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{{Short description|2012 film by Jeeva Shankar}} | {{Short description|2012 Indian film by Jeeva Shankar}} | ||
{{redirect|Nakili|the 1980 Telugu film|Nakili Manishi}} | {{redirect|Nakili|the 1980 Telugu film|Nakili Manishi}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}} | ||
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| image = Naan (film).jpg | | image = Naan (film).jpg | ||
| director = [[Jeeva Shankar]] | | director = [[Jeeva Shankar]] | ||
| producer = Fathima Vijay Antony | | producer = Fathima Vijay Antony | ||
| writer = Neelan K. Sekar<br /><small>'''(Dialogue)'''</small><br>[[Jeeva Shankar]] <br /><small>'''(Additional Dialogue)'''</small> | | writer = [[Neelan K. Sekar]]<br /><small>'''(Dialogue)'''</small><br>[[Jeeva Shankar]] <br /><small>'''(Additional Dialogue)'''</small> | ||
| screenplay = Jeeva Shankar | | screenplay = Jeeva Shankar | ||
| story = Jeeva Shankar | | story = Jeeva Shankar | ||
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| distributor = Sri Devar Pictures | | distributor = Sri Devar Pictures | ||
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2012|08|15}} | | released = {{Film date|df=yes|2012|08|15}} | ||
| runtime = | | runtime = 141 minutes | ||
| language = Tamil | | language = Tamil | ||
| budget = <!--Must be attributed to a reliable published source with an established reputation for fact-checking. No blogs, no IMDb.--> | | budget = <!--Must be attributed to a reliable published source with an established reputation for fact-checking. No blogs, no IMDb.--> | ||
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}} | }} | ||
'''''Naan''''' ({{ | '''''Naan''''' ({{langx|en|Me}}) is a 2012 [[India]]n [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[crime thriller film]] written and directed by [[Jeeva Shankar]] in his directorial debut. Composer [[Vijay Antony]] plays the lead role of a [[psychopath]]ic killer; he also produced the film and worked as the music director. [[Siddharth Venugopal]] and [[Rupa Manjari]] appeared in supporting roles. The filming of ''Naan'' began in October 2011,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-02-16 |title=Vijay Antony's onscreen debut with 'Naan' |url=http://www.southdreamz.com/2010/02/vijay-antony%E2%80%99s-onscreen-debut-with-%E2%80%98naan%E2%80%99.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902120318/http://www.southdreamz.com/2010/02/vijay-antony%E2%80%99s-onscreen-debut-with-%E2%80%98naan%E2%80%99.html |archive-date=2 September 2012 |access-date=2012-08-18 |publisher=Southdreamz.com}}</ref> and the film was released on 15 August 2012. The movie was remade in Bengali in 2015 as ''[[Amanush 2]]'' and in Kannada in 2016 as ''[[Asthitva]]''. The film was followed by a sequel titled ''[[Salim (film)|Salim]]'', an action thriller that released in 2014. The plot of the film is loosely based on 1999 American film ''[[The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)|The Talented Mr. Ripley]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How many Tom Ripley movies are there? | It's a Stampede! |url=https://itsastampede.com/2023/05/24/how-many-tom-ripley-movies-are-there/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203123053/https://itsastampede.com/2023/05/24/how-many-tom-ripley-movies-are-there/ |archive-date=3 December 2023 |access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref> | ||
==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
Karthik is a brilliant student but already shows signs of criminal behaviour in childhood, like [[forgery|forging]] his friend's parent's signature on a report card. Sent home from school early for this misdeed, Karthik is shocked to discover his mother [[sexual intercourse|in bed]] with a neighbour. His mother begs him not to disclose her affair to his father, but he does so, and his father commits [[suicide]]. Karthik's mother continues her illicit relationship. One day, Karthik kills his mother and her lover by setting the house on fire. He is sent to a [[youth detention center|juvenile home]] where he grows up. On his release, the warden gives him the address of his uncle and asks him to concentrate on his studies. | |||
