Seethakaathi
| Seethakaathi | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Balaji Tharaneetharan |
| Written by | Balaji Tharaneetharan |
| Produced by | Sudhan Sundaram Umesh G. Jayaram Arun Vaidyanathan |
| Starring | Vijay Sethupathi Mouli Archana |
| Cinematography | Saraskanth T. K. |
| Edited by | R. Govindaraj |
| Music by | Govind Vasantha |
Production company | Passion Studios |
| Distributed by | Trident Arts |
Release date |
|
Running time | 173 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Seethakaathi is a 2018 Tamil-language comedy drama film written and directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan, starring Vijay Sethupathi in his 25th lead role in a film.[1] The film began production in April 2017.[2] Upon release the film received very positive reviews from critics but they criticised the runtime of the film.[3]
Plot
[edit]Ayya Aadhimoolam is a veteran theater actor who refuses to act in films because he only wants to act in front of a live audience. In recent years, due to films and various other means, Ayya's plays have attracted a meager audience which bothers him. During an act of Sujatha's Oonjal, Ayya dies. After his death, Ayya's assistant Parasuraman and his troupe decide to stage plays frequently. During Panjali Sabadham's rehearsals, Parasuraman observed that two actors performed significantly better than usual. During the play, he observes that Saravanan, a budding actor performs beyond expectations and also bows to the audience even when the curtains are closed. Parasuraman affirms that Ayya's spirit is still acting.
Saravanan's performance is also observed by Thyagu, a film director on the lookout for the male lead for his next film. He is convinced by Parasuraman that it was Ayya who acted through Saravanan. Thyagu signs Saravanan on in the hope that Ayya will act. Ayya acts through Saravanan and the film becomes a success making Saravanan a sought-after actor. It is revealed that Ayya acted in the film because he liked the story of the film.
Saravanan signs a film without Parasuraman's knowledge who selects the script for him. During director Sundar's shoot, Ayya's spirit suddenly stops acting after which it is revealed to the public that Ayya acted in the films which featured Saravanan as the lead.
Various producers approach Ayya for their film and Parasumaran selects the scripts of the film based on content. This makes Ayya a huge superstar in Tamil Cinema. A producer Dhanapal wants Ayya to act in his film but doesn't reveal that he inserts action and song sequences.
When Parasumaran discovers Dhanapal's involvement in this, he is aghast. Afterward, due to Dhanapal's deception, Ayya stops acting permanently but Dhanapal who wants to complete his film at any cost pressurizes Parasumaran and Ayya's family. After complaining, the Producers' Council alleges that Ayya didn't act in the first place and that they are fraudsters. The case goes to court where Ayya's family gets footage of Dhanapal's film. Dhanapal alleges that they stole his film but the film is presented as an exhibit for the Judge who observes Dhanapal's acting and tells him to act in the film but Dhanapal refuses to act which implies that Ayya acted in the film. The Judge concludes that a man cannot be separated from his art and Ayya though not here somewhere is there for his art. After the case ends, a statue commemorating Ayya is consecrated in front of his theater. Elsewhere, a school play is shown where the lead actor bows down for a long time implying that Ayya's spirit is still alive.
Cast
[edit]- Vijay Sethupathi as "Ayya" Aadhimoolam
- Archana as Lakshmi
- Mouli as Parasuraman
- Prakash Raj as a lawyer
- Mahendran as a judge
- Sunil Reddy as Dhanapal
- Ramya Nambeesan as herself
- Gayathrie as herself
- Parvatii Nair as herself
- Diksha Panth as herself
- Karunakaran as an advocate
- Sha Ra as Muthu
- Bagavathi Perumal as Sundar
- Rajkumar as Saravanan
- Chinni Jayanth as Thangavel
- Suhashini Sanjeev as Mohana
- Sutharshi as Punitha
- G. M. Sundar as Dhanapal's lawyer
- Vetrimani
- Deekay
- Socrates
- K. V. N. Manimekalai
- Subhashree
- Govind Vasantha
- Winner Ramachandran
- Ram as himself
- Baradwaj Rangan as himself
- Bava Chelladurai as himself
- K. Bhagyaraj in a cameo in award function
- Bharathiraja as himself (cameo appearance)
Production
[edit]Following the success of Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012), director Balaji Tharaneetharan began working on his next project titled Seethakaathi.[4] In an interview during January 2014, Balaji revealed that the film would be based on artists and would not be related to the tale of the philanthropist of the same name.[5][6] After postponing work on the film to complete the romantic comedy Oru Pakka Kathai (2017), Balaji revived Seethakaathi in April 2017 and announced that Vijay Sethupathi would portray the leading role.[7] Produced by Sudhan Sundaram, Umesh, Jayaram and Arun Vaidyanathan of Passion Studios who earlier produced Nibunan, the film would mark the actor's 25th film.[8][9] After roping in Remya Nambeesan and Gayathrie, the team signed veteran director Mahendran.[10] Newcomer Sunil Reddy was signed to play the antagonist.[11][12]
