''Chekka Chivantha Vaanam'' () is a 2018 Indian
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
-language
crime drama film
Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as drama or gangster film, but al ...
directed by
Mani Ratnam
Gopalaratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films.
H ...
, co-written with
Siva Ananth. Produced by Ratnam under the banner
Madras Talkies
Madras Talkies is an Indian entertainment company, which was established by director Mani Ratnam and his brother G. Srinivasan as partners in 1995. Madras Talkies has actively involved in production of films and television serials, which are d ...
, along with
Lyca Productions
Lyca Productions () is an Indian entertainment company founded by Subaskaran Allirajah in 2014. Subaskaran Allirajah is a British citizen of Sri Lanka Tamil ethnicity. A subsidiary of Lycamobile (part of the Lyca Group), the studio has been i ...
, the film stars
Arvind Swamy
Arvind Swamy (born 18 June 1970) is an Indian actor, film director and entrepreneur known for his work in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi cinema, Telugu cinema and Malayalam cinema. He was introduced as an actor by Mani Ratnam with the blockbuste ...
,
Silambarasan
Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar (born 3 February 1984), popularly known as Simbu or by his initials as STR, is an Indian actor, producer, and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is the eldest son of director T. Rajendar. ...
,
Arun Vijay
Arun Vijay (born 19 November 1977), formerly known as Arun Kumar, is an Indian actor who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He also starred in a few films in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.
Born as Arun Kumar and being the only son of veteran actor ...
and
Vijay Sethupathi
Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu (born 16 January 1978) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema, Tamil films. Sethupathi is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Awards, National F ...
, with
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Telugu language, Telugu, Tamil language, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English language, Engl ...
,
Jyothika
Jyothika Saravanan (; born 18 October 1978) is an Indian actress and producer who primarily works in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She has received several accolades including a National Film Award, five Filmfare Awards South, four Tamil N ...
,
Aishwarya Rajesh
Aishwarya Rajesh (born 10 January 1990) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. Aishwarya is a recipient of several awards including two Filmfare Award South, one Tamil Nadu State Film Award and fo ...
,
Aditi Rao Hydari
Aditi Rao Hydari (born 28 October 1986) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi cinema, Hindi, Tamil cinema, Tamil, and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. Born into the Tyabji family, Tyabji–Hydari family, she made her acting debut with the Mal ...
, Dayana Erappa,
Jayasudha
Jayasudha Kapoor (born Sujatha Nidudavolu), known mononyomusly as Jayasudha is an Indian actress and politician known for her works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She has also worked in few Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films. Known ...
,
Thyagarajan and
Mansoor Ali Khan. It tells the story of three brothers who engage in a power struggle for control over their deceased father's criminal empire.
The project was kick-started with
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...
and
Santhosh Sivan as the music composer and the cinematographer, respectively. The team spent nearly six months choosing the cast and crew, respectively, with subsequent changes.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
of the film commenced in February 2018 and filming continuously took place on
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
,
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
,
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
and
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
until June. The soundtrack and background score were composed by A. R. Rahman, while Santosh Sivan handled the cinematography and
Sreekar Prasad edited the film.
''Chekka Chivantha Vaanam'' was released on 27 September 2018 to positive reception from critics and audiences, praising the direction and performances of the cast, but criticising it for lacking strong women characters. ''Chekka Chivantha Vaanam'' won two awards at the
Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards
The Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards are annual awards in recognition for cinematic merit in the Tamil film industry. The awards ceremony is presented by the Tamil language weekly magazine ''Ananda Vikatan''. The awards were introduced in the year ...
, and one award each at the Behindwoods Gold Medal Film Festival, and
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards is the annual film festival conducted in Oslo to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Tamil film industry. NTFF was arranged for the first time in 2010 by VN Music Dreams. NTFF i ...
, while it was nominated for the
8th South Indian International Movie Awards
The 8th South Indian International Movie Awards is an awards event held at Qatar on 15–16 August 2019. SIIMA 2019 recognized the best films and performances from the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films and music released in 2018, along ...
.
Plot
In
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
, although being escorted by heavily armed bodyguards, two assassins disguised as police ambush Senapathi, a sixty-year-old
crime boss
A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, mafia don, mob boss, kingpin, or godfather is the leader of a criminal organization.
Description
A crime boss has absolute or nearly absolute control over the other members of the organization and is ...
