Anniyan
Encyclopedia
Anniyan is a 2005
Tamil
psychological thriller
film directed by S. Shankar
. The film stars Vikram
, Sadha
, Prakash Raj
, and Vivek
, while featuring background score and soundtrack composed by Harris Jayaraj
. The film was released worldwide on 10 June 2005.
The film took over two years to complete and was the most expensive South Indian feature film
during the time of release. The film was dubbed into Hindi as Aparichit: The Stranger, in Telugu
as Aparichithudu, and was also the first Indian film to be dubbed into French
. It was produced and distributed in India by Venu Ravichandran
.
), a lawyer who suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. Ambi is an innocent and honest lawyer. If he comes across anyone not obeying the law, he files cases against them but all his efforts go in vain.
His constant habit to be perfect in rules and honesty leads him to develop a Multiple Personality Disorder in which a new personality in him grows as Anniyan, a grim reaper-themed killer, and starts a website called www.anniyan.com to hear people's complaints. The character of Anniyan is violent and deranged, and Ambi has no clue that such a monster exists within him. When Ambi comes across a violation of the law, he makes complaints in his website. When he is Anniyan, he goes and kills the lawbreaker(s) by methods used for torturing people in hell
. He apparently takes the definition of these methods from the Garuda Purana
m.
Anniyan targets and kills three people during his first few forays, for various antisocial acts:
Meanwhile, DCP Prabhakar and Chary (Vivek
), a friend of Ambi, are after this mystery murderer.
Ambi is in love with his neighbour Nandhini (Sadha
), a music teacher. After she rejects him for his plain and dull attitude, he attempts suicide, but is saved when a third personality comes to life within him. This persona, a suave fashion model named "Remo" woos Nandhini as a totally different person. Nandhini instantly falls for Remo and his extravagant ways.
Later, Nandhini acquires land, but tries to cheat the government out of taxes. Ambi chooses not to help her, but when Nandhini tells Remo, Anniyan takes over and goes after her. Just as Anniyan is about to toss her into a pit of fire, Anniyan reverts back to Ambi. He is admitted to a hospital where he is diagnosed with a multiple personality disorder. It is at this hospital that Ambi reveals a dark secret from his past when he is hypnotized. When he was a young boy, there was a lot of corruption and incompetence in the police force and elsewhere. There was a loose electric wire which fell into a rather deep puddle. Ambi's sister Vidya slipped out of a rick shaw and fell into that puddle with the unattended wire, in which she was electrocuted, and died. After listening to this story, the doctor (Nassar
) concludes that the death of Ambi's sister resulted in the development of the psychological disorder. According to the doctor, Remo will cease to exist only if Nandhini accepts Ambi's love. However, Anniyan will cease to exist only when the country is reformed. Nandhini eventually accepts Ambi's love and Remo disappears.
As for Anniyan, the police investigate the murders, and evidence points to Ambi, who is arrested. During an interrogation, DCP Prabhakar engages in a fight with Ambi, who constantly changes personalities between Ambi and Anniyan to the DCP's confusion. The fight is captured on the security camera and is used as evidence for Ambi's sentence. He is sentenced to two years of psychological treatment after which, if he is cured, he will be released. When he is released, he relapses when travelling in a train, after a man refuses to stop drinking in the presence of women. Apparently, the man is the same person who indirectly, became a cause for Ambi's sister's death due to his negligence of duty and was also drinking in the train in front of the women. But Ambi does not respond to this situation and takes it casually and says that he will switch to some other seat. Nandhini sees this and she is convinced that Ambi has changed entirely, and there will be no more reoccurrences of Anniyan anymore. So she calls up the Doctor and informs this happy news secretly. When she returns to the seat, she sees ambi missing. Panicked, she searches for him, and finds him near the compartment door, looking outside casually. But he kills the man, by throwing him out of the train, and hiding the crime from Nandhini as the credits start rolling, proving that instead of eradicating Anniyan from his brain, he has been able to successfully blend the personalities of Ambi, Remo and Anniyan into one.
