.gif)
Kireedam (2007 film)
Encyclopedia
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. The film starred Ajith Kumar
in the lead role with Trisha Krishnan
and Rajkiran
in other pivotal roles, while Vivek
, Saranya
, Cochin Haneefa
and Santhanam appear in supporting roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar
, while Tirru
was the cinematographer for the film. The film opened on 20 July 2007 to positive reviews and performed above averagely at the box office.
) is an implicitly obedient son of a sincere policeman, Rajarajan (Raj Kiran). Sakthi and his dad’s dream is the same: That of seeing him enter the police force. The entire family comprising two other daughters, the mom (Saranya) and a wastrel of a brother-in-law (Vivek
) are cuddly and close-knit. Rajarajan is from the old school of life and honesty is his watchword. In a venal system, this lands him in trouble often.
Divya (Trisha Krishnan
), a college girl, is a charming full-of-beans girl. She has some comical run-ins with Sakthi, and eventually falls in love with him. Elsewhere, Rajarajan, who books an MLA’s son for an offence, is hauled up over the coals and sent on a ‘punishment transfer’ to a place, which is run as personal fief by a local dada, Varadarajan (Ajay). One thing leads to another, and Sakthi is unwittingly sucked into the unholy vortex. Just as he is about to join the police force, destiny decrees otherwise: His life is not going to be the same again. A dad’s dream lies shattered while a son, despite his unwillingness, has to fight an honest war beyond the matrix of a law. It is a situation that is actually an emotional cauldron. How the dad and son reconcile to the new reality is the story.
and written by A. K. Lohithadas. Ajith Kumar
was signed to appear in the lead role with Trisha Krishnan
, Rajkiran
, Saranya
and Vivek
also a part of the cast, while the cinematographer was Tirru
, music was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar
and the film was edited by Anthony
. Vijay revealed that he "reworked about 80 per cent" from the original version. The film was briefly renamed Magudam, before being changed again.
A game was released about the film by Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd to promote the film. In the game, the player has to help Shakti kill the gangsters while undergoing police training using different weapons. The player has to defend himself using different keys and approach the red cross to gain health. While doing this he can not let his father Rajaram catch him, which will bring the game to an end.
, in a review of Kireedam, said that "Vijay has neatly packaged a strong storyline with a sensibly balanced mix of sentiment and action. At no point does the film sag." It appreciated the lead and supporting cast: "Looking well-toned and incredibly youthful, Ajith makes a mark both with his appearance and expressions. And matching him equally in the two departments is an awesome Trisha." The review from an entertainment portal, Sify.com, hailed the attempt: "For once a Tamil remake of a Malayalam classic, lives up to our expectations. Kireedam is quality cinema, one that is daringly different from the run-of-the mill superstar films that are dished out in the name of mass movies." Sify.com added, "On the whole, Kireedam is an engaging entertainer which is so rare to find these days. Go for it!" A review from another movie portal, Behindwoods,com, gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars with the verdict "Complete family entertainer". It called the movie a "good realistic attempt towards meaningful cinema. But if the sluggish pace in the second half is taken care of, the movie would have been much crisper" and said that "Kreedom will categorically be Ajith's prized trophy in his film career." The film went on to win a single Filmfare award for Best Female Playback Singer for Sadhana Sargam
's rendition of "Akkam Pakkam". Moreover the film was nominated in four categories during the Vijay Awards for 2007, with Rajkiran, G. V. Prakash Kumar, Trisha and Sadhana Sargam being nominated in their respective categories.
The final scene in the film was changed after release from a sad to an upbeat ending after the producers felt that the original scene may keep audiences away. The film consequently went on to become a profitable venture at the box office.
.
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...
film 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...
, who made his directorial debut with the film. The film was a reworked version of Sibi Malayil
Sibi Malayil
Sibi Malayil is an Indian film director of Malayalam cinema best known for his melodramas of the 80s and 90s. Since the mid-1980s he has directed some 40 movies. Movies like Kireedam, Dasharatham, Thaniyavarthanam, His Highness Abdullah, Bharatham, and Akashadoothu defined the way Malayalam movies...
