About the movie it was actually inspired |
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{{short description|2003 film by Selvaraghavan}} | |||
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| name = Kaadhal Kondein | | name = Kaadhal Kondein | ||
| image = Kaadhal Kondein poster.jpg | | image = Kaadhal Kondein poster.jpg | ||
| caption = | | caption = Theatrical release poster | ||
| director = [[Selvaraghavan]] | | director = [[Selvaraghavan]] | ||
| producer = Dr. K. Vimalageetha | | producer = Dr. K. Vimalageetha | ||
| writer = [[Selvaraghavan]] | | writer = [[Selvaraghavan]] | ||
| starring = [[Dhanush (actor)|Dhanush]]<br />[[Sonia Agarwal]] | | starring = [[Dhanush (actor)|Dhanush]]<br />[[Sonia Agarwal]]<br />[[Sudeep Sarangi|Sudeep]] | ||
| music = [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]] | | music = [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]] | ||
| cinematography = [[Arvind Krishna (cinematographer)|Arvind Krishna]] | | cinematography = [[Arvind Krishna (cinematographer)|Arvind Krishna]] | ||
| editing = [[V. T. Vijayan]] | | editing = [[V. T. Vijayan]] | ||
| studio = R. K. Productions | | studio = R. K. Productions | ||
| distributor = | | distributor = | ||
| released = 4 July 2003 | | released = 4 July 2003 | ||
| runtime = | | runtime = 166 minutes | ||
| language = Tamil | | language = Tamil | ||
| country = India | | country = India | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''''Kaadhal Kondein''''' ( | '''''Kaadhal Kondein''''' ({{Translation|I got a love}}) is a 2003 Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[romance film|romantic]] [[psychological thriller]] film written and directed by [[Selvaraghavan]], starring his brother [[Dhanush]] and newcomers [[Sonia Agarwal]] and [[Sudeep Sarangi]], while [[Nagesh]] and [[Daniel Balaji]] play supporting roles. The film, which has music scored by [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]] and cinematography handled by [[Arvind Krishna (cinematographer)|Aravind Krishna]], released on 4 July 2003, winning critical acclaim and becoming a commercial success upon release. The film is considered a breakthrough for Dhanush as it catapulted him into the league of lead actors in the [[Tamil cinema|Tamil film industry]]. | ||
The film was | The film was remade in [[Telugu film|Telugu]] in 2004 as ''[[Nenu (film)|Nenu]]'', in [[Kannada film|Kannada]] in 2009 as ''Ravana'', in [[Cinema of Bangladesh|Bangla]] in 2004 as ''Onno Manush'' and in [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali]] in 2010 as ''[[Amanush (2010 film)|Amanush]]''. | ||
The story revolves around a youth who is mentally and physically abused in his childhood. The lack of a mother's love haunts the protagonist throughout the film as the girl of his infatuation is raped and killed. Becoming a psychopath, he desperately tries to woo his newfound lady love and his efforts culminate in a nail-biting cliffhanger. | |||
The story revolves around a youth who is mentally and physically abused in his childhood. The lack of a mother's love haunts the protagonist throughout the film as the girl of his infatuation is raped and killed. Becoming a psychopath, he desperately tries to woo his | |||
==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
In 2003, Vinod ([[Dhanush (actor)|Dhanush]]) an orphan, has grown up under the care of church father Rozario ([[Nagesh]]). He is an introvert but a genius. He scores well in his +2 exams and gets free admission into one of the top engineering colleges in [[Tamil Nadu]]. He is forcibly sent to [[Chennai]] to college by Rozario where he is a complete misfit in class. Though shunned by the rest of his class, Divya ([[Sonia Agarwal]]) becomes his friend, and he gradually warms up to her. Vinod excels in his studies, and everyone begins to see him differently. His feelings for Divya soon turn into love, but he realizes that Divya considers him only as a friend and learns that she is in love with another classmate, Aadhi ([[Sudeep Sarangi|Sudeep]]). | In 2003, Vinod ([[Dhanush (actor)|Dhanush]]), an orphan, has grown up under the care of church father Rozario ([[Nagesh]]). He is an introvert but a genius. He scores well in his +2 exams and gets free admission into one of the top engineering colleges in [[Tamil Nadu]]. He is forcibly sent to [[Chennai]] to college by Rozario where he is a complete misfit in class. Though shunned by the rest of his class, Divya ([[Sonia Agarwal]]) becomes his friend, and he gradually warms up to her. Vinod excels in his studies, and everyone begins to see him differently. His feelings for Divya soon turn into love, but he realizes that Divya considers him only as a friend and learns that she is in love with another classmate, Aadhi ([[Sudeep Sarangi|Sudeep]]). | ||
