Gentleman (1993 film)

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Gentleman
File:Gentleman 1993 poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byS. Shankar
Produced byK. T. Kunjumon
Written byS. Shankar
Dialogue byBalakumaran
StarringArjun
Madhubala
Subhashri
Music byA. R. Rahman
CinematographyJeeva
Edited byB. Lenin
V. T. Vijayan
Production
company
A. R. S. Film International
Distributed byA. R. S. Film International
Release date
  • 30 July 1993 (1993-07-30)
Running time
160 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Gentleman is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language vigilante action film co-written and directed by S. Shankar in his directorial debut, and produced by K. T. Kunjumon. The film stars Arjun, Madhubala and Subhashri, with M. N. Nambiar, Manorama, Goundamani, Senthil, Charan Raj, Vineeth, and Rajan P. Dev in supporting roles. It revolves around a respected Madras-based businessman who moonlights as a thief who steals from the rich and gives to the poor.

Gentleman was released on 30 July 1993. The film became a box office success, running for over 175 days in theatres besides winning three South Filmfare Awards (including Best Film – Tamil and Best Director – Tamil), four Tamil Nadu State Film Awards (including Best Actor and Best Director) and five Cinema Express Awards. The film was remade in Hindi as The Gentleman (1994).

Plot[edit]

In Ooty, Krishnamoorthy alias Kicha and his sidekick Mani perform a swashbuckling heist of money of several crores while being in disguise diverting the attention of police, and escape in Nilgiri Mountain Railway, much to the frustration of a chasing police officer named Ratnam.

Kicha is a respected citizen who runs a home-based papadam business along with Mani in Madras. Susheela, one of Kicha's many female employees, has a crush on him and is constantly demanding his attention. Another thing adding to her woes is the arrival of her jovial cousin Sugandhi. She makes the place so lively and playful with silly fights between Mani and Babloo. Sugandhi later develops a crush on Kicha, especially after being saved by him from some molesting goons. Kicha tells to her that he has no such feelings for her and wants her to find a suitable husband. Before leaving Madras, Sugandhi steals Kicha's ring as a souvenir.

After several unsuccessful attempts at nabbing the thief, a disgraced police officer Azhagar Nambi shaves his head and is left with a ring mark on his face, after a scuffle with the thief. He investigates the design of the mark, believing it was formed by a ceremonial ring worn by Brahmin priests, but to his vain, finds that such a design is uncommon to Brahmin priests, but rather resembles a mangala sutra.

Nambi is forced by his parents into getting married and by coincidence to Sugandhi, from whom he gets the particular ring that he was tracking and finds out that it belongs to Kicha. In an attempt to trap and arrest Kicha, Nambi plots an attempt at Kicha's house where they were invited for a wedding dinner, hosted by Kicha, where he shoots Kicha, but the latter narrowly escapes with a bullet injury in his hand, along with Mani. Susheela follows them to their hideout, where Susheela finds the duo and accuses Kicha of his deed.

After Susheela threatens to commit suicide, Kicha reveals his past: as a student, he was a district-level topper along with his best friend Ramesh, and when they both were denied their desired medical college seats due to bribery, that led to the suicides of Kicha's mother and Ramesh. Since then, Kicha became a thief to build a college of his own, where he desires to make education available to the deserved, regardless of income, caste, or religion.

In order to fund the final stages of the college building, aware of the police trap, Kicha makes one last attempt to steal money from the Chief Minister, resulting in success, but Nambi gains the upper hand in arresting him. In the courtroom, Kicha demands that the State CM should come to the courtroom, who was previously the Education Minister who demanded the bribe from him. Though the CM is exposed to the public, he is still let off, which infuriates a youth who was inspired by Kicha's testimony. The youth kills the minister in a suicide bombing.

Six years later, Kicha and Mani, having completed their jail sentence, inaugurate Kicha's college.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

After scoring back-to-back successes like Vasanthakala Paravai (1991) and Surieyan (1992), producer K. T. Kunjumon of A. R. S. Film International wanted to collaborate again with director Pavithran and actor R. Sarathkumar; however since they went on to do other projects, the collaboration did not happen. Photographer Stills Ravi and editor V. T. Vijayan suggested the name of S. Shankar who worked as an assistant in these two films. Shankar had prepared a story, but it was rejected by many producers. After listening to the story, an impressed Kunjumon decided to produce the film which would later be titled Gentleman, but on the condition that Shankar accept any changes he suggest, to which Shankar agreed. While Shankar also wrote the screenplay, Kunjumon selected Balakumaran to write the dialogues.[11] Cinematography was handled by Jeeva, editing by Vijayan and B. Lenin, and art direction by Maghi,[1] while Vikram Dharma was the action choreographer.[2]

Casting and filming[edit]