Soundtrack
[edit]The soundtrack album is composed by Govind Vasantha of '96 fame, with lyrics written by Thiyagarajan Kumararaja, Madhan Karky, Karthik Netha and Yugabharathi. This is his fourth film as composer. Junglee Music secured the audio rights. The first single track "Ayya" sung by Vijay Prakash was released on 15 October 2018. The second single "Avan" sung by Harish Sivaramakrishnan was released on 30 November 2018. The third single, an instrumental track "The Journey of Ayya" was released on 6 December 2018. The fourth single "Kozhi Onnu" sung by Pushpavanam Kuppuswamy was released on 14 December 2018. The complete soundtrack album, with seven tracks, and instrumentals were released on 17 December 2018.[citation needed]
| Seethakaathi | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 17 December 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Studio | 20db Studios, Chennai Seed Studios, Chennai Rajiv Menon Studio, Chennai | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Language | Tamil | |||
| Label | Junglee Music | |||
| Producer | Govind Vasantha | |||
| Govind Vasantha chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Seethakaathi | ||||
| ||||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ayya" | Thiagarajan Kumararaja | Vijay Prakash | 3:13 |
| 2. | "Avan" | Madhan Karky | Harish Sivaramakrishnan | 5:03 |
| 3. | "Uyir" | Karthik Netha | Govind Vasantha | 3:15 |
| 4. | "Kozhi Onnu" | Yugabharathi | Pushpavanam Kuppusamy | 2:21 |
| 5. | "Isai" (Instrumental) | Vishnu Vijay | 4:47 | |
| 6. | "The Journey Of Ayya" (Instrumental) | Vijay Prakash | 4:06 | |
| 7. | "Theme Of Seethakaathi" (Instrumental) | Vijay Prakash | 2:49 |
Release
[edit]The film, scheduled to release on 16 November 2018, was postponed to a later date following TFPC committee and actor Udhaya's request.[13][14] The makers finally confirmed that the film will be released on 20 December 2018 through the release of third look poster. Earlier, the Tamil Nadu wing of the Indian National League, a political party, had objected to the title and asked the film team to "immediately change the name of the movie," saying Seethakaathi was the name of a renowned Muslim poet.[15][16]
A wax statue of Vijay Sethupathi's character was unveiled at Express Avenue Mall in Chennai and the occasion was marked by a grand event promoted by the producers of the film. The satellite rights of the film were sold to STAR Vijay.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Seethakaathi first look: Vijay Sethupathi undergoes a stunning makeover for his 25th film". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
- ^ "Press release of Seethakathi directed by Balaji Tharaneetharan". kollywoodtoday.net. 17 April 2017. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "Seethakathi movie review: Vijay Sethupathi's quirky meta film celebrates art in the most entertaining way". firstpost.com. 19 December 2018. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ "Vijay Sethupathi's next film titled Seethakathi". Behindwoods. 11 April 2017. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- ^ "All you want to know about Oru Pakka Kathai". newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom fame Balaji Tharaneetharan's next titled Seethakathi". behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "Balaji Tharaneetharan Revives 'Seethakathi' With Vijay Sethupathi In The Lead – Silverscreen.in". silverscreen.in. 13 April 2017. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "Reunion with Vijay Sethupathi beyond emotional connect: Balaji". indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "Vijay Sethupathi is an actor in Seethakathi". Deccan Chronicle. 16 April 2017. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "Vijay Sethupathi's 25th film gets one more big attraction". Top 10 Cinema. 19 April 2017. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Vaibhav's brother, Sunil plays the antagonist in Seethakaathi". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ Subramanian, Anupama (22 November 2018). "Vaibhav's brother turns baddie in Vijay Sethupthi film". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ "Seethakathi and Adangamaru release postponed". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "@ACTOR_UDHAYAA thanking the entire team of #Seethakaathi & #Adangamaru for moving release date to later. #UtharavuMaharajafromNOV16". Twitter. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "Seethakathi in trouble: Indian National League asks makers to change title". Archived from the original on 21 April 2019.
- ^ "Indian National League Asks Seethakaathi Team To Change Title". Archived from the original on 21 April 2019.
- ^ "SEETHAKAATHI TV RIGHTS BAGGED BY THIS TOP CHANNEL!". Behindwoods. 12 December 2018. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
External links
[edit]- Seethakaathi at IMDb