Karthik's aunt is not | Karthik's aunt is not willing to take him in, so he goes to [[Chennai]] to start a new life. As fate would have it, the bus meets with an accident, and his fellow passenger, Mohammed Salim, is killed. Karthik steals Salim's documents, adopts his identity, and enrolls in a government medical college in [[Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery|MBBS]]. He befriends a rich classmate named Ashok, his girlfriend Rupa, and their friend Suresh. Ashok allows Salim to stay in his house rent-free. Later, Salim and Ashok encounter the warden from the former's juvenile home, who recognises Karthik. However, since Karthik is now impersonating Salim, he picks up an argument with the warden and swears that he is not the person he thinks he is. Nevertheless, Ashok becomes suspicious of his new friend. | ||
One day | One day Ashok and Suresh go to a [[farmhouse]] without Rupa. Suresh suggests that they take some girls along. Salim lets Rupa know of this plan due to her sincere and true love for Ashok. Rupa starts to suspect that Ashok is cheating on her, while Ashok worries that Salim betrayed him to Rupa. Ashok slaps Salim angrily and tells him to move out. Katrhik apologises to him and agrees to look for another lodging. | ||
While Karthik is showering, Ashok opens his briefcase. He finds a photo of Karthik's biological father and realises that it was a different man that Karthik had introduced as his actual father earlier. Suddenly, Karthik enters the room and asks Ashok to give the photo back. Ashok refuses, removes Karthik's towel, and confirms that he is not a [[Muslims|Muslim]], as he is not [[circumcision|circumcised]]. Salim gets angry and shoves Ashok; Ashok hits his head on a table and dies. At first, Karthik is horrified by what he has done, but he then covers up the murder by burying Ashok's body in a [[graveyard]] on the outskirts so intelligently that no one ever finds out that Ashok is dead. When a family friend of Ashok, who has not seen Ashok since he was a child, plans to meet him, Karthik successfully impersonates Ashok, fooling even Ashok's parents and Rupa. | |||
Suresh, however, discovers | Suresh, however, discovers Karthik's deception, so Karthik kills him and buries him in the same graveyard. The following day, the police come to Ashok's house and reveal that they have found Suresh's corpse. They interrogate several people in the city, including Karthik, but he fools them into concluding that Ashok killed Suresh and fled; meanwhile, they consider Karthik (now back to impersonating Salim) an innocent and a hard-working student. Karthik continues to live as Salim after convincing Salim's father into giving him his son's identity. The film ends with the cliff hanger "To Be Continued". | ||
==Cast== | ==Cast== | ||
* [[Vijay Antony]] as Karthik/Mohammed Salim | {{cast listing| | ||
* [[Vijay Antony]] as Karthik / [[Salim (film)|Mohammed Salim]] | |||
* [[Siddharth Venugopal]] as Ashok Ravindran | * [[Siddharth Venugopal]] as Ashok Ravindran | ||
* [[Rupa Manjari]] as Rupa | * [[Rupa Manjari]] as Rupa | ||
| Line 50: | Line 51: | ||
* Vibha Natarajan as Uma | * Vibha Natarajan as Uma | ||
* [[Charmila (actress)|Charmila]] as Karthik's mother | * [[Charmila (actress)|Charmila]] as Karthik's mother | ||
* Saravanan as Mohammed Salim | * ''Ratsasan'' Saravanan as the original Mohammed Salim | ||
* Pramod as Inspector Duraipandiyan | * Pramod as Inspector Duraipandiyan | ||
* [[Krishnamoorthy (actor)|Krishnamoorthy]] | * [[Krishnamoorthy (actor)|Krishnamoorthy]] | ||
* Shyam as Ashok's enemy | * Shyam as Ashok's enemy | ||
* Saivam Ravi as Karthik's uncle | |||
* [[Neelan K. Sekar]] as Salim's mansion mate | |||
}} | |||
==Production== | ==Production== | ||
The film was initially launched in 2008, with [[Siddharth Venugopal]] and [[Rukmini Vijayakumar]] playing the lead roles, however, due to the failure of his previous film ''[[Ananda Thandavam (film)|Ananda Thandavam]]'', the producer [[Oscar Ravichandran]] called off the project.<ref>{{ | The film was initially launched in 2008, with [[Siddharth Venugopal]] and [[Rukmini Vijayakumar]] playing the lead roles, however, due to the failure of his previous film ''[[Ananda Thandavam (film)|Ananda Thandavam]]'', the producer [[Oscar Ravichandran]] called off the project.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-04-10 |title=Cinema Plus / Cinema : New kid on the block |url=http://www.hindu.com/cp/2009/04/10/stories/2009041050100400.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413162926/http://www.hindu.com/cp/2009/04/10/stories/2009041050100400.htm |archive-date=2009-04-13 |access-date=2012-08-18 |website=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> The film restarted with Vijay Antony's intervention in October 2011 who also took the lead role from Siddharth, while the latter plays a supporting role in the film. | ||