Divya's father is enraged on learning of her love. He locks her up and prevents her from contacting anyone. Vinod comes and requests to meet her on the pretext of | Divya's father is enraged on learning of her love. He locks her up in her room and prevents her from contacting anyone. Vinod comes and requests to meet her on the pretext of purchasing second-hand clothes for himself. Pitying Vinod, her father allows him to meet Divya. Vinod escapes with Divya and convinces her that she will meet Aadhi in [[Ooty]]. Vinod has set up a secret place in Ooty to execute his plan of wooing Divya. He makes her stay with him, while convincing her to stay by talking about Aadhi's arrival. On one such day, he reveals information about his past. | ||
In 1995, near the forest of [[Hosur]], a gang runs a brick factory which employs only children as labour. The gang's leader is a ruthless money-lending lady who buys orphans for work. They boys and girls are enslaved under highly inhuman conditions and work for 16 hours a day. Vinod, a 13-year-old-boy, is sold by his uncle and aunt for money after his parents died in an accident. He befriends three boys and one girl of the same age. One day, Vinod tries to inform the cruelty the children are exposed, to an officer who later accepts a bribe and leaves. He is then sent to solitary confinement | In 1995, near the forest of [[Hosur]], a gang runs a brick factory which employs only children as labour. The gang's leader is a ruthless money-lending lady who buys orphans for work. They boys and girls are enslaved under highly inhuman conditions and work for 16 hours a day. Vinod, a 13-year-old-boy, is sold by his uncle and aunt for money after his parents died in an accident. He befriends three boys and one girl of the same age. One day, Vinod tries to inform the cruelty the children are exposed, to an officer who later accepts a bribe and leaves. He is then sent to solitary confinement within a metal box under the sun as punishment. Vinod's female friend agrees to the sexual advances made by the owners husband in exchange for freeing Vinod from the metal box, yet she dies during the sexual assault and the murder is covered up. Weeks later, the boys, lead by Vinod, rebel and kill the entire gang. They manage to vandalise the place and escape, following which the [[Government of India|government]] takes over the plant, and all children are admitted into a orphanage run by Father Rozario. | ||
Divya is touched by his past. Incidentally, the police and Aadhi arrive at the place. While Vinod was away to get some food, they try to explain to Divya that Vinod is a psychopath, with the evidence of a dead body in his earlier residence. Divya scoffs at their claims, citing his gentlemanly behaviour over the days that she has been alone with him. Vinod, learning that the police have arrived at the scene, begins to indulge in violence. He opens fire, killing a police constable. Forcing them out of their hideout, he manages to evade the police inspector and Aadhi and successfully brings Divya back to their original place of stay. Divya soon identifies the wolf in the sheep's clothing. Vinod pleads with her, telling Divya that all he wanted in his life was her presence, but she called him a friend and stated her inability to accept him as her partner for life. | Divya is touched by his past. Incidentally, the police and Aadhi arrive at the place. While Vinod was away to get some food, they try to explain to Divya that Vinod is a psychopath, with the evidence of a dead body in his earlier residence. Divya scoffs at their claims, citing his gentlemanly behaviour over the days that she has been alone with him. Vinod, learning that the police have arrived at the scene, begins to indulge in violence. He opens fire, killing a police constable. Forcing them out of their hideout, he manages to evade the police inspector and Aadhi and successfully brings Divya back to their original place of stay. Divya soon identifies the wolf in the sheep's clothing. Vinod pleads with her, telling Divya that all he wanted in his life was her presence, but she called him a friend and stated her inability to accept him as her partner for life. | ||
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==Cast== | ==Cast== | ||
* [[Dhanush]] as | * [[Dhanush]] as Vinoth | ||
* [[Sonia Agarwal]] as Divya | * [[Sonia Agarwal]] as Divya | ||
* [[Sudeep Sarangi]] as Aadhi Kesavan | * [[Sudeep Sarangi|Sudeep]] as Aadhi Kesavan | ||