Shankar wanted Kamal Haasan to play the lead role, but he refused because of the politics shown in the story and felt "it was not the right position to take on the subject".[12] He also suggested Rajasekhar to Kunjumon, but they were unsuccessful in casting him.[11] When Arjun was approached, he was reluctant. According to him, no directors wanted to make a film with him until the success of Sevagan (1992) which was directed by Arjun himself. Therefore when Shankar approached him with the script of Gentleman, he decided to decline without listening to the script just as he did to a few other directors. But he listened to the script after much persuasion and, impressed by the story, decided to do it.[13][14] The climax scene where a student kills the antagonist in a suicide bombing was inspired from the assassination of the Sri Lankan president Ranasinghe Premadasa.[11][15] Kunjumon insisted Shankar to rewrite the climax by adding this element, much to the dissatisfaction of Arjun, who felt that his heroism would get diluted. However, Kunjumon was adamant about the climax and it was shot as per his wish.[11]

Soundtrack[edit]

Gentleman
Soundtrack album by
A. R. Rahman
Released1993
RecordedPanchathan Record Inn
GenreSoundtrack
Length23:53
LabelPyramid
ProducerA. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman chronology
Pudhiya Mugam
(1993) 		Gentleman
(1993) 		Kizhakku Cheemayile
(1993)

The score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman.[16] Vairamuthu wrote the lyrics for all songs except "Parkathey", which Vaali wrote.[11] The songs were recorded at Panchathan Record Inn, and the soundtrack was released under the Pyramid label.[17] The film and soundtrack were dubbed and released in Telugu with the same name. The lyrics were penned by Rajashri for this version.[18]

The song "Ottagathai Kattiko" is often thought to have been lifted from the 1991 Telugu song, "Eddem Ante Teddam Antav", composed by Raj–Koti and sung by Malgudi Subha from the album Chik Pak Chik Bam; in reality, Rahman, who was an arranger in Raj–Koti's team, helped them in composing the original song.[19] "Parkathey" is based on "Kilele" by Osibisa.[20] "Ottagathai Kattiko" is set in the Carnatic raga known as Dharmavati,[21][22] "En Veetu Thotathil" is set in Chenchurutti,[23] "Parkathey" is set in Mohanam,[24][22] and "Usalampatti Penkutti" is also set in Dharmavati.[25] "Ottagathai Kattiko" was reused by Anu Malik in Gentlemen's Hindi remake The Gentleman (1994) as "Roop Suhana Lagta Hai".[26] It was later remixed by the French rap group La Caution as "Pilotes Automatique".[27]

Tamil
No. TitleSinger(s) Length
1. "En Veetu Thotathil"  S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sujatha Mohan 3:56
2. "Usalampatti Penkutti"  Shahul Hameed, Swarnalatha 4:41
3. "Chikku Bukku Rayile"  Suresh Peters, G. V. Prakash Kumar 5:24
4. "Parkathey"  Minmini, Srinivas, Noel James 4:29
5. "Ottagathai Kattiko"  S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki, Sujatha Mohan, Minmini 5:15
Telugu
No. TitleSinger(s) Length
1. "Kontegaadni Kattuko"  S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki 5:15
2. "Chikubuku Raile"  Suresh Peters, G. V. Prakash 5:24
3. "Naa Inti Mundunna"  S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sujatha Mohan 3:51
4. "Maavele Maavele"  Minmini, Srinivas, Noel James 4:29
5. "Mudinepalli"  Shahul Hameed, Malgudi Subha, Swarnalatha 4:40

Release[edit]

Gentleman was released on 30 July 1993.[28] Kunjumon had to distribute the film on his own since no distributors were willing to buy this film as they felt "it looked like a dubbed film". Despite this, it became a major commercial success,[11] running for over 175 days in theatres.[29]

Critical reception[edit]

Writing for The Indian Express on 6 August 1993, Malini Mannath said, "Shankar makes a promising debut infusing his script with action, sentiment, comedy and even some titillating scenes for added measure and tries to give something different within the parameters of commercial cinema. Jeeva's camera is effective in capturing the well choreographed stunt scenes (Vikram Dharma)."[2] K. Vijiyin of New Straits Times wrote on 14 August 1993, "Sankar .. has provided thought-provoking story [..] build up the story well, making us eager to find out why the hero is committing all those robberies."[30] On 22 August 1993, Ananda Vikatan rated the film 50 out of 100.[31]

Accolades[edit]

Event Category Recipient Ref.
41st Filmfare Awards South Best Film – Tamil K. T. Kunjumon [32]
Best Director – Tamil Shankar
Best Music Director – Tamil A. R. Rahman
1993 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Best Actor Arjun [33]
Best Director Shankar
Best Music Director A. R. Rahman
Best Female Playback Singer Sujatha (for "En Veetu Thotathil")
14th Cinema Express Awards Best Picture (Special Award) K. T. Kunjumon [34]
Best Actor (Special Award) Arjun
Best New Face Director Shankar
Best Music Director A. R. Rahman
Best Stunt Master Vikram Dharma

Legacy[edit]