==Soundtrack== | ==Soundtrack== | ||
| Line 62: | Line 66: | ||
| name = Naan | | name = Naan | ||
| type = Soundtrack | | type = Soundtrack | ||
| longtype = to Naan | | longtype = to ''Naan'' | ||
| artist = [[Vijay Antony]] | | artist = [[Vijay Antony]] | ||
| cover = | | cover = | ||
| Line 68: | Line 72: | ||
| alt = | | alt = | ||
| caption = Front CD Cover | | caption = Front CD Cover | ||
| released = {{Start date|df=y| | | released = {{Start date|df=y|2012|6|4}} (Single) | ||
{{Start date|df=y|2012|7|30}} | {{Start date|df=y|2012|7|30}} (Album) | ||
| recorded = 2012 | | recorded = 2012 | ||
| venue = | | venue = | ||
| Line 84: | Line 88: | ||
}} | }} | ||
The soundtrack has six tracks, composed by [[Vijay Antony]] himself. Following [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]], who created [[single (music)|single]] tracks in ''[[Vaanam]]'' and ''[[Mankatha]]'', Vijay Antony too released a single track "Makkayala Makkayala" in June | The soundtrack has six tracks, all composed by [[Vijay Antony]] himself.<ref>{{Cite web |last=S. R. Ashok Kumar |date=2012-08-04 |title=Arts / Cinema : Audio Beat: Naan |url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article3727593.ece |access-date=2012-08-18 |website=The Hindu}}</ref> Following [[Yuvan Shankar Raja]], who created [[single (music)|single]] tracks in ''[[Vaanam]]'' and ''[[Mankatha]]'', Vijay Antony too released a single track "Makkayala Makkayala" in June 2012. | ||
{{track listing | {{track listing | ||
| Line 97: | Line 101: | ||
| title2 = Thapellam Thape Illai | | title2 = Thapellam Thape Illai | ||
| lyrics2 = Asmin | | lyrics2 = Asmin | ||
| extra2 = [[Hiphop Tamizha|Adhi]], Santhosh Hariharan | | extra2 = [[Hiphop Tamizha|Hiphop Adhi]], Santhosh Hariharan | ||
| length2 = 4:27 | | length2 = 4:27 | ||
| title3 = Ulaginil Miga Uyaram | | title3 = Ulaginil Miga Uyaram | ||
| lyrics3 = Annamalai | | lyrics3 = Annamalai | ||
| extra3 = Vijay Antony | | extra3 = [[Vijay Antony]] | ||
| length3 = 4:49 | | length3 = 4:49 | ||
| Line 124: | Line 128: | ||
===Critical reception=== | ===Critical reception=== | ||
Malathi Rangarajan of ''[[The Hindu]]'' praised as "Well done!" and said: "A plethora of pluses make ''Naan'' watch-worthy. Vijay Antony’s acumen comes to the fore in his choice of a subject that’s strong and a character that’s stronger".<ref>{{ | Malathi Rangarajan of ''[[The Hindu]]'' praised as "Well done!" and said: "A plethora of pluses make ''Naan'' watch-worthy. Vijay Antony’s acumen comes to the fore in his choice of a subject that’s strong and a character that’s stronger".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rangarajan |first=Malathi |date=August 18, 2012 |title=Naan: I for intelligence |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/naan-i-for-intelligence/article3790797.ece |access-date=August 13, 2020 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> N. Venkateswaran of ''[[The Times of India]]'' gave ''Naan'' 3.5 out of 5 stars, writing that "but for some minor blips, the writing (and therefore the movie too) is pretty gripping throughout, and keeps the audience on the edge of the seats", calling it "[T]he perfect thriller to spice up the weekend".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Venkateswaran |first=M. |date=August 15, 2012 |title=Naan movie review: Wallpaper, Story, Trailer at Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/articlelistls/tamil/movie-reviews/naan/movie-review/15532605.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017152120/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/articlelistls/tamil/movie-reviews/naan/movie-review/15532605.cms |archive-date=17 October 2015 |access-date=August 18, 2012 |newspaper=[[The Times Of India]]}}</ref> [[IBNLive]] wrotet that "'Naan' is racy and appealing" and also adding that "it is a racy crime thriller that is quite an appealing effort from Jeeva Shankar and Vijay Antony."