* [[Nagesh]] as Father Rozario<ref>{{cite web |title="Nagaichuvai Mannan" Nagesh: Monarch of Humorous Actors in Tamil Movies |url=http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/44523 |website=dbsjeyaraj.com |access-date=26 April 2020 |date=23 December 2015}}</ref> | * [[Nagesh]] as Father Rozario<ref>{{cite web |title="Nagaichuvai Mannan" Nagesh: Monarch of Humorous Actors in Tamil Movies |url=http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/44523 |website=dbsjeyaraj.com |access-date=26 April 2020 |date=23 December 2015 |archive-date=9 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509230423/http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/44523 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
* [[Daniel Balaji]] as Police Inspector | * [[Daniel Balaji]] as Police Inspector | ||
* [[Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1940)|Srikanth]] as Divya's father | * [[Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1940)|Srikanth]] as Divya's father | ||
* [[Hemalatha]] as Vinod's childhood friend | * [[Hemalatha]] as Devi, Vinod's childhood friend | ||
* [[Rambo Rajkumar]] | * [[Rambo Rajkumar]] | ||
* Gowthami Vembunathan as | * Gowthami Vembunathan as the orphanage caretaker | ||
* | * A. K. Abbas as Vinod's childhood friend | ||
==Production== | ==Production== | ||
Following the success of the previous film ''[[Thulluvadho Ilamai]]'' (2002), the team chose to collaborate again with the psychotic romantic thriller ''Kaadhal Kondein'', credited as Selvaraghavan's | Following the success of the previous film ''[[Thulluvadho Ilamai]]'' (2002), the team chose to collaborate again with the psychotic romantic thriller ''Kaadhal Kondein'', credited as Selvaraghavan's directorial debut. The venture, produced by his home production, also marked the first collaboration of Selvaraghavan with cinematographer Arvind Krishna, whom he would later associate with newcomer Sonia Agarwal. Selvaraghavan had written the script for the film in the late 1990s and had first narrated the story to Dhanush in their shared bedroom at home, before asking him to play the lead role of Vinod.<ref>{{cite web |title='MAN'of the moment |url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/08/20/stories/2003082000060100.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031104192135/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/08/20/stories/2003082000060100.htm |archive-date=4 November 2003 |access-date=17 January 2022 |website=The Hindu}}</ref> | ||
== | ==Music== | ||
{{Infobox album | {{Infobox album | ||
| name = Kaadhal Kondein | | name = Kaadhal Kondein | ||
| type = soundtrack | | type = soundtrack | ||
| artist = [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]] | | artist = [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]] | ||
| cover = | | cover = | ||
| alt = | | alt = | ||
| released = 20 March 2003 | | released = 20 March 2003 | ||
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}} | }} | ||
For ''Kaadhal Kondein'', director [[Selvaraghavan]] and music composer [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]] came together again after their earlier successful collaboration in ''[[Thulluvadho Ilamai]]'' (2002), for which Selvaraghavan worked as a writer. The soundtrack of ''Kaadhal Kondein'' released on 20 March 2003, featuring seven tracks with lyrics written by | For ''Kaadhal Kondein'', director [[Selvaraghavan]] and music composer [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]] came together again after their earlier successful collaboration in ''[[Thulluvadho Ilamai]]'' (2002), for which Selvaraghavan worked as a writer. The soundtrack of ''Kaadhal Kondein'' released on 20 March 2003, featuring seven tracks with lyrics written by [[Palani Bharathi]] and [[Na. Muthukumar]]. The music, especially the film score, received universal critical acclaim, establishing composer Yuvan Shankar Raja as one of the "most sought after music directors" in the [[Tamil film industry]].<ref name = hin>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/10/27/stories/2003102700060300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031130002349/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2003/10/27/stories/2003102700060300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 November 2003|title=Generation NEXT|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=3 June 2009|location=Chennai, India|date=27 October 2003}}</ref> | ||
