Deiva Thirumagal
Encyclopedia
Deiva Thirumagal is a 2011 Tamil drama film
written and directed by A. L. Vijay
and produced by Mohan Natarajan that features Vikram
in the lead role as a mentally challenged adult with the maturity of a six-year-old boy, while Baby Sarah
, Anushka Shetty
, Amala Paul
and Nassar
portray other pivotal roles. The film comprises director Vijay's 'regular' technical crew with G. V. Prakash Kumar
as music composer, Nirav Shah
as cinematographer and Anthony
as editor. The film has it's basic plot and lead character inspired from the 2001 American film I am Sam
. The film released on 15 July 2011 along with a dubbed version in Telugu
, Nanna, to critical acclaim and box office success.
) is a mentally affected man with the mentality of a six-year old, who lives a peaceful life in the hill station Ooty. He is cared for by Victor (Krishna Kumar
), the owner of a chocolate factory where Krishna works. One day he excitedly announces to the village that he will become a father. That night, his daughter is born, but his wife Banumathy dies during childbirth. Unable to grasp the concept of death, he simply accepts that his wife has "gone to God" and starts life as a father. He names his daughter Nila, and raises her with love and care. She soon grows into a happy young girl (Sarah). With the help of Victor and his other mentally challenged friends, Krishna enrolls Nila in school.
Nila adjusts herself to school life, and befriends the correspondent Shwetha Rajendran (Amala Paul
), who develops a maternal bond with the girl. But when she learns that Nila is Krishna's daughter, she refuses to let her stay with him. Soon a scuffle starts between Krishna and Shwetha's fiancé Karthik (Karthik Kumar
). It is broken up by the entry of Shwetha's father Rajendran (Sachin Khedekar
) who reveals that his other daughter was Banumathy, who became estranged from him by choosing to marry Krishna. He offers to take Krishna and Nila with him and claims that they are part of his family. Victor agrees and sends them with Rajendran.
At a distance from Chennai
, Rajendran tricks Krishna into exiting the car, and abandons him. Distraught, Krishna wanders around the city asking passerby where Nila is. He eventually arrives at a court, where he meets lawyer Vinod (Santhanam) who assumes that he is rich, and promises him that his boss will defend him. He introduces him to his boss/colleague Anuradha Ragunathan aka Anu (Anushka Shetty
), who is hesitant to take up the case as she believes Krishna to be a lunatic. But soon, Victor arrives and explains Krishna's predicament, and, moved to tears, Anu agrees to help him.
She files a case against Rajendran, but loses hope when she learns that Rajendran's lawyer is Bashyam (Nassar), a feared senior lawyer who has never lost a case. The case is then heard in the high court, with both party arguring to the custody of the child.
Finally, Bashyam asks Krishna about how he can raise his daughter then to support her financially. Then after a quick show of father-daughter connection and affection, Bashyam withdraws and loses the case voluntarily. Giving Krishna his custody of his daughter, he then takes her back to Rajendran, so that she will be raised financially stable and that she can become a doctor when she grows up.
and Vikram
confirming their presence in the project, the producers failed in attempts to persuade Vidya Balan
to appear in the film. In October 2010, Anushka Shetty
agreed to appear in the lead female role in the film after agreeing terms. Amala Paul, who appeared in the lead role in Mynaa
, was signed in November 2010. She had signed on in place of Meera Jasmine
, who opted out of the film before production began. Despite reports that Divya Spandana joined the cast of the film in early 2011, Vijay refuted the claim as a rumour. The film saw the collaboration of several technicians who had worked in Vijay's earlier film Madrasapattinam, with G. V. Prakash Kumar
as music composer, Nirav Shah
as cinematographer and Anthony
as editor. Santhanam was appointed as art director, whilst Deepali Noor took charge of costumes. Sara had appeared in a commercial for Vijay when she was two but he then lost touch with Sara's family, before he met them and cast Sara in Deiva Thirumagal, following a visit to Mumbai.
The film proceeded without an official title until April 2011, with several possibilities announced during the production period. The film was tentatively titled Deiva Magan (Son of God), a title from a 1969 film featuring Sivaji Ganesan
. However problems arose after Sivaji Productions
claimed that they owned the rights of the title and expressed their interest on using the name for a future production featuring Sivaji's grandson, Vikram Prabhu
. The title Pitha (Father) also ran into trouble after a debutant team announced that they had registered the title, and the title Deiva Thirumagan also created controversies, but subsequently the film was christened as Deiva Thirumagal in March 2011.