, and his wife, Lakshmi, but they manage to sustain themselves with wounds. Their daughter and three sons are acquainted with the news. Varadharajan or Varadhan, the impulsive eldest son, oversees a significant part of his father's empire in Chennai; married to his maternal uncle Chezhiyan's daughter, Chitra, he is the father of three but indulges in an
extra-marital affair with a reporter Parvathi. Thyagarajan, also known as Thyagu, the second son, operates his
hawala business in
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
with
Arab people
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
and
launders his father's income. Thyagu is married to Renu and has two kids, while Ethirajan alias Ethi, Senapathi's youngest son who administers an independent arms business in
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
, is committed to Chaaya. Senapathi's daughter Priya, married to a
Coimbatore
Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...
-based industrialist, is expectant. Thyagu, his family, Ethi and Priya return home to check on their parents. Varadhan insists his friend
Inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.
Australia
The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...
Rasool Ibrahim, suspended for violating human rights, on tracking the assassins. He strongly suspects Senapathi's longtime rival, Chinnappadasan, is the potential mastermind behind the hit.
In a meeting with Senapathi's sons, Chinnappadasan denies involvement in the attack, but Varadhan proceeds to murder his son-in-law. Outraged, Chinnappadasan dispatches men to execute Varadhan, Thyagu and Ethi. A gunman attempts to shoot Thyagu in the lawn; a mob tries to bring Ethi down while he is involved in a football match while some gangsters ambush Varadhan's car. The three of them manage to survive the strike. Recently discharged from the hospital, Senapathi finds peace with Chinnappadasan at the naming ceremony hosted for Priya's child and tells him he knows the real mastermind. He later lets Lakshmi know that one of their sons is behind the attack; Thyagu and his family return to Dubai while Ethi returns to Serbia. Senapathi soon dies of
stroke
Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
. Varadhan takes over the reins and ceases the transaction of money to fund Thyagu's deals, and the police imprison Renu on false charges. Chaaya is assassinated shortly after her wedding with Ethi.
In tandem, Ethi and Thyagu oath vengeance on terms that Thyagu will take over the empire after accomplishing their task. They try to return home through
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
, but Varadhan's henchmen detain them at the airport; Ethi and Thyagu defeat them, notify Varadhan of their impending arrival, escape and reach Chennai. They subjugate Varadhan by manipulating his men, promising better wages and facilities; they kill Chezhiyan, and Ethi seizes Parvathi. Ethi bribes Rasool to work for him. Dreading harm to his kids, Varadhan sends them off to live with Priya and her husband in Coimbatore, and he flees with Chitra and a group of trusted accomplices from Chennai. While hiding in
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
, a shootout ensues, in which a bullet hits Chitra. In the hospital, Varadhan confesses to a dying Chitra that he hired assassins to kill Senapathi to assume control of his empire. With Rasool's assistance, Ethi and Thyagu capture Varadhan.
Amidst the confrontation, Thyagu murders Varadhan for incarcerating Renu and subsequently, Ethi aims the gun at Thyagu for Chaaya's assassination. As soon as Thyagu discloses that he did it to create a rift between Ethi and Varadhan, the former kills him. Later, Ethi asks Rasool to either bite the dust or join him; stalling him, Rasool reveals how his father, a gangster, was gunned down at the
Chennai international airport
Chennai International Airport is an international airport serving the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in Tirusulam in Chengalpattu district, in the Greater Chennai Metropolitan Area around southwest of the c ...
in his and his mother's presence and how his mother, fearing for his safety, sent him to his aunt and uncle before killing herself. He has developed a hatred against the criminals stemming from his childhood trauma; he divulges that he is an undercover cop tasked with eliminating Senapathi's empire, and the split between the brothers eased his attempts to abolish Senapathi's criminal empire. Rasool then guns down Ethi and reports to his superiors that ''Operation Red Sky'' has been accomplished.
Cast
Production
Development
Following a brief break after the release of ''
Kaatru Veliyidai
''Kaatru Veliyidai'' () is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language romantic war film, produced, written and directed by Mani Ratnam. Made under the Madras Talkies banner, it features music composed by A. R. Rahman, cinematography by Ravi Varman and editin ...
'' (2017), Mani Ratnam chose to begin pre-production on his next film by June 2017 and brought in composer A. R. Rahman and cinematographer
Santosh Sivan
Santosh Sivan ISC (born 8 February 1964) is an Indian cinematographer, film director, producer and actor known for his works in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi cinema. Santosh graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India and has, to ...
for the project. In a 2022 interview with journalist Sudhir Srinivasan, Ratnam revealed that
Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's battle for the throne was the inspiration for the film.
