Aadukalam: Difference between revisions

Name: Aadukalam
Director: Vetrimaaran
Released: 2021-05-11T16:20:39Z
Duration: 2 h 34 min
Cast: Dhanush, Taapsee Pannu, Kishore (actor, born 1974), V. I. S. Jayapalan, Aadukalam Naren

Aadukalam
Aadukalam
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Vetrimaaran
Produced by	S. Kathiresan
Screenplay by	Vetrimaaran; Additional screenplay:; Vikram Sugumaran
Story by	Vetrimaaran
Dialogues by	Vetrimaaran; Vikram Sugumaran
Starring	Dhanush; Taapsee; Kishore; V. I. S. Jayapalan; Naren; Murugadoss;
Music by	G. V. Prakash Kumar
Cinematography	Velraj
Edited by	Kishore Te.
Production; company	Group Companys; Five Star Films;
Distributed by	Sun Pictures
Release date	14 January 2011;
Running time	154 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil
Budget	₹10 crore
Box office	₹30 crore

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Latest revision as of 07:31, 14 March 2026

Aadukalam (pronunciation (help·info); transl. Playground) is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language sports action drama film directed by Vetrimaaran, produced by S. Kathiresan and distributed by Sun Pictures. The film stars Dhanush in the lead role, alongside Taapsee (in her Tamil debut), Kishore, V. I. S. Jayapalan, Naren Narayanan, and Murugadoss. G. V. Prakash Kumar composed the film score and soundtrack.

The film was released on 14 January 2011 to critical acclaim, with critics praising the screenplay, direction and performances (particularly of Dhanush, Jayapalan and Naren). The film won six awards at the 58th National Film Awards, including Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor.^[5] The film also won five awards at the 59th Filmfare Awards South – Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Music Director and Best Cinematography. Based on an online poll by The Times of India, Vetrimaran was chosen as the best director for Aadukalam.

Plot[edit | edit source]

In Madurai, veteran rooster trainer Periyasamy aka "Pettaikaaran" and Madurai Central Police Inspector Rathnaswamy are tough competitors in cockfights, and it is often Pettai who wins because nobody knows his way of maintaining the quality of the birds. Rathnasamy and Pettai were once protegees of veteran Doraisamy, who has retired from active competition but is considered the honorary overlord of rooster fighting in south Tamil Nadu.

K. P. Karuppu and Durai are the favourites in Pettai's team. Karuppu is very talented in breeding and training roosters, while Durai is very rich, owns three bars in the town of Thiruparankundram, and is talented in rooster training. One day, during an informal match, local police raid the spot and arrest most of the involved, except Rathnaswamy and Durai who escape. Everyone is released after stern warning from the local police, after intervention from Rathnasamy. Pettai's roosters were abducted by the fleeing men from Rathnasamy's party, and Pettai orders his guys to bring them back by any means. He also asks them to kill any fowl which had bred with his roosters, to prevent the strength of his roosters passing to Rathnasamy's flock. Karuppu goes to the railway colony at night, to retrieve their rooster, since an ally of Rathnasamy lives there. He kills the fowl which had mated with their rooster, and bumps into an Anglo-Indian girl named Irene. He is smitten with her beauty, but silences her and leaves.

Having been defeated in all earlier bouts with Pettai's roosters, Rathinasamy keeps insisting on having one last fight to win and satisfy his old mother's wish, but Pettai declines to have any more cockfights because he feels that Rathnaswamy has lost faith in his roosters and will be using nefarious methods to win, like the earlier raid.

Karuppu falls in love with Irene, who dislikes him. He does not recognise this initially and keeps following her. One day, the residents of Irene's colony confront him and ask Irene to tell who she is in love with – Karuppu or Dinesh, another man in the locality. She points her finger at Karuppu, and he goes into rapture. She explains later that she had to lie in order to avoid Dinesh, who has been bothering her for a long time. Later, Irene too falls in love with Karuppu.

Meanwhile, Rathnasamy tries to cajole Ayub, Pettai's veterinarian, to convince Pettai for a competition against himself, in exchange for a huge amount. Ayub refuses and insults Rathnasamy. The same night, Ayub is killed in a hit and run accident. Durai initially suspects Rathnaswamy and all of Pettai's gang wants revenge, but Pettai decides to conduct a state tournament in Ayub's name and provide his family with funds so that Ayub's destitute daughters can be married. He asks permission from Rathnasamy as the police have to permit it, but Rathnaswamy refuses, manhandles him, and berates Pettai as a thief. In a rage, Pettai, suspecting Rathnaswamy of Ayub's murder, agrees to the one-on-one rooster fight that Rathnaswamy has been asking for so long. He bets that he will field his roosters against every rooster that Rathnaswamy brings to the field in the upcoming tournament, and even if one of Pettai's roosters loses against Rathnaswamy's, Pettai will tonsure his head and shave his face, publicly apologise to him, and will quit rooster fights. If Rathnaswamy is not able to beat at least one of his roosters, the same conditions will be applied on him. Finally getting his way, Rathnaswamy permits the tournament.

The grand state tournament is arranged by Pettai's team, getting heavy funds and official permission. In the initial 11 fights, Rathnasamy's roosters are defeated by Pettai's. Rathnasamy brings high-bred roosters from Bangalore and enters them into the tournament. Seeing the quality of the new roosters, Karuppu asks Pettai to let his rooster fight, but Pettai puts his rooster down and says that he will choose the best-competing rooster himself. Karuppu surreptitiously enters the contest as Pettai's team before Pettai can choose the rooster because he needs to repay Irene for the loan he took to prepare his rooster for the fight. Pettai does not believe in Karuppu and his rooster - announcing that Karuppu will not represent Pettai, and the result of Karuppu's match will not be acknowledged by his team. However, the 'underdog' emerges victorious in three consecutive rounds, despite facing roosters spiked with steroids. Karuppu gets the best coach award of the tournament and wins the bet of ₹3 lakh (equivalent to ₹5.0 lakh or US$7,000 in 2019).

While initially happy that Karuppu won, Pettai is soon overcome with anger and jealousy. His ego is hurt by the fact that Karuppu earned both popularity and money, by refuting his judgement. Karuppu is not aware of the changes in Pettai's mind. Karuppu gives Pettai the money from the competition for safekeeping, which he plans to use to start a business, but it goes missing. Pettai also starts spinning stories about his associates and makes everyone suspicious of each other. He incites Karuppu and Durai into pitting their roosters in a fight. Meanwhile, Karuppu's mother dies from the shock of losing all the money. Pettai poisons Durai's roosters, making him suspect Karuppu, who is arrested for this. Pettai then lies to Irene that his wife was in an adulterous relationship with Karuppu. Irene's family also pressures her to move to Chennai, which pushes her into attempting suicide. Pettai, meanwhile, calls Karuppu to a location near a temple and informs Durai about his whereabouts. When Irene recovers, she calls Karuppu and informs him that Pettai is badmouthing him, so Karuppu goes to find Pettai and confront him. Karuppu finds that Pettai was the one who stole his money, and a guilt-ridden Pettai kills himself. Karuppu does not wish to reveal Pettai's scheming against him, so he flees with Irene to start a new life in another city, leaving the money with his friend.

Cast[edit | edit source]

Dhanush as K. P. Karuppu^[6]
Taapsee as Irene Claude (Dubbed by Andrea Jeremiah)^[7]
Kishore as Durai (Voice Dubbed By Samuthirakani)^[6]
V. I. S. Jayapalan as Periyasamy "Pettaikaran" (Voice dubbed by Radha Ravi)^[6]
Naren as Rathnasamy^[6]
Murugadoss as Oole^[6]
Meenal as Meena^[6]
Sendrayan as Nicholas^[6]
Periya Karuppu Thevar as Ayub^[6]
Jayaprakash as Irene's relative
Dinesh Ravi as Dinesh^[6]
Halwa Vasu as Speaker
Munnar Ramesh as Rathnasamy's right hand man^[8]
Velraj as Police Inspector (special appearance)

Production[edit | edit source]

Development[edit | edit source]

A lot of research has gone into the script. I was born and brought up in Chennai and to learn new things, I had to unlearn many. I went to Madurai with a script in mind, but I had to change the script to accommodate reality. To make my film authentic, we have cast people who belong to the sub-cult. I even share credits for scriptwriting with Vikram Sukumaran [sic], who hails from Madurai.

— Vetrimaaran in an interview with V. Lakshmi of The Times of India.^[9]

Following the success of their 2007 collaboration Polladhavan, the entire team of that film — director Vetrimaaran, lead actor Dhanush, producer S. Kathiresan, and music director G. V. Prakash Kumar — collaborated again for Aadukalam.^[10] Vetrimaaran spent a period of two years in Madurai to understand the local dialect and lifestyle of the people living there. Aadukalam was the first film of Vetrimaaran to have a production office set up outside of Chennai.^[9] Vetrimaaran took a year to complete the screenplay, script, and dialogues for Aadukalam and held a bounded script for the venture, which is considered rare in Tamil films.^[10]^[11] Vetrimaaran narrated only half of the film's script to Dhanush before the latter was impressed with it and agreed to act in the film.^[10] The film was initially titled Seval, but since the rights to the title were already taken by director Hari for his project with Bharath, Vetrimaaran decided to rename his film as Aadukalam.^[12] Vetrimaaran revealed that the idea of the story was inspired from several international films such as, Caché, Amores perros, Babel, Tamil films Thevar Magan, Virumaandi, Paruthiveeran and novels Roots: The Saga of an American Family and Shantaram, which mentioned during the end credits.^[13]

Casting[edit | edit source]

Shriya Saran was signed on for the project in February 2008 but eventually pulled out citing schedule conflicts.^[10]^[14] In June 2009, Trisha Krishnan, who was selected to replace Saran for the role of Irene, was forced to opt out of the project after her schedule clashed with the allotted dates for her other films, Namo Venkatesa (2010) and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010).^[10]^[15]^[16] Newcomer Taapsee Pannu, a Punjabi software engineer, was named as her replacement.^[10]^[17] R. Parthiban was originally offered to portray Karuppu's mentor Pettaikaran, but declined due to scheduling conflicts.^[18] Sri Lankan Tamil writer and political commentator V. I. S. Jayapalan portrayed the role, thereby making his debut in Tamil cinema.^[19] Attakathi Dinesh makes a small cameo in the film as Dinesh, Karuppu's nemesis when it comes to winning Irene's love.^[20] Murugadoss plays Karuppu's friend Oole while Naren appears as Rathnasamy who is Pettaikaran's rival in cockfighting; both actors added the film's title to their stage names.^[6]

Filming[edit | edit source]

