Kandukondain Kandukondain
Encyclopedia
Kandukondain Kandukondain is a 2000
2000 in film
The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....

 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...

 musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...

 and romantic
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...

 film based on Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...

's novel Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811, is a British romance novel by Jane Austen, her first published work under the pseudonym, "A Lady." Jane Austen is considered a pioneer of the romance genre of novels, and for the realism portrayed in her novels, is one the most widely read writers in...

. Directed and co-written by Rajiv Menon
Rajiv Menon
Rajiv Menon is an Indian cinematographer and film maker. He is known for directing critically acclaimed Tamil films like Minsaara Kanavu and Kandukondain Kandukondain.-Early Life:...

, the film features an ensemble cast of Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...

, Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...

, Tabu
Tabu (actress)
Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...

, Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...

 and Abbas
Abbas (actor)
Mirza Abbas Ali , known as Abbas, is an Indian film actor and model. He has appeared in Kollywood Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films.Born in Calcutta and educated in Mumbai, he was discovered modeling in Bangalore...

 in the lead roles. Veteran actors Srividya
Srividya
Srividya was a leading Indian film actress of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s in the Tamil film Industry, in addition to being a good singer. In the latter part of her career, she concentrated on Malayalam films. Her brilliant portrayals as a mother in many films were highly acclaimed....

, Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in movies made in South India. He became famous for his portrayal of villain and character roles in Tamil films. He has acted in more than 150 Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films...

 and Manivannan
Manivannan
Manivannan is a popular Tamil actor and director. With over 400 films to his name, Manivannan is one of the most experienced actors in the field. He normally plays the role of a dad or a senior comedian.- Background :...

 also play other pivotal roles.

The plot features two young sisters with differing views on love who find themselves with three suitors. The elder sister attracts the attention of an aspiring film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

, while a wounded commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...

 falls for her younger, hopelessly romantic sister but hesitates because he is much older than she. Meanwhile, the younger sister meets and falls for an upcoming businessman with a passion for Indian poetry. However, problems lap up from different directions, resulting in emotional turmoil for both sisters. Whom the sisters marry forms the crux of the story.

The film opened to Indian audiences, after several delays, on 5 May 2000 gaining positive reviews and becoming a successful venture commercially. Kandukondain Kandukondain was dubbed and released 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 Priyuraalu Pilichindi, and the producers released subtitled versions worldwide. The film's soundtrack scored by A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...

 won critical acclaim and set a ten-year-long sales record; a song composed by him and sung by 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:...

 won a National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer
National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer
The following is a list of winners of the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. The singer with the most awards in this category is K. J. Yesudas with seven wins, whereas S. P. Balasubrahmanyam won six times for 4 different languages; Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.-Superlatives:...

 in the process. The film went on to feature in international film festivals and gain notable awards.

Synopsis

Kandukondain Kandukondain opens with army commando Major Bala (Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...

) fighting in a war and losing his left leg in a grenade explosion. After the opening credits, Sowmya (Tabu
Tabu (actress)
Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...

) and Meenakshi (Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...

) are shown as the adult daughters of Mahalakshmi (Srividya
Srividya
Srividya was a leading Indian film actress of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s in the Tamil film Industry, in addition to being a good singer. In the latter part of her career, she concentrated on Malayalam films. Her brilliant portrayals as a mother in many films were highly acclaimed....

) living in a Chettiar mansion in Karaikudi
Karaikudi
Karaikudi is a town in Sivaganga District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Chettinad literally 'Chetti land' in Tamil, is a collection of 76 villages/towns. Chettinad stretched from Ramnad District and Pudukottai State of 'British' India. The Chettiars, or more properly the Nattukottai...

, 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...

 with their grandfather (Unnikrishan Nambooripad), grandmother (S. N. Lakshmi) and younger sister (Shamili
Shamili
Shamili , better known as Baby Shamili, is a Indian actress, who has primarily acted as a child actor in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu films...

). Sowmya is a school principal while Meenakshi is passionate about classic Tamil poetry
Tamil literature
Tamil literature refers to the literature in the Tamil language. Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution...

