Mudhalvan
Encyclopedia
Mudhalvan is a 1999
Tamil
political thriller
film co-written and directed by S. Shankar
. The film features Arjun
, Manisha Koirala
and Raghuvaran
in the lead roles with Manivannan
, Vijayakumar
and Hanifa portraying other significant roles. The film featured an award-winning soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman
, cinematography by K. V. Anand
and dialogs by Sujatha
.
The film revolves around an ambitious TV journalist, Pughazhendi, working for “Q TV” who interviews the present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Pughazhendi asks the tough questions, and the Chief Minister starts trembling and ask Pughazhendi to put his money where his mike is, and become the Chief Minister for a day. After using up a few lifelines mentally, Pugazhendi agrees and does such a great job on his first day, that the voters eventually elect him to be their permanent leader. The subsequent unpopularity and jealousy that the Chief Minister goes through results in him taking revenge on Pugazhendi, and how he is stopped forms the crux of the story.
The film won Filmfare Best Tamil film(2000).
Upon release on November 7, 1999, the film went on to receive positive reviews from film critics and consequently became a large success commercially, winning awards on a regional scale. The film was then dubbed and released in Telugu as Oke Okkadu and later remade in Hindi
as Nayak starring Anil Kapoor
.
). He happens to be an ambitious TV cameraman, working for “Q TV”. His opposite person is the Chief Minister (CM) of the state, played by Raghuvaran
. During riots triggered by a fight between some college students and bus drivers, which threaten to touch upon the touchy issue of castes, the CM reveals his unwillingness to take strong action to quell the violence for fear of estranging any of his political bases. To set things right, he then appears on a live interview with Pughazhendi, who had coincidentally captured the CM's earlier unwillingness to take a stand, on camera.
In this interview in response to Pughazh's pointed questioning about the poor working of his government, the CM ducks the question by instead talking about how difficult his job is, and by challenging Pugazh to be the CM for one day. Pugazh reluctantly accepts the seat of the Chief Minister in the place of Aranganathan (Raghuvaran
). Educated and vigilant, Pugazh moves fast. He takes care of almost every aspect in a day's time, giving the slum their rightful apartments and getting jobs for the unemployed, suspending inefficient and corrupt government officers. All the way he is assisted by the secretary, Mayakrishnan (Manivannan
). As the last act of the day he gets Aranganathan arrested as he is the root of all the corruption. But Aranganathan bails out, passes an ordinance to nullify all orders passed by Pugazh when he was the CM. Taking Pugazh's success as an insult, Aranganathan sends goons to get him killed and destroys his house.
Meanwhile Pugazh falls in love with an innocent village girl called Thenmozhi (Manisha Koirala
). But her father (Vijaykumar) wants his daughter's suitor to be a government civil worker. So after his tenure as a one-day CM he starts preparing for the Indian Civil Service Examination when his earlier secretary comes in and tells him that Pugazh's popularity has rocketed sky-high and people want him to become the next CM of the state. He refuses but then Aranganathan's henchman attacks the Q TV news agency. Mayakrishnan then tells Pugazh that he has become a part of politics and Aranganathan will never leave him at peace and Pugazh's lawsuit against Aranganathan is bound to fail. But Thenmozhi's father dissuades Pugazh from joining politics. However, on seeing the people’s plight and Mayakrishnan's advice he agrees to stand in the elections.
In the ensuing state elections, he wins by full majority. But Thenmozhi’s father angered by Pugazh's decision refuses to let his daughter marry him. Here, Aranganathan’s political allies desert him causing his defeat. On becoming the chief minister, Pugazhendhi brings about lots of improvements and quickly becomes an idol in the people’s eyes. However his growing popularity is threatened continuously by Aranganathan who uses his henchmen to kill him or at least tarnish is image as a public hero. But Pugazh promptly answers by digging out all accusations against Aranganathan and his allies. This, however, causes a reunion of Aranganathan and his allies. After a failed attempt on Pugazh's life by hiring an assassin, a bomb is detonated at his home killing his parents.