, with the Chennai High Courtroom being reproduced for a scene in the film. The team of the film returned to Ooty in February 2011 to complete the final schedule, after which the film was completed. In order to perfect his portrayal of a mentally challenged adult with the maturity of a five year old boy, Vikram visited Vidya Sagar, a school for children with special needs, to learn and study the behavior of such children.
only across 250 screens in Tamil Nadu
and another 50 in North India
. The premier of the film took place in Dubai
.
noted that it was Vikram’s "best work in years", further writing: "You can feel the earnestness of his intentions and the wetness of his tears. He is able to nail the character’s boyish charm and innocence like sunshine and his restraint in the courtroom scene and his poignant dialogues in the climax, is heart breaking". S. Viswanath from the Deccan Herald
stated that "Deiva Thirumagan, with A L Vijay [...] proving his mettle and supported by his glorious team, ensures it’s worth the ticket money", labelling it as a "not-to-be missed, must-see movie." D.I. Aravindan from nowrunning rated it three and a half stating that "despite some flaws and slow narrative in the first half, the movie turns out to be worth watching -- thanks to some extraordinary performances and emotional strength". Chennai Online cited it was a "stand-out film" that "works a big way with its sensitive approach, good music, spectacular cinematography, and excellent performances". Malathi Rangarajan from The Hindu
called it "a sensitive poem on celluloid" that "showcases paternal instinct in all its poignancy" further citing that "Vijay provides enough fodder for this veritable storehouse of talent, and the actor gobbles it up with glee". She heaped praise on Vikram stating "an antithesis almost, but temerity or timidity, the actor accomplishes the task assigned, with élan."
However, the film also received mixed response from other critics. Rohit Ramachandran of nowrunning rated it two and a half describing the film as a "well-made crowd pleasing family entertainer with a developmental disability that gets mentally taxing for the audience towards the end." Pavithra Srinivasan from Rediff also rated it two and a half, praising Vikram's performance, while citing that "if you're a fan of sentimental tear-jerkers, and have not seen I am Sam
, Deiva Thirumagal might impress. For the rest, it might provide a sense of déjà vu, and towards the end, the meandering, weak screenplay is largely dissatisfying."
, the film collected 80 lakhs in the first three days with around 100% occupancy in theaters. After one week, the collections were around 2.53 crore with the average occupancy being 90%. After six weeks, it had collected 7.01 crore from Chennai and was declared a "hit" by trade pundits.
, collaborating with director Vijay for the third time after the success of Kireedam
and Madrasapattinam. The soundtrack album released on 14 April 2011, at the Chennai Trade Centre.
There are allegations that the song "Jagada Thom" has been taken from Amaan Ali Khan
and Ayaan Ali Khan
's 2007 song "Truth" from the album of the same name. The song "Pa Pa Pappa" is also supposed to be inspired by Walt Disney's Robin Hood
song "Whistle-Stop".
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written and directed by A. L. Vijay
A. L. Vijay
A. L. Vijay is a Tamil film director. Earlier he worked as an assistant and close associate of director Priyadarshan. His father A. L. Azhagappan was the president of Tamilnadu Producers Council and appeared in the film Eesan. His brother, Udhaya, has also starred in Tamil films. Presently A. L...
and produced by Mohan Natarajan that features 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...
in the lead role as a mentally challenged adult with the maturity of a six-year-old boy, while Baby Sarah
Sara Arjun
Sara Arjun is an Indian child actress who has appeared in films and commercials. Born in Mumbai, India, Sara had appeared in a series of commercials and a short Hindi film before the age of six. In 2010, she was signed on to portray a lead role in A. L...
, Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty is an Indian film actress who works mainly in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. She debuted in the 2005 Telugu film Super and rose to fame following her performance in Vikramarkudu...