Principal photography began in Madurai in February 2009 with scenes featuring Dhanush being shot.^[10]^[11] The first look of the film was released shortly after the commencement of filming. It featured a series of promotional posters depicting the characters played by Dhanush, Jayapalan and Kishore.^[21] During early stages of production, Dhanush revealed he would play the role of a local cockfighter named K. P. Karuppu, and described the venture as his "dream project".^[22] The cockfight sequences that take place before intermission was filmed for 26 days in a set created by art director Jacki.^[12] Filming was completed in August 2010.^[10] In addition to being shot in Madurai, some portions were also filmed in Thiruparankundram. The cockfights were filmed using computer-generated imagery (CGI).^{[citation needed]}

Post production[edit | edit source]

The post-production works on the cockfight sequences delayed the film's release.^[10] The voices for Kishore, Taapsee, and Jayapalan were dubbed by Samuthirakani, Andrea Jeremiah and Radha Ravi respectively.^[12]

Music[edit | edit source]

G. V. Prakash Kumar's soundtrack consists of seven tracks. It was released by Sony Music and the audio was launched at a small function at Lady Aandal School auditorium in Chennai on 1 December 2010.^[23] The song Yathe Yathe topped the charts and remained in the No.1 position for nearly five weeks.^[3]

Release[edit | edit source]

Aadukalam premiered on 12 January 2011 at Four Frames Preview Theatre,^[24] and was theatrically released two days later.^[6] It was distributed by Sun Pictures.^[25]

Critical reception[edit | edit source]

The film received critical acclaim from critics and audiences, praising the direction, screenplay and performances (particularly Dhanush, Jayapalan and Naren) and music. Sify called it "a gutsy and brilliant film" and mentioned that it " lives up to the expectation that the film carried and the credit goes to Vetrimaran whose research and hard work shows on screen".^[26] Karthik Subramanian of The Hindu praised the film stating that "The detailing of every characters in the story is intricate. The narrative moves like a good novel where the first few chapters are all about etching and detailing the players, and the plot and the action unfold much later".^[27] Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff.com called it "one of Dhanush's best works to date".^[28] Ananda Vikatan rated the film with 44 marks and mentioned that "This arena is new for presenting cultural nuances of a region and changes in human emotions beautifully".^[12]

Box office[edit | edit source]

Made on a budget of ₹10 crore (equivalent to ₹17 crore or US$2.3 million in 2019) including the promotional costs,^[29] the film collected around ₹30 crore (equivalent to ₹50 crore or US$7.0 million in 2019) at the box-office and was declared a success.^[12] The film had a theatrical run of 50 weeks in 4 theatre centres.^[30]

Accolades[edit | edit source]

Aadukalam won six awards at the 58th National Film Awards ceremony, thereby sharing the record with Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) for the most National Film Awards won by a Tamil film.^[31] It won awards under the Best Direction (Vetrimaaran), Best Actor (Dhanush), Best Screenplay (Original) (Vetrimaaran), Best Editing (Kishore Te) and Best Choreography (Dinesh) categories with a Special Jury Award being presented to V. I. S Jayapalan.^[32] The film was nominated in seven categories at the 59th Filmfare Awards South, winning Best Film – Tamil (S. Kathiresan), Best Director – Tamil (Vetrimaaran), Best Actor – Tamil (Dhanush), Best Music Director – Tamil (G. V. Prakash Kumar), and Best Cinematographer (Velraj).^[33]^[34] At the 6th Vijay Awards, it was nominated in twenty-two categories and won in five, including Entertainer of the Year (Dhanush), Best Director (Vetrimaaran) and Best Music Director (G. V. Prakash Kumar).^[35]^[36] Among other wins, the film received seven Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards,^[37] four South Indian International Movie Awards,^[38]^[39] three Mirchi Music Awards,^[40]^[41]^[42] and one Norway Tamil Film Festival Award, Chennai International Film Festival Award, and Chennai Times Film Award each.^[43]^[44]^[45]^[46]

Notes[edit | edit source]

↑ The average exchange rate in 2011 was 51.10 Indian rupees (₹) per 1 US dollar (US$).^[4]

References[edit | edit source]

↑ "Aadukalam". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
↑ Bhavanishankar, Jyothsna (21 December 2010). "Vetrimaran Interview". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 "After Bollywood, Sony Music taps Tamil movie market". The Economic Times. 9 February 2011. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
↑ "Rupee vs dollar: From 1990 to 2012". Rediff.com. 18 May 2012. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
↑ "'Aadukalam sees Dhanush in his best performance'". Rediff.com. 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
↑ ^6.00 ^6.01 ^6.02 ^6.03 ^6.04 ^6.05 ^6.06 ^6.07 ^6.08 ^6.09 ^6.10 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 512.
↑ Bhaskaran, Gautaman (3 February 2011). "Gautaman Bhaskaran's review: Aadukalam". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
↑ "ஆட்டுக்குட்டியை ஆட்டை போட்டவர் இவர்தான்!". Kungumam (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
↑ ^9.0 ^9.1 Lakshmi, V. (16 November 2010). "'Aadukalam is a contemporary film'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
↑ ^10.0 ^10.1 ^10.2 ^10.3 ^10.4 ^10.5 ^10.6 ^10.7 ^10.8 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 513.
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 "Dhanush starts work on Aadukalam". Sify. 24 February 2009. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 ^12.4 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 514.
↑ George, Liza (28 July 2011). "Journey of the mind". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
↑ "Dhanush & Shriya team up!". Sify. 1 February 2008. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
↑ "Will Trisha do Aadukalam?". Sify. 27 June 2009. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
↑ Pillai, Sreedhar (28 June 2009). "Has Trisha opted out of Aadukalam?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
↑ "Dhanush gets a Punjabi kudi as heroine". Sify. 30 September 2009. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
↑ A, Ganesh (23 July 2024). "ஆடுகளம் படத்தில் நடிக்க வந்த வாய்ப்பு... நோ சொன்ன பார்த்திபன்; அதுவும் இந்த கேரக்டரா? நேஷனல் அவார்டு போச்சே!". Asianet News (in தமிழ்). Retrieved 23 September 2025.
↑ "Jayabalan debuts in Kollywood". The Times of India. 26 February 2009. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
↑ S., Venkadesan (16 August 2012). "'Theatre made me an actor'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
↑ "Aadukalam". Sify. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
↑ Pillai, Sreedhar (28 July 2009). "Yatra is my lucky mascot: Dhanush". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
↑ "Aadukalam audio launch on Dec 1". Sify. 29 November 2010. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
↑ "Rajinikanth watches Aadukalam twice". Sify. 13 January 2011. Archived from the original on 16 January 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
↑ Saravanan. "Sun Pictures the film division of Sun TV Network is today one of the leading production houses in the industry". sun.in. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
↑ "Aadukalam-Review". Sify. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
↑ Subramanian, Karthik (22 January 2011). "'Aadukalam': Fascinating shades of grey". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
↑ Srinivasan, Pavithra (14 January 2011). "Aadukalam is impressive". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
↑ G, Sai Shyam (19 January 2011). "Script's a winner". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
↑ "Aadukalam hits a century!". The Times of India. 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
↑ Dhananjayan 2014, p. xvi, introduction.
↑ "58th National Film Awards for 2010 announced". Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
↑ "59th Idea Filmfare Awards South (Winners list)". Filmfare. 9 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "The 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011(South)". The Times of India. 8 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "6th Annual Vijay Awards: Complete list of winners". IBNLive. 19 June 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ Vijay Awards 06/30/12. Chennai: YouTube. 30 June 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Vikatan Awards 2011". Ananda Vikatan. India Malaysia Online. Retrieved 16 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑ Manigandan, K. R. (28 June 2012). "The South Shines". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "SIIMA Awards: 2011 Winners". South Indian International Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Mirchi Music Awards Background". Radio Mirchi. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Mirchi Music Awards Winners". Radio Mirchi. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "Mirchi Music Awards Listener's Choice". Radio Mirchi. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ Srinivasan, Meera (23 December 2011). "Spotlight on pen-camera relationship". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
↑ "The Chennai Times Film Awards 2011". The Times of India. 22 June 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
↑ "NTFF 2011: Festival Program 20th-25th April". Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards. 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
↑ "Tamilar Awards 2011 – Winners of the year". Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards. 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.

Sources[edit | edit source]

Dhananjayan, G. (2014). Pride of Tamil Cinema: 1931–2013. Blue Ocean Publishers. OCLC 898765509.

External links[edit | edit source]

Aadukalam on IMDb
Aadukalam at Rotten Tomatoes

[exchange2010-5] The average exchange rate in 2011 was 51.10 Indian rupees (₹) per 1 US dollar (US$).^[4]

[1] "Aadukalam". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2022.

[2] Bhavanishankar, Jyothsna (21 December 2010). "Vetrimaran Interview". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.

[Taps-3] 3.0 ^3.1 "After Bollywood, Sony Music taps Tamil movie market". The Economic Times. 9 February 2011. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.

[ex2011-4] "Rupee vs dollar: From 1990 to 2012". Rediff.com. 18 May 2012. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.

[Best_Actor_National_Award-6] "'Aadukalam sees Dhanush in his best performance'". Rediff.com. 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2016.

[FOOTNOTEDhananjayan2014512-7] 6.00 ^6.01 ^6.02 ^6.03 ^6.04 ^6.05 ^6.06 ^6.07 ^6.08 ^6.09 ^6.10 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 512.

[8] Bhaskaran, Gautaman (3 February 2011). "Gautaman Bhaskaran's review: Aadukalam". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.

[9] "ஆட்டுக்குட்டியை ஆட்டை போட்டவர் இவர்தான்!". Kungumam (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)

[TOIVetri-10] 9.0 ^9.1 Lakshmi, V. (16 November 2010). "'Aadukalam is a contemporary film'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2015.

[FOOTNOTEDhananjayan2014513-11] 10.0 ^10.1 ^10.2 ^10.3 ^10.4 ^10.5 ^10.6 ^10.7 ^10.8 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 513.

[autogenerated1-12] 11.0 ^11.1 "Dhanush starts work on Aadukalam". Sify. 24 February 2009. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.

[FOOTNOTEDhananjayan2014514-13] 12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 ^12.4 Dhananjayan 2014, p. 514.

[14] George, Liza (28 July 2011). "Journey of the mind". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.

[15] "Dhanush & Shriya team up!". Sify. 1 February 2008. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.

[16] "Will Trisha do Aadukalam?". Sify. 27 June 2009. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.

[17] Pillai, Sreedhar (28 June 2009). "Has Trisha opted out of Aadukalam?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2011.

[18] "Dhanush gets a Punjabi kudi as heroine". Sify. 30 September 2009. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.

[19] A, Ganesh (23 July 2024). "ஆடுகளம் படத்தில் நடிக்க வந்த வாய்ப்பு... நோ சொன்ன பார்த்திபன்; அதுவும் இந்த கேரக்டரா? நேஷனல் அவார்டு போச்சே!". Asianet News (in தமிழ்). Retrieved 23 September 2025.

[20] "Jayabalan debuts in Kollywood". The Times of India. 26 February 2009. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2015.