<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 16, 2012 |title=Tamil Review: 'Naan' is racy and appealing |url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/tamil-review-naan-is-racy-and-appealing-499070.html |access-date=August 23, 2012 |website=[[IBNLive]]}}</ref> The Behindwoods Review Board gave the film 2.5 out of 5, calling it a "suspense thriller that works for most parts."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Naan Review - Naan Movie Review |url=http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-reviews/reviews-2/aug-12-03/naan-review.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122006/http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-reviews/reviews-2/aug-12-03/naan-review.html |archive-date=15 December 2018 |access-date=2012-08-18 |website=Behindwoods.com}}</ref> ''[[Deccan Chronicle]]'' stated that "Vijay Antony changes beat".<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 19, 2012 |title=Naan review: Vijay Antony changes beat |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/showbiz/movie-reviews/naan-review-vijay-antony-changes-beat-444 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821234951/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/showbiz/movie-reviews/naan-review-vijay-antony-changes-beat-444 |archive-date=21 August 2012 |access-date=August 23, 2012 |work=[[Deccan Chronicle]]}}</ref> [[Sify]] rated it average, calling it a "decent psychological thriller."<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 August 2012 |title=Movie Review:Naan |url=https://www.sify.com/movies/naan-review-tamil-pcma3rehjhghd.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419063647/http://www.sify.com/movies/naan-review-tamil-pcma3rehjhghd.html |archive-date=19 April 2015 |access-date=18 August 2012 |website=[[Sify]]}}</ref> | ||
Upon release, it was noted that the film had been inspired by ''[[The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)|The Talented Mr. Ripley]]''.<ref>{{ | Upon release, it was noted that the film had been inspired by the 1999 American film ''[[The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)|The Talented Mr. Ripley]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mannath |first=Malini |date=19 August 2012 |title=Naan (Tamil) |url=http://newindianexpress.com/entertainment/reviews/article591090.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822193414/http://newindianexpress.com/entertainment/reviews/article591090.ece |archive-date=22 August 2012 |access-date=January 21, 2016 |work=[[The New Indian Express]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 May 2016 |title=PLAGIARISM POLICING IS GOING OUT OF HAND |url=http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToPrintGifMSIE_PASTISSUES2&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=TOICH/2012/10/27&ChunkNum=0&ID=Ar04100 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160525065215/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToPrintGifMSIE_PASTISSUES2&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=TOICH/2012/10/27&ChunkNum=0&ID=Ar04100 |archive-date=25 May 2016 |work=[[Times of India]]}}</ref> | ||
===Other languages=== | ===Other languages=== | ||
It was remade in Bengali as ''[[Amanush 2]]'' which released in April 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 2017 |title=Arya and Jiiva in Jeeva Shankar's next? |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/arya-and-jeeva-in-jeeva-shankars-next/articleshow/59399853.cms |work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref> The Kannada remake, ''[[Asthitva]]'' was released in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Joy |first=Prathibha |date=24 January 2017 |title=Asthitva's an entertaining suspense thriller |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movies/news/asthitva-is-a-suspense-thriller/articleshow/53754272.cms |access-date=29 August 2025 |website=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref> | |||
==Awards== | ==Awards== | ||
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! Ceremony | ! Ceremony | ||
! Category | ! Category | ||
! | ! Winner | ||
! Result | ! Result | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Line 152: | Line 156: | ||
==Legacy== | ==Legacy== | ||