, Chennai
on March 4, 2004 with the attendance of the cast and crew. At the event, Shankar revealed that the film would take six months to make and suggested that the film would be released during the Diwali season of 2004, which ultimately was missed by close to nine months. The first schedule took place in Amsterdam
, Netherland
with the filming of a song - "Kumaari" - in the backdrop of a large flower garden in Vijfhuizen
. The team initially hope to film two songs in Netherlands, but were denied by authorities to shoot at a song at Keukenhof
after a previous film crew had damaged the habitat. Shankar did not want Vikram to reveal his look for the film to the public and despite Vikram's success at the National Film Awards
, he was prohibited from meeting the media. In October 2004, cinematographer Manikandan left the project citing date problems and was thus replaced by Ravi Varman
. A ten day shoot was held in Mumbai
for a song featuring Hindi actress Yana Gupta
, with producers initially hiding her identity to create suspense.
The film released with 110 prints in Andhra Pradesh
and in 35 cinema halls across Kerala
. The film was simultaneously released in Tamil
and dubbed into Telugu
(as Aparachithudu). It was later dubbed into Hindi
as Aparachit - The Stranger which made $500,000. The film collected Rs 30 crores in Tamil Nadu, Rs 15 crores in Andhra Pradesh and Rs 5.5 crores in Kerala and the rest from other parts of India and overseas.
, the most ever by any Tamil film.
2006 Filmfare Awards South
2006 National Film Award
This film can be closely related to one of Shankar's previous features, Indian. Both movies have similar names in pronunciation, and both movies involve the main character rooting out the corrupt elements of India, due to corruption causing the death of the main character's close family member. The main character also gains popularity amongst the public, and shows one of his murders on live TV.
Another noticeable Shankar feature in both films is the portrayal of some elements from ancient Hinduism
. In Indian, the ancient Varmam art was explored, while in this film, the texts from Garuda Puranam are emphasized for the punishments.
's other popular films like Gentleman
and Kadhalan
have been noted. The plot also borrows elements from Sidney Sheldon
's Tell Me Your Dreams
. The use of the time-slice method in the film, as with The Matrix films
and earlier used by Shankar in his film Mudhalvan/Nayak
shot by cinematographer V.Manikandan proved popular with the audience. Shankar used 17 cameras for a special action sequence and imported fighters as well as martial artists from all over the state were used in the multi-opponent fight scene. The Special Effects were provided by Big Freeze, a department based in London. Art Direction for the film was provided by Sabu Cyril.
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
Tamil
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
psychological thriller
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
film directed by S. Shankar
S. Shankar
Shankar is an Indian film director and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He made his directional debut in Gentleman for which he was awarded the Filmfare Best Director Award...
. The film stars Vikram
Vikram (actor)
Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
, Sadha
Sadha
Sadhaf Mohammed Syed , better known as Sadha, is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films. Her most notable films include Jayam, Anniyan and Unnale Unnale.-Personal:...
, Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...
, and Vivek
Vivek (actor)
Vivekananthan is an Indian film actor and comedian. He has won four Filmfare Best Comedian Awards for his performances in Run, Saamy, Perazhagan and Sivaji, respectively. In April 2009, Vivek received the Padma Shri award by the Government of India for his contribution to the arts. He was...
, while featuring background score and soundtrack composed by Harris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj is an Indian film composer. He has written scores and soundtracks for Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films.- Early life :Harris Jayaraj hails from a pious Christian Nadar family and was born and brought up in Chennai. Harris studied at Krishnaswamy Matric School, Nungambakam. His father,...
. The film was released worldwide on 10 June 2005.
The film took over two years to complete and was the most expensive South Indian feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
during the time of release. The film was dubbed into Hindi as Aparichit: The Stranger, in Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
as Aparichithudu, and was also the first Indian film to be dubbed into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. It was produced and distributed in India by Venu Ravichandran
Venu Ravichandran
Venu Ravichandran is an Indian film producer and distributor in Chennai, India. He is the founder and owner of the production and distribution company, Aascar Films.-Career:...
.
Plot
Anniyan is the story of "Rules" Ramanujam Iyengar alias "Ambi" (VikramVikram (actor)
Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
), a lawyer who suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. Ambi is an innocent and honest lawyer. If he comes across anyone not obeying the law, he files cases against them but all his efforts go in vain.