More than one year after the release of the film, an "[[original soundtrack]]" was released, that followed the [[Hollywood]]-style. It was said to be the first time, that an original soundtrack was released for a film in India as the soundtracks released in India do not contain any film score pieces but full songs that feature in the film itself.<ref name = hin/> The OST of ''Kaadhal Kondein'' contains 20 tracks overall, which includes the seven earlier released tracks, four "montage" bit songs, that featured in the film, but not in the soundtrack, and nine pieces from the actual film score, which were titled as "Theme Music". | Most of the songs from this film were plagiarized from various sources: for example the song "Kadhal Mattum Purivathillai" was plagiarised from the song "Raven" in the album of "Tra" by "Hedningarna" and the song "Manasu Rendum" was copied from "A rose in the wind" by "Anggun". More than one year after the release of the film, an "[[original soundtrack]]" was released, that followed the [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]-style. It was said to be the first time, that an original soundtrack was released for a film in India as the soundtracks released in India do not contain any film score pieces but full songs that feature in the film itself.<ref name = hin/> The OST of ''Kaadhal Kondein'' contains 20 tracks overall, which includes the seven earlier released tracks, four "montage" bit songs, that featured in the film, but not in the soundtrack, and nine pieces from the actual film score, which were titled as "Theme Music". | ||
{{Tracklist | {{Tracklist | ||
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| extra2 = [[Shankar Mahadevan]] | | extra2 = [[Shankar Mahadevan]] | ||
| length2 = 6:41 | | length2 = 6:41 | ||
| lyrics2 = Palani Bharathi | | lyrics2 = [[Palani Bharathi]] | ||
| title3 = Nenjodu | | title3 = Nenjodu | ||
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| extra4 = [[Vijay Yesudas]] | | extra4 = [[Vijay Yesudas]] | ||
| length4 = 6:07 | | length4 = 6:07 | ||
| lyrics4 = Palani Bharathi | | lyrics4 = [[Palani Bharathi]] | ||
| title5 = Thottu Thottu | | title5 = Thottu Thottu | ||
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}} | }} | ||
== | ==Reception== | ||
The film opened in July 2003 to critical acclaim and commercial success.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1120429/jsp/graphiti/story_15429395.jsp |title=The Kolaveri Kid |date=April 29, 2012 |work=The Telegraph |access-date=2018-01-18}}</ref> A reviewer from ''The Hindu'' noted, "his story, screenplay, dialogue and direction are focussed and hit the bull's eye straightway — hardly missing the mark."<ref> | ===Critical response=== | ||
The film opened in July 2003 to critical acclaim and commercial success.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1120429/jsp/graphiti/story_15429395.jsp |title=The Kolaveri Kid |date=April 29, 2012 |work=The Telegraph |access-date=2018-01-18 |archive-date=15 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415013037/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1120429/jsp/graphiti/story_15429395.jsp |url-status=live }}</ref> A reviewer from ''The Hindu'' noted, "his story, screenplay, dialogue and direction are focussed and hit the bull's eye straightway — hardly missing the mark."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/07/11/stories/2003071101230201.htm |title=Archived copy |website=The Hindu |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030902072438/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/07/11/stories/2003071101230201.htm |archive-date=2 September 2003 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
== | ===Accolades=== | ||
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2020}} | {{Unreferenced section|date=April 2020}} | ||
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==Remakes== | ==Remakes== | ||
Since its release, the film has been remade into several Indian languages; Boney Kapoor bought the rights to remake the film in [[Hindi]], but the project did not materialise.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/dhanush-owes-boney-kapoor-some-money/225340 |title=Dhanush owes Boney Kapoor some money |last=Dias |first=Noel Singh |date=14 August 2013 |work=[[The Free Press Journal]] |access-date=11 December 2018}}</ref> The film was later remade in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] as ''[[Nenu]]'' (2004),<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/different-strokes/article3267451.ece |title=Different strokes |last=Bhandaram |first=Vishnupriya |date=1 April 2012 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=11 December 2018}}</ref> in [[Kannada]] as ''Ravana'' (2009),<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/south-masala/lucky-lips/articleshow/21980773.cms |title=Lucky lips |date=30 November 2009 |work=[[Bangalore Mirror]] |access-date=11 December 2018 | Since its release, the film has been remade into several Indian languages; Boney Kapoor bought the rights to remake the film in [[Hindi]], but the project did not materialise.