Anjathey

''Anjathe'' ( ) is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Mysskin and produced by Nemichand Jhabak. The film stars Narain, Prasanna, Ajmal Ameer, and Vijayalakshmi. It was released on 15 February 2008 and became a success at the box office. The film is also recognised as an example of Tamil new wave cinema from its composition of frames, selection of shots and its counter meaning in narration. The film was remade in Kannada as '' Anjadiru'' (2009).

Plot

Sathyavan and Kripakaran are close friends living opposite each other in the police quarters in Chennai. Sathya is a rowdy, wasting his time drinking merrily and getting involved in petty fights. Though he and Kripa pass college with a first-class degree, Sathya has no interest in joining the police force. Kripa studies hard to become a Sub-Inspector and challenges Sathya to do the same. One day, Sathya gets into a big fight and his father bashes him. He brandishes Sathya and says that Kripa is the son he would rather have. Feeling insulted, Sathya enrolls for the Sub-Inspector exam at the last minute. His cousin's husband is the PA for a minister, and Sathya seeks out his help. Owing to his uncle's political connections, he passes the physical, written, and interview and becomes an SI. However, Kripa does not make it through despite being straightforward; this immediately creates a rift between the two. Sathya goes to training while Kripa's dad suffers a heart attack. Months later, Sathya is posted to a nearby station and returns home. Kripa's father lies to Sathya that he has gone to Mumbai, but Sathya finds him in the local bar, having become a drunkard.

The parallel is the story of Deena Dayalan and Loganathan, who extort money from businessmen through kidnappings. Before Sathya becomes a policeman, he beats up Daya for attempting to molest Kripa's sister Uthra, though none, including Kripa, knows of this.

Sathya gains fame by holding off knife-wielding men who come to kill an injured man at a hospital, though the man is killed later in the night. As a result, Sathya is drafted into a special task force to catch the gang members related to the crime. Meanwhile, Daya and Logu carry out two kidnappings, rape the victims on both occasions, and release them for ransom money. Kripa is beaten up by the police for a skirmish at the local bar; his father suffers a heart attack after getting his son back from the police station. At this point of time, Kripa is employed by Daya, mainly because the former is distraught and will fall easily to the lure of money and booze. In the third time, however, the police are informed, but the kidnappers find out by chance and change the drop off point at the last moment. They give the police the slip but narrowly avoid capture, with Kripa providing shelter for them in his house. Kripa joins along to get money for his father's angioplasty, though he does not realise until it is too late that he is doing illegal things and harming young children.

Meanwhile, Sathya identifies Daya from the characteristics, with a background check revealing that Daya was accused of raping his senior's daughter in the army. Daya, Logu, and their accomplices are again almost caught when the police trace one of the accomplice's families. Daya kills his own man during this raid to avoid information being passed, and hatches a plan to escape to Bihar in a poultry van. Logu is killed by Daya upon learning that the former had hatched a plan to kill him. However, to escape to the city outskirts to rendezvous with the van, they hijack the Inspector-General's car with his two daughters inside. Switching soon to a disguised-dog van to get past check-posts with the two girls, Daya, Kripa, and another accomplice arrive at a sugarcane field. Sathya recognises Kripa's voice from the ransom call he makes to the IG, and follows Uthra from the hospital, who has been instructed to bring a bag full of cash from their home (kept there by Daya), to the sugarcane field.

The plot to kidnap the IG's daughters is an elaborate ruse to divert the police force to the south of the city while they escape from the north. The special task force, who are in the south of the city, realise the plot and, upon learning that Sathya is alone in the north of the city, head in that direction. In the sugarcane fields, Kripa shows compassion towards the two girls, treating them softly. Upon hearing some noise in the field, Daya splits the group, doing so to meet up directly with Uthra, who has the money. He tries to rape her, but Sathya intervenes. A fist fight ensures, but the special task force comes upon them and kills Daya by setting it up as an encounter.

The two girls split and escape from the third accomplice, only for one of them to be recaptured by him, but is let off being too tiring to carry. Kripa and the third accomplice try to run away, with Uthra behind him. Just as he leaves her to escape, she reveals that she is in love with Sathya and uses the situation to handcuff herself to Kripa to avoid him from escaping. In the end, Sathya shoots Kripa in self-defense and to save one of the IG's daughters from being shot. When Kripa lies on Sathya's lap shot, Kripa finds a ring he once gifted to Sathya on his birthday, which Kripa believed was thrown away by Sathya when he was drunk while partying at the bar, which in turn wets Kripa's eye and dies. The ending scenes of the film show Sathya and Uthra getting married and having a son, whom they name Kripa.

Cast

Production

After Mysskin had completed and released his maiden venture '' Chithiram Pesuthadi'' in 2006, he wrote the script for '' Nandalala'' for eight months, which was supposed to be his next directorial. A. M. Rathnam was initially to produce the film, for which his son Ravi Krishna was to play the lead role. Despite completing a photo shoot with Ravi Krishna, the film was shelved, since Rathnam opted out after incurring heavy losses with his previous productions. Mysskin decided to postpone the project, since "nobody was interested", and instead wrote a new story and commenced a new project, ''Anjathe'' with 4.5 crore budget, which itself was a result of Mysskin's anger. ''Nandalala'' was initially meant to Sneghidha's debut Tamil film, but with the film getting postponed, she made her first appearance in ''Anjathe'' that Mysskin decided to direct instead. Before the title ''Anjathe'' was finalised, it was titled ''Aruvathu Sinam'' (), and ''Sathya Sodhanai'' ().

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Sundar C. Babu.

Critical reception

Nandhu Sundaram of ''Rediff.com'' gave the film 4 out of 5 and wrote, "This is the year's best Tamil movie so far and will remain among its best. This is also the work of an ambitious and stridently commercial director, who is at the peak of his game". ''Sify'' wrote, "The canvass is engaging and thrilling as ysskinis able to bring out the moods, anxieties and sheer dread of the characters due to top of the line performances from his lead actors". Malathi Rangarajan of ''The Hindu'' wrote, "Though Mahesh Muthusami's penchant for darkness suits the mood, at times it's a strain. But his unique choice of angles helps Mysskin create the right impact", also appreciating the editing by Sadagopan Ramesh and art direction by Amaran. Karthik of '' Milliblog'' wrote, "While I did enjoy Mysskin's film making style – an impoverished version of Gautam Menon, if I could describe it – ''Anjaadhey'' is a drab for most parts and definitely lacks the stupendous impact of the film maker's debut".

Accolades

References

Bibliography

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External links

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2000s Indian films
2000s police films
2000s Tamil-language films
2000s vigilante films
2008 action thriller films
2008 films
Fictional portrayals of the Tamil Nadu Police
Films about child abduction in India
Films about child abuse
Films about kidnapping in India
Films about rape in India
Films directed by Mysskin
Films scored by Sundar C. Babu
Films shot in Chennai
Indian action thriller films
Indian neo-noir films
Indian police films
Indian vigilante films
Tamil films remade in other languages
Tamil-language action thriller films
Tamil-language Indian films