, music
Music of Tamil Nadu
Music of Tamil Nadu has a long tradition and history going back thousands of years. Music is a very important aspect of the culture of the Tamil people. The musical tradition evolved over a period of centuries into the classical Carnatic music and the more popular film music.-Ancient music:The...

 and dance
Dance forms of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu had developed the art of entertainment to its pristine heights at early age. The three modes of entertainment to its pristine heights at a very early age. The three modes of entertainment classified as Iyal , Isai and Nadagam had their roots in the rural folk theatre like Theru Koothu...

. The other rich man in Meenu's village is Major Bala. He falls in love with Meenu, but Meenu falls in love with Srikanth (Abbas
Abbas (actor)
Mirza Abbas Ali , known as Abbas, is an Indian film actor and model. He has appeared in Kollywood Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films.Born in Calcutta and educated in Mumbai, he was discovered modeling in Bangalore...

). Manohar (Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...

) is a director who comes to Meenu's house for a film shoot. Sowmya and Manohar fall for each other and he convinces Sowmya to wait to be married until the he completes making his first movie.

Sowmya's grandfather Chandrasekhar, even on his deathbed, tries to say something about the will which was written by him and kept in a box. No one understood what he said or opened the box until after he died. After their grandfather's death, they open the box and found out that their grandfather had bequeathed all his property to his son, remembering the fact that his daughter Lakshmi had eloped without his knowledge. Unable to bear Lakshmi's brother's and his wife's behavior, Sowmya and her family move away to 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...

.

In Chennai, Sowmya finds a respectable job in a software company while Meenu becomes a playback singer. Meanwhile, Srikanth's finance company goes bankrupt and he has to pay back his investors. A minister (an elected political person of the state) offers to bail out Srikanth and his company if Srikanth marries his daughter. When Meenu finds this out by chance, she is shocked and overwhelmed at Srikanth's hypocrisy. She falls in a ditch and gets rescued by Bala. Realizing Bala's true love for her, Meenu falls in love with him.

Manohar's movie project is in disarray and he is thrown out. He plans his own movie, a path-breaking action one with Nandhini Varma as the heroine. Nandhini Varma falls for Manohar's charm although not with any serious intentions. Rumours of an affair spread which affect Sowmya deeply. The movie becomes a big commercial success. When he visits Sowmya's house in Chennai he finds out that Sowmya is going to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Manohar manages to convince Sowmya after some drama. He asks her to marry him and she agrees. Meenu's and Sowmya's marriages take place in the same day and the movie ends on happy note.

Cast

  • Mammootty
    Mammootty
    Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...

     as Bala, who has lost his leg in an army
    Army
    An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...

     mission in Sri Lanka
    Sri Lanka
    Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

     and uses a wooden leg. His drinking habits make him unpopular initially, but his kind-hearted work and his occupation as a florist win over the family. He carries love for Meenakshi and is irritated with Srikanth, but opts to help her out than nurse his own ambitions.
  • Ajith Kumar
    Ajith Kumar
    Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...

     as Manohar, a struggling film director, who opts away from listening to his family's demand to pursue a professional career. He is determined to direct his own feature film, but his relationship with Sowmya slows him down, prompting the couple to quarrel and have misunderstandings.
  • Tabu
    Tabu (actress)
    Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...

     as Sowmya, the responsible elder sister of Meenakshi and Kamala, is branded as being "unlucky" for prospective grooms, following the death of a prospective husband. Despite opting to avoid marriage altogether, she begins an emotional topsy-turvy relationship with Manohar.
  • Aishwarya Rai
    Aishwarya Rai
    Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...

     as Meenakshi, a loving and optimistic young woman, aspires to become a singer. Furthermore, her passions include poems of Bharathi, a famous Tamil poet. She has ambitions of how her husband should be and is surprised to find that Srikanth fits the bill.
  • Abbas
    Abbas (actor)
    Mirza Abbas Ali , known as Abbas, is an Indian film actor and model. He has appeared in Kollywood Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films.Born in Calcutta and educated in Mumbai, he was discovered modeling in Bangalore...

     as Srikanth, an upcoming Indian businessman, likes Meenakshi and has a passion for classical music. He first appears as the boy of Meenakshi's dreams, but he is forced to marry a mortgager's daughter, after his business nearly collapses.
  • Manivannan
    Manivannan
    Manivannan is a popular Tamil actor and director. With over 400 films to his name, Manivannan is one of the most experienced actors in the field. He normally plays the role of a dad or a senior comedian.- Background :...