In the final attempt Aranganathan orders his P.A. to destroy law and order and cause bomb explosions in various parts of the city. But a priest is able to overhear a few men planning to detonate bombs. He immediately notifies Pugazh's office via the "Complaint Box" department. Aranganathan's P.A. is arrested and under tactical inquiry by Pugazh and his secretary, he discloses the location of the bombs. A Bomb Squad successfully defuses all the bombs. Aranganathan , however, uses this success against Pugazh by blaming the young CM for the bomb. Seeing no way out, Pugazh summons Aranganathan to the secretariat and creates a situation such that it would seem as if Aranganathan was there to shoot Pugazh but failed. The security guards shoot down Aranganathan killing him. Pugazh, secretly tells Mayakrishnan the truth but Mayakrishnan believes that Aranganathan deserved it. Thenmozhi's father also comes to realize that Pugazh is in fact a great man who sees duty before everything else and allows Thenmozhi to marry him. The final scene shows Tamil Nadu developing over the years under Pugazhendhi's Government.
being the special invitees.
The lead role was initially written with Rajinikanth in mind and his refusal led to Shankar considering Vijay for the role too, before Arjun
was signed on. Despite reports that Shilpa Shetty
was added to the cast in February 1999, it was later classified as untrue.
.
The song "Shakalaka Baby
" was the last song to be shot, with Sushmita Sen
selected to feature in a special appearance for the song.
citing that "Shankar scores again". In regard to the lead performances, Arjun is described as having "acquitted himself with aplomb", whilst Manisha's performance was criticized with claims that she "lacks the freshness that one always associates her with". The critic also referred to Shankar's direction and Sujatha's dialogs as a "positive", whilst drawing praise to the videos of the songs describing that "every song and dance sequence seems a magnum opus by itself". The New Indian Express
described the film as "absorbing" and praised certain scenes, although it criticized the videos of the songs as a "fiasco".
on October 31, 1999 with two songs from the film being performed on stage. The special guests for the event were actor Kamal Haasan
and actress Sushmita Sen
, who performed an item number
in the film. The event was well attended by the cast and the crew of the film, with other guests including cinematographer P. C. Sriram
, actress Sarika
and actor Suriya.
The soundtrack features six songs composed by A. R. Rahman
and lyrics penned by Vairamuthu
. The song "Shakalaka Baby
" was re-edited by A. R. Rahman and featured on the hit international musical production Bombay Dreams
, which ran in Europe
and North America
from 2002 to 2005. This version was also released as a single. A Mandarin Chinese remix of the track sung by Singapore
an singer Kelly Poon
was featured in her album In the Heart of the World
(2007).
The soundtrack was a phenomenal success and the initial day audio sale alone was more than three lakh units.
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
Tamil
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
political thriller
Political thriller
A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle. They usually involve various extra-legal plots, designed to give political power to someone, while his opponents try to stop him. They can involve national or international political scenarios....
film co-written and directed by S. Shankar
S. Shankar
Shankar is an Indian film director and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He made his directional debut in Gentleman for which he was awarded the Filmfare Best Director Award...
. The film features Arjun
Arjun Sarja
Arjun Sarja is an Indian film actor and director. Son of Kannada film star Shakti Prasad, he has primarily acted in Tamil films, and also appeared in Kannada and Telugu films. The title "Action King" has been given to Arjun by fans, for the numerous roles he has portrayed in action films. He is...
, Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala
Manisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...
and 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...
in the lead roles with 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 :...
, Vijayakumar
Vijayakumar
Vijayakumar is a Tamil actor and politician. Along with predominant work in Tamil cinema since 1973, he has acted in a few Hindi and Telugu movies. As of 2009, he is acting in the television serial, Thangam, aired on Sun TV.-Early life:...
and Hanifa portraying other significant roles. The film featured an award-winning soundtrack composed 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...
, cinematography by K. V. Anand
K. V. Anand
K. V. Anand is an Indian cinematographer, film director and former photo journalist. After working for a short period as a journalist, he became a cinematographer in the early 1990s, working for about fifteen films in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu...
and dialogs by 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...
.
The film revolves around an ambitious TV journalist, Pughazhendi, working for “Q TV” who interviews the present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Pughazhendi asks the tough questions, and the Chief Minister starts trembling and ask Pughazhendi to put his money where his mike is, and become the Chief Minister for a day. After using up a few lifelines mentally, Pugazhendi agrees and does such a great job on his first day, that the voters eventually elect him to be their permanent leader. The subsequent unpopularity and jealousy that the Chief Minister goes through results in him taking revenge on Pugazhendi, and how he is stopped forms the crux of the story.
The film won Filmfare Best Tamil film(2000).
Upon release on November 7, 1999, the film went on to receive positive reviews from film critics and consequently became a large success commercially, winning awards on a regional scale. The film was then dubbed and released in Telugu as Oke Okkadu and later remade in Hindi
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
as Nayak starring Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
.