Cast and crew
In July 2017, reports in the media suggested that the film would feature four male characters, and actors
Vijay Sethupathi
Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu (born 16 January 1978) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema, Tamil films. Sethupathi is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Awards, National F ...
,
Arvind Swami,
Fahadh Faasil
Abdul Hameed Mohammed Fahad Fazil (born 8 August 1982), professionally known as Fahadh Faasil, is an Indian actor and producer who primarily works in Malayalam films. Noted for his diverse portrayals, Fahadh is among the highest-paid and most ...
and
Dulquer Salmaan
Dulquer Salmaan (; born 28 July 1983) is an Indian actor, singer and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. One of the highest paid Malayalam actors, Salmaan is a recipient of several awards including five Film ...
were in negotiations to play various roles. While the first three actors eventually accepted to work on the film, discussions with Dulquer fell through.
Silambarasan
Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar (born 3 February 1984), popularly known as Simbu or by his initials as STR, is an Indian actor, producer, and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is the eldest son of director T. Rajendar. ...
later signed the film in early September 2017, and an official announcement from the production studio confirmed the four lead actors were attached to the project. Telugu actor
Nani had also held discussions with Mani Ratnam for a role in the film, but was later not included in the final cast. Prior to the beginning of the shoot, Silambarasan undertook a weight loss regimen to get into shape for his character. In the months leading up to the start of the shoot, there was speculation in the media that Silambarasan would be banned from the project after allegations were made by producer
Michael Rayappan about the actor's non co-operation during the making of ''
Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan
''Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan'' (), also known as ''AAA'', is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language romantic action comedy film, directed by Adhik Ravichandran and produced by S. Michael Rayappan. The film stars Silambarasan in dual roles, alon ...
'' (2017). Despite protests from other film producers, Ratnam chose to retain Silambarasan in the film. In a media interaction during January 2018, Sethupathi confirmed that he would portray a full-length role, denying reports which suggested that he had a cameo appearance. Fahadh later opted out due to scheduling conflicts, and was later replaced by Arun Vijay.
Jyothika
Jyothika Saravanan (; born 18 October 1978) is an Indian actress and producer who primarily works in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She has received several accolades including a National Film Award, five Filmfare Awards South, four Tamil N ...
agreed to portray a leading female role in early September 2017, and confirmed her participation to the media while promoting ''
Magalir Mattum'' (2017). She had earlier appeared in Mani Ratnam's production venture ''
Dumm Dumm Dumm'' (2001), but stated her excitement at being selected in a film to be directed by him. Likewise,
Aishwarya Rajesh
Aishwarya Rajesh (born 10 January 1990) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. Aishwarya is a recipient of several awards including two Filmfare Award South, one Tamil Nadu State Film Award and fo ...
also revealed her presence in the project during early September 2017, and expressed her delight working with Ratnam. In late January 2018,
Aditi Rao Hydari
Aditi Rao Hydari (born 28 October 1986) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi cinema, Hindi, Tamil cinema, Tamil, and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. Born into the Tyabji family, Tyabji–Hydari family, she made her acting debut with the Mal ...
, who had appeared as the lead actress of Mani Ratnam's previous project ''
Kaatru Veliyidai
''Kaatru Veliyidai'' () is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language romantic war film, produced, written and directed by Mani Ratnam. Made under the Madras Talkies banner, it features music composed by A. R. Rahman, cinematography by Ravi Varman and editin ...
'' (2017), was also confirmed to be a part of the cast. Model Dayana Erappa also later joined the cast to play the fourth leading actress, marking her first acting assignment. She was cast after two rounds of auditions and then prepared for her role by attending workshops led by theater actors in Mumbai.
For a supporting role, actress
Jayasudha
Jayasudha Kapoor (born Sujatha Nidudavolu), known mononyomusly as Jayasudha is an Indian actress and politician known for her works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She has also worked in few Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films. Known ...
agreed to work on the film in November 2017, while
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Telugu language, Telugu, Tamil language, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English language, Engl ...
joined the cast during the following month to portray her husband. The production house revealed that actors
Thiagarajan
Thiagarajan Sivanandam (born 21 June 1946) is an Indian actor, film director and film producer in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil, he has acted in several Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi films. He is the father of Tamil actor Prashanth, son- ...
and
Mansoor Ali Khan were also added to the cast before filming started. Furthermore, other supporting actors including
Cheenu Mohan
Cheenu Mohan (17 May 1956 – 27 December 2018) was an Indian actor who appeared in Tamil language films and plays. He acted in films including '' Thalapathi'' (1991) and ''Iraivi'' (2016).