A sequel to the movie was released in August 2014 | A sequel to the movie was released in August 2014 called ''[[Salim (film)|Salim]]''. In March 2014, it was reported that the film would be remade in [[Hindi]] with [[Prashanth]] reprising Vijay Antony's role. Despite a production delay, [[Thiagarajan]] confirmed during an interview that the film would be made in February 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 February 2017 |title=A mastermind at work |url=http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/A-mastermind-at-work/article17288295.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011124346/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/A-mastermind-at-work/article17288295.ece |archive-date=11 October 2020 |access-date=11 February 2017 |work=The Hindu |via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome cinemalead.com - Hostmonster.com |url=http://www.cinemalead.com/news-id-prashanth-to-remake-this-hit-tamil-film-in-bollywood-actor-prasahanth-04-03-144658.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309054127/http://www.cinemalead.com/news-id-prashanth-to-remake-this-hit-tamil-film-in-bollywood-actor-prasahanth-04-03-144658.htm |archive-date=9 March 2018 |access-date=11 February 2017 |website=www.cinemalead.com}}</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 162: | Line 166: | ||
[[Category:2012 films]] | [[Category:2012 films]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:2012 Tamil-language films]] | ||
[[Category:2012 crime drama films]] | [[Category:2012 crime drama films]] | ||
[[Category:2012 crime thriller films]] | [[Category:2012 crime thriller films]] | ||
[[Category:2012 psychological thriller films]] | [[Category:2012 psychological thriller films]] | ||
[[Category:Indian crime drama films]] | [[Category:Indian crime drama films]] | ||
[[Category:Indian crime thriller films]] | [[Category:Indian crime thriller films]] | ||
[[Category:Indian psychological drama films]] | [[Category:Indian psychological drama films]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Tamil-language psychological thriller films]] | ||
[[Category:Films about identity theft]] | [[Category:Films about identity theft]] | ||
[[Category:Films about murderers]] | [[Category:Films about murderers]] | ||
[[Category:Films based on American novels]] | [[Category:Films based on American novels]] | ||
[[Category:Films based on crime novels]] | [[Category:Films based on crime novels]] | ||
| Line 181: | Line 182: | ||
[[Category:2012 directorial debut films]] | [[Category:2012 directorial debut films]] | ||
[[Category:Films based on works by Patricia Highsmith]] | [[Category:Films based on works by Patricia Highsmith]] | ||
[[Category:Tamil-language Indian films]] | |||
Latest revision as of 08:55, 3 March 2026
| Naan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Jeeva Shankar |
| Produced by | Fathima Vijay Antony |
| Written by | Neelan K. Sekar (Dialogue) Jeeva Shankar (Additional Dialogue) |
| Screenplay by | Jeeva Shankar |
| Story by | Jeeva Shankar |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Vijay Antony |
| Cinematography | Jeeva Shankar |
| Edited by | Sathish Suriya |
Production company | Vijay Antony Film Corporation |
| Distributed by | Sri Devar Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 141 minutes |
| Language | Tamil |
Naan (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film written and directed by Jeeva Shankar in his directorial debut. Composer Vijay Antony plays the lead role of a psychopathic killer; he also produced the film and worked as the music director. Siddharth Venugopal and Rupa Manjari appeared in supporting roles. The filming of Naan began in October 2011,[1] and the film was released on 15 August 2012. The movie was remade in Bengali in 2015 as Amanush 2 and in Kannada in 2016 as Asthitva. The film was followed by a sequel titled Salim, an action thriller that released in 2014. The plot of the film is loosely based on 1999 American film The Talented Mr. Ripley.[2]
Plot[edit | edit source]
Karthik is a brilliant student but already shows signs of criminal behaviour in childhood, like forging his friend's parent's signature on a report card. Sent home from school early for this misdeed, Karthik is shocked to discover his mother in bed with a neighbour. His mother begs him not to disclose her affair to his father, but he does so, and his father commits suicide. Karthik's mother continues her illicit relationship. One day, Karthik kills his mother and her lover by setting the house on fire. He is sent to a juvenile home where he grows up. On his release, the warden gives him the address of his uncle and asks him to concentrate on his studies.