's 1989 Malayalam classic film, Kireedam starring Mohanlal
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
, with 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,...
assisting with writing the dialogues. The film starred 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 the lead role with Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan is an Indian film actress and model, who primarily appears in Tamil and Telugu language films, but has also appeared in Hindi language films. She was noticed after winning several beauty pageants like the Miss Madras contest , which marked her entry into filmdom...
and Rajkiran
Rajkiran
RajKiran is a film actor, producer and director, who has acted in more than 150 Tamil films.-Film career:...
in other pivotal roles, while 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...
, Saranya
Saranya Ponvannan
Saranya Ponvannan, is an Indian film actress, who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. Saranya made her debut in a lead role in Mani Ratnam's Nayagan and went on to play lead roles in a few films during the late 1980s...
, Cochin Haneefa
Cochin Haneefa
Mohammed 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...
and Santhanam appear in supporting roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by 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...
, while Tirru
Tirru
Thirunavukarasu, Tirru, is a cinematographer in the Indian film industry, specialising in documentaries and advertising. Tirru's films are in the Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam languages. He has worked for the veteran cinematographer P. C. Sriram and for Kamal Hassan . He was born in Mullukuruchi a...
was the cinematographer for the film. The film opened on 20 July 2007 to positive reviews and performed above averagely at the box office.
Plot
Sakthivel (Ajith KumarAjith 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 an implicitly obedient son of a sincere policeman, Rajarajan (Raj Kiran). Sakthi and his dad’s dream is the same: That of seeing him enter the police force. The entire family comprising two other daughters, the mom (Saranya) and a wastrel of a brother-in-law (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...
) are cuddly and close-knit. Rajarajan is from the old school of life and honesty is his watchword. In a venal system, this lands him in trouble often.
Divya (Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan is an Indian film actress and model, who primarily appears in Tamil and Telugu language films, but has also appeared in Hindi language films. She was noticed after winning several beauty pageants like the Miss Madras contest , which marked her entry into filmdom...
), a college girl, is a charming full-of-beans girl. She has some comical run-ins with Sakthi, and eventually falls in love with him. Elsewhere, Rajarajan, who books an MLA’s son for an offence, is hauled up over the coals and sent on a ‘punishment transfer’ to a place, which is run as personal fief by a local dada, Varadarajan (Ajay). One thing leads to another, and Sakthi is unwittingly sucked into the unholy vortex. Just as he is about to join the police force, destiny decrees otherwise: His life is not going to be the same again. A dad’s dream lies shattered while a son, despite his unwillingness, has to fight an honest war beyond the matrix of a law. It is a situation that is actually an emotional cauldron. How the dad and son reconcile to the new reality is the story.
Cast
- Ajith KumarAjith KumarAjith 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 Shaktivel - RajkiranRajkiranRajKiran is a film actor, producer and director, who has acted in more than 150 Tamil films.-Film career:...
as Rajarajan - Trisha KrishnanTrisha KrishnanTrisha Krishnan is an Indian film actress and model, who primarily appears in Tamil and Telugu language films, but has also appeared in Hindi language films. She was noticed after winning several beauty pageants like the Miss Madras contest , which marked her entry into filmdom...
as Divya - 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...
- SaranyaSaranya PonvannanSaranya Ponvannan, is an Indian film actress, who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. Saranya made her debut in a lead role in Mani Ratnam's Nayagan and went on to play lead roles in a few films during the late 1980s...
- Santhanam as Balasubramaniam
- Ajay Kumar as Varadarajan
- 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...
- Ravi Kale
- LalithaK. P. A. C. LalithaMaheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K.P.A.C. Lalitha, is a National Award winning Indian film and stage actress. She was the wife of late filmmaker Bharathan.-Biography:...
- M. S. Bhaskar
- ManobalaManobalaManobala is a Tamil director and comedian actor who prominently plays supporting roles.-Career:Manobala has directed 40 films, 16 television serials and 3 tele-films during his career as a director. As an actor, he had appeared in 175 films as of July 2009...