His constant habit to be perfect in rules and honesty leads him to develop a Multiple Personality Disorder in which a new personality in him grows as Anniyan, a grim reaper-themed killer, and starts a website called www.anniyan.com to hear people's complaints. The character of Anniyan is violent and deranged, and Ambi has no clue that such a monster exists within him. When Ambi comes across a violation of the law, he makes complaints in his website. When he is Anniyan, he goes and kills the lawbreaker(s) by methods used for torturing people in hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. He apparently takes the definition of these methods from the Garuda Purana
Garuda Purana
Garuda Purana is one of the Puranas which are part of the Hindu body of texts known as smriti. It is a Vaishnava Purana and its first part contains a dialog between Vishnu and Garuda, the King of Birds...
m.
Anniyan targets and kills three people during his first few forays, for various antisocial acts:
- A man (Cochin HaneefaCochin HaneefaMohammed Haneefa, better known by his stage name Cochin Haneefa was an Indian film actor, director, and screenwriter. He started his career in the 1970s mainly portraying villainous roles, before going on to become one of the most popular comedians of Malayalam cinema...
) who did not stop to save a person in critical condition. Anniyan forces a herd of buffaloes to stampede him to death. He calls this murder "Anthakoopam", a SanskritSanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word and one of the punishments in the Garuda Puranam. - A chef (Shanmugarajan) who fails to provide decent food for railway passengers. Anniyan tosses him into a pot of oil and fries him to death. This punishment is called "Kumbhipakam". The chef was the older brother of DCP Prabhakar (Prakash RajPrakash RajPrakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...
) and the murder causes Prabhakar to rise with anger, promising to kill his brother's murderer when he is found. - A factory owner (Saurabh ShuklaSaurabh Shukla-Early life:Shukla's family left Gorakhpur for Delhi when he was two years old. After completing his schooling, he did his graduation from Khalsa College, Delhi...
) who makes faulty motor parts. He sends a group of thugs to kill Ambi, but this triggers Anniyan, who knocks out all the men. Later, Anniyan ties the owner to a tree and dumps leeches onto his body. This punishment is called "Kirumibhojanam"
Meanwhile, DCP Prabhakar and Chary (Vivek
Vivek (actor)
Vivekananthan is an Indian film actor and comedian. He has won four Filmfare Best Comedian Awards for his performances in Run, Saamy, Perazhagan and Sivaji, respectively. In April 2009, Vivek received the Padma Shri award by the Government of India for his contribution to the arts. He was...
), a friend of Ambi, are after this mystery murderer.
Ambi is in love with his neighbour Nandhini (Sadha
Sadha
Sadhaf Mohammed Syed , better known as Sadha, is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films. Her most notable films include Jayam, Anniyan and Unnale Unnale.-Personal:...
), a music teacher. After she rejects him for his plain and dull attitude, he attempts suicide, but is saved when a third personality comes to life within him. This persona, a suave fashion model named "Remo" woos Nandhini as a totally different person. Nandhini instantly falls for Remo and his extravagant ways.
Later, Nandhini acquires land, but tries to cheat the government out of taxes. Ambi chooses not to help her, but when Nandhini tells Remo, Anniyan takes over and goes after her. Just as Anniyan is about to toss her into a pit of fire, Anniyan reverts back to Ambi. He is admitted to a hospital where he is diagnosed with a multiple personality disorder. It is at this hospital that Ambi reveals a dark secret from his past when he is hypnotized. When he was a young boy, there was a lot of corruption and incompetence in the police force and elsewhere. There was a loose electric wire which fell into a rather deep puddle. Ambi's sister Vidya slipped out of a rick shaw and fell into that puddle with the unattended wire, in which she was electrocuted, and died. After listening to this story, the doctor (Nassar
Nassar
Nassar is a Tamil actor, producer, writer, director, lyricist, and singer. He has appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English films. He is often cited as part of India's specialist character actors, along with the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Nana Patekar...
) concludes that the death of Ambi's sister resulted in the development of the psychological disorder. According to the doctor, Remo will cease to exist only if Nandhini accepts Ambi's love. However, Anniyan will cease to exist only when the country is reformed. Nandhini eventually accepts Ambi's love and Remo disappears.