     as Sivagnanam, a friend to Bala with whom he operates as a florist. He tries to help Bala change for Meenakshi to be impressed.
  • Srividya
    Srividya
    Srividya was a leading Indian film actress of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s in the Tamil film Industry, in addition to being a good singer. In the latter part of her career, she concentrated on Malayalam films. Her brilliant portrayals as a mother in many films were highly acclaimed....

     as Mahalakshmi, the widowed mother of Sowmya, Meenakshi and Kamala who lives as in Karaikudi
    Karaikudi
    Karaikudi is a town in Sivaganga District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Chettinad literally 'Chetti land' in Tamil, is a collection of 76 villages/towns. Chettinad stretched from Ramnad District and Pudukottai State of 'British' India. The Chettiars, or more properly the Nattukottai...

     with her children and bed-ridden father, estranged from her brother.
  • Raghuvaran
    Raghuvaran
    Raghuvaran was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in movies made in South India. He became famous for his portrayal of villain and character roles in Tamil films. He has acted in more than 150 Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films...

     as the boss of Sowmya's company, who helps her regain confidence in life, by offering her a place in an American
    United States
    The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

     company.
  • Nizhagal Ravi as Swaminathan, Mahalakshmi's estranged brother, who inherits the family home at the expense of Mahalakshmi following their father's death.
  • Shamili
    Shamili
    Shamili , better known as Baby Shamili, is a Indian actress, who has primarily acted as a child actor in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu films...

     as Kamala, the youngest sister of Sowmiya and Meenakshi who has a passion for science.
  • Anita Ratnam
    Anita Ratnam
    Anita Ratnam is an accomplished Indian classical and contemporary dancer and choreographer, whose career spans four decades and in 15 countries...

     as Meenakshi and Sowmya's aunty.
  • Pooja Batra
    Pooja Batra
    Pooja Batra in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, is an Indian actress.-Early life and background:Pooja Batra was born to Ravi Batra, an army colonel who was wounded in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. Her mother, Neelam Batra was a former Miss India participant in 1971...

     in a special appearance as Nandhini Verma, the actress who has a crush on Manohar.
  • Dino Morea
    Dino Morea
    Dino Morea is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films and a former model.-Early life:Dino Morea was born in Bangalore to an Italian father and an Anglo Indian mother. He is the second of three brothers. Nicolo Morea is his older brother, and Santino Morea is his younger brother. His family...

     in a special appearance as Vinod, the guy who wanted to get married to Meenakshi, but she refuses his offer.
  • The film's music director A. R. Rahman
    A. R. Rahman
    Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...

     appears as himself, as does musician Gangai Amaren and actor Senthil
    Senthil (actor)
    Senthil is an actor from Tamil Nadu, India notable for his comedian roles in Tamil films.-Acting career:He has acted in many popular movies with several of the leading actors and comedians in the south Indian cine industry. He usually appears in films with Goundamani in a slapstick double act....

    .

Development

After the success of his maiden venture Minsaara Kanavu
Minsaara Kanavu
Minsara Kanavu is a 1997 Tamil, Romance film, directed by Rajiv Menon. The film's score and soundtrack is composed by A. R. Rahman. Originally produced in Tamil, it went on to be dubbed in Telugu and in Hindi owing to its popularity....

, Rajiv Menon
Rajiv Menon
Rajiv Menon is an Indian cinematographer and film maker. He is known for directing critically acclaimed Tamil films like Minsaara Kanavu and Kandukondain Kandukondain.-Early Life:...

 was signed by Kalaipuli S. Dhanu to direct a film under his production in the final quarter of 1998. Menon subsequently wanted a bigger storyline and scripted a screenplay based on the Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...

 novel, Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811, is a British romance novel by Jane Austen, her first published work under the pseudonym, "A Lady." Jane Austen is considered a pioneer of the romance genre of novels, and for the realism portrayed in her novels, is one the most widely read writers in...

and the project emerged as Kandukondain Kandukondain. Menon claimed that the story of two sisters reflected in the film were reminiscent of him and his brother through difficult parts of their lives. The film was initially launched as a multilingual project in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam, though it only released in Tamil with a subsequent dubbed version in Telugu titled Priyuraalu Pilichindi. After most of the production was complete in November 1999, Menon wanted a rough copy of the film to be previewed by the village audience first, to ensure that they could relate to the subject, after his previous film failed to fare well in rural areas. After showing parts of the film, they eventually held a group discussion before thanking the volunteers with gifts, while receiving positive feedback.