Plot
The story focuses on Pughazhendhi (ArjunArjun Sarja
Arjun Sarja is an Indian film actor and director. Son of Kannada film star Shakti Prasad, he has primarily acted in Tamil films, and also appeared in Kannada and Telugu films. The title "Action King" has been given to Arjun by fans, for the numerous roles he has portrayed in action films. He is...
). He happens to be an ambitious TV cameraman, working for “Q TV”. His opposite person is the Chief Minister (CM) of the state, played by 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...
. During riots triggered by a fight between some college students and bus drivers, which threaten to touch upon the touchy issue of castes, the CM reveals his unwillingness to take strong action to quell the violence for fear of estranging any of his political bases. To set things right, he then appears on a live interview with Pughazhendi, who had coincidentally captured the CM's earlier unwillingness to take a stand, on camera.
In this interview in response to Pughazh's pointed questioning about the poor working of his government, the CM ducks the question by instead talking about how difficult his job is, and by challenging Pugazh to be the CM for one day. Pugazh reluctantly accepts the seat of the Chief Minister in the place of Aranganathan (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...
). Educated and vigilant, Pugazh moves fast. He takes care of almost every aspect in a day's time, giving the slum their rightful apartments and getting jobs for the unemployed, suspending inefficient and corrupt government officers. All the way he is assisted by the secretary, Mayakrishnan (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 the last act of the day he gets Aranganathan arrested as he is the root of all the corruption. But Aranganathan bails out, passes an ordinance to nullify all orders passed by Pugazh when he was the CM. Taking Pugazh's success as an insult, Aranganathan sends goons to get him killed and destroys his house.
Meanwhile Pugazh falls in love with an innocent village girl called Thenmozhi (Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala
Manisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...
). But her father (Vijaykumar) wants his daughter's suitor to be a government civil worker. So after his tenure as a one-day CM he starts preparing for the Indian Civil Service Examination when his earlier secretary comes in and tells him that Pugazh's popularity has rocketed sky-high and people want him to become the next CM of the state. He refuses but then Aranganathan's henchman attacks the Q TV news agency. Mayakrishnan then tells Pugazh that he has become a part of politics and Aranganathan will never leave him at peace and Pugazh's lawsuit against Aranganathan is bound to fail. But Thenmozhi's father dissuades Pugazh from joining politics. However, on seeing the people’s plight and Mayakrishnan's advice he agrees to stand in the elections.
In the ensuing state elections, he wins by full majority. But Thenmozhi’s father angered by Pugazh's decision refuses to let his daughter marry him. Here, Aranganathan’s political allies desert him causing his defeat. On becoming the chief minister, Pugazhendhi brings about lots of improvements and quickly becomes an idol in the people’s eyes. However his growing popularity is threatened continuously by Aranganathan who uses his henchmen to kill him or at least tarnish is image as a public hero. But Pugazh promptly answers by digging out all accusations against Aranganathan and his allies. This, however, causes a reunion of Aranganathan and his allies. After a failed attempt on Pugazh's life by hiring an assassin, a bomb is detonated at his home killing his parents.
In the final attempt Aranganathan orders his P.A. to destroy law and order and cause bomb explosions in various parts of the city. But a priest is able to overhear a few men planning to detonate bombs. He immediately notifies Pugazh's office via the "Complaint Box" department. Aranganathan's P.A. is arrested and under tactical inquiry by Pugazh and his secretary, he discloses the location of the bombs. A Bomb Squad successfully defuses all the bombs. Aranganathan , however, uses this success against Pugazh by blaming the young CM for the bomb. Seeing no way out, Pugazh summons Aranganathan to the secretariat and creates a situation such that it would seem as if Aranganathan was there to shoot Pugazh but failed. The security guards shoot down Aranganathan killing him. Pugazh, secretly tells Mayakrishnan the truth but Mayakrishnan believes that Aranganathan deserved it. Thenmozhi's father also comes to realize that Pugazh is in fact a great man who sees duty before everything else and allows Thenmozhi to marry him. The final scene shows Tamil Nadu developing over the years under Pugazhendhi's Government.