, Amala Paul
Amala Paul
Amala Paul is an Indian film actress, who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. After appearing in supporting roles in a few low budget ventures, she was acclaimed for the portrayal of a controversial character in the film, Sindhu Samaveli...
and 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...
portray other pivotal roles. The film comprises director Vijay's 'regular' technical crew with 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...
as music composer, Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah is an acclaimed Indian cinematographer. He has worked on a number of major box office hits in Hindi and Tamil since his debut with the 2004 Hindi film Paisa Vasool.-Career:...
as cinematographer and Anthony
Anthony (film editor)
Anthony is a Tamil film editor. He has worked in over twenty Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu language films. This makes him one of the few editors to have worked for all the 3 biggest film industries in India.-Personal life:Anthony studied BA Lit in Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Chennai...
as editor. The film has it's basic plot and lead character inspired from the 2001 American film I am Sam
I Am Sam
I Am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with a developmental disability, Dakota Fanning as his inquisitive seven-year-old daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer...
. The film released on 15 July 2011 along with a dubbed version 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...
, Nanna, to critical acclaim and box office success.
Plot
Krishna (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...
) is a mentally affected man with the mentality of a six-year old, who lives a peaceful life in the hill station Ooty. He is cared for by Victor (Krishna Kumar
Krishna Kumar (actor)
KK is an Indian film actor who has appeared in Tamil and Malayalam films in supporting roles.-Filmography:- References :...
), the owner of a chocolate factory where Krishna works. One day he excitedly announces to the village that he will become a father. That night, his daughter is born, but his wife Banumathy dies during childbirth. Unable to grasp the concept of death, he simply accepts that his wife has "gone to God" and starts life as a father. He names his daughter Nila, and raises her with love and care. She soon grows into a happy young girl (Sarah). With the help of Victor and his other mentally challenged friends, Krishna enrolls Nila in school.
Nila adjusts herself to school life, and befriends the correspondent Shwetha Rajendran (Amala Paul
Amala Paul
Amala Paul is an Indian film actress, who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. After appearing in supporting roles in a few low budget ventures, she was acclaimed for the portrayal of a controversial character in the film, Sindhu Samaveli...
), who develops a maternal bond with the girl. But when she learns that Nila is Krishna's daughter, she refuses to let her stay with him. Soon a scuffle starts between Krishna and Shwetha's fiancé Karthik (Karthik Kumar
Karthik Kumar
Karthik Kumar is a noted theatre and Kollywood actor. He is popularly known as 'Evam' Karthik, due to his theater connections.He studied chemical engineering in sri venkateshwara college of engineering,chennai.He is married to playback singer Suchitra Ramadurai.-Filmography:-External links:...
). It is broken up by the entry of Shwetha's father Rajendran (Sachin Khedekar
Sachin Khedekar
Sachin Khedekar is an Indian actor and director, best known for his roles in Astitva, Imtihaan, and as Netaji in Shyam Benegal's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero...
) who reveals that his other daughter was Banumathy, who became estranged from him by choosing to marry Krishna. He offers to take Krishna and Nila with him and claims that they are part of his family. Victor agrees and sends them with Rajendran.
At a distance from 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...
, Rajendran tricks Krishna into exiting the car, and abandons him. Distraught, Krishna wanders around the city asking passerby where Nila is. He eventually arrives at a court, where he meets lawyer Vinod (Santhanam) who assumes that he is rich, and promises him that his boss will defend him. He introduces him to his boss/colleague Anuradha Ragunathan aka Anu (Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty is an Indian film actress who works mainly in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. She debuted in the 2005 Telugu film Super and rose to fame following her performance in Vikramarkudu...
), who is hesitant to take up the case as she believes Krishna to be a lunatic. But soon, Victor arrives and explains Krishna's predicament, and, moved to tears, Anu agrees to help him.
She files a case against Rajendran, but loses hope when she learns that Rajendran's lawyer is Bashyam (Nassar), a feared senior lawyer who has never lost a case. The case is then heard in the high court, with both party arguring to the custody of the child.
Finally, Bashyam asks Krishna about how he can raise his daughter then to support her financially. Then after a quick show of father-daughter connection and affection, Bashyam withdraws and loses the case voluntarily. Giving Krishna his custody of his daughter, he then takes her back to Rajendran, so that she will be raised financially stable and that she can become a doctor when she grows up.