Career
Mohan began his career as a stage actor in the ...
and Malayalam actor
Antony Varghese were reported to have signed to play characters in the film, though Varghese was later replaced by
Appani Sarath.
Chennai-based radio jockey Sindhu also debuted as an actress, during the first schedule. Siva Ananth was credited as the co-writer, while
Bejoy Nambiar
Bejoy Nambiar (born 12 April 1979) is an Indian film director, and screenwriter known for his work in Bollywood. He is mostly known for his critically acclaimed short films, ''Rahu'' and '' Reflections'', starring Mohanlal. He was the winner o ...
worked as one of the creative producers.
Dhilip Subbarayan was signed to choreograph the stunt sequences, while
Sharmishta Roy and
Eka Lakhani
Eka Lakhani (born 1987) is an Indian fashion costume designer, who has worked in the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu film industries. After beginning her career as an intern on the sets of ''Raavan (2010 film), Raavan'' (2010), she has become director Ma ...
were signed as the production designer and costume designer, respectively.
Filming
In late January 2018, before the start of the shoot,
Lyca Productions
Lyca Productions () is an Indian entertainment company founded by Subaskaran Allirajah in 2014. Subaskaran Allirajah is a British citizen of Sri Lanka Tamil ethnicity. A subsidiary of Lycamobile (part of the Lyca Group), the studio has been i ...
agreed to purchase the rights of the film on a "first copy" basis and release it worldwide. Three days before the start of the shoot in February 2018, the film's title was announced as ''Chekka Chivantha Vaanam'' in Tamil, and as ''Nawab'' for the dubbed Telugu version.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
began on 12 February 2018 on the outskirts of Chennai, with scenes shot on the
East Coast Road
East Coast Road (ECR), combination of SH-49, NH-332A, NH-32, officially known as Mutthamizh Arignar Kalaignar Road, is a two-lane highway (now being partially widened to four lanes from Chennai to Mamallapuram) in Tamil Nadu, India, built alo ...
and at the Apollo Hospital in
Vanagaram during the first schedule. A second schedule began on 26 February 2018, with all members of the cast intermittently featuring in the shoot. As the second schedule progressed, cinematographer Santosh Sivan released images of the various actors on the sets of the film. The shoot continued in Chennai until mid-March, with a wedding scene, also shot, before being halted as a result of a film industry-wide production strike announced by the Tamil Film Producers Council, who were campaigning against extortionate rates employed by digital service providers.
Following the strike, production resumed in Chennai on 25 April 2018, with scenes involving Vijay Sethupathi being shot near Kovalam Beach in Chennai. Media reports emerged suggesting that the production team had carelessly littered areas of the beach during the making of the film, making it dangerous for public use, but executive producer Siva Ananth refuted the allegations. In May 2018, the team travelled to
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
and
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
to shoot scenes involving Arun Vijay and Aishwarya Rajesh, as a part of three week schedule. The final schedule featuring Silambarasan was completed over a week in
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
and principal photography subsequently wrapped on 2 June 2018.
Music
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...
began composing the film on a recce to
Goa
Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
on early February 2018, with Mani Ratnam and lyricist
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramasamy (born 13 July 1953) is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist working in the Tamil film industry. He is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world. A master's graduate from the Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai, he firs ...
. The album was released on 5 September 2018 by
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
, and Rahman gave a live performance of the songs.
Release
The official first-look poster of the film was released on 9 February 2018, revealing the title and main cast of this project. Mani Ratnam launched the first look in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
and dubbed
Telugu, on his official
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
handle. On 3 August 2018, a poster was released on the Twitter handle of
Lyca Productions
Lyca Productions () is an Indian entertainment company founded by Subaskaran Allirajah in 2014. Subaskaran Allirajah is a British citizen of Sri Lanka Tamil ethnicity. A subsidiary of Lycamobile (part of the Lyca Group), the studio has been i ...
, revealing that the film will be released on 28 September 2018. On 12–15 August 2018, The team launched a set of 4 posters, revealing the four main characters of the film, before another poster which was released on 17 August 2018. The team released another set of 4 posters, featuring the female characters on 20–23 August 2018.