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/dhanush-owes-boney-kapoor-some-money/225340 |title=Dhanush owes Boney Kapoor some money |last=Dias |first=Noel Singh |date=14 August 2013 |work=[[The Free Press Journal]] |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-date=14 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214122827/https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/dhanush-owes-boney-kapoor-some-money/225340 |url-status=live }}</ref> The film was later remade in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] as ''[[Nenu (film)|Nenu]]'' (2004),<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/different-strokes/article3267451.ece |title=Different strokes |last=Bhandaram |first=Vishnupriya |date=1 April 2012 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-date=23 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623134918/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/different-strokes/article3267451.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> in [[Kannada]] as ''Ravana'' (2009),<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/south-masala/lucky-lips/articleshow/21980773.cms |title=Lucky lips |date=30 November 2009 |work=[[Bangalore Mirror]] |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-date=14 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214065954/https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/south-masala/lucky-lips/articleshow/21980773.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> in Bangladeshi Bengali as ''Onno Manush'' (2004)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.vikatan.com/news/album/vikatanphotostory/7916-238436-tamil-movies-which-are-remade-in-foreign-languages.album |title=பாசமலர் முதல் திருமலை வரை - வெளிநாடுகளில் ரீமேக்கான தமிழ் படங்கள்! #VikatanPhotoCards |website=[[Ananda Vikatan]] |at=slide 7 |language=ta |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-date=29 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129225135/https://www.vikatan.com/news/album/vikatanphotostory/7916-238436-tamil-movies-which-are-remade-in-foreign-languages.album |url-status=live }}</ref> and in Indian [[Bengali language|Bengali]] as ''[[Amanush (2010 film)|Amanush]]'' (2010).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/copycat-chronicles/cid/1273166 |title=Copycat chronicles |last=Ghose |first=Chandreyee |date=12 September 2010 |work=[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)]] |access-date=11 December 2018 |archive-date=30 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130071513/https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/copycat-chronicles/cid/1273166 |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
==Legacy== | ==Legacy== | ||
The film proved to be career breakthroughs for both Selvaraghavan and Dhanush in the Tamil film industry.<ref>http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/aug/11south.htm</ref><ref>http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/aug/06kadhal.htm</ref> The success of the song "Devathaiyai Kandaen" prompted [[Boopathy Pandian]] to name his [[Devathaiyai Kanden|2005 film starring Dhanush]] after the song title. | The film proved to be career breakthroughs for both Selvaraghavan and Dhanush in the Tamil film industry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/aug/11south.htm|title=Kaaka Kakka shocks Gautam Menon!|access-date=30 August 2016|archive-date=7 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307200133/http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/aug/11south.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/aug/06kadhal.htm|title=Target Dhanush!|access-date=30 August 2016|archive-date=15 August 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030815035836/http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/aug/06kadhal.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The success of the song "Devathaiyai Kandaen" prompted [[Boopathy Pandian]] to name his [[Devathaiyai Kanden|2005 film starring Dhanush]] after the song title. | ||
Dharshan dances as "Divya,divya" inspired by the film. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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[[Category:2003 directorial debut films]] | [[Category:2003 directorial debut films]] | ||