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 Krishna - Baby SaraSara ArjunSara Arjun is an Indian child actress who has appeared in films and commercials. Born in Mumbai, India, Sara had appeared in a series of commercials and a short Hindi film before the age of six. In 2010, she was signed on to portray a lead role in A. L...
as Nila - AnushkaAnushka ShettyAnushka Shetty is an Indian film actress who works mainly in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. She debuted in the 2005 Telugu film Super and rose to fame following her performance in Vikramarkudu...
as Anuradha Ragunathan - Amala PaulAmala PaulAmala Paul is an Indian film actress, who works primarily in the Tamil film industry. After appearing in supporting roles in a few low budget ventures, she was acclaimed for the portrayal of a controversial character in the film, Sindhu Samaveli...
as Swetha Rajendran - 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 Bashyam - Santhanam as Vinod
- M. S. Bhaskar as Murthy
- Sachin KhedekarSachin KhedekarSachin Khedekar is an Indian actor and director, best known for his roles in Astitva, Imtihaan, and as Netaji in Shyam Benegal's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero...
as Rajendran - Y. Gee. MahendraY. Gee. MahendraYechan Gunja Mahendran , popularly known as Y. G. Mahendran or Y. Gee. Mahendra, is an Indian dramatist, actor, singer playwright and comedian from the state of Tamil Nadu. He has acted in a number of plays and films. He is the son of Y. G...
as Ragunathan - Krishna KumarKrishna Kumar (actor)KK is an Indian film actor who has appeared in Tamil and Malayalam films in supporting roles.-Filmography:- References :...
as Victor - M. R. Kishore as Nandhakumar
- Priya as Priya
- Surekha as Rajee
- PandiPandi (actor)"Black" Pandi is a comedy actor from Tamil Nadu, India who has acted in Tamil films and T. V. Shows. He acted in minor roles in a few films before being cast as "Pandi" in the Vijay TV show Kana Kaanum Kaalangal. Since then he has appeared in the second season of the show and also in the reality...
as Muruga - Karthik KumarKarthik KumarKarthik Kumar is a noted theatre and Kollywood actor. He is popularly known as 'Evam' Karthik, due to his theater connections.He studied chemical engineering in sri venkateshwara college of engineering,chennai.He is married to playback singer Suchitra Ramadurai.-Filmography:-External links:...
as Karthik (Guest appearance)
Development
The production of the film took five months from start to finish, however Vijay claimed that the film had been in his plans for four years, but he waited for Vikram to give him dates. With A. L. VijayA. L. Vijay
A. L. Vijay is a Tamil film director. Earlier he worked as an assistant and close associate of director Priyadarshan. His father A. L. Azhagappan was the president of Tamilnadu Producers Council and appeared in the film Eesan. His brother, Udhaya, has also starred in Tamil films. Presently A. L...
and 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...
confirming their presence in the project, the producers failed in attempts to persuade Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan is an Indian actress, who appears in Hindi films. After graduating with a degree in sociology, she started her career starring in music videos, television shows and commercials, before appearing in feature films....
to appear in the film. In October 2010, Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty is an Indian film actress who works mainly in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. She debuted in the 2005 Telugu film Super and rose to fame following her performance in Vikramarkudu...
agreed to appear in the lead female role in the film after agreeing terms. Amala Paul, who appeared in the lead role in Mynaa
Mynaa
The film score and soundtrack for Mynaa was composed by D. Imman. The album consists of 5 tracks, featuring lyrics penned by Yugabharathi and Eknaath. The songs, especially the title track, had become very popular, while the album was widely considered Imman's finest work yet.-Awards:...
, was signed in November 2010. She had signed on in place of Meera Jasmine
Meera Jasmine
Meera Jasmine is an Indian actress, who appears in regional Indian films that includes Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2004 and is a two time recipient of the Kerala State Film Award, the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, as well as the...
, who opted out of the film before production began. Despite reports that Divya Spandana joined the cast of the film in early 2011, Vijay refuted the claim as a rumour. The film saw the collaboration of several technicians who had worked in Vijay's earlier film Madrasapattinam, with 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...
as music composer, Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah
Nirav Shah is an acclaimed Indian cinematographer. He has worked on a number of major box office hits in Hindi and Tamil since his debut with the 2004 Hindi film Paisa Vasool.-Career:...
as cinematographer and Anthony
Anthony (film editor)
Anthony is a Tamil film editor. He has worked in over twenty Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu language films. This makes him one of the few editors to have worked for all the 3 biggest film industries in India.-Personal life:Anthony studied BA Lit in Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Chennai...
as editor. Santhanam was appointed as art director, whilst Deepali Noor took charge of costumes. Sara had appeared in a commercial for Vijay when she was two but he then lost touch with Sara's family, before he met them and cast Sara in Deiva Thirumagal, following a visit to Mumbai.