Cast
- Arjun as Pugazhendhi
- Manisha KoiralaManisha KoiralaManisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...
as Thenmozhi - RaghuvaranRaghuvaranRaghuvaran 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 Aranganathan - ManivannanManivannanManivannan 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 Mayakrishnan - VadiveluVadiveluVadivelu , often referred to as Vadivel, is a Tamil film actor,comedian and playback singer. Since 2000, he has acted as a comedian in various Tamil films. During his career, Vadivelu has won several Filmfare Awards and Tamil Nadu State Film Awards...
as Palavesham - Vijayakumar as Thenmozhi's father
- 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...
as Chinnasami - LailaLaila MehdinLaila Mehdin is an Indian actress. She has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi language films. She is probably best known for her critically acclaimed and award-winning performances in the Bala-directed films Nandha and Pithamagan.-Career:She made her debut in the Telugu film...
as Shuba - Sushmita SenSushmita SenSushmita Sen is an Indian actress who appears in mainly Bollywood films. A former model, Sen was crowned Miss Universe in 1994. She was the first Indian woman to win the contest.-Personal life:Sen was born on 19 November 1975....
in a special appearance
Development
The film was launched in October 1998 at an event well attended by actors and technicians from the Tamil film industry, with noted actors Rajinikanth and Kamal HaasanKamal 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...
being the special invitees.
The lead role was initially written with Rajinikanth in mind and his refusal led to Shankar considering Vijay for the role too, before Arjun
Arjun Sarja
Arjun Sarja is an Indian film actor and director. Son of Kannada film star Shakti Prasad, he has primarily acted in Tamil films, and also appeared in Kannada and Telugu films. The title "Action King" has been given to Arjun by fans, for the numerous roles he has portrayed in action films. He is...
was signed on. Despite reports that Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty is an Indian film actress and model. Since making her debut in the film Baazigar , she has appeared in nearly 40 Bollywood, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films, her first leading role being in the 1994 Aag. Although she has been through years of decline during her career, Shetty has been...
was added to the cast in February 1999, it was later classified as untrue.
Filming
Parts of the film were also shot in Bikaner, RajasthanRajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
.
The song "Shakalaka Baby
Shakalaka Baby
"Shakalaka Baby" is a 2002 single by Preeya Kalidas. The song was composed by A. R. Rahman and was initially featured in his 2002 musical Bombay Dreams. It is a reworked version of the track "Shakalaka Baby" from 1999 Tamil film Mudhalvan, a version of which was also featured in the 2001 Bollywood...
" was the last song to be shot, with Sushmita Sen
Sushmita Sen
Sushmita Sen is an Indian actress who appears in mainly Bollywood films. A former model, Sen was crowned Miss Universe in 1994. She was the first Indian woman to win the contest.-Personal life:Sen was born on 19 November 1975....
selected to feature in a special appearance for the song.
Reception
The film went on to run for over one hundred days in cinemas with an event being held at Kamaraj HAll on February 25, 2000 to mark one hundred days since release. The event, similar to the launch, attracted several people from the film industry with Kamal Haasan, once again, being the chief guest of the event.Reviews
Upon release, the film was critically acclaimed by film critics, with the review from 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...
citing that "Shankar scores again". In regard to the lead performances, Arjun is described as having "acquitted himself with aplomb", whilst Manisha's performance was criticized with claims that she "lacks the freshness that one always associates her with". The critic also referred to Shankar's direction and Sujatha's dialogs as a "positive", whilst drawing praise to the videos of the songs describing that "every song and dance sequence seems a magnum opus by itself". The New Indian Express
The New Indian Express
The New Indian Express is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as the Indian Express, under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu. In 1991, following the death of the then owner Ramnath Goenka, the Goenka...
described the film as "absorbing" and praised certain scenes, although it criticized the videos of the songs as a "fiasco".
Controversy
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham, ruling Tamil Nadu, is upset with the film. That in the view of the DMK, the film suggests its rule is even worse than that of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalitha -- who, significantly, has cases of malfeasance amounting to Rs 300-plus crore pending against her name. Raghuvaran, who plays a venal chief minister and whose dialogue is delivered in a raspy voice, was taking off on state CM Muthuvel Karunanidhi. Interestingly, while the Tamil Nadu ruling party reportedly views the film as an attempt to slur their 'thalaivar,' in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the reaction is the polar opposite. In Andhra Pradesh, thus, Arjun -- who by force of circumstance becomes chief minister for a day and who, in those 24 hours, manages to do enough good to create a public outcry demanding that he enter active politics and take over as chief minister for good, is seen as a mirror image of Chandrababu Naidu. Thus, the Andhra chief minister invites director Shankar as his special guest, requests a special screening of the film and lauds the ideals the director has expressed in his film.Soundtrack
The release of the soundtrack was held at Sathyam Cinema, 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...
on October 31, 1999 with two songs from the film being performed on stage. The special guests for the event were actor 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...
and actress Sushmita Sen
Sushmita Sen
Sushmita Sen is an Indian actress who appears in mainly Bollywood films. A former model, Sen was crowned Miss Universe in 1994. She was the first Indian woman to win the contest.-Personal life:Sen was born on 19 November 1975....