[21] S., Venkadesan (16 August 2012). "'Theatre made me an actor'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.

[22] "Aadukalam". Sify. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.

[23] Pillai, Sreedhar (28 July 2009). "Yatra is my lucky mascot: Dhanush". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.

[:3-24] "Aadukalam audio launch on Dec 1". Sify. 29 November 2010. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.

[25] "Rajinikanth watches Aadukalam twice". Sify. 13 January 2011. Archived from the original on 16 January 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2026.

[26] Saravanan. "Sun Pictures the film division of Sun TV Network is today one of the leading production houses in the industry". sun.in. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.

[27] "Aadukalam-Review". Sify. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.

[28] Subramanian, Karthik (22 January 2011). "'Aadukalam': Fascinating shades of grey". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.

[29] Srinivasan, Pavithra (14 January 2011). "Aadukalam is impressive". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2011.

[30] G, Sai Shyam (19 January 2011). "Script's a winner". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.

[31] "Aadukalam hits a century!". The Times of India. 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.

[FOOTNOTEDhananjayan2014xvi,_introduction-32] Dhananjayan 2014, p. xvi, introduction.

[33] "58th National Film Awards for 2010 announced". Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2011.

[34] "59th Idea Filmfare Awards South (Winners list)". Filmfare. 9 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

[35] "The 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011(South)". The Times of India. 8 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

[36] "6th Annual Vijay Awards: Complete list of winners". IBNLive. 19 June 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

[37] Vijay Awards 06/30/12. Chennai: YouTube. 30 June 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

[38] "Vikatan Awards 2011". Ananda Vikatan. India Malaysia Online. Retrieved 16 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

[39] Manigandan, K. R. (28 June 2012). "The South Shines". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

[40] "SIIMA Awards: 2011 Winners". South Indian International Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

[41] "Mirchi Music Awards Background". Radio Mirchi. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

[42] "Mirchi Music Awards Winners". Radio Mirchi. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

[43] "Mirchi Music Awards Listener's Choice". Radio Mirchi. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

[44] Srinivasan, Meera (23 December 2011). "Spotlight on pen-camera relationship". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.

[45] "The Chennai Times Film Awards 2011". The Times of India. 22 June 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

