Amaran (2024 Film)

''Amaran'' () is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language biographical action war film written and directed by Rajkumar Periasamy and produced by Raaj Kamal Films International, together with Sony Pictures Films India. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan as Major Mukund Varadarajan, alongside Sai Pallavi as his wife Indhu Rebecca Varghese. It is an adaptation of the book series ''India's Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes'' by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh, which contains a segment based on Mukund. The film follows Indhu Rebecca Varghese who receives the Ashoka Chakra for her late husband Mukund, remembering his journey while on her way.

The film was officially announced in January 2022 under the tentative title ''Sivakarthikeyan 21'', as it is his 21st film as a lead actor, and the official title was announced in February 2024. Principal photography commenced in May 2023 with a sporadic schedule at Kashmir along with a schedule in Chennai, which was again followed by another schedule held at Pondicherry, and wrapped after a year. The film has music composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, cinematography handled by debutant CH Sai and editing by R. Kalaivanan.

''Amaran'' released worldwide on 31 October 2024 in theatres, coinciding with Diwali, to widespread critical acclaim from critics, who praised cast performances, direction, screenplay, and G. V. Prakash's music. It set several box office records, emerging as the second highest-grossing Tamil film of 2024, ninth highest-grossing Indian film of 2024, eighth highest-grossing Tamil film of all time and the sixth highest-grossing film in Tamil Nadu.

Plot

Indhu Rebecca Varghese, the widow of Major Mukund Varadarajan, travels to New Delhi to receive the Ashoka Chakra awarded to her husband posthumously. As she journeys, her memories unfold the story of their life together and the man behind the uniform.

Mukund, a spirited young man from Chennai, is deeply influenced by OTA, Chennai and army officers' uniform. He meets Indhu during his college years—she’s vibrant, principled, and socially conscious. Their connection grows gradually from friendship to love, though not without challenges, especially given Indhu’s initial reservations about the risks involved in being an army wife.

Driven by his commitment to serve the nation, Mukund joins the Indian Army, and his life becomes a blend of rigorous discipline, camaraderie with fellow soldiers, and the longing of separation from Indhu. Despite their geographical distance, their relationship strengthens through letters, video calls, and brief visits.

The narrative then shifts to Mukund’s posting in Kashmir, where insurgency is at its peak. The story doesn’t shy away from the emotional toll and internal conflict soldiers face—especially Mukund, who balances duty and the desire to return to his young daughter and wife. He builds a bond with the local civilians, trying to bridge the divide between the military and the people.

The climax revolves around the Qazipathri Operation in Shopian, Kashmir. Mukund leads a unit tasked with neutralizing a group of heavily armed terrorists hiding in a residential area. Despite the risks, he ensures the safety of civilians and his men. In a final act of bravery, he charges ahead to draw fire away from his unit and is fatally shot. His martyrdom leaves a profound void but also immortalizes his courage.

The film ends with Indhu receiving the Ashoka Chakra with quiet dignity. Through her tears, she finds strength in knowing Mukund lived and died as a true soldier—Amaran, the immortal.

The Real Mukund's picture and the footages shot by Indu about Achamillai song were also shown in credits.

Cast

Production

Development

After the release of ''Rangoon'' in 2017, Rajkumar Periyasamy began working on a new project, which was set to be his second directorial. It was also set to be produced by Kamal Haasan, in his second collaboration with director after the latter previously worked on a reality show, hosted by Haasan. The director, however, changed his mind after he was suggested by Vakil Khan to read one of the chapters from the book series ''India's Most Fearless'' by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh, which is about Major Mukund Varadarajan. Khan further suggested him to make a biographical film about the Major, whereas he would secure the rights of the book from Sony Pictures Films India, who would give the rights and fund the venture. After asking to put their venture on hold, Haasan agreed to Rajkumar's request and also requested himself to jointly fund the biography with Sony Pictures Films India.

Previously, the actor had collaborated with Rajkumar before they both entered in the film industry, where they had worked for private Tamil channels, many projects and shows. The following January, during the finale of ''Bigg Boss'': season 5, Haasan announced the project; however, he did not state that it would be a biographical film of the Major. A few days later, the actor's company, Raaj Kamal Films International, along with Sony Pictures, made a public announcement on 15 January, tentatively titled ''#Sivakarthikeyan21'' and ''Production #51–''for the former company. The film's official title ''Amaran'' was revealed on 16 February 2024, coinciding the eve of Sivakarthikeyan's birthday after Rajkumar had gained permission from the makers of the 1992 film of the same name.

Pre-production

Rajkumar, a few weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic, visited Varadarajan's family and gained information's about the latter's life. During an interview with ''Ananda Vikatan'', he stated that he gained many information from many perspectives, which helped a lot to form the screenplay of the film. Initially, Rajkumar and Haasan scouted for a debut to portray Varadarajan. Until, Mahendran, co-header of Raaj Kamal Films International, suggested Sivakarthikeyan to portray him. To which, Rajkumar forward suggested it to Haasan, and him agreeing.