The film proceeded without an official title until April 2011, with several possibilities announced during the production period. The film was tentatively titled Deiva Magan (Son of God), a title from a 1969 film featuring Sivaji Ganesan
Sivaji Ganesan
Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai Ganesan Manrayar , commonly known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan , was an Indian stage and film actor active during the latter half of the 20th century. He is one of the most respected film actors in India. He is well known for his versatility and acting skills with...
. However problems arose after Sivaji Productions
Sivaji Productions
Sivaji Productions is a film distributing and producing company of Tamil and Hindi language films.- History :Sivaji Productions company is owned by Prabhu Ganesan and his brother Ramkumar Ganesan. It is named after their father, the thespian Sivaji Ganesan...
claimed that they owned the rights of the title and expressed their interest on using the name for a future production featuring Sivaji's grandson, Vikram Prabhu
Vikram Prabhu
Vikram Prabhu is an Indian film actor and producer. He is the eldest son of Prabhu Ganesan and grandson of actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Career:He was involved in the production of the film Aasal along with his father and Sivaji Productions....
. The title Pitha (Father) also ran into trouble after a debutant team announced that they had registered the title, and the title Deiva Thirumagan also created controversies, but subsequently the film was christened as Deiva Thirumagal in March 2011.
Filming
The film was predominantly shot across the hill country settings in Ooty throughout late 2010, with a chocolate factory being constructed as a set by art director Santhanam. Scenes were also shot within ChennaiChennai
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...
, with the Chennai High Courtroom being reproduced for a scene in the film. The team of the film returned to Ooty in February 2011 to complete the final schedule, after which the film was completed. In order to perfect his portrayal of a mentally challenged adult with the maturity of a five year old boy, Vikram visited Vidya Sagar, a school for children with special needs, to learn and study the behavior of such children.
Marketing
After completing the film with little publicity, the film met the press at Rain Tree Hotel in Chennai on April 3, 2011 to launch the title and logo, the teaser trailer and three twenty-second promotional videos of the film. The event was attended by technicians and actors from the film, with the teaser trailer drawing acclaim and positive reviews from film critics.Release
Though initially planned to be released in 400-500 screens in India alone, the film was released by UTVUTV Motion Pictures
UTV Motion Pictures Plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Software Communications Ltd. , based in London media and entertainment production company...
only across 250 screens in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and another 50 in North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
. The premier of the film took place in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
.
Critical response
The film received generally positive reviews, particularly praising Vikram's performance. CNN-IBN gave three and a half out of five, lauding Vijay for "having handled the emotional sequences with maturity", further adding that "his creative grip over the medium and the subject lifts the movie to higher levels despite some flaws and slow narrative." Behindwoods.com called it an "emotional tale between a father and a daughter well told", giving it three and a half as well. SifySify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
noted that it was Vikram’s "best work in years", further writing: "You can feel the earnestness of his intentions and the wetness of his tears. He is able to nail the character’s boyish charm and innocence like sunshine and his restraint in the courtroom scene and his poignant dialogues in the climax, is heart breaking". S. Viswanath from the Deccan Herald
Deccan Herald
The Deccan Herald is a leading English-language daily newspaper distributed in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is published by the Printers Private Limited and has a number of editions in Bangalore, Hubli, Mysore, Mangalore and Gulbarga....
stated that "Deiva Thirumagan, with A L Vijay [...] proving his mettle and supported by his glorious team, ensures it’s worth the ticket money", labelling it as a "not-to-be missed, must-see movie." D.I. Aravindan from nowrunning rated it three and a half stating that "despite some flaws and slow narrative in the first half, the movie turns out to be worth watching -- thanks to some extraordinary performances and emotional strength". Chennai Online cited it was a "stand-out film" that "works a big way with its sensitive approach, good music, spectacular cinematography, and excellent performances". Malathi Rangarajan from The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
called it "a sensitive poem on celluloid" that "showcases paternal instinct in all its poignancy" further citing that "Vijay provides enough fodder for this veritable storehouse of talent, and the actor gobbles it up with glee". She heaped praise on Vikram stating "an antithesis almost, but temerity or timidity, the actor accomplishes the task assigned, with élan."