[46] "NTFF 2011: Festival Program 20th-25th April". Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards. 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
 {{Infobox film
-| name           = Aadukalam
 | image          = Aadukalam.jpg
-| caption        = Poster
+| caption        = Theatrical release poster
-| director       = [[Vetrimaran]]
+| director       = [[Vetrimaaran]]
-| producer       = Kathiresan
+| producer       = [[S. Kathiresan]]
-| writer         = {{plainlist|
+| writer         =
-*Vetrimaran
+| story          = Vetrimaaran
-*<small>'''(Dialogue)'''</small>
+{{Infobox | decat = yes | child = yes
-*Vikram Sugumaran <br /><small>'''(Additional Dialogue)'''</small>
+    | label1= Dialogues by
+    | data1 = Vetrimaaran<br/>Vikram Sugumaran
 }}
-| story          = Vetrimaran
+| screenplay     = Vetrimaaran<br /><small>'''Additional screenplay:'''</small><br />[[Vikram Sugumaran]]
-| screenplay     = Vetrimaran<br /><small>'''Additional screenplay:'''</small><br />Vikram Sugumaran<br /><small>'''(uncredited)'''</small>
 | starring       = {{plainlist|
 *[[Dhanush]]
-*[[Tapsee Pannu]]
+*[[Taapsee Pannu|Taapsee]]
 *[[Kishore (actor, born 1974)|Kishore]]
 *[[V. I. S. Jayapalan]]
@@ Line 31: / Line 30: @@
 }}
 | distributor    = [[Sun Pictures]]
-| released       = {{Film date|df=y|2011|1|14}}{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
+| released       = {{Film date|df=y|2011|1|14}}
-| runtime        = 160 minutes
+| runtime        = 154 minutes<ref>{{cite web |title=Aadukalam |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/aadukalam-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc00mjuwmdm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/ptFwn |archive-date=14 Mar 2026 |access-date=22 February 2022 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |language=en}}</ref>
 | country        = India
 | language       = Tamil
-| budget         = {{INR}}10 crore<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.behindwoods.com/new-videos/videos-q1-09/director-interview/vetrimaran.html | title=Vetrimaran Interview | publisher=Behindwoods | date=21 December 2010 | access-date=14 August 2015 | author=Bhavanishankar, Jyothsna | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814061410/http://www.behindwoods.com/new-videos/videos-q1-09/director-interview/vetrimaran.html | archive-date=14 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref>
+| budget         = {{INR}}10 crore<ref>{{cite web |author=Bhavanishankar, Jyothsna |date=21 December 2010 |title=Vetrimaran Interview |url=http://www.behindwoods.com/new-videos/videos-q1-09/director-interview/vetrimaran.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814061410/http://www.behindwoods.com/new-videos/videos-q1-09/director-interview/vetrimaran.html |archive-date=14 August 2015 |access-date=14 August 2015 |website=Behindwoods |language=en}}</ref>
-| gross          = {{INR}}30 crore<ref name="Taps">{{cite web | url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/media/entertainment-/media/after-bollywood-sony-music-taps-tamil-movie-market/articleshow/7459587.cms | title=After Bollywood, Sony Music taps Tamil movie market | work=[[The Economic Times]] | date=9 February 2011 | access-date=15 October 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110213035001/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/media/entertainment-/media/after-bollywood-sony-music-taps-tamil-movie-market/articleshow/7459587.cms | archive-date=13 February 2011}}</ref>{{efn|The average exchange rate in 2011 was 51.10 Indian rupees ({{INR}}) per 1 US dollar (US$).<ref name="ex2011">{{cite web | url=http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-rupee-vs-dollar-in-the-last-2-decades/20120518.htm | title=Rupee vs dollar: From 1990 to 2012 | work=[[Rediff.com]] | date=18 May 2012 | access-date=14 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321115240/http://inwww.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-rupee-vs-dollar-in-the-last-2-decades/20120518.htm?print=true | archive-date=21 March 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref>|name=exchange2010}}
+| gross          = {{INR}}30 crore<ref name="Taps">{{cite web |date=9 February 2011 |title=After Bollywood, Sony Music taps Tamil movie market |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/media/entertainment-/media/after-bollywood-sony-music-taps-tamil-movie-market/articleshow/7459587.cms |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110213035001/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/media/entertainment-/media/after-bollywood-sony-music-taps-tamil-movie-market/articleshow/7459587.cms |archive-date=13 February 2011 |access-date=15 October 2011 |work=[[The Economic Times]] |language=en}}</ref>{{efn|The average exchange rate in 2011 was 51.10 Indian rupees ({{INR}}) per 1 US dollar (US$).<ref name="ex2011">{{cite web |date=18 May 2012 |title=Rupee vs dollar: From 1990 to 2012 |url=http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-rupee-vs-dollar-in-the-last-2-decades/20120518.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321115240/http://inwww.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-rupee-vs-dollar-in-the-last-2-decades/20120518.htm?print=true |archive-date=21 March 2015 |access-date=14 August 2015 |work=[[Rediff.com]] |language=en}}</ref>|name=exchange2010}}
 }}
-'''''Aadukalam''''' ({{audio|Ta-ஆடுகளம்.ogg|pronunciation}}) ({{trans|Playground}}) is a 2011 Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[action drama film]] directed by [[Vetrimaran]], who also wrote the screenplay and dialogues with Vikram Sugumaran. Produced by Five Star Kathiresan and distributed by [[Sun Pictures]], the film stars [[Dhanush]] and [[Taapsee Pannu]] in the lead roles, the latter in her film debut, with [[Kishore (actor, born 1974)|Kishore]], [[V. I. S. Jayapalan]], [[Aadukalam Naren|Naren]], and [[Aadukalam Murugadoss|Murugadoss]] play supporting roles. [[G. V. Prakash Kumar]] composed the film score and soundtrack, whilst [[R. Velraj|Velraj]] and [[Kishore Te|Kishore Te.]] handled the cinematography and editing. The film was released on 14 January 2011 to positive critical feedback. The film won six awards at the [[58th National Film Awards]], including [[National Film Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[National Film Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] and [[National Film Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]].<ref name="Best Actor National Award">{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/south-interview-with-vetrimaran/20110531.htm|title='Aadukalam sees Dhanush in his best performance'|date=31 May 2011|access-date=10 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103010040/http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/south-interview-with-vetrimaran/20110531.htm|archive-date=3 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was also felicitated with five awards in [[59th Filmfare Awards South]]&nbsp;– [[Filmfare Award for Best Film&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Film]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Director&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Director]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Actor&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Actor]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Music Director&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Music Director]] and [[Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer&nbsp;– South|Best Cinematography]]. Based on an online poll by ''[[The Times of India]]'', Vetrimaran was chosen as the best director for ''Aadukalam''. The Telugu dubbed version ''Pandem Kollu'' was released on 30 January 2015.
+'''''Aadukalam''''' ({{audio|Ta-ஆடுகளம்.ogg|pronunciation}}; {{translation|Playground}}) is a 2011 Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[sports film|sports]] [[action drama film]] directed by [[Vetrimaaran]], produced by [[S. Kathiresan]] and distributed by [[Sun Pictures]]. The film stars [[Dhanush]] in the lead role, alongside [[Taapsee Pannu|Taapsee]] (in her Tamil debut), [[Kishore (actor, born 1974)|Kishore]], [[V. I. S. Jayapalan]], [[Aadukalam Naren|Naren Narayanan]], and [[Aadukalam Murugadoss|Murugadoss]]. [[G. V. Prakash Kumar]] composed the film score and soundtrack.
+The film was released on 14 January 2011 to critical acclaim, with critics praising the screenplay, direction and performances (particularly of Dhanush, Jayapalan and Naren). The film won six awards at the [[58th National Film Awards]], including [[National Film Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[National Film Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] and [[National Film Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]].<ref name="Best Actor National Award">{{cite web |date=31 May 2011 |title='Aadukalam sees Dhanush in his best performance' |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/south-interview-with-vetrimaran/20110531.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103010040/http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/south-interview-with-vetrimaran/20110531.htm |archive-date=3 January 2017 |access-date=10 June 2016 |website=[[Rediff.com]] |language=en}}</ref> The film also won five awards at the [[59th Filmfare Awards South]]&nbsp;– [[Filmfare Award for Best Film&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Film]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Director&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Director]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Actor&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Actor]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Music Director&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Music Director]] and [[Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer&nbsp;– South|Best Cinematography]]. Based on an online poll by ''[[The Times of India]]'', Vetrimaran was chosen as the best director for ''Aadukalam''.
 == Plot ==
-In [[Madurai]], veteran [[rooster]] trainer Periyasamy aka "Pettaikaaran" ([[V. I. S. Jayapalan]]) and Madurai Central [[Police Inspector]] Rathnaswamy ([[Aadukalam Naren|Naren]]) are tough competitors in [[cockfight]]s, and it is often Pettai who wins because nobody knows his way of maintaining the quality of the birds. Rathnasamy and Pettai were once protegees of grand veteran Doraisamy, who has retired from active competition but is the overlord of rooster fighting in South [[Tamil Nadu]].
+{{Long plot|date=May 2024}}
+In [[Madurai]], veteran [[rooster]] trainer Periyasamy aka "Pettaikaaran" and Madurai Central Police Inspector Rathnaswamy are tough competitors in [[Cockfighting in India|cockfights]], and it is often Pettai who wins because nobody knows his way of maintaining the quality of the birds. Rathnasamy and Pettai were once protegees of veteran Doraisamy, who has retired from active competition but is considered the honorary overlord of rooster fighting in south [[Tamil Nadu]].
-K. P. Karuppu ([[Dhanush]]) and Durai ([[Kishore (actor, born 1974)|Kishore]]) are the favourites in Pettai's team. Karuppu is very talented in breeding and training roosters, while Durai is very rich, owns three bars in the town of [[Thiruparankundram]], and is talented in cock training. Rathnaswamy keeps insisting on having one last fight to win and satisfy his old mother's wish, but Pettai declines to have any more fights with him because he feels that Rathnaswamy has lost faith in his roosters and will be using nefarious methods to win. Rathnaswamy keeps insisting and tries to make him accept the challenge through cajoling, threatening, [[bribing]], and other vile acts.
+K. P. Karuppu and Durai are the favourites in Pettai's team. Karuppu is very talented in breeding and training roosters, while Durai is very rich, owns three bars in the town of [[Thiruparankundram]], and is talented in rooster training. One day, during an informal match, local police raid the spot and arrest most of the involved, except Rathnaswamy and Durai who escape. Everyone is released after stern warning from the local police, after intervention from Rathnasamy. Pettai's roosters were abducted by the fleeing men from Rathnasamy's party, and Pettai orders his guys to bring them back by any means. He also asks them to kill any fowl which had bred with his roosters, to prevent the strength of his roosters passing to Rathnasamy's flock. Karuppu goes to the railway colony at night, to retrieve their rooster, since an ally of Rathnasamy lives there. He kills the fowl which had mated with their rooster, and bumps into an [[Anglo-Indian]] girl named Irene. He is smitten with her beauty, but silences her and leaves.
-Karuppu falls in love with an [[Anglo-Indian]] girl named Irene ([[Taapsee Pannu|Taapsee]]), who dislikes him. He does not recognize this initially and keeps following her. One day, the residents of Irene's colony confront him and ask Irene to tell who she is in love with&nbsp;– Karuppu or Dinesh ([[Dinesh Ravi]]), another man in the locality. She points her finger at Karuppu, and he goes into rapture. She explains later that she had to lie in order to avoid Dinesh, who has been bothering her for a long time. Later, Irene too falls in love with Karuppu.
+Having been defeated in all earlier bouts with Pettai's roosters, Rathinasamy keeps insisting on having one last fight to win and satisfy his old mother's wish, but Pettai declines to have any more cockfights because he feels that Rathnaswamy has lost faith in his roosters and will be using nefarious methods to win, like the earlier raid.
-Meanwhile, Rathnasamy tries to cajole Ayub ([[Periya Karuppu Thevar]]), Pettai's [[Veterinary physician|veterinarian]] for roosters, to get Pettai to come for a competition against himself, in exchange for a heavy amount. Ayub refuses and insults Rathnasamy. The same night, Ayub is killed in a [[hit and run]] accident. Durai initially suspects Rathnaswamy, and all of Pettai's gang wants revenge, but Pettai decides to conduct a state tournament in Ayub's name and provide his family with funds so that Ayub's poor daughters can be married. He asks permission from Rathnasamy as the police have to permit it, but Rathnaswamy refuses, manhandles, and berates Pettai as a thief. In a rage, Pettai, suspecting Rathnaswamy of the murder, agrees to the one-on-one rooster fight that Rathnaswamy has been asking for so long. He bets that he will field his roosters against every rooster that Rathnaswamy brings to the field in the following tournament, and even if one of Pettai's roosters loses against Rathnaswamy's, Pettai will [[tonsure]] his head and face, publicly apologize to him, and will quit rooster fights. If Rathnaswamy is not able to beat at least one of his roosters, the same conditions will be applied on him, at the end of the day. Finally getting his way, Rathnaswamy permits the tournament.
+Karuppu falls in love with Irene, who dislikes him. He does not recognise this initially and keeps following her. One day, the residents of Irene's colony confront him and ask Irene to tell who she is in love with&nbsp;– Karuppu or Dinesh, another man in the locality. She points her finger at Karuppu, and he goes into rapture. She explains later that she had to lie in order to avoid Dinesh, who has been bothering her for a long time. Later, Irene too falls in love with Karuppu.