The audio release function of the film was held, with Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan is an Indian film actor, screenwriter and director, considered to be one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema. He is widely acclaimed as an actor and is well known for his versatility in acting...

 in attendance. The film was initially scheduled for release in the Diwali season of 1999, before delays postponed the makers to announce that the film would release on 1 January 2000, becoming the first film of the millennium. However, further delays due to the success of other films Padayappa
Padayappa
Padayappa is a 1999 Tamil drama film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. The film features Rajinikanth, Soundarya and Ramya Krishnan playing lead roles, whilst Sivaji Ganesan, Lakshmi and Nassar play pivotal supporting roles. With soundtrack composed by A. R...

and Vaali
Vaali
Vaali is a 1999 Tamil thriller film written and directed by S. J. Suryah. The film stars Ajith Kumar in a dual role with Simran appearing in another leading role. The supporting cast of the film include Jyothika in her debut venture, Livingston and Vivek. The film's music is composed by the music...

ensured that the film evaded that date. The release of Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...

's Alaipayuthey
Alaipayuthey
Alaipayuthey is a 2000 Tamil romantic drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Madhavan and Shalini, the film explores the tensions of married life and the maturing of love. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by A. R...

pushed Kandukondain Kandukondain to be released in May 2000.

Casting

Initially Menon cast his main lead in his previous film Prabhu Deva in a main role with Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...

 in January 1999. However, Prabhu Deva's role was briefly taken by Prashanth
Prashanth
Prashanth is an Indian film actor who appeared in several Tamil films, as well as a few Telugu films, Hindi and Malayalam films.The son of noted actor-director Thyagarajan, Prashanth began his career at 17 by appearing in Vaigasi Poranthachu and went on to feature in other acclaimed films...

, who then opted out with Abbas
Abbas (actor)
Mirza Abbas Ali , known as Abbas, is an Indian film actor and model. He has appeared in Kollywood Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films.Born in Calcutta and educated in Mumbai, he was discovered modeling in Bangalore...

 being signed on. Leading Malayalam language actor Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...

 was signed to play the leading role of the former army general, making a rare appearance in Tamil films. Soundarya
Soundarya
Soundarya was a film actress who appeared in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. She acted in more than 90 films, most of them in Telugu. She was killed in a plane crash near Bangalore.-Film career:...

 was offered Aishwarya Rai's role. She had to turn it down because of scheduling clashes. Aishwarya Rai was signed on to the project for 1.25 crores, making her third appearance in Tamil films after critical success in Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...

's Iruvar
Iruvar
Iruvar is a 1997 Tamil film directed, co-written, and co-produced by Mani Ratnam, with music composed by A. R. Rahman. The film is a fictionalized account of the lives of 1980s Tamil Nadu political icons M. G. Ramachandran and M...

and 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...

's Jeans. Despite being crowded with Hindi film offers, Rai claimed that she was a large fan of Menon's work and could strongly identify with the character, hence accepting the offer. Tabu
Tabu (actress)
Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...

 was subsequently signed on to play another leading role in the project. Aishwarya Rai and Tabu's characters were largely different from one another, with Rai claiming that working with her co-actress was exciting because of the differences. Srividya
Srividya
Srividya was a leading Indian film actress of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s in the Tamil film Industry, in addition to being a good singer. In the latter part of her career, she concentrated on Malayalam films. Her brilliant portrayals as a mother in many films were highly acclaimed....

 was signed on to play Tabu and Rai's mother, while Shamili
Shamili
Shamili , better known as Baby Shamili, is a Indian actress, who has primarily acted as a child actor in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu films...