However, the film also received mixed response from other critics. Rohit Ramachandran of nowrunning rated it two and a half describing the film as a "well-made crowd pleasing family entertainer with a developmental disability that gets mentally taxing for the audience towards the end." Pavithra Srinivasan from Rediff also rated it two and a half, praising Vikram's performance, while citing that "if you're a fan of sentimental tear-jerkers, and have not seen I am Sam
I Am Sam
I Am Sam is a 2001 American drama film written and directed by Jessie Nelson, and starring Sean Penn as a father with a developmental disability, Dakota Fanning as his inquisitive seven-year-old daughter, and Michelle Pfeiffer as his lawyer...
, Deiva Thirumagal might impress. For the rest, it might provide a sense of déjà vu, and towards the end, the meandering, weak screenplay is largely dissatisfying."
Box office
In ChennaiChennai
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...
, the film collected 80 lakhs in the first three days with around 100% occupancy in theaters. After one week, the collections were around 2.53 crore with the average occupancy being 90%. After six weeks, it had collected 7.01 crore from Chennai and was declared a "hit" by trade pundits.
Soundtrack
The film score and soundtrack for Deiva Thirumagal is composed by G. V. Prakash KumarG. 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...
, collaborating with director Vijay for the third time after the success of Kireedam
Kireedam (2007 film)
Kireedam is a 2007 Tamil film directed by A. L. Vijay, who made his directorial debut with the film. The film was a reworked version of Sibi Malayil's 1989 Malayalam classic film, Kireedam starring Mohanlal, with Na. Muthukumar assisting with writing the dialogues...
and Madrasapattinam. The soundtrack album released on 14 April 2011, at the Chennai Trade Centre.
There are allegations that the song "Jagada Thom" has been taken from Amaan Ali Khan
Amaan Ali Khan
Amaan Ali Khan is an Indian classical musician who plays the sarod. Khan is the son of Amjad Ali Khan and often performs with his younger brother Ayaan Ali Khan, with whom he hosted the music talent show Sa Re Ga Ma.-External links:...
and Ayaan Ali Khan
Ayaan Ali Khan
Ayaan Ali Khan is an Indian classical musician who plays the sarod. Khan is the son of Amjad Ali Khan and often performs with his older brother Amaan Ali Khan, with whom he hosted the music talent show Sa Re Ga Ma...
's 2007 song "Truth" from the album of the same name. The song "Pa Pa Pappa" is also supposed to be inspired by Walt Disney's Robin Hood
Robin Hood (1973 film)
Robin Hood is an 1973 American animated film produced by the Walt Disney Productions, first released in the United States on November 8, 1973...
song "Whistle-Stop".
Critical Response
The soundtrack album received positive reviews from music critics. Richard Mahesh from Behindwoods.com gave a rating of 3/5 and quoted "It’s realms of G.V. Prakash again as the young music director strikes with a brilliant composition. On the whole, every song in ‘Deiva Thirumagan’ has chances of getting ennobled as the best numbers. As of now, ‘Vizhigalil Oru Vaanavil’, ‘Vennilave’ and ‘Aarariro’ deserve special mention for the heavenly work by entire team." describing the music as a "Genuinely pleasing piece." Pavithra Srinivasan from Rediff also gave a score of 3/5 and described the music as "touching" further saying "Deiva Thirumagan has numbers that fit in, almost formulaic fashion, with the angst and emotion that's required of a movie like this. The good thing is that G V Prakash, despite going with tried and trusted tunes, manages to make them melodious and touching. Go for it." Another portal, Indiaglitz said "It would be cliched to say that the duo has recreated its Kireedam and Madraspattinam magic in Deiva Thirumagan, the Vikram starrer. For the album sets a new benchmark in terms of a complete fusion and certain new things have been attempted all through. To sum it up, songs from Deiva Thirumagan is a treat to music lovers and a feast to the fans of Vikram and GVP."See also
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