being beaten up.<ref name="news18" /> The scene where he tells [[Riyaz Khan]]'s character, "Venaam Valikkuthu Azhuthuruven" ({{Translation|Please don't, it hurts, I'll cry}}) took 16 takes to approve as Khan could not control his laughter every time Vadivelu said the line.<ref>{{Cite web |last=A |first=Ganesh |date=12 September 2024 |title=கண்ணாடி கடையில் வேலை பார்த்தவர் காமெடி கிங் ஆனது எப்படி? வடிவேலுவின் மறுபக்கம் |trans-title=How did a man working in a glass shop become the king of comedy? The other side of Vadivelu |url=https://tamil.asianetnews.com/gallery/cinema/unknown-facts-about-tamil-cinema-comedy-actor-vadivelu-gan-sjoxbf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250106101111/https://tamil.asianetnews.com/gallery/cinema/unknown-facts-about-tamil-cinema-comedy-actor-vadivelu-gan-sjoxbf%23image3 |archive-date=6 January 2025 |access-date=6 January 2025 |website=[[Asianet News]] |language=ta}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
The music was composed by [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Winner- Pavalakkodi Tamil Film Audio CD by Yuvan Shankar Raja |url=https://mossymart.com/product/winner-pavalakkodi-tamil-film-audio-cd-by-yuvan-shankar-raja/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250107034159/https://mossymart.com/product/winner-pavalakkodi-tamil-film-audio-cd-by-yuvan-shankar-raja/ |archive-date=7 January 2025 |access-date=7 January 2025 |website=Mossymart |language=en}}</ref> Vignesh Ram of ''Nilacharal'' called it an "above average album with a mixture of western, folk, [[Dappankuthu|dappanguthu]] and melody numbers".<ref>{{cite web |last=Ram |first=Vignesh |title=WINNER - AUDIO REVIEW |url=http://www.nilacharal.com/enter/review/winner_audio.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031005090948/http://www.nilacharal.com/enter/review/winner_audio.html |archive-date=5 October 2003 |access-date=1 March 2025 |website=Nilacharal}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! Song !! Singer(s) !! Lyrics !! Duration
|-
| "Eye Um Eye Um" || [[Devan Ekambaram|Devan]] || rowspan=5|[[Pa. Vijay]] || 4:23
|-
| "Endhan Uyir Thozhiyae" || [[Udit Narayan]] || 4:38
|-
| "Mathapoo" || [[Tippu (singer)|Tippu]], [[Premji Amaran]], Sri Vardhini || 3:59
|-
| "Mudhal Murai" || [[Srinivas (singer)|Srinivas]], [[Mahalakshmi Iyer]] || 5:10
|-
| "Engirundhai" || [[Harish Raghavendra]] || 4:06
|-
| "Kozhi Kokkarra" || [[Udit Narayan]], [[Prashanthini]] || [[Viveka (lyricist)|Viveka]]|| 4:25
|}