In the 2019 Tamil film Hero, Arjun reprises his role as Sathyamoorthy (whose name is similar to Krishnamoorthy), a man who takes away money from the rich to build a school that is free for everyone.[35] The upcoming film Dikkiloona was titled after the word used by Goundamani and Senthil in Gentleman.[36]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dhananjayan 2011, p. 153.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Mannath, Malini (6 August 1993). "Daring and caring". The Indian Express. p. 6.
  3. ↑ Srinivasan, Pavithra (27 September 2010). "Shankar's landmark films before Endhiran/Robot". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  4. ↑ Yamunan, Sruthisagar (12 October 2015). "When the camera rolled, she lived the character'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mohan, Ashutosh (24 March 2020). "Top 10 Tamil Films Where Senthil Got The Better Of Goundamani". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Kumar, Pradeep (3 April 2020). "Prabhudheva's best dance sequences: From 'Chikku Bukku' to 'Guleba'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 April 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Raju Sundaram talks about Chal Maar on Kings of Dance". The Times of India. 8 December 2017. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  8. ↑ "Gentleman Cast and Crew". Moviefone. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  9. ↑ "Haven't you watched Raghava Lawrence's amazing dances yet?". Manorama Online. 30 October 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  10. ↑ Sudha (29 December 2020). "ஜென்டில்மேன் திரைப்படத்தில் மொட்டை ராஜேந்திரன் நடித்துள்ளார் தெரியுமா தெரியுமா.? அதுவும் இந்தக் காட்சியில்தான் எப்படி இருக்கிறார் பார்த்தீர்களா.!". Tamil 360 Newz (in தமிழ்). Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Menon, Vishal (21 July 2018). "KT Kunjumon and 25 years of 'Gentleman'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  12. ↑ Thirumurthy, Priyanka (2 September 2019). "'Orey Oru Gramathiley' to 'Pariyerum Perumal': Caste-based reservation in Tamil films". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  13. ↑ Kumar, S. Shiva (20 January 2012). "Silver screen's valiant hero". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  14. ↑ Rajpal, Roktim (22 June 2017). "Action King Arjun reveals why he initially turned down Shankar's Gentleman". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  15. ↑ "Tuesday Trivia: Assassination of Sri Lanka President inspired the climax of Shankar's Gentleman". India Today. 12 May 2020. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "Gentleman". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  17. ↑ "Gentleman Tamil Audio Cassettes By A.R Rahman". Banumass. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  18. ↑ "Gentleman". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  19. ↑ Anand, S. (3 August 2009). "Medley Messiah". Outlook. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  20. ↑ Paneerselvam Umamaheswaran; Shravan Ramachandran; Shivadas D S (2020). "Retrospective Analysis of Plagiaristic Practices within a Cinematic Industry in India – a Tip in the Ocean of Icebergs". Journal of Academic Ethics. 18 (2): 143–153. doi:10.1007/s10805-020-09360-7. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021. {{cite journal}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch (help)
  21. ↑ Mani, Charulatha (9 November 2012). "Twice as nice". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Sundararaman 2007, p. 151.
  23. ↑ Mani, Charulatha (23 November 2012). "Folksy flavours". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  24. ↑ Mani, Charulatha (16 September 2011). "A Raga's Journey – Magical Mohanam". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  25. ↑ Sundararaman 2007, p. 164.
  26. ↑ "Indian Idol judge Neha Kakkar's brother scores big with Kevin Pietersen days after Oscar-winner AR Rahman found himself in awe of former England cricketer". Janta Ka Reporter. 17 May 2020. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  27. ↑ "Urvasi Urvasi ripped off by Will.i.am & Cody Wise!". Sify. p. 8. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  28. ↑ "Gentleman". The Indian Express. 30 July 1993. p. 3. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  29. ↑ Selvaraj, N. (20 March 2017). "வெள்ளி விழா கண்ட தமிழ் திரைப்படங்கள்" [Tamil films that completed silver jubilees]. Thinnai (in தமிழ்). Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  30. ↑ Vijiyin, K. (14 August 1993). "Catchy songs pep up Gentleman's story". New Straits Times. p. 25.
  31. ↑ "சினிமா விமர்சனம்: ஜென்டில்மேன்" [Movie Review: Gentleman]. Ananda Vikatan. 22 August 1993. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  32. ↑ "41st Filmfare Awards". Filmfare. November 1994.
  33. ↑ Dhananjayan 2011, pp. 154–155.
  34. ↑ "Kizhakku Cheemayile adjudged best film". The Indian Express. Express News Service. 13 March 1994. p. 3.
  35. ↑ Suganth, M (20 December 2019). "Hero Movie Review : Fairly good vigilante film, middling superhero movie". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  36. ↑ "Santhanam's triple action film titled Dikkilona". The Times of India. 7 September 2019. Archived from the original on 12 September 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2021.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Dhananjayan, G. (2011). The Best of Tamil Cinema, 1931 to 2010: 1977–2010. Galatta Media. ISBN 978-81-921043-0-0.
  • Sundararaman (2007) [2005]. Raga Chintamani: A Guide to Carnatic Ragas Through Tamil Film Music (2nd ed.). Pichhamal Chintamani. OCLC 295034757.

External links[edit]

Template:S. Shankar

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