A muhurat puja was held on 5 May 2023 at the headquarters of Raaj Kamal Films International in Chennai with the film's cast and crew along with Varadarajan's family, including his wife Indhu Rebecca Varghese and daughter. However, their inclusion in the puja were not revealed due not to reveal the film being a biopic of the Major. G. V. Prakash Kumar was chosen to score the music, in his first collaboration with Periyasamy. The director continued to crew production designer Rajeevan, cinematographer CH Sai, editor R. Kalaivanan, duo stunt choreographers Anbariv, dance choreographer Sherif, costume designers Amritha Ram, Sameera Saneesh and V. Sai for the technical crew.

Casting

Sivakarthikeyan underwent immense training for almost a year during the pre-production process for his role as Mukund Varadarajan; he was also disallowed from revealing his hairstyle in public, covering his head with a beanie until the film's first look poster was released. Rajkumar stated that the actor also went through a workshop at Mumbai to change his body-language from a soft-spoken to an Army officer. Sai Pallavi was cast, pairing opposite Sivakarthikeyan, in her first pairing with the actor. She would play the role of Mukund's wife, Indhu Rebecca Varghese, and would receive a remuneration of 3 crore. Bollywood actor Bhuvan Arora was revealed to portray Sepoy Vikram Singh, Mukund's colleague, in his debut Tamil film. He stated that his role was dedicated to his father, who served in the army. Rahul Bose, Ajaey Naga Raaman, Mir Salman, and Gaurav Venkatesh were also confirmed to be part of the cast.

Filming and post-production

Principal photography began with the first schedule on 5 May 2023 at Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The shooting was halted due to G20 summit and security reasons. Filming then resumed by 22 May. Sivakarthikeyan returned to Chennai in late May. After a short break, filming continued on 7 June. Filming was paused on 15 July. On 27 August, the schedule had concluded, which lasted for 75 working days. The second schedule began on 21 October at a film city in Chennai, for filming a song sequence featuring Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi. On 9 November, production moved to Pondicherry. Sivakarthikeyan went clean-shaven in mid-December, for filming Mukund's younger portions. Rajkumar, during an interview with ''Ananda Vikatan'' in February 2024, stated that only minor portions of Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi were left. After a month break, the unit kick-started their final schedule on 26 April 2024, shooting the scenes of Major Mukund and Sepoy Vikram's martyring, on the fateful night of 25 April 2014, during the Qazipathri Operation (Shopian Encounter) involving the Anbariv stunt duo. Filming wrapped by 25 May 2024. The visual effects for the film were handled by Unifi Media.

Music

The soundtrack is composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, in his first collaboration with both Sivakarthikeyan and Rajkumar. The audio rights were acquired by Saregama. Jen Martin scored music for muhurat puja video, which released on 5 May 2023. The track featured the vocals of Jen Martin, Sathya Narayanan, Madhuvanthy Ganesh and Ramani, and lyrics penned by Vishnu Edavan. Rajkumar stated that there are some fast-paced dance numbers in the film. In mid-June, Prakash revealed the musical works of the film were almost completed. The first single, "Hey Minnale," released on 4 October. The second single "Vennilavu Saaral" was released on 17 October. The audio launch was held on 18 October 2024 at Sri Sairam Engineering College in Chennai. The third single "Uyirey" was released on 30 October 2024, whilst the fourth single "Vaane Vaane" and fifth single "Amara" were released respectively on 9 and 11 November 2024, as a part of the extended soundtrack.

Release

Theatrical

''Amaran'' was theatrically released worldwide on 31 October 2024 in theatres, coinciding with Diwali, clashing with ''Brother'' and '' Bloody Beggar''. Apart from its original Tamil language, it was also released in the Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada languages. In the United Kingdom, as well as the rest of the world, the film was released on the same day; however, in a version which was classified 15 by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) for strong violences, injury details and language, following 20 seconds of cuts.

The film received a U/A certification by the Central Board of Film Certification after modifications to gory images, muting language and modifying a wrong map shown during the film. Initially, the film was reportedly scheduled to release on 15 August, coinciding with Independence Day. However, it was soon after reported to have been postponed to 27 September, but was pushed once again to its current date. A special screening was held on 24 October 2024 at New Delhi for the army officials and their family members.

Distribution

Sreshth Movies brought the distribution rights of the film for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 5 crores. Red Giant Movies acquired the distribution rights for Tamil Nadu while Pen Marudhar Entertainment bought the Rights to distribute the Hindi version Along with the North Indian release Home Screen Entertainment bought the overseas distribution rights of the film.

Home media

The digital streaming rights were acquired by Netflix. Initially, the film was reported to be available for streaming at Netflix in November; however, due to the immense success of the film, it was postponed to early December. The film began streaming on Netflix from 5 December 2024 in Tamil and dubbed versions of Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi languages. The satellite rights were acquired by Vijay TV.

Reception

Critical response

''Amaran'' received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised cast performances, direction, screenplay, G. V. Prakash's soundtrack and background score.