 of Anjali
Anjali (film)
Anjali is a 1990 Tamil-language Indian feature film directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Raghuvaran, Revathi, Prabhu, Tarun, Shruthi and Shamili. The musical film's score and soundtrack is composed by Ilaiyaraaja, being his 500th movie. Anjali is about a dying mentally disabled child, and the...

fame played their sister. Nizhagal Ravi and Anita Ratnam were also a part of the family, with relatively unknown Malayalam actor, Unnikrishnan Nambooripad, making his debut as the bed-ridden grandfather. Prominent actors Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in movies made in South India. He became famous for his portrayal of villain and character roles in Tamil films. He has acted in more than 150 Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films...

 and Manivannan
Manivannan
Manivannan is a popular Tamil actor and director. With over 400 films to his name, Manivannan is one of the most experienced actors in the field. He normally plays the role of a dad or a senior comedian.- Background :...

 were selected for supporting roles in the film, while Hindi actors Dino Morea
Dino Morea
Dino Morea is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films and a former model.-Early life:Dino Morea was born in Bangalore to an Italian father and an Anglo Indian mother. He is the second of three brothers. Nicolo Morea is his older brother, and Santino Morea is his younger brother. His family...

 and Pooja Batra
Pooja Batra
Pooja Batra in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, is an Indian actress.-Early life and background:Pooja Batra was born to Ravi Batra, an army colonel who was wounded in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. Her mother, Neelam Batra was a former Miss India participant in 1971...

 appeared in small character roles, with the latter playing an actress. Senthil
Senthil (actor)
Senthil is an actor from Tamil Nadu, India notable for his comedian roles in Tamil films.-Acting career:He has acted in many popular movies with several of the leading actors and comedians in the south Indian cine industry. He usually appears in films with Goundamani in a slapstick double act....

 is credited with a guest appearance in the film, while technicians Gangai Amaren, A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...

 and Rajiv Menon all play one-scene cameos.

Rajiv Menon and Dhanu retained several of the technical team from his previous venture, with only Sujatha
Sujatha Rangarajan
Sujatha was the pseudonym of the Tamil writer S. Rangarajan, author of over 100 novels, 250 short stories, ten books on science, ten stage plays, and a slim volume of poems. He was one of the most popular writers in Tamil literature, and a regular contributor to topical columns in Tamil...

 added to write the dialogues. Menon cited that he often thought of the dialogues in his native language Malayalam before telling writer Sujatha to translate them into Tamil. Furthermore a cinematographer himself, Menon opted not to be so in the project and appointed Ravi K. Chandran
Ravi K. Chandran
Ravi K. Chandran is an Indian cinematographer. He has frequently collaborated with leading Indian filmmakers like Priyadarshan, Mani Ratnam, and Rajiv Menon and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Ravi has won two Filmfare Awards and one Southern Filmfare Award during his career.-Career:Ravi K. Chandran was...

 to control the camera. Music by the film was composed by Rahman, while lyrics were written by 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...

, with the pair having a spat during the production. Suresh Urs edited the film, while Vikram Dharma
Vikram Dharma
Vikram Dharma was a stunt director in the Tamil film industry in India. He died of a heart attack in early 2006.-External links:...

 directed stunts, Nagu directed arts and Rekha Prakash, Brindha and Raju Sundaram
Raju Sundaram
Raju Sundaram is a Kollywood cine artiste who acts, directs, and choreographs for films. He is an eldest son of dance master Mugur Sundar, and elder brother to Prabhu Deva and Nagendra Prasad.-Birth:...

 choreographed the songs.

Filming

Scenes with Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...

's army general character were shot from February to April 1999, close to the outbreak of the Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...

. During the shoot in the Chettiar mansion in Karaikudi
Karaikudi
Karaikudi is a town in Sivaganga District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Chettinad literally 'Chetti land' in Tamil, is a collection of 76 villages/towns. Chettinad stretched from Ramnad District and Pudukottai State of 'British' India. The Chettiars, or more properly the Nattukottai...