Karthik's aunt is not willing to take him in, so he goes to Chennai to start a new life. As fate would have it, the bus meets with an accident, and his fellow passenger, Mohammed Salim, is killed. Karthik steals Salim's documents, adopts his identity, and enrolls in a government medical college in MBBS. He befriends a rich classmate named Ashok, his girlfriend Rupa, and their friend Suresh. Ashok allows Salim to stay in his house rent-free. Later, Salim and Ashok encounter the warden from the former's juvenile home, who recognises Karthik. However, since Karthik is now impersonating Salim, he picks up an argument with the warden and swears that he is not the person he thinks he is. Nevertheless, Ashok becomes suspicious of his new friend.
One day Ashok and Suresh go to a farmhouse without Rupa. Suresh suggests that they take some girls along. Salim lets Rupa know of this plan due to her sincere and true love for Ashok. Rupa starts to suspect that Ashok is cheating on her, while Ashok worries that Salim betrayed him to Rupa. Ashok slaps Salim angrily and tells him to move out. Katrhik apologises to him and agrees to look for another lodging.
While Karthik is showering, Ashok opens his briefcase. He finds a photo of Karthik's biological father and realises that it was a different man that Karthik had introduced as his actual father earlier. Suddenly, Karthik enters the room and asks Ashok to give the photo back. Ashok refuses, removes Karthik's towel, and confirms that he is not a Muslim, as he is not circumcised. Salim gets angry and shoves Ashok; Ashok hits his head on a table and dies. At first, Karthik is horrified by what he has done, but he then covers up the murder by burying Ashok's body in a graveyard on the outskirts so intelligently that no one ever finds out that Ashok is dead. When a family friend of Ashok, who has not seen Ashok since he was a child, plans to meet him, Karthik successfully impersonates Ashok, fooling even Ashok's parents and Rupa.
Suresh, however, discovers Karthik's deception, so Karthik kills him and buries him in the same graveyard. The following day, the police come to Ashok's house and reveal that they have found Suresh's corpse. They interrogate several people in the city, including Karthik, but he fools them into concluding that Ashok killed Suresh and fled; meanwhile, they consider Karthik (now back to impersonating Salim) an innocent and a hard-working student. Karthik continues to live as Salim after convincing Salim's father into giving him his son's identity. The film ends with the cliff hanger "To Be Continued".
Cast[edit | edit source]
- Vijay Antony as Karthik / Mohammed Salim
- Siddharth Venugopal as Ashok Ravindran
- Rupa Manjari as Rupa
- Anuya Bhagvath as Priya
- Vijay Victor as Suresh
- Vibha Natarajan as Uma
- Charmila as Karthik's mother
- Ratsasan Saravanan as the original Mohammed Salim
- Pramod as Inspector Duraipandiyan
- Krishnamoorthy
- Shyam as Ashok's enemy
- Saivam Ravi as Karthik's uncle
- Neelan K. Sekar as Salim's mansion mate
Production[edit | edit source]
The film was initially launched in 2008, with Siddharth Venugopal and Rukmini Vijayakumar playing the lead roles, however, due to the failure of his previous film Ananda Thandavam, the producer Oscar Ravichandran called off the project.[3] The film restarted with Vijay Antony's intervention in October 2011 who also took the lead role from Siddharth, while the latter plays a supporting role in the film.