As for Anniyan, the police investigate the murders, and evidence points to Ambi, who is arrested. During an interrogation, DCP Prabhakar engages in a fight with Ambi, who constantly changes personalities between Ambi and Anniyan to the DCP's confusion. The fight is captured on the security camera and is used as evidence for Ambi's sentence. He is sentenced to two years of psychological treatment after which, if he is cured, he will be released. When he is released, he relapses when travelling in a train, after a man refuses to stop drinking in the presence of women. Apparently, the man is the same person who indirectly, became a cause for Ambi's sister's death due to his negligence of duty and was also drinking in the train in front of the women. But Ambi does not respond to this situation and takes it casually and says that he will switch to some other seat. Nandhini sees this and she is convinced that Ambi has changed entirely, and there will be no more reoccurrences of Anniyan anymore. So she calls up the Doctor and informs this happy news secretly. When she returns to the seat, she sees ambi missing. Panicked, she searches for him, and finds him near the compartment door, looking outside casually. But he kills the man, by throwing him out of the train, and hiding the crime from Nandhini as the credits start rolling, proving that instead of eradicating Anniyan from his brain, he has been able to successfully blend the personalities of Ambi, Remo and Anniyan into one.
Cast
- VikramVikram (actor)Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
as Ramanujam "Ambi" Iyengar (Remo/Anniyan) - SadhaSadhaSadhaf Mohammed Syed , better known as Sadha, is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films. Her most notable films include Jayam, Anniyan and Unnale Unnale.-Personal:...
as Nandhini Krishna - VivekVivek (actor)Vivekananthan is an Indian film actor and comedian. He has won four Filmfare Best Comedian Awards for his performances in Run, Saamy, Perazhagan and Sivaji, respectively. In April 2009, Vivek received the Padma Shri award by the Government of India for his contribution to the arts. He was...
as Chari - Prakash RajPrakash RajPrakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...
as DCP Prabhakar - NassarNassarNassar is a Tamil actor, producer, writer, director, lyricist, and singer. He has appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English films. He is often cited as part of India's specialist character actors, along with the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Nana Patekar...
as the psychiatrist - Nedumudi VenuNedumudi VenuNedumudi Venu is a popular Malayalam film actor from Kerala, India. He has also written screenplays and has directed one film.- Early life :...
as Parthasarathy - Cochin HaneefaCochin HaneefaMohammed Haneefa, better known by his stage name Cochin Haneefa was an Indian film actor, director, and screenwriter. He started his career in the 1970s mainly portraying villainous roles, before going on to become one of the most popular comedians of Malayalam cinema...
- Shanmugha Rajan
- Saurabh ShuklaSaurabh Shukla-Early life:Shukla's family left Gorakhpur for Delhi when he was two years old. After completing his schooling, he did his graduation from Khalsa College, Delhi...
- Mohan Vaidya
- Kalabhavan ManiKalabhavan ManiKalabhavan Mani is a South Indian actor and singer. He began his career in Malayalam film industry, later he became a busy artist in tamil and telungu industry, especially in villain roles. Although he began his carrier as a comedian , he proved his versatility in various roles such as serious...
- CharleCharleCharle is a South Indian actor who has acted in more than 550 movies. He started his career as a Staff Artist - Actor in Song & Drama Division of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and moved on to perform more than 10000 drama shows in Six years. He was named as Charle and introduced in the...
- Kunnakudi VaidyanathanKunnakudi VaidyanathanKunnakudi Vaidyanathan was an Indian classical music violinist.-Early life:He was born to Sri Ramaswamy Sastri and Smt. Meenakshi at Kunnakudi, a temple town of Lord Murugan in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.His father was a scholar in Sanskrit and Tamil, and a composer and exponent of...
in a special appearance - Yana GuptaYana GuptaYana Gupta or Yaana is a Czech model and actress working in Mumbai. Gupta is a citizen of the Czech Republic.-Personal life:...
in a special appearance
Production
The launch of the film was held at AVM Studios in VadapalaniVadapalani
-Murugan Koyil:Built about 125 years back, this much-hallowed and regularly frequented Lord Muruga sannidhi has emerged from a thatched shed, an unostentatious one enshrining a Murugan picture only, and established for itself a name on par with ancient places of worship...
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
on March 4, 2004 with the attendance of the cast and crew. At the event, Shankar revealed that the film would take six months to make and suggested that the film would be released during the Diwali season of 2004, which ultimately was missed by close to nine months. The first schedule took place in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherland
Netherland
Netherland is a critically acclaimed novel by Joseph O'Neill. It concerns the life of a Dutchman living in New York in the wake of the September 11 attacks who takes up cricket and starts playing at the Staten Island Cricket Club.-Plot summary:...
with the filming of a song - "Kumaari" - in the backdrop of a large flower garden in Vijfhuizen
Vijfhuizen
Vijfhuizen is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 4 km southeast of Haarlem....