, who performed an item number
Item number
An item number or an item song, in Indian cinema, is a musical performance that has little to do with the film in which it appears, but is presented to showcase beautiful dancing women in very revealing clothes, to lend support to the marketability of the film...
in the film. The event was well attended by the cast and the crew of the film, with other guests including cinematographer P. C. Sriram
P. C. Sriram
P. C. Sreeram is a cinematographer and film director, educated at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil nadu . P.C. Sreeram is fondly called as PC sir. P.C. Sreeram won appreciations for his various cinematographic works and his directorial venture Kurruthipunal was selected as India's...
, actress Sarika
Sarika
Sarika was born on 3 June 1962 into a Maharashtrian family in New Delhi, India, and became an acclaimed National Award winning Indian actress.-Career:...
and actor Suriya.
The soundtrack features six songs composed 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...
and lyrics penned 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...
. The song "Shakalaka Baby
Shakalaka Baby
"Shakalaka Baby" is a 2002 single by Preeya Kalidas. The song was composed by A. R. Rahman and was initially featured in his 2002 musical Bombay Dreams. It is a reworked version of the track "Shakalaka Baby" from 1999 Tamil film Mudhalvan, a version of which was also featured in the 2001 Bollywood...
" was re-edited by A. R. Rahman and featured on the hit international musical production Bombay Dreams
Bombay Dreams
Bombay Dreams is a Bollywood-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan,and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for two years...
, which ran in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
from 2002 to 2005. This version was also released as a single. A Mandarin Chinese remix of the track sung by Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an singer Kelly Poon
Kelly Poon
Kelly Poon Kar Lai is a Singaporean singer who emerged from one of the Chinese singing competition held in Singapore, Project SuperStar.Kelly Poon graduated from Huamin Primary School, Yishun Town Secondary School and Singapore Polytechnic....
was featured in her album In the Heart of the World
In the Heart of the World
Zai Shijie Zhongxin is the second album by Singaporean singer Kelly Poon, and her first to be released in Taiwan. It was released on September 28, 2007.- Track listing :# It's Not Ending# 完美的默契 # 溺愛...
(2007).
The soundtrack was a phenomenal success and the initial day audio sale alone was more than three lakh units.
| Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|
| "Kurukku Chiruththavale" | 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,... |
| "Mudhalvanae" | 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:... , S. Janaki S. Janaki S. Janaki is an Indian female playback singer. Renowned for her voice modulation abilities, she has sung in many Indian languages, most frequently in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. Throughout a career spanning more than five decades, she has won four National Film Awards and 35... |
| "Uppu Karuvadu" | 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:... , Kavita Krishnamurthy |
| "Azhagana Ratchashiyae" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam S. P. Balasubrahmanyam Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam is a multilingual Indian playback singer, actor, music director, voice actor and a film producer. He is referred to as S. P. B. or Balu by the media. He has won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer six times closely following K. J. Yesudas... , Harini Harini Harini is an Indian film playback singer and classical singer, who sings mainly in Tamil films. She has also sung in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam language films, whilst working with many leading film composers. She is married to another playback singer, Tippu.-Career:Harini learnt Carnatic... , G.V.Prakash 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... |
| "Ulundhu Vithakkaiyilae" | 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:... , Swarnalatha Swarnalatha Swarnalatha was a Indian playback singer. From 1987 onward, she rendered nearly 7000 songs in many languages including Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu, Bengali, Oriya, Punjabi and Badaga.... |
| "Shakalaka Baby Shakalaka Baby "Shakalaka Baby" is a 2002 single by Preeya Kalidas. The song was composed by A. R. Rahman and was initially featured in his 2002 musical Bombay Dreams. It is a reworked version of the track "Shakalaka Baby" from 1999 Tamil film Mudhalvan, a version of which was also featured in the 2001 Bollywood... " |
Vasundhara Das Vasundhara Das Vasundhara Das born 1977, is an Indian singer and actress. She has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films. She is the co-founder of world music band Arya. As a playback singer, she is best remembered for singing "Shakalaka Baby" from the Tamil film Mudhalvan, which was also her debut... , Pravin |