[[Category:Films scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja]] | [[Category:Films scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja]] | ||
[[Category:Films directed by Selvaraghavan]] | [[Category:Films directed by Selvaraghavan]] | ||
[[Category:Indian drama films]] | [[Category:Indian drama films]] | ||
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[[Category:Tamil-language films]] | [[Category:Tamil-language films]] | ||
[[Category:Indian romantic thriller films]] | [[Category:Indian romantic thriller films]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Tamil psychological thriller films]] | ||
Latest revision as of 19:19, 23 June 2022
| Kaadhal Kondein | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Selvaraghavan |
| Produced by | Dr. K. Vimalageetha |
| Written by | Selvaraghavan |
| Starring | Dhanush Sonia Agarwal Sudeep |
| Music by | Yuvan Shankar Raja |
| Cinematography | Arvind Krishna |
| Edited by | V. T. Vijayan |
Production company | R. K. Productions |
Release date | 4 July 2003 |
Running time | 166 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Kaadhal Kondein (transl. I got a love) is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic psychological thriller film written and directed by Selvaraghavan, starring his brother Dhanush and newcomers Sonia Agarwal and Sudeep Sarangi, while Nagesh and Daniel Balaji play supporting roles. The film, which has music scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja and cinematography handled by Aravind Krishna, released on 4 July 2003, winning critical acclaim and becoming a commercial success upon release. The film is considered a breakthrough for Dhanush as it catapulted him into the league of lead actors in the Tamil film industry.
The film was remade in Telugu in 2004 as Nenu, in Kannada in 2009 as Ravana, in Bangla in 2004 as Onno Manush and in Bengali in 2010 as Amanush.
The story revolves around a youth who is mentally and physically abused in his childhood. The lack of a mother's love haunts the protagonist throughout the film as the girl of his infatuation is raped and killed. Becoming a psychopath, he desperately tries to woo his newfound lady love and his efforts culminate in a nail-biting cliffhanger.
Plot[edit | edit source]
In 2003, Vinod (Dhanush), an orphan, has grown up under the care of church father Rozario (Nagesh). He is an introvert but a genius. He scores well in his +2 exams and gets free admission into one of the top engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu. He is forcibly sent to Chennai to college by Rozario where he is a complete misfit in class. Though shunned by the rest of his class, Divya (Sonia Agarwal) becomes his friend, and he gradually warms up to her. Vinod excels in his studies, and everyone begins to see him differently. His feelings for Divya soon turn into love, but he realizes that Divya considers him only as a friend and learns that she is in love with another classmate, Aadhi (Sudeep).
Divya's father is enraged on learning of her love. He locks her up in her room and prevents her from contacting anyone. Vinod comes and requests to meet her on the pretext of purchasing second-hand clothes for himself. Pitying Vinod, her father allows him to meet Divya. Vinod escapes with Divya and convinces her that she will meet Aadhi in Ooty. Vinod has set up a secret place in Ooty to execute his plan of wooing Divya. He makes her stay with him, while convincing her to stay by talking about Aadhi's arrival. On one such day, he reveals information about his past.
In 1995, near the forest of Hosur, a gang runs a brick factory which employs only children as labour. The gang's leader is a ruthless money-lending lady who buys orphans for work. They boys and girls are enslaved under highly inhuman conditions and work for 16 hours a day. Vinod, a 13-year-old-boy, is sold by his uncle and aunt for money after his parents died in an accident. He befriends three boys and one girl of the same age. One day, Vinod tries to inform the cruelty the children are exposed, to an officer who later accepts a bribe and leaves. He is then sent to solitary confinement within a metal box under the sun as punishment. Vinod's female friend agrees to the sexual advances made by the owners husband in exchange for freeing Vinod from the metal box, yet she dies during the sexual assault and the murder is covered up. Weeks later, the boys, lead by Vinod, rebel and kill the entire gang. They manage to vandalise the place and escape, following which the government takes over the plant, and all children are admitted into a orphanage run by Father Rozario.