, Menon cited that the unit bonded with Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...

 and Tabu becoming good friends, Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar
Ajith Kumar is an Indian film actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller Aasai . A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with...

 learning off Mammootty and the whole unit joining over dinner. In May 1999, the crew along with Aishwarya Rai and Abbas
Abbas (actor)
Mirza Abbas Ali , known as Abbas, is an Indian film actor and model. He has appeared in Kollywood Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films.Born in Calcutta and educated in Mumbai, he was discovered modeling in Bangalore...

 went to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 to film the title song on a lake in Dornie
Dornie
Dornie is a small former fishing village in the Kintail district in western Ross-shire Highlands of Scotland, with a population of 360 .It is near the meeting point of Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long....

 with the backdrop of a castle, the Eilean Donan
Eilean Donan
Eilean Donan is a small island in Loch Duich in the western Highlands of Scotland. It is connected to the mainland by a footbridge and lies about half a mile from the village of Dornie. Eilean Donan is named after Donnán of Eigg, a Celtic saint martyred in 617...

. In the "Konjum Mainakale" song, professional Kathakali
Kathakali
Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...

 artists were used; the video for "Yengay Yenedhu Kavidhai" was shot in the backdrop of Chennai monsoonal rains. The production team planned a four-day shoot trip to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 to film a song with the backdrop of the pyramids, however, the stay turned into a week-long schedule. The team of director, Ajith, Tabu, choreographer Raju Sundaram
Raju Sundaram
Raju Sundaram is a Kollywood cine artiste who acts, directs, and choreographs for films. He is an eldest son of dance master Mugur Sundar, and elder brother to Prabhu Deva and Nagendra Prasad.-Birth:...

 and cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran
Ravi K. Chandran
Ravi K. Chandran is an Indian cinematographer. He has frequently collaborated with leading Indian filmmakers like Priyadarshan, Mani Ratnam, and Rajiv Menon and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Ravi has won two Filmfare Awards and one Southern Filmfare Award during his career.-Career:Ravi K. Chandran was...

 daily traveled three hours from Cairo and shot in the heat, with one day of shoot being cancelled after Tabu fainted. The film was delayed for six months due to the success of Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...

's Taal
Taal (film)
Taal is a 1999 Hindi film directed by Subhash Ghai. Taal was an official selection by Roger Ebert for his 2005 Overlooked Film Festival. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Aishwarya Rai, Amrish Puri and Alok Nath. It was also dubbed in Tamil as Thaalam...

and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
The music was composed by Ismail Darbar with lyrics by Mehboob. It received nine Filmfare Awards nominations in the music and singing categories and produced some winners as well.-Track listing:-2000 National Awards:* Best Music Direction - Ismail Darbar...

, which prompted the revival of other projects she had signed up to at the period. Furthermore, Menon's insistence that A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...

 reworked some of the music to provide a better fusion of classical and contemporary music, also postponed progress. The film subsequently ended filming six months behind the schedule devised by Menon, but he cited that everything had fallen in place as planned.

During post-production, the film ran into problems with dubbing with Mammooty initially showing hesitance for dubbing for his character, before eventually giving in to the producer's demands. Actor Vikram dubbed for Abbas's character while actress Revathi
Revathi
Revathi is an award-winning Indian actress and film director. She has acted in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi movies, directed several feature-length films, and has acted in and produced multiple television programs, totaling over twenty years of experience in the entertainment...

 dubbed for Tabu
Tabu (actress)
Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...

's character.

Reception and box office

The film opened to mostly positive reviews. Indian Express stated "A progressive film encouraging female independence, yet staying a warm family tale in essence, Kandukondain Kandukondain is the kind of film every intelligent movie-goer ought not to miss. Almost every supporting character pitches in an impressive performance, thus making Kandukondain Kandukondain a wonderful watch". Rediff stated "Kandukondain... had a powerful story with intense and well-developed characters. It is not that the film does not have any memorable moments. It is a delight to see a young woman who is passionately in love with poetry and quotes Bharatiyar liberally; a symbol of a bygone era when books were a passion with youngsters. One of the most poignant scenes in the film is Mammootty's outburst against the system, which forgets war heroes who lay down their lives for a cause".

The film successfully completed 100 days.
It grossed $100 million at the box office. Audio rights were sold for 2.2 crores.

Awards

  • The film won the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil.
  • Rajiv Menon
    Rajiv Menon
    Rajiv Menon is an Indian cinematographer and film maker. He is known for directing critically acclaimed Tamil films like Minsaara Kanavu and Kandukondain Kandukondain.-Early Life:...