. The team initially hope to film two songs in Netherlands, but were denied by authorities to shoot at a song at Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof , also known as the Garden of Europe, is situated near Lisse, Netherlands, and is the world's largest flower garden...
after a previous film crew had damaged the habitat. Shankar did not want Vikram to reveal his look for the film to the public and despite Vikram's success at the National Film Awards
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
, he was prohibited from meeting the media. In October 2004, cinematographer Manikandan left the project citing date problems and was thus replaced by Ravi Varman
Ravi Varman
Varman, ISC, is a celebrated Director Of Photography of India. He has shot many award-winning films in Indian languages of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English. Known for his realistic picturization and poetic framing sense, Ravi Varman began his career in Malayalam films...
. A ten day shoot was held in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
for a song featuring Hindi actress Yana Gupta
Yana Gupta
Yana Gupta or Yaana is a Czech model and actress working in Mumbai. Gupta is a citizen of the Czech Republic.-Personal life:...
, with producers initially hiding her identity to create suspense.
Release
Produced on a budget of Rs 26.38 crores, the film was declared a commercial success, grossing Rs. 65 crores from both Tamil and dubbed Telugu version and becoming the year's highest grossing Tamil film. It was funded by IDBI to the tune of Rs 8.5 crores and insured for Rs 29 crores to mitigate risk of failure. The producer was the sole distributor of the film. He recovered Rs 13 crores in advance from exhibitors as Minimum Guarantee before the completion of the project. By cutting off the middlemen thus, the profitability of the project was secured.The film released with 110 prints in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
and in 35 cinema halls across Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The film was simultaneously released in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
and dubbed into Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
(as Aparachithudu). It was later dubbed into Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
as Aparachit - The Stranger which made $500,000. The film collected Rs 30 crores in Tamil Nadu, Rs 15 crores in Andhra Pradesh and Rs 5.5 crores in Kerala and the rest from other parts of India and overseas.
Soundtrack
| Tamil (Lyrics: Vairamuthu Vairamuthu Vairamuthu Ramaswamy Thevar is an award-winning Tamil poet and lyricist.Debuting in the film Nizhalgal with the lyrics for the song "Ponmalai Pozhudhu", he has now about 5800 songs to his credit as of January 2009. His partnership with the composers Ilaiyaraaja, and later A. R... , Na. Muthukumar Na. Muthukumar Na. Muthukumar is a Tamil poet and lyricist, who writes lyrics for Tamil film songs.-Career:Muthukumar began his career wanting to be a director and worked under Balu Mahendra for four years. But then he became a lyricist, beginning with the lyrics for the songs of the Tamil film Veera Nadai,... & Kapilan) |
Telugu (Lyrics: Chandrabose Chandrabose (composer) Chandrabose was an Indian Tamil language music composer and singer. He has composed music for more than 300 movies between late 80's and early 90's... & Bhuvanachandra Bhuvanachandra Bhuvanachandra is an Indian lyricist, renowned for his work in the Telugu film industry.He is former Indian Air Force officer living in Chennai.- Films and albums :... ) |
Hindi (Lyrics: Mehboob) |
|---|---|---|
| Kumari (Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... & Harini Harini Harini is an Indian film playback singer and classical singer, who sings mainly in Tamil films. She has also sung in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam language films, whilst working with many leading film composers. She is married to another playback singer, Tippu.-Career:Harini learnt Carnatic... ) |
Kumari (Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... & Harini Harini Harini is an Indian film playback singer and classical singer, who sings mainly in Tamil films. She has also sung in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam language films, whilst working with many leading film composers. She is married to another playback singer, Tippu.-Career:Harini learnt Carnatic... ) |
Kumari (Unnikrishnan & Harini Harini Harini is an Indian film playback singer and classical singer, who sings mainly in Tamil films. She has also sung in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam language films, whilst working with many leading film composers. She is married to another playback singer, Tippu.-Career:Harini learnt Carnatic... ) |