-The grand state tournament is arranged by Pettai's team, getting heavy funds and official permission. In the initial 11 fights, Rathnasamy's roosters are defeated by Pettai's. Rathnasamy brings high-bred roosters from [[Bangalore]] and enters them into the tournament. Seeing the quality of new roosters, Karuppu asks Pettai to let his rooster fight, but Pettai puts his rooster down and says that he will choose the best competing rooster himself. Karuppu surreptitiously enters the contest as Pettai's team before Pettai can choose the rooster because he needs to repay Irene for the loan he took to prepare his rooster for the fight. Pettai does not believe in Karuppu and his rooster announces that Karuppu will not represent Pettai, and the result of Karuppu's match will not be acknowledged by his team. However, the 'underdog' emerges victorious in three consecutive rounds, despite facing roosters spiked with [[steroids]]. Karuppu gets the best coach award of the tournament and his bet money of 3 lakh 10 thousand{{INRConvert|10|L|year=2011}}.
+Meanwhile, Rathnasamy tries to cajole Ayub, Pettai's veterinarian, to convince Pettai for a competition against himself, in exchange for a huge amount. Ayub refuses and insults Rathnasamy. The same night, Ayub is killed in a [[hit and run]] accident. Durai initially suspects Rathnaswamy and all of Pettai's gang wants revenge, but Pettai decides to conduct a state tournament in Ayub's name and provide his family with funds so that Ayub's destitute daughters can be married. He asks permission from Rathnasamy as the police have to permit it, but Rathnaswamy refuses, manhandles him, and berates Pettai as a thief. In a rage, Pettai, suspecting Rathnaswamy of Ayub's murder, agrees to the one-on-one rooster fight that Rathnaswamy has been asking for so long. He bets that he will field his roosters against every rooster that Rathnaswamy brings to the field in the upcoming tournament, and even if one of Pettai's roosters loses against Rathnaswamy's, Pettai will tonsure his head and shave his face, publicly apologise to him, and will quit rooster fights. If Rathnaswamy is not able to beat at least one of his roosters, the same conditions will be applied on him. Finally getting his way, Rathnaswamy permits the tournament.
-While initially happy that Karuppu won, Pettai is soon overcome with anger and jealousy. His ego is hurt by the fact that Karuppu earns both popularity and money, by refuting his judgement. Karuppu is not aware of the changes in Pettai's mind. Pettai is at first refusing to speak to anyone and then starts scheming. Karuppu gives Pettai the money from the competition for safekeeping, which he plans to use to start a business, but it goes missing. Pettai also starts spinning stories about his associates and makes everyone suspicious of each other. He incites Karuppu and Durai into pitting their roosters in a fight. Meanwhile, Karuppu's mother dies from the shock of losing all the money. Pettai [[poisons]] Durai's roosters, making him suspect Karuppu, who is arrested for this. Pettai then lies to Irene that his wife was in an [[adultery|adulterous]] relationship with Karuppu. Irene's family also pressures her to move to [[Chennai]], which pushes her into attempting [[suicide]]. Pettai, meanwhile, calls Karuppu to a location near a [[temple]] and informs Durai about his whereabouts. When Irene recovers, she calls Karuppu and informs him that Pettai is badmouthing him, so Karuppu goes to find Pettai and confront him. Karuppu finds that Pettai was the one who stole his money, and a guilt-ridden Pettai kills himself. Karuppu does not wish to reveal the fact to the public that Pettai stole his money and schemed against him, so he flees with Irene to start a new life in another city, leaving the money with his friend.
+The grand state tournament is arranged by Pettai's team, getting heavy funds and official permission. In the initial 11 fights, Rathnasamy's roosters are defeated by Pettai's. Rathnasamy brings high-bred roosters from [[Bangalore]] and enters them into the tournament. Seeing the quality of the new roosters, Karuppu asks Pettai to let his rooster fight, but Pettai puts his rooster down and says that he will choose the best-competing rooster himself. Karuppu surreptitiously enters the contest as Pettai's team before Pettai can choose the rooster because he needs to repay Irene for the loan he took to prepare his rooster for the fight. Pettai does not believe in Karuppu and his rooster - announcing that Karuppu will not represent Pettai, and the result of Karuppu's match will not be acknowledged by his team. However, the 'underdog' emerges victorious in three consecutive rounds, despite facing roosters spiked with steroids. Karuppu gets the best coach award of the tournament and wins the bet of {{INRConvert|3|L|year=2011}}.
+While initially happy that Karuppu won, Pettai is soon overcome with anger and jealousy. His ego is hurt by the fact that Karuppu earned both popularity and money, by refuting his judgement. Karuppu is not aware of the changes in Pettai's mind. Karuppu gives Pettai the money from the competition for safekeeping, which he plans to use to start a business, but it goes missing. Pettai also starts spinning stories about his associates and makes everyone suspicious of each other. He incites Karuppu and Durai into pitting their roosters in a fight. Meanwhile, Karuppu's mother dies from the shock of losing all the money. Pettai poisons Durai's roosters, making him suspect Karuppu, who is arrested for this. Pettai then lies to Irene that his wife was in an adulterous relationship with Karuppu. Irene's family also pressures her to move to [[Chennai]], which pushes her into attempting suicide. Pettai, meanwhile, calls Karuppu to a location near a temple and informs Durai about his whereabouts. When Irene recovers, she calls Karuppu and informs him that Pettai is badmouthing him, so Karuppu goes to find Pettai and confront him. Karuppu finds that Pettai was the one who stole his money, and a guilt-ridden Pettai kills himself. Karuppu does not wish to reveal Pettai's scheming against him, so he flees with Irene to start a new life in another city, leaving the money with his friend.
 == Cast ==
-{{colbegin}}
+{{cast listing|
 *[[Dhanush]] as K. P. Karuppu{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
-*[[Kishore (actor, born 1974)|Kishore]] as Durai{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
+*[[Taapsee Pannu|Taapsee]] as Irene Claude ([[Dubbing|Dub]]bed by [[Andrea Jeremiah]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/gautaman-bhaskaran-s-review-aadukalam/story-gl2LBByssjGICocdF0wq0O.html|title=Gautaman Bhaskaran's review: Aadukalam|date=3 February 2011|work=Hindustan Times|last=Bhaskaran|first=Gautaman|access-date=25 May 2020|archive-date=10 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210051141/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/gautaman-bhaskaran-s-review-aadukalam/story-gl2LBByssjGICocdF0wq0O.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
-*[[Taapsee Pannu]] as Irene Claude<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/gautaman-bhaskaran-s-review-aadukalam/story-gl2LBByssjGICocdF0wq0O.html|title=Gautaman Bhaskaran's review: Aadukalam|date=3 February 2011|work=Hindustan Times|last=Bhaskaran|first=Gautaman}}</ref>{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
+*[[Kishore (actor, born 1974)|Kishore]] as Durai (Voice Dubbed By [[Samuthirakani]]){{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
-*[[V. I. S. Jayapalan]] as Periyasamy/Pettaikaran{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
+*[[V. I. S. Jayapalan]] as Periyasamy "Pettaikaran" (Voice dubbed by [[Radha Ravi]]){{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
 *[[Aadukalam Naren|Naren]] as Rathnasamy{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
 *[[Aadukalam Murugadoss|Murugadoss]] as Oole{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
@@ Line 65: / Line 69: @@
 *[[Sendrayan]] as Nicholas{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
 *[[Periya Karuppu Thevar]] as Ayub{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
-*[[Jayaprakash]] as Irene's relative
+*[[Jayaprakash (actor)|Jayaprakash]] as Irene's relative
 *[[Dinesh Ravi]] as Dinesh{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
 *[[Halwa Vasu]] as Speaker
-* [[Munnar Ramesh]]<ref>http://kungumam.co.in/VArticalinnerdetail.aspx?id=9753&id1=40&issue=20191101</ref>
+* [[Munnar Ramesh]] as Rathnasamy's right hand man<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kungumam.co.in/VArticalinnerdetail.aspx?id=9753&id1=40&issue=20191101|title=ஆட்டுக்குட்டியை ஆட்டை போட்டவர் இவர்தான்! |work=Kungumam |language=Tamil |access-date=24 September 2020|archive-date=16 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316093908/http://kungumam.co.in/VArticalinnerdetail.aspx?id=9753&id1=40&issue=20191101|url-status=live}}</ref>
 *[[Velraj]] as Police Inspector (special appearance)
-{{colend}}
+}}
 == Production ==
+=== Development ===
 {{quote box
 | quote = A lot of research has gone into the script. I was born and brought up in Chennai and to learn new things, I had to unlearn many. I went to Madurai with a script in mind, but I had to change the script to accommodate reality. To make my film authentic, we have cast people who belong to the [[Subculture|sub-cult]]. I even share credits for scriptwriting with {{sic|Vikram Sukumaran}}, who hails from Madurai.
-| source =— Vetrimaaran in an interview with V. Lakshmi of ''[[The Times of India]]''.<ref name="TOIVetri">{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Aadukalam-is-a-contemporary-film/articleshow/6930057.cms |title='Aadukalam is a contemporary film' |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=16 November 2010 |access-date=21 August 2015 |first=V. |last=Lakshmi |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6awnmZrbV?url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Aadukalam-is-a-contemporary-film/articleshow/6930057.cms |archive-date=21 August 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref>
+| source =— Vetrimaaran in an interview with V. Lakshmi of ''[[The Times of India]]''.<ref name="TOIVetri">{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Aadukalam-is-a-contemporary-film/articleshow/6930057.cms |title='Aadukalam is a contemporary film' |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=16 November 2010 |access-date=21 August 2015 |first=V. |last=Lakshmi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204083342/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Aadukalam-is-a-contemporary-film/articleshow/6930057.cms |archive-date=4 February 2017 |url-status=live  }}</ref>
 | align = right
 | width = 35%
 }}
-Following the success of their 2007 collaboration ''[[Polladhavan (2007 film)|Polladhavan]]'', the entire team of that film {{mdash}} director [[Vetrimaaran]], lead actor [[Dhanush]], producer S. Kathiresan, and music director [[G. V. Prakash Kumar]] {{mdash}} collaborated again for ''Aadukalam''.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}} Vetrimaaran spent a period of two years in [[Madurai]] to understand the local dialect and lifestyle of the people living there. ''Aadukalam'' was the first film of Vetrimaaran to have a production office set up outside of [[Chennai]].<ref name="TOIVetri" /> Vetrimaaran took a year to complete the screenplay, script, and dialogues for ''Aadukalam'' and held a bounded script for the venture, which is considered rare in Tamil films.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}}<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-starts-work-on-aadukalam-news-tamil-kkfssChhgji.html|title=Dhanush starts work on Aadukalam|publisher=[[Sify]]|date=24 February 2009|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821123729/http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-starts-work-on-aadukalam-news-tamil-kkfssChhgji.html|archive-date=21 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Vetrimaaran narrated only half of the film's script to Dhanush before the latter was impressed with it and agreed to act in the film.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}} The film was initially titled ''Seval'', but since the rights to the title were already taken by director [[Hari (director)|Hari]] for his [[Seval|project with Bharath]], Vetrimaaran decided to rename his film as ''Aadukalam''.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=514}} Vetrimaaran revealed that the idea of the story was inspired from several international films such as, [[Caché (film)|''Caché'']], [[Amores perros|''Amores perros'']], [[Babel (film)|''Babel'']], Tamil films [[Thevar Magan|''Thevar Magan'']], ''[[Virumaandi]]'', ''[[Paruthiveeran]]'' and novels [[Roots: The Saga of an American Family|''Roots: The Saga of an American Family'']] and [[Shantaram (novel)|''Shantaram'']], which mentioned during the end credits.<ref>{{Cite news|last=George|first=Liza|date=2011-07-28|title=Journey of the mind|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/journey-of-the-mind/article2302077.ece|access-date=2021-06-25|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Inspiration vs Copies in Tamil Cinema|url=https://www.moviecrow.com/News/1114/inspiration-vs-copies-in-tamil-cinema|access-date=2021-06-25|website=www.moviecrow.com}}</ref>
+Following the success of their 2007 collaboration ''[[Polladhavan (2007 film)|Polladhavan]]'', the entire team of that film {{mdash}} director [[Vetrimaaran]], lead actor [[Dhanush]], producer [[S. Kathiresan]], and music director [[G. V. Prakash Kumar]] {{mdash}} collaborated again for ''Aadukalam''.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}} Vetrimaaran spent a period of two years in [[Madurai]] to understand the local dialect and lifestyle of the people living there. ''Aadukalam'' was the first film of Vetrimaaran to have a production office set up outside of [[Chennai]].<ref name="TOIVetri" /> Vetrimaaran took a year to complete the screenplay, script, and dialogues for ''Aadukalam'' and held a bounded script for the venture, which is considered rare in Tamil films.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}}<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-starts-work-on-aadukalam-news-tamil-kkfssChhgji.html|title=Dhanush starts work on Aadukalam|website=[[Sify]]|date=24 February 2009|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821123729/http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-starts-work-on-aadukalam-news-tamil-kkfssChhgji.html|archive-date=21 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Vetrimaaran narrated only half of the film's script to Dhanush before the latter was impressed with it and agreed to act in the film.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}} The film was initially titled ''Seval'', but since the rights to the title were already taken by director [[Hari (director)|Hari]] for his [[Seval|project with Bharath]], Vetrimaaran decided to rename his film as ''Aadukalam''.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=514}} Vetrimaaran revealed that the idea of the story was inspired from several international films such as, [[Caché (film)|''Caché'']], ''[[Amores perros]]'', [[Babel (film)|''Babel'']], Tamil films ''[[Thevar Magan]]'', ''[[Virumaandi]]'', ''[[Paruthiveeran]]'' and novels ''[[Roots: The Saga of an American Family]]'' and [[Shantaram (novel)|''Shantaram'']], which mentioned during the end credits.<ref>{{Cite news |last=George |first=Liza |date=2011-07-28 |title=Journey of the mind |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/journey-of-the-mind/article2302077.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625180325/https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/journey-of-the-mind/article2302077.ece |archive-date=25 June 2021 |access-date=2021-06-25 |work=[[The Hindu]] |language=en}}</ref>