    , the director, won the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil.
  • 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:...

     won a Silver Lotus Award for Best Male Playback Singer
    National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer
    The following is a list of winners of the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. The singer with the most awards in this category is K. J. Yesudas with seven wins, whereas S. P. Balasubrahmanyam won six times for 4 different languages; Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.-Superlatives:...

     for the song "Enna solla pogirai".

Soundtrack

A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...

 composed the original score and the songs with lyrics by 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...

. Rahman collaborated with Menon for the second time, after their critically acclaimed and successful Minsara Kanavu. The album rights were bought by Sa Re Ga Ma
Sa Re Ga Ma
Saregama India Limited, formerly The Gramophone Company of India is an Indian music company. Saregama also works in the home video business...

 for a then-record sum of 2.2 crores.

The soundtrack features eight songs, including a poem by Bharathiyar, tuned by Rahman. The song "Kanamoochi" is based on Carnatic
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

 raga ragamalika, "Kandukondain Kandukondain" is based on Nalinakanthi raga, "Smayiyai" is based on jazz music, and "Enna Solla Pogirai" is a folsky and romantic number. All songs became chartbusters and "Enna Solla Pogirai" earned 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:...

 the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer
National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer
The following is a list of winners of the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. The singer with the most awards in this category is K. J. Yesudas with seven wins, whereas S. P. Balasubrahmanyam won six times for 4 different languages; Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.-Superlatives:...

.
# Track Artist(s) Lyrics Length
1 "Enna Solla Pogirai" 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:...

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...

6:00
2 "Smayiyai" Devan
Devan
Devan was one of the greatest of twentieth century Tamil writers, known for his witty and humorous stories. Many people think of him as the 'Wodehouse' of Tamil writings....

, Clinton Cerejo
Clinton Cerejo
Clinton Cerejo is known for his contributions in the music department for Indian films. His range of work includes playback singing, vocal arrangements, musical arrangements, background scores, music programming, production...

, Dominique Cerejo
Dominique Cerejo
Dominique Cerejo is an Indian female playback singer best known for the song "Yeh Tumhari Meri Baatein" from Rock On!!. She has sung in over thirty bollywood soundtrack albums...

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...

5:09
3 "Kanamoochi" K. S. Chithra
K. S. Chithra
K. S. Chithra often credited as Chithra , is an Indian playback singer who has made her mark in the Indian music playback industry. Popularly known as Chinna Kuyil of South India, she has lent her voice to Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Oriya, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Badaga and Punjabi films...

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...

5:11
4 "Suttum Vizhi" 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...

Bharathiyar 2:21
5 "Konjum Mainakkale" Sadhana Sargam
Sadhana Sargam
Sadhana Sargam is an acclaimed Indian playback singer. She is a recipient of the prestigious National Film Award and Filmfare Awards.Sargam has sung in many Indian languages for films, television serials and music albums. She is well known for her 90s Hindi songs and recent South Indian songs. She...

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...

4:43
6 "Kanamoochi (Duet)" K. S. Chithra
K. S. Chithra
K. S. Chithra often credited as Chithra , is an Indian playback singer who has made her mark in the Indian music playback industry. Popularly known as Chinna Kuyil of South India, she has lent her voice to Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Oriya, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Badaga and Punjabi films...

, 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,...

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...

3:30
7 "Yengae Enathu Kavithai" K. S. Chithra
K. S. Chithra
K. S. Chithra often credited as Chithra , is an Indian playback singer who has made her mark in the Indian music playback industry. Popularly known as Chinna Kuyil of South India, she has lent her voice to Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Oriya, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Badaga and Punjabi films...

, Srinivas
Srinivas (singer)
Srinivas 'Srini' is an award winning playback singer who has sung over 2000 songs in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. He is also a music composer.-Early life:...

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...

5:16
8 "Kandukondain Kandukondain" 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...

, Mahalakshmi Iyer
Mahalakshmi Iyer
Mahalakshmi Iyer is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi and Tamil songs. She has sung over a thousand songs in many Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Assamese, Kannada and Malayalam.-Career:Mahalakshmi made her singing debut with Dus,...

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...

5:18
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