Kalanjiyam: Difference between revisions

Kalanjiyam's first film ''[[Poomani (film)|Poomani]]'' (1996) featuring [[Murali (Tamil actor)|Murali]] and [[Devayani (actress)|Devayani]] won commercial and critical acclaim and the director won the [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Story Writer]] for 1996. His next venture, the rural drama ''[[Kizhakkum Merkkum]]'', starring [[Napoleon (actor)|Napoleon]] with Devayani also won positive reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Reviews/articles/kizhmerk.htm |title=Kizhakkum Merkum: Movie Review |publisher=Webcache.googleusercontent.com |date=2013-09-05 |accessdate=2013-09-15 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924034613/http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Reviews/articles/kizhmerk.htm |archivedate=24 September 2015 }}</ref> A proposed film titled ''Sangeetha Thirunaal'' produced by music composer [[Ilaiyaraaja]] was planned, but did not materialise.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20041023185237/http://www.dinakaran.com/cinema/english/gossip/second/story1.htm#story</ref> He returned with another film, ''[[Poonthottam]]'' (1998), with the cast of his first film; but the film went unnoticed as a result of the bigger budget films which released around the same period.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Reviews/articles/PoonthOttam_01532.html |title=PoonthOttam: Movie Review |publisher=Webcache.googleusercontent.com |date=2013-09-05 |accessdate=2013-09-15 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313030525/http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Reviews/articles/PoonthOttam_01532.html |archivedate=13 March 2013 }}</ref>  He then made ''[[Nilave Mugam Kaattu]]'' (1999) starring [[Karthik (actor)|Karthik]] and Devayani, which became his fourth consecutive film with the actress, though the film was panned by critics who cited the director "disappoints with this well-worn tale of friends sacrificing love for friendship."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenisai.com/tamil/movies-cinema/nilave-mugam-kaattu-tamil-movies.htm |accessdate=8 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909110827/http://www.thenisai.com/tamil/movies-cinema/nilave-mugam-kaattu-tamil-movies.htm |archivedate=9 September 2012 }}</ref> Kalanjiyam later started other eventually shelved films titled ''Vikadan'' with Murali again, and ''Kesavan'' with [[Sarathkumar]] and [[Rambha (actress)|Rambha]], before going on to make the [[Prabhu (actor)|Prabhu]]-starrer ''[[Mitta Miraasu]]'' in 2001.<ref>http://www.geocities.ws/gokima/may2001.html</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20050205133643/http://www.dinakaran.com/cinema/english/cinenews/9-07-98/murali.htm</ref>

In 2002, the director resurfaced with a project titled ''Sathamintri Muthamidu'' which was set to be the launch for actor Mayur, [[Devayani (actress)|Devayani]]'s younger brother, and actress [[Anjali (actress born 1986)|Anjali]] though the film later failed to materialize.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20030805141512/http://www.chennaionline.com/entertainment/filmplus/ntlaunch.asp</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/58928.html |title=Anjali signs handful - Tamil Movie News |publisher=Indiaglitz.com |date=2010-07-27 |accessdate=2013-09-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news/aug-06-04/25-08-06-nakul.html |title=Tamil movies : Will luck favor 'Boys' fame Nakul this time? |publisher=Webcache.googleusercontent.com |date=2013-09-02 |accessdate=2013-09-15 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918135527/http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news/aug-06-04/25-08-06-nakul.html |archivedate=18 September 2015 }}</ref> He also began two other films with Anjali, ''Valiba Desam'' and ''En Kanavu Thaanadi'', though those also failed to materialize. In 2010, following actress Anjali's rise to fame, she made a goodwill gesture by agreeing to be a part of a few of Kalanjiyam's future films, noting she considered him her mentor. The director returned with his next film, ''[[Karungali]]'' in 2011, which saw himself play the lead role of a drug peddler alongside an ensemble cast including [[Anjali (actress born 1986)|Anjali]], [[Sunitha Varma]] and Asmitha. The film opened to unanimously poor reviews, with a critic noting that the film was a "crude affair", citing that the "subject in question is too heavy and has been handled in an insensitive way, making the film come across as a cheap, sex thriller."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/karungali-review-tamil-14975424.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222010039/http://www.sify.com/movies/karungali-review-tamil-14975424.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-12-22 |title=Movie Review : Karungali |publisher=Sify.com |accessdate=2013-09-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/review/12585.html |title=Karungali Tamil Movie Review - cinema preview stills gallery trailer video clips showtimes |publisher=Indiaglitz.com |date=2011-07-29 |accessdate=2013-09-15}}</ref> The film was later dubbed and released in Telugu as ''Sathi Leelavathi'', with the director creditting himself under the name Prabhakaran.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-02/news-interviews/32508165_1_prabhakaran-tollywood-telugu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131183550/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-02/news-interviews/32508165_1_prabhakaran-tollywood-telugu |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-31 |title=Name change for Kalanjiyam|date=2012-07-02 |work=[[The Times of India]] |accessdate=2013-09-15}}</ref>