-[[Shriya Saran]] was signed on for the project in February 2008 but eventually pulled out citing schedule conflicts.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-shriya-team-up-news-tamil-kkfub5bcjea.html|title=Dhanush & Shriya team up!|publisher=Sify|date=1 February 2008|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821123019/http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-shriya-team-up-news-tamil-kkfub5bcjea.html|archive-date=21 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> In April 2008, it was reported that Dhanush too had walked out of the project due to schedule issues, and that [[Silambarasan]] was set to replace him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/news/2008/simbu-replaced-dhanush-pollathavan-180408.html|title=Simbu in arch rival Dhanush's shoes|publisher=[[Oneindia]] Entertainment|date=18 April 2008|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821122735/http://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/news/2008/simbu-replaced-dhanush-pollathavan-180408.html|archive-date=21 August 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> However, Dhanush remained and continued with the film.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}} Subsequently, in June 2009, [[Trisha Krishnan]], who was selected to replace Saran for the role of Irene, was forced to opt out of the project after her schedule clashed with the allotted dates for her other films, ''[[Namo Venkatesa]]'' (2010) and ''[[Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa]]'' (2010).{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/will-trisha-do-aadukalam-news-tamil-kkfrLQdjfcf.html|title=Will Trisha do Aadukalam?|publisher=Sify|date=27 June 2009|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821123735/http://www.sify.com/movies/will-trisha-do-aadukalam-news-tamil-kkfrLQdjfcf.html|archive-date=21 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Has-Trisha-opted-out-of-Aadukalam/articleshow/4710059.cms? |title=Has Trisha opted out of Aadukalam? |work=The Times of India |date=28 June 2009 |access-date=10 September 2011 |first=Sreedhar |last=Pillai |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6awpzLjDU?url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Has-Trisha-opted-out-of-Aadukalam/articleshow/4710059.cms |archive-date=21 August 2015 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Newcomer [[Taapsee Pannu]], a [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] software engineer, was named as her replacement.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-gets-a-punjabi-kudi-as-heroine-news-tamil-kkfr0shheei.html|title=Dhanush gets a Punjabi kudi as heroine|publisher=Sify|date=30 September 2009|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821123918/http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-gets-a-punjabi-kudi-as-heroine-news-tamil-kkfr0shheei.html|archive-date=21 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Sri Lankan Tamils|Sri Lankan Tamil]] writer and [[Advocacy journalism|political commentator]] [[V. I. S. Jayapalan]] portrayed the role of Karuppu's mentor, Pettaikaran, thereby making his debut in [[Tamil cinema]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/others/news-interviews/Jayabalan-debuts-in-Kollywood/articleshow/4190878.cms |title=Jayabalan debuts in Kollywood |work=The Times of India |date=26 February 2009 |access-date=21 August 2015 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6awrxiV00?url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/others/news-interviews/Jayabalan-debuts-in-Kollywood/articleshow/4190878.cms |archive-date=21 August 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref> [[Attakathi Dinesh]] makes a small cameo in the film as Dinesh, Karuppu's nemesis when it comes to winning Irene's love.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/article590045.ece | title='Theatre made me an actor' | work=[[The New Indian Express]] | date=16 August 2012 | access-date=21 August 2015 | first=Venkadesan | last=S. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821132039/http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/article590045.ece | archive-date=21 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[Aadukalam Murugadoss|Murugadoss]] plays Karuppu's friend Oole while [[Aadukalam Naren|Naren]] appears as Rathnasamy who is also Pettaikaran's rival in cockfighting.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
+=== Casting ===
+[[Shriya Saran]] was signed on for the project in February 2008 but eventually pulled out citing schedule conflicts.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-shriya-team-up-news-tamil-kkfub5bcjea.html|title=Dhanush & Shriya team up!|website=[[Sify]]|date=1 February 2008|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821123019/http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-shriya-team-up-news-tamil-kkfub5bcjea.html|archive-date=21 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> In June 2009, [[Trisha Krishnan]], who was selected to replace Saran for the role of Irene, was forced to opt out of the project after her schedule clashed with the allotted dates for her other films, ''[[Namo Venkatesa]]'' (2010) and ''[[Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa]]'' (2010).{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/will-trisha-do-aadukalam-news-tamil-kkfrLQdjfcf.html|title=Will Trisha do Aadukalam?|website=[[Sify]]|date=27 June 2009|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821123735/http://www.sify.com/movies/will-trisha-do-aadukalam-news-tamil-kkfrLQdjfcf.html|archive-date=21 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Has-Trisha-opted-out-of-Aadukalam/articleshow/4710059.cms? |title=Has Trisha opted out of Aadukalam? |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=28 June 2009 |access-date=10 September 2011 |first=Sreedhar |last=Pillai |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515235053/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Has-Trisha-opted-out-of-Aadukalam/articleshow/4710059.cms |archive-date=15 May 2018 |url-status=live |language=en}}</ref> Newcomer [[Taapsee Pannu]], a [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] software engineer, was named as her replacement.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-gets-a-punjabi-kudi-as-heroine-news-tamil-kkfr0shheei.html|title=Dhanush gets a Punjabi kudi as heroine|website=[[Sify]]|date=30 September 2009|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821123918/http://www.sify.com/movies/dhanush-gets-a-punjabi-kudi-as-heroine-news-tamil-kkfr0shheei.html|archive-date=21 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[R. Parthiban]] was originally offered to portray Karuppu's mentor Pettaikaran, but declined due to scheduling conflicts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=A |first=Ganesh |date=July 23, 2024 |title=ஆடுகளம் படத்தில் நடிக்க வந்த வாய்ப்பு... நோ சொன்ன பார்த்திபன்; அதுவும் இந்த கேரக்டரா? நேஷனல் அவார்டு போச்சே! |url=https://tamil.asianetnews.com/gallery/gallery/r-parthiban-rejected-aadukalam-movie-gan-sh20h8 |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=[[Asianet News]] |language=ta}}</ref> [[Sri Lankan Tamils|Sri Lankan Tamil]] writer and political commentator [[V. I. S. Jayapalan]] portrayed the role, thereby making his debut in [[Tamil cinema]].<ref>{{cite web |date=26 February 2009 |title=Jayabalan debuts in Kollywood |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/others/news-interviews/Jayabalan-debuts-in-Kollywood/articleshow/4190878.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926213950/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/others/news-interviews/Jayabalan-debuts-in-Kollywood/articleshow/4190878.cms |archive-date=26 September 2018 |access-date=21 August 2015 |work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref> [[Attakathi Dinesh]] makes a small cameo in the film as Dinesh, Karuppu's nemesis when it comes to winning Irene's love.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/article590045.ece | title='Theatre made me an actor' | work=[[The New Indian Express]] | date=16 August 2012 | access-date=21 August 2015 | first=Venkadesan | last=S. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821132039/http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/article590045.ece | archive-date=21 August 2015 | url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Aadukalam Murugadoss|Murugadoss]] plays Karuppu's friend Oole while [[Aadukalam Naren|Naren]] appears as Rathnasamy who is Pettaikaran's rival in cockfighting; both actors added the film's title to their stage names.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=512}}
-[[Principal photography]] began in [[Madurai]] in February 2009 with scenes featuring Dhanush being shot.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}}<ref name="autogenerated1" /> The first look of the film was released shortly after the commencement of filming. It featured a series of promotional posters depicting the characters played by Dhanush, Jayapalan and [[Kishore (actor, born 1974)|Kishore]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-imagegallery-events-jdwmVNfhfce.html?html=5 |title=Aadukalam |publisher=Sify |access-date=10 September 2011 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6atr34c9f?url=http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-imagegallery-events-jdwmVNfhfce.html?html=5 |archive-date=19 August 2015 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> During early stages of production, Dhanush revealed he would play the role of a local [[cockfight]]er named K. P. Karuppu, and described the venture as his "dream project".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Yatra-is-my-lucky-mascot-Dhanush/articleshow/4825496.cms? |title=Yatra is my lucky mascot: Dhanush |work=The Times of India |last=Pillai |first=Sreedhar |date=28 July 2009 |access-date=10 September 2011 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6atqXbf6d?url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Yatra-is-my-lucky-mascot-Dhanush/articleshow/4825496.cms |archive-date=19 August 2015 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The cockfight sequences that take place before intermission was filmed for 26&nbsp;days in a set created by art director [[Jacki]].{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=514}} Filming was completed in August 2010.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}} In addition to being shot in Madurai, some portions were also filmed in [[Thiruparankundram]]. The cockfights were filmed using [[computer-generated imagery]] (CGI). The post-production works on the cockfight sequences delayed the film's release.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}} The voices for Kishore, Taapsee, and Jayapalan were dubbed by [[Samuthirakani]], [[Andrea Jeremiah]] and [[Radha Ravi]] respectively.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=514}}
+=== Filming ===
+[[Principal photography]] began in [[Madurai]] in February 2009 with scenes featuring Dhanush being shot.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}}<ref name="autogenerated1" /> The first look of the film was released shortly after the commencement of filming. It featured a series of promotional posters depicting the characters played by Dhanush, Jayapalan and [[Kishore (actor, born 1974)|Kishore]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-imagegallery-events-jdwmVNfhfce.html?html=5 |title=Aadukalam |website=[[Sify]] |access-date=10 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924132907/http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-imagegallery-events-jdwmVNfhfce.html?html=5 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> During early stages of production, Dhanush revealed he would play the role of a local cockfighter named K. P. Karuppu, and described the venture as his "dream project".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Yatra-is-my-lucky-mascot-Dhanush/articleshow/4825496.cms? |title=Yatra is my lucky mascot: Dhanush |work=[[The Times of India]] |last=Pillai |first=Sreedhar |date=28 July 2009 |access-date=10 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113143040/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Yatra-is-my-lucky-mascot-Dhanush/articleshow/4825496.cms |archive-date=13 January 2015 |url-status=live |language=en}}</ref> The cockfight sequences that take place before intermission was filmed for 26&nbsp;days in a set created by art director [[Jacki (art director)|Jacki]].{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=514}} Filming was completed in August 2010.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}} In addition to being shot in Madurai, some portions were also filmed in [[Thiruparankundram]]. The cockfights were filmed using [[computer-generated imagery]] (CGI).{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}}
-== Soundtrack ==
+=== Post production ===
-{{Infobox album|
+The post-production works on the cockfight sequences delayed the film's release.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=513}} The voices for Kishore, Taapsee, and Jayapalan were dubbed by [[Samuthirakani]], [[Andrea Jeremiah]] and [[Radha Ravi]] respectively.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=514}}
-| name       = Aadukalam
-| type       = soundtrack
+== Music ==
-| artist     = [[G. V. Prakash Kumar]]
+{{Main|Aadukalam (soundtrack)}}
-| cover      =
+[[G. V. Prakash Kumar]]'s soundtrack consists of seven tracks. It was released by Sony Music and the audio was launched at a small function at Lady Aandal School auditorium in [[Chennai]] on 1 December 2010.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|date=29 November 2010|title=Aadukalam audio launch on Dec 1|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-audio-launch-on-dec-1-news-tamil-kljkN7igeia.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822012359/http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-audio-launch-on-nov-10-news-tamil-kljkN7igeia.html|archive-date=22 August 2015|access-date=10 September 2011|website=[[Sify]]}}</ref> The song ''Yathe Yathe'' topped the charts and remained in the No.1 position for nearly five weeks.<ref name="Taps" />
-| alt        =
+<!-- Infobox and track list were placed in a separate article for the soundtrack -->
-| caption    = Album Cover Art