Divya is touched by his past. Incidentally, the police and Aadhi arrive at the place. While Vinod was away to get some food, they try to explain to Divya that Vinod is a psychopath, with the evidence of a dead body in his earlier residence. Divya scoffs at their claims, citing his gentlemanly behaviour over the days that she has been alone with him. Vinod, learning that the police have arrived at the scene, begins to indulge in violence. He opens fire, killing a police constable. Forcing them out of their hideout, he manages to evade the police inspector and Aadhi and successfully brings Divya back to their original place of stay. Divya soon identifies the wolf in the sheep's clothing. Vinod pleads with her, telling Divya that all he wanted in his life was her presence, but she called him a friend and stated her inability to accept him as her partner for life.
Meanwhile, Aadhi regains consciousness and comes back to attack Vinod and rescue his girlfriend. A violent fight follows, where Vinod treats Aadhi with disdain. The fight culminates with Vinod, Aadhi, and Divya teetering at the edge of a slippery cliff. While Divya clutches a tree bark tightly, Vinod and Aadhi slip out and barely manage to hold either of her hands. Divya is forced to choose between her boyfriend and friend. Aadhi's pleas notwithstanding, Divya does not have the heart to kill Vinod, who smiles at Divya and he himself leaves hand falling to his death. The film closes with a dead Vinod looking up, with a smile on his face.
Cast[edit | edit source]
- Dhanush as Vinoth
- Sonia Agarwal as Divya
- Sudeep as Aadhi Kesavan
- Nagesh as Father Rozario[1]
- Daniel Balaji as Police Inspector
- Srikanth as Divya's father
- Hemalatha as Devi, Vinod's childhood friend
- Rambo Rajkumar
- Gowthami Vembunathan as the orphanage caretaker
- A. K. Abbas as Vinod's childhood friend
Production[edit | edit source]
Following the success of the previous film Thulluvadho Ilamai (2002), the team chose to collaborate again with the psychotic romantic thriller Kaadhal Kondein, credited as Selvaraghavan's directorial debut. The venture, produced by his home production, also marked the first collaboration of Selvaraghavan with cinematographer Arvind Krishna, whom he would later associate with newcomer Sonia Agarwal. Selvaraghavan had written the script for the film in the late 1990s and had first narrated the story to Dhanush in their shared bedroom at home, before asking him to play the lead role of Vinod.[2]
Music[edit | edit source]
| Kaadhal Kondein | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 20 March 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 34:34 30:18 (OST release) | |||
| Label | Five Star Audio | |||
| Producer | Yuvan Shankar Raja | |||
| Yuvan Shankar Raja chronology | ||||
| ||||
For Kaadhal Kondein, director Selvaraghavan and music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja came together again after their earlier successful collaboration in Thulluvadho Ilamai (2002), for which Selvaraghavan worked as a writer. The soundtrack of Kaadhal Kondein released on 20 March 2003, featuring seven tracks with lyrics written by Palani Bharathi and Na. Muthukumar. The music, especially the film score, received universal critical acclaim, establishing composer Yuvan Shankar Raja as one of the "most sought after music directors" in the Tamil film industry.[3]
Most of the songs from this film were plagiarized from various sources: for example the song "Kadhal Mattum Purivathillai" was plagiarised from the song "Raven" in the album of "Tra" by "Hedningarna" and the song "Manasu Rendum" was copied from "A rose in the wind" by "Anggun". More than one year after the release of the film, an "original soundtrack" was released, that followed the Hollywood-style. It was said to be the first time, that an original soundtrack was released for a film in India as the soundtracks released in India do not contain any film score pieces but full songs that feature in the film itself.[3] The OST of Kaadhal Kondein contains 20 tracks overall, which includes the seven earlier released tracks, four "montage" bit songs, that featured in the film, but not in the soundtrack, and nine pieces from the actual film score, which were titled as "Theme Music".
