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Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn
Directed byGautham Vasudev Menon
Produced byIshari K. Ganesh
Written byGautham Vasudev Menon
Starring
Music byA. R. Rahman
CinematographyGautham Vasudev Menon
Production
company
Ondraga Entertainment
Release date
  • 7 May 2020 (2020-05-07) (YouTube)
Running time
12 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn (transl. The number dialled by Karthik) is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language short film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. A sequel to his Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010), it stars Silambarasan and Trisha reprising their roles from that film. The film was released on 7 May 2020 on YouTube.[1][2][3]

Plot

Filmmaker Karthik is at home during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tamil Nadu without work as theatres are shut down, affecting his career as a screenwriter. While experiencing writer's block, he hesitantly calls his ex-girlfriend Jessie, who fled the effects of the pandemic in New York City and is under lockdown in Kerala. After the phone call, Karthik resumes his writing and composes Kamal & Kadambari: A Love Story.[4]

Cast

Production

Gautham Menon was working on the sequel of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa which was titled Ondraga, a road movie which would focus on Karthik and his best friends from college travelling to the United States to attend a wedding ten years after the events of the first film.[5] With Silambarasan reprising his role from the predecessor, and pulling out prominent names from South Indian film fraternity, the film entered production in February 2018.[6] However, the project did not materialise due to various reasons.[7]

In April 2020, Silambarasan and Gautham Menon started shooting for the short film based on the characters from Vinnaithaandi Varuvayaa, eventually titled as Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn.[8] The film was primarily shot using an iPhone and filmed indoors due to the restrictions in order to curb COVID-19.[4][9] A. R. Rahman composed background music for the short film.[10]

Release

The teaser of the short was unveiled by actress Trisha through social media handles on 8 April 2020.[2] The short film was released through the YouTube channel of Ondraga Entertainment on 7 May 2020.[11]

Reception

Kirubhakar Purushothaman of Cinema Express said, "The filmmaking is minimalistic with not-so-seamless cuts. Of course, one is expected to cut slack for the film given the immense constraints the team has made this under. But it's a paradox when you realise there would have been no Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn without the coronavirus or the constraints."[12] Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion wrote "A reflection on the 12-odd minutes spent with the characters that continue to haunt us, even after 10 years. Many spoilers ahead, so make sure you see the film first."[13]

References

  1. K, Janani (8 May 2020). "Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn out: Trisha and Simbu bring back Vinnaithandi Varuvaya memories". India Today. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn: Trisha releases teaser of lockdown short film". India Today. 8 April 2020. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. "Trisha stars in Gautham Menon's short film, 'Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn'". The Hindu. 9 April 2020. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "'Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn': A letter to unrequited love, and then some". The Hindu. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. "Gautham Menon and R Madhavan team up for 'Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa' sequel". Scroll.in. 21 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  6. Pattikonda, Gautham (3 November 2017). "Gautham Menon's multi-lingual film to feature Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah and Puneeth Rajkumar". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  7. Hooli, Shekhar H. (21 February 2018). "Madhavan replaces Simbu in Gautham Menon's Ondraga". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  8. "Simbu to join Gautham Menon for VTV 2?". The Times of India. 16 May 2020. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  9. "Gautham Menon posts a BTS video from Simbu-Trisha's short". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  10. "AR Rahman joins Gautham Menon for Karthi Dial Seytha Yenn". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  11. "Gautham Menon's Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn is out". The Times of India. 21 May 2020. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  12. Purushothaman, Kirubhakar (8 May 2020). "Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn short film review: Gautam Menon's 96 in a phone call". Cinema Express. Retrieved 21 May 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. Rangan, Baradwaj (7 May 2020). "Karthik Dial Seydha Yenn: Gautham Vasudev Menon, STR And Trisha Give Us A Lovely Reunion, With A Pinch Of Pain". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.

External links

Template:Gautham Menon