-| released   = 7 January 2011
-| recorded   =
-| venue      =
-| studio     =
-| genre      = [[Film soundtrack|Feature film soundtrack]]
-| length     =
-| label      = [[Sony Music]]
-| producer   =
-| prev_title = [[Va (film)|Va]]
-| prev_year  = 2010
-| next_title = [[Narthagi]]
-| next_year  = 2011
-}}
-[[G. V. Prakash Kumar]]'s soundtrack consists of seven tracks including two rap numbers performed by Malaysian Tamil rapper [[Yogi B]]. It was released by Sony Music and the audio was launched at a small function at Lady Aandal School auditorium in [[Chennai]] on 10 November 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-audio-launch-on-nov-10-news-tamil-kljkN7igeia.html|title=Aadukalam audio launch on Nov 10|publisher=Sify|date=10 November 2010|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822012359/http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-audio-launch-on-nov-10-news-tamil-kljkN7igeia.html|archive-date=22 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The song ''Yathe Yathe'' topped the charts and remained in the No.1 position for nearly five weeks.<ref name="Taps" />
+== Release ==
+''Aadukalam'' premiered on 12 January 2011 at Four Frames Preview Theatre,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-01-13 |title=Rajinikanth watches Aadukalam twice |url=http://www.sify.com/movies/rajinikanth-watches-aadukalam-twice-news-tamil-lbnkeyaegji.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116050053/http://www.sify.com/movies/rajinikanth-watches-aadukalam-twice-news-tamil-lbnkeyaegji.html |archive-date=2011-01-16 |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=[[Sify]]}}</ref> and was theatrically released two days later.{{Sfn |Dhananjayan |2014 |page=512}} It was distributed by Sun Pictures.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saravanan |title=Sun Pictures the film division of Sun TV Network is today one of the leading production houses in the industry. |url=https://www.sun.in/films.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115005834/https://www.sun.in/films.aspx |archive-date=2025-01-15 |access-date=2026-03-14 |website=[[Sun TV Network|sun.in]] |language=en}}</ref>
-{{Track listing
+=== Critical reception ===
-|headline =Original track list<ref>{{cite web | url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/aadukalam-original-motion/id402012126 | title=Aadukalam (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | publisher=[[iTunes]] | date=8 November 2010 | access-date=22 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822011658/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/aadukalam-original-motion/id402012126 | archive-date=22 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref>
+The film received critical acclaim from critics and audiences, praising the direction, screenplay and performances (particularly Dhanush, Jayapalan and Naren) and music. ''[[Sify]]'' called it "a gutsy and brilliant film" and mentioned that it " lives up to the expectation that the film carried and the credit goes to Vetrimaran whose research and hard work shows on screen".<ref>{{cite web |title=Aadukalam-Review |url=http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-review-review-tamil-pclxOKbibghba.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814052314/http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-review-review-tamil-pclxOKbibghba.html |archive-date=14 August 2015 |access-date=22 August 2015 |website=[[Sify]]}}</ref> Karthik Subramanian of ''[[The Hindu]]'' praised the film stating that "The detailing of every characters in the story is intricate. The narrative moves like a good novel where the first few chapters are all about etching and detailing the players, and the plot and the action unfold much later".<ref>{{cite news |last=Subramanian |first=Karthik |date=22 January 2011 |title='Aadukalam': Fascinating shades of grey |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/aadukalam-fascinating-shades-of-grey/article1111608.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822012742/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/aadukalam-fascinating-shades-of-grey/article1111608.ece |archive-date=22 August 2015 |access-date=22 August 2015 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> Pavithra Srinivasan of ''[[Rediff.com]]'' called it "one of Dhanush's best works to date".<ref>{{cite web |last=Srinivasan |first=Pavithra |date=14 January 2011 |title=Aadukalam is impressive |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/review/south-review-aadukalam/20110114.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822014033/http://www.rediff.com/movies/review/south-review-aadukalam/20110114.htm |archive-date=22 August 2015 |access-date=10 September 2011 |work=[[Rediff.com]] |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Ananda Vikatan]]'' rated the film with 44 marks and mentioned that "This arena is new for presenting cultural nuances of a region and changes in human emotions beautifully".{{Sfn |Dhananjayan |2014 |page=514}}
-| extra_column =Singer(s)
-| total_length    = 32:31
-| title1 = Yathe Yathe | extra1 = [[G. V. Prakash Kumar]]  | lyrics1 = [[Snehan]] | length1 = 5:44
-| title2 = Otha Sollaala | extra2 = [[Velmurugan]] | lyrics2 = Yegathasi | length2 = 3:58
-| title3 = Porkkalam | note3 = Tamil Rap | extra3 = Alwa Vasu, [[Poetic Ammo|Yogi B]] | lyrics3 = [[Yugabharathi]] | length3 = 4:20
-| title4 = En Vennilave | extra4 = [[KK (singer)|KK]]| lyrics4 = [[V. I. S. Jayapalan]] | length4 = 7:17
-| title5 = Ayyayo | extra5 = [[S. P. Balasubramanyam]], [[S. P. B. Charan]], [[Prashanthini]] | lyrics5 = Snehan | length5 = 5:24
-| title6 = Warriors | note6 = English Rap  | extra6 = Alwa Vasu, Yogi B | lyrics6 = Yogi B | length6 = 4:20
-| title7 = A Love Blossoms | extra7 = Navin Iyer | length7 = 1:28
-}}
-== Critical reception ==
+=== Box office ===
-''Aadukalam'' received positive reviews from critics. [[Sify]] called it "a gutsy and brilliant film" and mentioned that it " lives up to the expectation that the film carried and the credit goes to Vetrimaran whose research and hard work shows on screen".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-review-review-tamil-pclxOKbibghba.html | title=Aadukalam-Review | publisher=Sify | access-date=22 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814052314/http://www.sify.com/movies/aadukalam-review-review-tamil-pclxOKbibghba.html | archive-date=14 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> Behindwoods wrote "Aadukalam is an attempt that requires appreciation where the director has hacked his way through the path less trodden with aplomb".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-reviews/reviews-2/aadukalam-movie-review.html | title=Aadukalam Movie Review | publisher=Behindwoods | access-date=22 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822012731/http://behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-reviews/reviews-2/aadukalam-movie-review.html | archive-date=22 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> Karthik Subramanian of ''[[The Hindu]]'' praised the film stating that "The detailing of every characters in the story is intricate. The narrative moves like a good novel where the first few chapters are all about etching and detailing the players, and the plot and the action unfold much later".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/aadukalam-fascinating-shades-of-grey/article1111608.ece | title='Aadukalam': Fascinating shades of grey | work=The Hindu | date=22 January 2011 | access-date=22 August 2015 | first=Karthik | last=Subramanian | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822012742/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/aadukalam-fascinating-shades-of-grey/article1111608.ece | archive-date=22 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> Pavithra Srinivasan of [[Rediff.com]] called it "one of Dhanush's best works to date".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/review/south-review-aadukalam/20110114.htm|title=Aadukalam is impressive|work=Rediff.com|first=Pavithra|last=Srinivasan|date=14 January 2011|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822014033/http://www.rediff.com/movies/review/south-review-aadukalam/20110114.htm|archive-date=22 August 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Tamil magazine ''[[Ananda Vikatan]]'' rated the film with 44 marks and mentioned that "This arena is new for presenting cultural nuances of a region and changes in human emotions beautifully".{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=514}}
+Made on a budget of {{INRConvert|10|c|year=2011}} including the promotional costs,<ref>{{Cite news |last=G |first=Sai Shyam |date=2011-01-19 |title=Script's a winner |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/nxg/Scripts-a-winner/article15524686.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225102259/https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/nxg/Scripts-a-winner/article15524686.ece |archive-date=25 February 2022 |access-date=2022-02-23 |work=[[The Hindu]] |language=en}}</ref> the film collected around {{INRConvert|30|c|year=2011}} at the box-office and was declared a success.{{Sfn |Dhananjayan |2014 |page=514}} The film had a theatrical run of 50 weeks in 4 theatre centres.<ref>{{Cite news |date=Apr 25, 2011 |title=Aadukalam hits a century! |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/movie-details/news-interviews/aadukalam-hits-a-century/articleshow/8079264.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223094040/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/movie-details/news-interviews/aadukalam-hits-a-century/articleshow/8079264.cms |archive-date=23 February 2022 |access-date=2022-02-23 |website=[[The Times of India]] |language=en}}</ref>
 == Accolades ==
 {{Main|List of accolades received by Aadukalam}}
-''Aadukalam'' won six awards at the [[58th National Film Awards]] ceremony, thereby sharing the record with ''[[Kannathil Muthamittal]]'' (2002) for the most National Film Awards won by a Tamil film.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=xvi, introduction}} It won awards under the [[National Film Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]] (Vetrimaaran), [[National Film Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] (Dhanush), [[National Film Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay (Original)]] (Vetrimaaran), [[National Film Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]] ([[Kishore Te]]) and [[National Film Award for Best Choreography|Best Choreography]] ([[Dinesh Kumar (choreographer)|Dinesh Kumar]]) categories with a [[National Film Award&nbsp;– Special Jury Award (Feature Film)|Special Jury Award]] being presented to V. I. S Jayapalan.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://dff.nic.in/awards.asp | title=58th National Film Awards for 2010 announced | publisher=[[Directorate of Film Festivals]] | access-date=19 May 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233408/http://dff.nic.in/awards.asp | archive-date=30 December 2013 | url-status=live}}</ref> The film was nominated in seven categories at the [[59th Filmfare Awards South]], winning [[Filmfare Award for Best Film&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Film&nbsp;– Tamil]] (S. Kathiresan), [[Filmfare Award for Best Director&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Director&nbsp;– Tamil]] (Vetrimaaran), [[Filmfare Award for Best Actor&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Actor&nbsp;– Tamil]] (Dhanush), [[Filmfare Award for Best Music Director&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Music Director&nbsp;– Tamil]] (G. V. Prakash Kumar), and [[Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer&nbsp;– South|Best Cinematographer]] (Velraj).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.filmfare.com/news/59th-idea-filmfare-awards-south-winners-list-809.html | title=59th Idea Filmfare Awards South (Winners list) | work=[[Filmfare]]| date=9 July 2012 | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811102950/http://www.filmfare.com/news/59th-idea-filmfare-awards-south-winners-list-809.html | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/The-59th-Idea-Filmfare-Awards-2011South/articleshow/14742576.cms |title=The 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011(South) |work=The Times of India |date=8 July 2012 |access-date=11 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811103446/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/The-59th-Idea-Filmfare-Awards-2011South/articleshow/14742576.cms |archive-date=11 August 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the [[6th Vijay Awards]], it was nominated in twenty-two categories and won in five, including [[Vijay Award for Entertainer of the Year|Entertainer of the Year]] (Dhanush), [[Vijay Award for Best Director|Best Director]] (Vetrimaaran) and [[Vijay Award for Best Music Director|Best Music Director]] (G. V. Prakash Kumar).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/6th-annual-vijay-awards-complete-list-of-winners-483185.html | title=6th Annual Vijay Awards: Complete list of winners | publisher=[[CNN-IBN]] | date=19 June 2012 | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811113839/http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/6th-annual-vijay-awards-complete-list-of-winners-483185.html | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrxb20U7a98 | title=Vijay Awards 06/30/12 | date=30 June 2012 | publisher=[[YouTube]] | location=[[Chennai]] | access-date=11 August 2015}}</ref> Among other wins, the film received seven [[Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianmalaysian.com/2012/Star%202012/vikatan_awards.html |title=Vikatan Awards 2011 |publisher=India Malaysia Online |work=[[Ananda Vikatan]] |access-date=16 May 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170516160112/http://indianmalaysian.com/2012/Star%202012/vikatan_awards.html |archive-date=16 May 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> four [[South Indian International Movie Awards]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-south-shines/article3581006.ece | title=The South Shines | work=The Hindu | date=28 June 2012 | access-date=11 August 2015 | last=Manigandan | first=K. R. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811115724/http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-south-shines/article3581006.ece | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://siima.in/siima-awards.php?year=2012&action=winners | title=SIIMA Awards: 2011 Winners | publisher=[[South Indian International Movie Awards]] | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811120512/http://siima.in/siima-awards.php?year=2012&action=winners | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> three [[Mirchi Music Awards South|Mirchi Music Awards]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/index.html | title=Mirchi Music Awards Background | publisher=[[Radio Mirchi]] | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811130934/http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/index.html | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/winners.html | title=Mirchi Music Awards Winners | publisher=Radio Mirchi | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811131047/http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/winners.html | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/listners_choice.html | title=Mirchi Music Awards Listener's Choice | publisher=Radio Mirchi | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811131053/http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/listners_choice.html | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> and one [[Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards|Norway Tamil Film Festival Award]], [[Chennai International Film Festival]] Award, and Chennai Times Film Award each.