- Sathyan
Production
The film was announced in September 2006 as a collaboration between producer Balaji and Ajith, and was to be co-produced by the Mumbai based production company Adlabs. Vijay made his directorial debut with Kireedam after working as an ad film maker and chose to remake the 1989 film of the same name directed by Sibi MalayilSibi Malayil
Sibi Malayil is an Indian film director of Malayalam cinema best known for his melodramas of the 80s and 90s. Since the mid-1980s he has directed some 40 movies. Movies like Kireedam, Dasharatham, Thaniyavarthanam, His Highness Abdullah, Bharatham, and Akashadoothu defined the way Malayalam movies...
and written by A. K. Lohithadas. 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...
was signed to appear in the lead role with Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan
Trisha Krishnan is an Indian film actress and model, who primarily appears in Tamil and Telugu language films, but has also appeared in Hindi language films. She was noticed after winning several beauty pageants like the Miss Madras contest , which marked her entry into filmdom...
, Rajkiran
Rajkiran
RajKiran is a film actor, producer and director, who has acted in more than 150 Tamil films.-Film career:...
, Saranya
Saranya Ponvannan
Saranya Ponvannan, is an Indian film actress, who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. Saranya made her debut in a lead role in Mani Ratnam's Nayagan and went on to play lead roles in a few films during the late 1980s...
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...
also a part of the cast, while the cinematographer was Tirru
Tirru
Thirunavukarasu, Tirru, is a cinematographer in the Indian film industry, specialising in documentaries and advertising. Tirru's films are in the Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam languages. He has worked for the veteran cinematographer P. C. Sriram and for Kamal Hassan . He was born in Mullukuruchi a...
, music was composed by 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...
and the film was edited by 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...
. Vijay revealed that he "reworked about 80 per cent" from the original version. The film was briefly renamed Magudam, before being changed again.
A game was released about the film by Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd to promote the film. In the game, the player has to help Shakti kill the gangsters while undergoing police training using different weapons. The player has to defend himself using different keys and approach the red cross to gain health. While doing this he can not let his father Rajaram catch him, which will bring the game to an end.
Release
The film opened to predominantly positive review at the box office. The HinduThe 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...
, in a review of Kireedam, said that "Vijay has neatly packaged a strong storyline with a sensibly balanced mix of sentiment and action. At no point does the film sag." It appreciated the lead and supporting cast: "Looking well-toned and incredibly youthful, Ajith makes a mark both with his appearance and expressions. And matching him equally in the two departments is an awesome Trisha." The review from an entertainment portal, Sify.com, hailed the attempt: "For once a Tamil remake of a Malayalam classic, lives up to our expectations. Kireedam is quality cinema, one that is daringly different from the run-of-the mill superstar films that are dished out in the name of mass movies." Sify.com added, "On the whole, Kireedam is an engaging entertainer which is so rare to find these days. Go for it!" A review from another movie portal, Behindwoods,com, gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars with the verdict "Complete family entertainer". It called the movie a "good realistic attempt towards meaningful cinema. But if the sluggish pace in the second half is taken care of, the movie would have been much crisper" and said that "Kreedom will categorically be Ajith's prized trophy in his film career." The film went on to win a single Filmfare award for Best Female Playback Singer for 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...
's rendition of "Akkam Pakkam". Moreover the film was nominated in four categories during the Vijay Awards for 2007, with Rajkiran, G. V. Prakash Kumar, Trisha and Sadhana Sargam being nominated in their respective categories.
The final scene in the film was changed after release from a sad to an upbeat ending after the producers felt that the original scene may keep audiences away. The film consequently went on to become a profitable venture at the box office.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack consisted of six songs composed by G.V.PrakashG. 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...
.
| Song title | Singers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| "Akkam Pakkam" | 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... |
Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer |
| "Vizhiyil Un Vizhiyil" | Sonu Nigam Sonu Nigam Sonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films... , Swetha Mohan |
|
| "Kanavellam" | P. Jayachandran, Karthik Karthik Karthik is a male given name that is most common name in the southern part of India. The name stands for the Hindu god "Muruga," son of Lord Shiva.The name may refer to:-Actors:... |
|
| "Kanneer Thuliye" | Vijay Yesudas Vijay Yesudas Vijay Yesudas Kattassery , commonly credited as Vijay Yesudas, is an Indian playback singer, who has sung songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Tulu and Telugu.-Early life:... |
|
| "Vilaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu" | 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:... |
|
| "Theme Music" | Instrumental | |