| Kadhal Yanai (Nakul Nakul (actor) Nakul , also known as Nagulan, is a Tamil film actor and playback singer. Brother of former film actress Devayani, he debuted as a lead actor in the 2003 film Boys directed by S... , Nelwyn & G. V. Prakash Kumar G. V. Prakash Kumar G. V. Prakash Kumar is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer. He has mainly scored music for Tamil, while also doing three Telugu films and a Hindi film... ) |
Love Elephantla (Nakul Nakul (actor) Nakul , also known as Nagulan, is a Tamil film actor and playback singer. Brother of former film actress Devayani, he debuted as a lead actor in the 2003 film Boys directed by S... , G. V. Prakash Kumar G. V. Prakash Kumar G. V. Prakash Kumar is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer. He has mainly scored music for Tamil, while also doing three Telugu films and a Hindi film... & Tippu Tippu (singer) Tippu is a South Indian playback singer who has performed in Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu languages. Tippu's original name, as told by him in Koffee with Anu, is Ekambaresh. He is married to playback singers Harini. Tippu did his schooling at St. John's Matriculation Higher Secondary School... ) |
Remo (Nakul Nakul (actor) Nakul , also known as Nagulan, is a Tamil film actor and playback singer. Brother of former film actress Devayani, he debuted as a lead actor in the 2003 film Boys directed by S... & G. V. Prakash Kumar G. V. Prakash Kumar G. V. Prakash Kumar is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer. He has mainly scored music for Tamil, while also doing three Telugu films and a Hindi film... ) |
| Kannum Kannum Nokia (Leslie Lewis Leslie Lewis Leslie Lewis is an Indian composer, perhaps best known for his work in Colonial Cousins, a duo composed of Lewis and Hariharan.In 2003 Lewis stated that he felt the public associated him too much with remixes and for that reason he had begun to avoid remixes and instead concentrate on his original... , Andrea Jeremiah Andrea Jeremiah Andrea Jeremiah is an Tamil playback singer, voice actor and a film and theatre actress. Beginning her career singing playback, Andrea has gone on to appear in critically acclaimed films such as Pachaikili Muthucharam and Aayirathil Oruvan, winning praise for her portrayals.-Career:Andrea was born... & Vasundhara Das Vasundhara Das Vasundhara Das born 1977, is an Indian singer and actress. She has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films. She is the co-founder of world music band Arya. As a playback singer, she is best remembered for singing "Shakalaka Baby" from the Tamil film Mudhalvan, which was also her debut... ) |
Naaku Neeku Nokia (Kunal Ganjawala Kunal Ganjawala Kunal Ganjawala is popularly known as Bollywood playback singer. But he also did a very well contribution to Kanada film industry as well. Kunal began his career by singing jingles. He came to limelight with the song 'Bheege Honth Tere' form film Murder in 2004. It was his first biggest hit... & Vasundhara Das Vasundhara Das Vasundhara Das born 1977, is an Indian singer and actress. She has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films. She is the co-founder of world music band Arya. As a playback singer, she is best remembered for singing "Shakalaka Baby" from the Tamil film Mudhalvan, which was also her debut... ) |
Gora Gora (Leslie Lewis Leslie Lewis Leslie Lewis is an Indian composer, perhaps best known for his work in Colonial Cousins, a duo composed of Lewis and Hariharan.In 2003 Lewis stated that he felt the public associated him too much with remixes and for that reason he had begun to avoid remixes and instead concentrate on his original... & Vasundhara Das Vasundhara Das Vasundhara Das born 1977, is an Indian singer and actress. She has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films. She is the co-founder of world music band Arya. As a playback singer, she is best remembered for singing "Shakalaka Baby" from the Tamil film Mudhalvan, which was also her debut... ) |
| Iyengaaru Veetu (Hariharan Hariharan (singer) Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity... & Harini Harini Harini is an Indian film playback singer and classical singer, who sings mainly in Tamil films. She has also sung in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam language films, whilst working with many leading film composers. She is married to another playback singer, Tippu.-Career:Harini learnt Carnatic... ) |
Jiyangaari Inti (K. J. Yesudas K. J. Yesudas Kattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian classical musician and playback singer.Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in many languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi,... & Harini Harini Harini is an Indian film playback singer and classical singer, who sings mainly in Tamil films. She has also sung in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam language films, whilst working with many leading film composers. She is married to another playback singer, Tippu.-Career:Harini learnt Carnatic... ) |