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/spotlight-on-pencamera-relationship/article2740314.ece | title=Spotlight on pen-camera relationship | work=The Hindu | last=Srinivasan | first=Meera | date=23 December 2011 | access-date=16 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150816070626/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/spotlight-on-pencamera-relationship/article2740314.ece | archive-date=16 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/The-Chennai-Times-Film-Awards-2011/articleshow/14318349.cms |title=The Chennai Times Film Awards 2011 |work=The Times of India |date=22 June 2012 |access-date=11 August 2015 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6ahgT4XpV?url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/The-Chennai-Times-Film-Awards-2011/articleshow/14318349.cms |archive-date=11 August 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ntff.no/tamil/%E0%AE%89%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%88%20%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A8%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%8D%20-%20%E0%AE%87%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%B5%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%B3%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%AF%E0%AF%80%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%81%20%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B4%E0%AE%BE | title=NTFF 2011: Festival Program 20th-25th April | publisher=[[Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards]] | date=1 April 2011 | access-date=14 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812112347/http://www.ntff.no/tamil/%E0%AE%89%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%88%20%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A8%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%8D%20-%20%E0%AE%87%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%B5%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%B3%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%AF%E0%AF%80%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%81%20%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B4%E0%AE%BE | archive-date=12 August 2015 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ntff.no/TamilarAwardWinner2011 | title=Tamilar Awards 2011&nbsp;– Winners of the year | publisher=Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards | date=25 April 2011 | access-date=14 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812112339/http://www.ntff.no/TamilarAwardWinner2011 | archive-date=12 August 2015 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref>
+''Aadukalam'' won six awards at the [[58th National Film Awards]] ceremony, thereby sharing the record with ''[[Kannathil Muthamittal]]'' (2002) for the most National Film Awards won by a Tamil film.{{Sfn|Dhananjayan|2014|page=xvi, introduction}} It won awards under the [[National Film Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]] (Vetrimaaran), [[National Film Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] (Dhanush), [[National Film Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay (Original)]] (Vetrimaaran), [[National Film Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]] ([[Kishore Te]]) and [[National Film Award for Best Choreography|Best Choreography]] ([[Dinesh (choreographer)|Dinesh]]) categories with a [[National Film Award&nbsp;– Special Jury Award (Feature Film)|Special Jury Award]] being presented to V. I. S Jayapalan.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://dff.nic.in/awards.asp | title=58th National Film Awards for 2010 announced | publisher=[[Directorate of Film Festivals]] | access-date=19 May 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233408/http://dff.nic.in/awards.asp | archive-date=30 December 2013 | url-status=live}}</ref> The film was nominated in seven categories at the [[59th Filmfare Awards South]], winning [[Filmfare Award for Best Film&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Film&nbsp;– Tamil]] (S. Kathiresan), [[Filmfare Award for Best Director&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Director&nbsp;– Tamil]] (Vetrimaaran), [[Filmfare Award for Best Actor&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Actor&nbsp;– Tamil]] (Dhanush), [[Filmfare Award for Best Music Director&nbsp;– Tamil|Best Music Director&nbsp;– Tamil]] (G. V. Prakash Kumar), and [[Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer&nbsp;– South|Best Cinematographer]] (Velraj).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.filmfare.com/news/59th-idea-filmfare-awards-south-winners-list-809.html | title=59th Idea Filmfare Awards South (Winners list) | work=[[Filmfare]]| date=9 July 2012 | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811102950/http://www.filmfare.com/news/59th-idea-filmfare-awards-south-winners-list-809.html | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/The-59th-Idea-Filmfare-Awards-2011South/articleshow/14742576.cms |title=The 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011(South) |work=The Times of India |date=8 July 2012 |access-date=11 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811103446/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/The-59th-Idea-Filmfare-Awards-2011South/articleshow/14742576.cms |archive-date=11 August 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the [[6th Vijay Awards]], it was nominated in twenty-two categories and won in five, including [[Vijay Award for Entertainer of the Year|Entertainer of the Year]] (Dhanush), [[Vijay Award for Best Director|Best Director]] (Vetrimaaran) and [[Vijay Award for Best Music Director|Best Music Director]] (G. V. Prakash Kumar).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/6th-annual-vijay-awards-complete-list-of-winners-483185.html | title=6th Annual Vijay Awards: Complete list of winners | date=19 June 2012 | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811113839/http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/6th-annual-vijay-awards-complete-list-of-winners-483185.html | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=dead|website=[[IBNLive]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrxb20U7a98 | title=Vijay Awards 06/30/12 | date=30 June 2012 | publisher=[[YouTube]] | location=[[Chennai]] | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-date=21 September 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921063702/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrxb20U7a98&feature=showob | url-status=live }}</ref> Among other wins, the film received seven [[Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianmalaysian.com/2012/Star%202012/vikatan_awards.html |title=Vikatan Awards 2011 |publisher=India Malaysia Online |work=[[Ananda Vikatan]] |access-date=16 May 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170516160112/http://indianmalaysian.com/2012/Star%202012/vikatan_awards.html |archive-date=16 May 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> four [[South Indian International Movie Awards]],<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-south-shines/article3581006.ece | title=The South Shines | work=The Hindu | date=28 June 2012 | access-date=11 August 2015 | last=Manigandan | first=K. R. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811115724/http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-south-shines/article3581006.ece | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://siima.in/siima-awards.php?year=2012&action=winners | title=SIIMA Awards: 2011 Winners | publisher=[[South Indian International Movie Awards]] | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811120512/http://siima.in/siima-awards.php?year=2012&action=winners | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> three [[Mirchi Music Awards South|Mirchi Music Awards]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/index.html | title=Mirchi Music Awards Background | publisher=[[Radio Mirchi]] | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811130934/http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/index.html | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/winners.html | title=Mirchi Music Awards Winners | publisher=Radio Mirchi | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811131047/http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/winners.html | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/listners_choice.html | title=Mirchi Music Awards Listener's Choice | publisher=Radio Mirchi | access-date=11 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811131053/http://www.radiomirchi.com/mma2011/tamil/listners_choice.html | archive-date=11 August 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> and one [[Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards|Norway Tamil Film Festival Award]], [[Chennai International Film Festival]] Award, and Chennai Times Film Award each.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/spotlight-on-pencamera-relationship/article2740314.ece | title=Spotlight on pen-camera relationship | work=[[The Hindu]] | last=Srinivasan | first=Meera | date=23 December 2011 | access-date=16 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150816070626/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/spotlight-on-pencamera-relationship/article2740314.ece | archive-date=16 August 2015 | url-status=live|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/The-Chennai-Times-Film-Awards-2011/articleshow/14318349.cms |title=The Chennai Times Film Awards 2011 |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=22 June 2012 |access-date=11 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811133040/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/The-Chennai-Times-Film-Awards-2011/articleshow/14318349.cms |archive-date=11 August 2015 |url-status=live  |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ntff.no/tamil/%E0%AE%89%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%88%20%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A8%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%8D%20-%20%E0%AE%87%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%B5%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%B3%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%AF%E0%AF%80%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%81%20%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B4%E0%AE%BE | title=NTFF 2011: Festival Program 20th-25th April | publisher=[[Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards]] | date=1 April 2011 | access-date=14 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812112347/http://www.ntff.no/tamil/%E0%AE%89%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%88%20%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A8%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%8D%20-%20%E0%AE%87%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%B5%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%B3%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%AF%E0%AF%80%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%81%20%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B4%E0%AE%BE | archive-date=12 August 2015 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ntff.no/TamilarAwardWinner2011 | title=Tamilar Awards 2011&nbsp;– Winners of the year | publisher=Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards | date=25 April 2011 | access-date=14 August 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812112339/http://www.ntff.no/TamilarAwardWinner2011 | archive-date=12 August 2015 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref>
 == Notes ==
@@ Line 133: / Line 118: @@
 == References ==
-{{Reflist|25em}}
+{{Reflist}}
 == Sources ==
-* {{cite book|last=Dhananjayan|first=G.|author-link=G. Dhananjayan|title=Pride of Tamil Cinema: 1931 to 2013|date=2014|publisher=Blue Ocean Publishers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e07vBwAAQBAJ|location=Chennai|isbn=978-93-84301-05-7}}
+*{{Cite book |last=Dhananjayan |first=G. |title=Pride of Tamil Cinema: 1931–2013 |title-link=Pride of Tamil Cinema |publisher=Blue Ocean Publishers |year=2014 |oclc=898765509 |author-link=G. Dhananjayan}}
 == External links ==
-* {{IMDb title|1821317}}
+* {{IMDb title}}
+* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
 {{Vetrimaaran}}
-{{FilmfareAwardBestTamilMovie}}
+{{Filmfare Award for Best Film&nbsp;– Tamil}}
-[[Category:Indian films]]
+[[Category:2010s sports drama films]]
 [[Category:2011 action drama films]]
-[[Category:Indian action drama films]]
-[[Category:Indian sports films]]
-[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actor National Award-winning performance]]
-[[Category:Films whose director won the Best Director National Film Award]]
 [[Category:2011 films]]
+[[Category:2011 Indian films]]
+[[Category:2011 Tamil-language films]]
+[[Category:Cockfighting in film]]
+[[Category:Films directed by Vetrimaaran]]
+[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actor National Award–winning performance]]
+[[Category:Films featuring a Best Choreography National Film Award–winning choreography]]
+[[Category:Films produced by S. Kathiresan]]
+[[Category:Films scored by G. V. Prakash Kumar]]
+[[Category:Films set in Madurai]]
 [[Category:Films shot in Madurai]]
-[[Category:Tamil films remade in other languages]]
+[[Category:Films whose director won the Best Director National Film Award]]
-[[Category:Films scored by G. V. Prakash Kumar]]
-[[Category:2010s Tamil-language films]]
 [[Category:Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing National Award]]
-[[Category:Films featuring a Best Choreography National Film Award-winning choreography]]
 [[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay National Film Award]]
-[[Category:2010s sports films]]
+[[Category:Indian action drama films]]
-[[Category:Cockfighting in film]]
+[[Category:Indian sports drama films]]
-[[Category:Films directed by Vetrimaaran]]
+[[Category:Sports action films]]
+[[Category:Tamil films remade in other languages]]
+[[Category:Tamil-language action drama films]]
+[[Category:Tamil-language Indian films]]
+[[Category:Tamil-language sports drama films]]

v t e Filmography of Vetrimaaran
Directed	Polladhavan (2007) Aadukalam (2011) Visaranai (2016) Vada Chennai (2018) Asuran (2019) Viduthalai (2021)
Producer	Udhayam NH4 (2013) Poriyaalan (2014) Kaaka Muttai (2015) Kodi (2016) Lens (2017) Annanukku Jai (2018) Miga Miga Avasaram (2019) Sangathalaivan (2021)
Other	Naan Rajavaga Pogiren (Dialogues) (2013) Udhayam NH4 (Story & Screenplay) (2013)