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Devathaiyai Kandaen" | Harish Raghavendra | 5:11 |
| 2. | "Manasu Rendum" | Shankar Mahadevan | 6:41 |
| 3. | "Nenjodu" | P. Unnikrishnan, Sujatha | 6:25 |
| 4. | "Kadhal Mattum Purivathillai" | Vijay Yesudas | 6:07 |
| 5. | "Thottu Thottu" | Harish Raghavendra | 5:16 |
| 6. | "18 Vayathil" | Yuvan Shankar Raja | 4:49 |
| 7. | "Kaadhal Kondein (Theme Music)" (Instrumental) | 1:07 |
All music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja.
| Original Soundtrack release | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length | ||||||
| 8. | "Thathi Thathi" | Yuvan Shankar Raja | 2:48 | ||||||
| 9. | "Natpinilae" | Harish Raghavendra | 1:19 | ||||||
| 10. | "Unnai Thozhi" | Ranjith | 2:05 | ||||||
| 11. | "Kai Padamalae" | Ranjith | 2:16 | ||||||
| 12. | "Theme Music 1" | Instrumental | 2:42 | ||||||
| 13. | "Theme Music 2" | Instrumental | 2:12 | ||||||
| 14. | "Theme Music 3" | Instrumental | 0:58 | ||||||
| 15. | "Theme Music 4" | Instrumental | 2:05 | ||||||
| 16. | "Theme Music 5" | Instrumental | 2:24 | ||||||
| 17. | "Theme Music 6" | Instrumental | 1:46 | ||||||
| 18. | "Theme Music 7" | Instrumental | 2:29 | ||||||
| 19. | "Theme Music 8" | Instrumental | 4:31 | ||||||
| 20. | "Theme Music 9" | Instrumental | 2:43 | ||||||
Total length: |
30:18 | ||||||||
Reception[edit | edit source]
Critical response[edit | edit source]
The film opened in July 2003 to critical acclaim and commercial success.[4] A reviewer from The Hindu noted, "his story, screenplay, dialogue and direction are focussed and hit the bull's eye straightway — hardly missing the mark."[5]
Accolades[edit | edit source]
 | This section does not cite any sources. (April 2020) |
- 2004: Filmfare Best Actor Award Nominated - Dhanush
- 2004: Filmfare Best Female Debut (South) - Sonia Agarwal
- Nominations
Remakes[edit | edit source]
Since its release, the film has been remade into several Indian languages; Boney Kapoor bought the rights to remake the film in Hindi, but the project did not materialise.[6] The film was later remade in Telugu as Nenu (2004),[7] in Kannada as Ravana (2009),[8] in Bangladeshi Bengali as Onno Manush (2004)[9] and in Indian Bengali as Amanush (2010).[10]
Legacy[edit | edit source]
The film proved to be career breakthroughs for both Selvaraghavan and Dhanush in the Tamil film industry.[11][12] The success of the song "Devathaiyai Kandaen" prompted Boopathy Pandian to name his 2005 film starring Dhanush after the song title.
Dharshan dances as "Divya,divya" inspired by the film.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ ""Nagaichuvai Mannan" Nagesh: Monarch of Humorous Actors in Tamil Movies". dbsjeyaraj.com. 23 December 2015. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ↑ "'MAN'of the moment". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 November 2003. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Generation NEXT". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 27 October 2003. Archived from the original on 30 November 2003. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
- ↑ "The Kolaveri Kid". The Telegraph. 29 April 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ↑ "Archived copy". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 September 2003. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ Dias, Noel Singh (14 August 2013). "Dhanush owes Boney Kapoor some money". The Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ↑ Bhandaram, Vishnupriya (1 April 2012). "Different strokes". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ↑ "Lucky lips". Bangalore Mirror. 30 November 2009. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ↑ "பாசமலர் முதல் திருமலை வரை - வெளிநாடுகளில் ரீமேக்கான தமிழ் படங்கள்! #VikatanPhotoCards". Ananda Vikatan (in தமிழ்). slide 7. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ↑ Ghose, Chandreyee (12 September 2010). "Copycat chronicles". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- ↑ "Kaaka Kakka shocks Gautam Menon!". Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ↑ "Target Dhanush!". Archived from the original on 15 August 2003. Retrieved 30 August 2016.