Jagadish Angadi of ''Deccan Herald'' gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Sharp editing, gripping pace, engaging narrative and impressive production design make this soul-stirring military drama a perfect family watch." Kirubhakar Purushothaman of ''News18'' gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Rajkumar Periasamy needs a huge salute for making a subtle but incredibly touching ode to a soldier. ..''Amaran'' doesn't rely on easy gimmicks; instead, it builds genuine heroic moments, with Sivakarthikeyan delivering a restrained yet powerful performance." Avinash Ramachandran of ''The Indian Express'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "With wonderful performances by Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, ''Amaran'' is a poignant yet powerful tale about Major Mukund Varadarajan's love for India, and his wife Indhu."

Roopa Radhakrishnan of ''The Times of India'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "''Amaran'' is a worthy tribute to the legacy of Major Mukund Varadarajan. Even with all the glitches in between, the film makes us cherish and celebrate Mukund and the courageous officer he was." Janani K of ''India Today'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "''Amaran'' is a beautiful, emotional and intriguing ode to Major Mukund Varadarajan and army men like him. Watch out for the emotional sequences throughout the film." Kusumika Das of ''Times Now'' gave 3/5 stars and wrote, "Rajkumar Periasamy's direction, combined with strong performances by Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, make ''Amaran'' a must-watch for those interested in stories of patriotism, love, and sacrifice."

Gopinath Rajendran of ''The Hindu'' wrote "A pacy screenplay, marvellous performances and excellent technical prowess make ''Amaran'' a brilliant ode to the resilient families who love their bravehearts." Goutham S of ''Pinkvilla'' wrote "''Amaran'' is truly an immortal tale of a soldier whose legacy will pass on as an inspiration for many leaders and soldiers. With strong performances and characterizations, this biographical war film is worth a watch on the big screens." Latha Srinivasan of ''Hindustan Times'' wrote "''Amaran'' is a wonderful tribute to those serving in the army and their families and is a stark reminder that our freedom exists because of their sacrifices. One walks away from ''Amaran'' with a heavy heart for those who lost loved ones on the battlefield and yet, happy that their legacy will never go unknown and be immortalized on the silver screen thanks to directors like Rajkumar."

Mukund's Commanding officer, Amit Dabbas, had expressed his gratitude to the team of the film and also requested the viewers to appreciate the strength of the people who serve the country.

Box office

''Amaran'' grossed worldwide on its opening day, which was the fourth highest first day gross for a Tamil film of 2024 and the highest of Sivakarthikeyan. The film surpassed ''Raayan'' to become the third biggest opening for a Tamil film in 2024, behind ''The Greatest of All Time'' and ''Vettaiyan''. The film crossed in three days, earning over from Tamil Nadu becoming the fastest film of Sivakarthikeyan to reach the 100 crore mark.

It grossed an estimated worldwide from its opening weekend of four days, becoming the highest opening weekend gross for the actor. Beating ''Don'' (2022), it also became the highest-grossing film of Sivakarthikeyan. The film crossed the mark in India on its sixth day of release, and the 1 million mark in North America on its fifth day, becoming the first film of the actor to do both. On its tenth day of release, it crossed the mark in Tamil Nadu, beating ''Vettaiyan'', and the crore mark worldwide, becoming the first film of Sivakarthikeyan to do so. It concluded its run with worldwide gross estimated to be ₹300–335 crore.

Controversies

Members of the Tamilaga Makkal Jananayaga Katchi (TMJK) protested in Tirunelveli, Tiruppur, Vellore and Cuddalore on 21 February 2024, alleging that the promotional teaser, released on Sivakarthikeyan's birthday, portrayed Muslims in a "bad light", and also demanded a stall on the film's release.

A section of people had criticised the film for not mentioning Mukund's caste, Brahmin, in the film. Rajkumar, at the success meet, stated that it was not shown on the request of Mukund's parents.

In the film, a short sequence featuring a number which was said to be not legible, was actually the number of Vaaseegan V. V., a city student. Receiving many unwanted calls from the film's viewers, he attempted to reach the makers of the film, however, he was unable to do so. Although he had flagged to his service provider, Airtel India, actions are yet to be done. Following a few days, Vaaseegan sent a legal notice to the makers, demanding in compensation. The makers of ''Amaran'' later apologised and masked Vaaseegan's number in the film.

Kamal Haasan's decision to not invite media to the 100 day success meet was rebuked since netizens alleged that the media had an important role in the film's success.

Notes

References

External links

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{{Raaj Kamal Films International

2020s action war films
2020s biographical films
2020s Indian films
2020s Tamil-language films
2024 controversies
Biographical action films
Biographical films about military personnel
Cultural depictions of Indian people
Films based on non-fiction books
Films scored by G. V. Prakash Kumar
Films set in Jammu and Kashmir
Films shot in Chennai
Films shot in Jammu and Kashmir
Films shot in Puducherry
Films shot in Srinagar
Indian action war films
Indian Army in films
Indian biographical films
Islam-related controversies in Asia
Kashmir conflict in films
Religious controversies in film
Religious controversies in India
Tamil-language Indian films