Iyengar Ghar ki (Hariharan Hariharan (singer) Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity... & Harini Harini Harini is an Indian film playback singer and classical singer, who sings mainly in Tamil films. She has also sung in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam language films, whilst working with many leading film composers. She is married to another playback singer, Tippu.-Career:Harini learnt Carnatic... ) |
| Andang Kaka (K.K, Jassie Gift Jassie Gift Jassie Gift is a Malayalam film music composer and singer from Thiruvananthapuram, India. He became famous after his song "Lajjavathiye" in the film 4 the people.-Biography:... , Shreya Ghoshal, Saindhavi Saindhavi Saindhavi is a Carnatic music singer and a South Indian film playback singer.-Personal life:Saindhavi is engaged to G. V. Prakash and will get married in December 2011. They studied together in Chettinad Vidyashram.-Discography:... ) |
Kandakaki (Jassie Gift Jassie Gift Jassie Gift is a Malayalam film music composer and singer from Thiruvananthapuram, India. He became famous after his song "Lajjavathiye" in the film 4 the people.-Biography:... , K.K, Sujatha Mohan Sujatha Mohan Sujatha Mohan , usually credited as Sujatha, is an award-winning Indian playback singer who is popular for singing in Malayalam and Tamil movies. She has also sung for Telugu, Kannada and Hindi movies. She is widely popular for her evergreen melodies and her sweet voice is considered to be her... ) |
Chori hai (K.K, Shreya Ghoshal) |
| Stranger in Black (Sunitha Sarathy Sunitha Sarathy Sunitha Sarathy is a vocalist and performer in both Indian and Western musical genres.She is winner of Channel [V]'s voice hunt.She debuted with Tamil song Yei Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke,singing along with singer Srinivas.-Career:... & Chennai Chorale) |
Stranger in Black (Sunitha Sarathy Sunitha Sarathy Sunitha Sarathy is a vocalist and performer in both Indian and Western musical genres.She is winner of Channel [V]'s voice hunt.She debuted with Tamil song Yei Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke,singing along with singer Srinivas.-Career:... & Chennai Chorale) |
Stranger in Black (Sunitha Sarathy Sunitha Sarathy Sunitha Sarathy is a vocalist and performer in both Indian and Western musical genres.She is winner of Channel [V]'s voice hunt.She debuted with Tamil song Yei Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke,singing along with singer Srinivas.-Career:... & Chennai Chorale) |
- The song 'Kannum Kannum Nokiya' was shot in Kuala Lumpur Airport (KLIA) and Petronas Twin Towers.
- The film has a sequence featuring the Thiruvaiyaar music festival. Well known exponents like Kunnakudi R Vaidhyanathan, Sudha Raghunathan and Unnikrishnan appear in the scene, which is a recreation of the real festival.
Awards
Anniyan received 8 out of 15 awards at the 2006 Filmfare Awards SouthFilmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian film industry. The awards are separately given for Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films...
, the most ever by any Tamil film.
2006 Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian film industry. The awards are separately given for Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films...
- Won - Best Film - Anniyan
- Won - Best Director - S. ShankarS. ShankarShankar is an Indian film director and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He made his directional debut in Gentleman for which he was awarded the Filmfare Best Director Award...
- Won - Best Actor - VikramVikram (actor)Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
- Won - Best Art Director - Sabu CyrilSabu CyrilSabu Cyril is an Indian film art director. He has won National Film Award for Best Art Direction four times and Filmfare Best Art Direction Award twice. His latest work Enthiran, in which he also played an important role, has won him international recognitions.-Early life and education:Sabu Cyril...
- Won - Best Music Director - Harris Jeyaraj
- Won - Best Action Director - Peter HeinPeter HeinPeter Hein is a Stunt director, action director, action co-ordinator who did his job for many South Indian Motion Pictures. He was born in Chennai to Vietnamese immigrants and settled down in Chennai. He started his career as Extra Stunt boy, Assistant fight master for many number of Telugu and...
- Won - Best Lyricist - VairamuthuVairamuthuVairamuthu Ramaswamy Thevar is an award-winning Tamil poet and lyricist.Debuting in the film Nizhalgal with the lyrics for the song "Ponmalai Pozhudhu", he has now about 5800 songs to his credit as of January 2009. His partnership with the composers Ilaiyaraaja, and later A. R...