The official theatrical trailer of the movie was released on 25 August 2018, on the
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel of Lyca Productions, receiving rave reviews upon release. On 12 September 2018, the makers announced that the film along with its dubbed Telugu version ''Nawab'', will release on 27 September 2018,
as the release date was advanced by one day. Following this, the second trailer of the movie was released on 21 September 2018, which also received positive reviews.
The film's television premiere took place on
STAR Vijay
Star Vijay is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. The channel telecasts programmes such as serials, reality shows & Tamil films.
History
T ...
on 13 January 2019.
Reception
Critical response
''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and summarized that "The single-mindedness of the script, which doesn't stray away from its two major concerns is the film’s strength."
Scroll.in called it a subtle yet clever tribute to
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...
's ''
Ran'' . A critic from
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...
rated 4 out of 5 stars, summarising that "Throughout, the film pretends to be a hunt for that one bad guy among the heroes. But in the end, you realise how wrong you were."
Deccan Chronicle
''Deccan Chronicle'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in Hyderabad, India. Founded in 1938, it was initially launched as a Weekly newspaper, weekly and later converted into a daily. The newspaper's name reflects its origins in the ...
, rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and noted, "CCV is a revenge drama that would leave you captivated and spellbound."
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
, rated 3 out of 5 stars for the film and summarised that "Chekka Chivantha Vaanam feels like the work of a fresh director with an impressive understanding about the craft of filmmaking. It could be because auteur Mani Ratnam has made a violent film after a very long time. It could also be because it is a straightforward movie, in which he has highly favored words to images." Sreedhar Pillai from
Firstpost
Firstpost is an Indian news website owned by Network18 Group, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC TV18. It has posted misinformation on multiple occasions.
The Network 18 group was originally owned by Raghav Bahl. In January 2012, the gro ...
rated 3.5 out of 5, and commented that "Mani Ratnam's direction triumphs in a story-driven crime thriller".
News18
Network18 Media & Investments Limited, ( d/b/a Network18 Group) is an Indian media conglomerate owned by the Reliance Industries, headed by Mukesh Ambani. Rahul Joshi is the managing director, chief executive officer and group editor-in-chief ...
rated the film with 4 out 5 stars, and summarised that "Ratnam's Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, which is undeniably his best work of this decade, is a slow-burning, highly rewarding story of a crime-ridden family that gets torn apart by power, greed and deceit." S. Shivakumar of ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' noted the similarities with the 2013 South Korean movie ''
New World
The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
'' and called it "the closest Mani Ratnam has come to plagiarism".
Box office
During the first four days of the film's release, it grossed ₹300 million (US$4 million) gross in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
alone, taking one of the largest openings recorded in the region.
The film did well in international markets, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and the New Zealand. Within two days of release, the film had made A$170,682 (US$121,512) in Australia, £63,895 (US$82,690) in the UK, NZ$54,411 (US$35.530) in New Zealand and $592,319 in the US. Chekka Chivantha Vaanam has grossed over at the worldwide box office by the end of its second weekend.
Accolades
References
External links
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{{Mani Ratnam
2010s gangster films
2010s Indian films
2010s police films
2010s Tamil-language films
2018 action drama films
2018 crime action films
2018 crime drama films
2018 films
Fictional portrayals of the Tamil Nadu Police
Films about adultery in India
Films about arms trafficking
Films about assassinations
Films about brothers
Films about coups d'état
Films about dysfunctional families
Films about father–son relationships
Films about inheritances
Films about murder
Films about organised crime in India
Films about patricide
Films about police corruption
Films about siblicide
Films about the Serbian Mafia
Films about witness protection
Films directed by Mani Ratnam
Films produced by Mani Ratnam
Films scored by A. R. Rahman
Films set in airports
Films set in Andhra Pradesh
Films set in Chennai
Films set in Dubai
Films set in Nepal
Films set in Puducherry
Films set in Serbia
Films shot in Abu Dhabi
Films shot in Chennai
Films shot in Coimbatore
Films shot in Dubai
Films shot in Serbia
Indian action drama films
Indian crime action films
Indian crime drama films
Indian detective films
Indian gangster films
Indian neo-noir films
Indian police films
Police detective films
Tamil-language action drama films
Tamil-language crime drama films
Tamil-language Indian films