Soundtrack[edit | edit source]
| Naan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album to Naan by | ||||
| Released | 4 June 2012 (Single) 30 July 2012 (Album) | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Film soundtrack | |||
| Language | Tamil | |||
| Label | Gemini Audio T-Series | |||
| Producer | Vijay Antony | |||
| Vijay Antony chronology | ||||
| ||||
The soundtrack has six tracks, all composed by Vijay Antony himself.[4] Following Yuvan Shankar Raja, who created single tracks in Vaanam and Mankatha, Vijay Antony too released a single track "Makkayala Makkayala" in June 2012.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Makkayala Makkayala" | Priyan | Krishan Maheson, Mark Thomas, Shakthisree Gopalan | 4:52 |
| 2. | "Thapellam Thape Illai" | Asmin | Hiphop Adhi, Santhosh Hariharan | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Ulaginil Miga Uyaram" | Annamalai | Vijay Antony | 4:49 |
| 4. | "Dinnam Dinnam" | Annamalai | Deepak | 4:35 |
| 5. | "No One Is Perfect (Theme)" | Instrumental | 2:56 | |
| 6. | "Thappelam Thappe Illai (Version 2)" | Asmin | Vijay Antony | 2:36 |
| Total length: | 24:25 | |||
Release[edit | edit source]
Critical reception[edit | edit source]
Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu praised as "Well done!" and said: "A plethora of pluses make Naan watch-worthy. Vijay Antony’s acumen comes to the fore in his choice of a subject that’s strong and a character that’s stronger".[5] N. Venkateswaran of The Times of India gave Naan 3.5 out of 5 stars, writing that "but for some minor blips, the writing (and therefore the movie too) is pretty gripping throughout, and keeps the audience on the edge of the seats", calling it "[T]he perfect thriller to spice up the weekend".[6] IBNLive wrotet that "'Naan' is racy and appealing" and also adding that "it is a racy crime thriller that is quite an appealing effort from Jeeva Shankar and Vijay Antony."[7] The Behindwoods Review Board gave the film 2.5 out of 5, calling it a "suspense thriller that works for most parts."[8] Deccan Chronicle stated that "Vijay Antony changes beat".[9] Sify rated it average, calling it a "decent psychological thriller."[10]
Upon release, it was noted that the film had been inspired by the 1999 American film The Talented Mr. Ripley.[11][12]
Other languages[edit | edit source]
It was remade in Bengali as Amanush 2 which released in April 2015.[13] The Kannada remake, Asthitva was released in 2016.[14]
Awards[edit | edit source]
| Ceremony | Category | Winner | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director | Vijay Antony | Nominated |
| Best Debutant Producer | Nominated | ||
| Best Male Debutant | Nominated |
Legacy[edit | edit source]
A sequel to the movie was released in August 2014 called Salim. In March 2014, it was reported that the film would be remade in Hindi with Prashanth reprising Vijay Antony's role. Despite a production delay, Thiagarajan confirmed during an interview that the film would be made in February 2017.[15][16]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Vijay Antony's onscreen debut with 'Naan'". Southdreamz.com. 16 February 2010. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ↑ "How many Tom Ripley movies are there? | It's a Stampede!". Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ↑ "Cinema Plus / Cinema : New kid on the block". The Hindu. 10 April 2009. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ↑ S. R. Ashok Kumar (4 August 2012). "Arts / Cinema : Audio Beat: Naan". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ↑ Rangarajan, Malathi (18 August 2012). "Naan: I for intelligence". The Hindu. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- ↑ Venkateswaran, M. (15 August 2012). "Naan movie review: Wallpaper, Story, Trailer at Times of India". The Times Of India. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ↑ "Tamil Review: 'Naan' is racy and appealing". IBNLive. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
- ↑ "Naan Review - Naan Movie Review". Behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ↑ "Naan review: Vijay Antony changes beat". Deccan Chronicle. 19 August 2012. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
- ↑ "Movie Review:Naan". Sify. 17 August 2012. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ↑ Mannath, Malini (19 August 2012). "Naan (Tamil)". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 August 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ↑ "PLAGIARISM POLICING IS GOING OUT OF HAND". Times of India. 25 May 2016. Archived from the original on 25 May 2016.
- ↑ "Arya and Jiiva in Jeeva Shankar's next?". The Times of India. July 2017.
- ↑ Joy, Prathibha (24 January 2017). "Asthitva's an entertaining suspense thriller". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ↑ "A mastermind at work". The Hindu. 11 February 2017. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2017 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ↑ "Welcome cinemalead.com - Hostmonster.com". www.cinemalead.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2017.