- Won - Best Cinematographer - V. ManikandanV. ManikandanV. Manikandan is a leading cinematographer hailing from Tamil Nadu. He has worked as the cinematographer for a number of major box office hits in Hindi and Tamil. He is an acclaimed ad film cinematographer with more than 3,000 ad films to his credit. He won the Best Cinematographer award...
and Ravi VarmanRavi VarmanVarman, ISC, is a celebrated Director Of Photography of India. He has shot many award-winning films in Indian languages of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English. Known for his realistic picturization and poetic framing sense, Ravi Varman began his career in Malayalam films...
2006 National Film Award
- Won - Silver Lotus Award for Best Special EffectsNational Film Award for Best Special EffectsThe National Film Award for Best Special Effects winners:...
- Tata ElxsiTata elxsi- Introduction : is a technology-led design services company and part of the $70 billion Tata Group. Headquartered in Bangalore and with a global delivery footprint through offices and centers in India, the US, the UK, Japan and Germany, Tata Elxsi is a company focused on delivering outsourced...
Themes
The film features comedy portions by Vivek regarding the anagrams of the Sanskrit words that denote the punishments. Even the titles shown in the beginning of the film slide with quicker animation of their anagrams. Another example is, during the intermission of the film, the word "TENSIONRISM" morphs into the word "INTERMISSION".This film can be closely related to one of Shankar's previous features, Indian. Both movies have similar names in pronunciation, and both movies involve the main character rooting out the corrupt elements of India, due to corruption causing the death of the main character's close family member. The main character also gains popularity amongst the public, and shows one of his murders on live TV.
Another noticeable Shankar feature in both films is the portrayal of some elements from ancient Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. In Indian, the ancient Varmam art was explored, while in this film, the texts from Garuda Puranam are emphasized for the punishments.
Influences
Influences from S. ShankarS. Shankar
Shankar is an Indian film director and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He made his directional debut in Gentleman for which he was awarded the Filmfare Best Director Award...
's other popular films like Gentleman
Gentleman (film)
Gentleman is a 1993 Tamil film directed by S. Shankar, produced K. T. Kunjumon. The film marked S. Shankar's debut in film, and with the highest budget for an Indian film in that year, became a blockbuster upon release. It stars Arjun and Madhoo in the lead roles...
and Kadhalan
Kadhalan
Kadhalan is a Tamil film released in 1994, written and directed by S. Shankar. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman. The film stars Prabhu Deva and Nagma in the lead roles. Actor Vikram has dubbed his voice for Prabhu Deva...
have been noted. The plot also borrows elements from Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon was an Academy Award-winning American writer. His TV works spanned a 20-year period during which he created The Patty Duke Show , I Dream of Jeannie and Hart to Hart , but he became most famous after he turned 50 and began writing best-selling novels such as Master of the Game ,...
's Tell Me Your Dreams
Tell Me Your Dreams
Tell Me Your Dreams is a 1998 novel by American writer Sidney Sheldon.-Plot summary:The main characters of the book are Ashley Patterson, an introverted workaholic, her co-workers, Toni Prescott, an outgoing singer and dancer, and shy artist Alette Peters and Ashley's father.The three women do not...
. The use of the time-slice method in the film, as with The Matrix films
The Matrix series
The Matrix is a science fiction action franchise created by Andy and Larry Wachowski and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The series began with the 1999 film The Matrix and later spawned two sequels; The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both released in 2003, thus forming a trilogy...
and earlier used by Shankar in his film Mudhalvan/Nayak
Mudhalvan
Mudhalvan is a 1999 Tamil political thriller film co-written and directed by S. Shankar. The film features Arjun, Manisha Koirala and Raghuvaran in the lead roles with Manivannan, Vijayakumar and Hanifa portraying other significant roles. The film featured an award-winning soundtrack composed by...
shot by cinematographer V.Manikandan proved popular with the audience. Shankar used 17 cameras for a special action sequence and imported fighters as well as martial artists from all over the state were used in the multi-opponent fight scene. The Special Effects were provided by Big Freeze, a department based in London. Art Direction for the film was provided by Sabu Cyril.