== Release and reception ==
''Winner'' was released on 27 September 2003.<ref name="news18">{{Cite web |date=27 September 2022 |title=சர்வராக வேலை பார்த்த வெற்றிப்படத் தயாரிப்பாளர் |trans-title=Successful film producer who worked as a hotel server |url=https://tamil.news18.com/photogallery/entertainment/cinema-a-successful-film-producer-suthan-s-ramachandran-who-worked-as-a-server-809437.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250104024539/https://tamil.news18.com/photogallery/entertainment/cinema-a-successful-film-producer-suthan-s-ramachandran-who-worked-as-a-server-809437.html |archive-date=4 January 2025 |access-date=4 January 2025 |website=[[News18]] |language=ta}}</ref> Malini Mannath of ''Chennai Online'' wrote, "It's a typical Sunder C film, one of his more enjoyable ones, with the right dose of action, sentiment, romance and humour, all weaved into a single film that is engaging and with not many lagging moments. The film makes no pretensions of being a classy affair, but nevertheless it is wholesome entertainment for the entire family. The highlight is the humour generated by the comedy track".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mannath |first=Malini |date=9 October 2003 |title=Winner |url=http://chennaionline.com/Moviereviews/tammov302.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031212000029/http://chennaionline.com/Moviereviews/tammov302.asp |archive-date=12 December 2003 |access-date=29 May 2014 |website=Chennai Online}}</ref> Visual Dasan of ''[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]]'' called Vadivelu as man of the match while also praising Rathod's acting and Prashanth's action.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=தாசன் |first=விஷுவல் |date=26 October 2003 |title=வின்னர் |trans-title=Winner |url=https://archive.org/details/kalki2003-10-26/page/17/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240130152256/https://archive.org/details/kalki2003-10-26/page/16/mode/2up |archive-date=30 January 2024 |access-date=30 January 2024 |magazine=[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]] |page=17 |language=ta |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Malathi Rangarajan of ''[[The Hindu]]'' wrote, "It is a typical Sundar C. brand entertainer [...] with comedy, stunts, romance and sentiment thrown in to make the product racy [...] So naturally don't expect too much of logic in the story or plausibility in the narration".<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Rangarajan |first=Malathi |date=3 October 2003 |title="Winner" |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/winner/article28574369.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812154426/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/winner/article28574369.ece |archive-date=12 August 2020 |access-date=10 April 2020 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> ''[[Sify]]'' wrote "The thrills are there all right, but C.Sundar should have given some importance to the script. He depends on stunts and Kiran’s glamour to bring the audience to the halls. The last 20 minutes of the film look exactly like the recent Jayam where lovers are fleeing from the village with the entire villagers close on their heels as they try to catch the last train!".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Winner |url=http://sify.com/movies/tamil/review.php?cid=2429 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031003000304/http://sify.com/movies/tamil/review.php?cid=2429 |archive-date=3 October 2003 |access-date=30 November 2025 |website=[[Sify]]}}</ref>

== Post-release ==
Post-release, the film's producer Ramachandran criticised Prashanth for his alleged unprofessional behaviour during production.<ref name="news18" /> He claimed that the actor insisted on hiring Agarwal and she was paid more than the budget allocated by the producer just for the lead actress, but Prashanth after a point unceremoniously demanded her removal, and himself often did not show up for filming according to the agreed schedule. Ramachandran alleged that Prashanth was upset that Vadivelu's role had more scope than his own, hence he refused to let the film be completed and released within the planned time. He blamed Prashanth for the cost overruns, and said he was forced to sell the film at a low price to distributors. Despite this, he adopted the name "Winner" Ramachandran as an homage to the film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=தாட்சாயணி |date=29 May 2019 |title="விஜயகாந்த் சொல்லித்தான் ஷூட்டிங் ஸ்பாட்டுக்கே வந்தார் பிரசாந்த்!" – 'வின்னர்' ராமச்சந்திரன் |trans-title="Prashanth came to the shooting spot only on Vijayakanth's advice!" – 'Winner' Ramachandran |url=https://cinema.vikatan.com/kollywood/winner-ramachandran-inerview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20250106090158/https://cinema.vikatan.com/kollywood/winner-ramachandran-inerview |archive-date=6 January 2025 |access-date=6 January 2025 |website=[[Ananda Vikatan]] |language=ta }}</ref> Vadivelu's association in the film titled 'Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam' became popular, and was used as the title for a [[Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam|2013 film]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aiyappan |first=Ashameera |date=10 October 2017 |title=Happy birthday Vaigai Puyal Vadivelu: There is no stopping this humour storm! |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/happy-birthday-vaigai-puyal-vadivelu-4883168/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403023404/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/happy-birthday-vaigai-puyal-vadivelu-4883168/ |archive-date=3 April 2019 |access-date=11 June 2022 |website=[[The Indian Express]] |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}

{{Sundar C}}

[[Category:2003 Indian films]]
[[Category:2000s masala films]]
[[Category:2000s romantic action films]]
[[Category:2003 Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:2003 action comedy films]]
[[Category:2003 films]]
[[Category:2003 romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Sundar C]]
[[Category:Films scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja]]
[[Category:Films shot in Chennai]]
[[Category:Films shot in Hyderabad, India]]
[[Category:Films shot in Thiruvananthapuram]]
[[Category:Indian action comedy films]]
[[Category:Indian romantic action films]]
[[Category:Indian romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language action comedy films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language romantic comedy films]]

Winner (2003 film) - Revision history

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