''Kallan'' () is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Chandra Thangaraj.

Karu Pazhaniappan Karu Palaniappan is an Indian film director, actor, and television host who works in the Tamil film industry. He has also hosted the show Thamizha Thamizha on Zee Thamizh. Biography Palaniappan hails from Karaikudi and is the eldest among the ...

and Nikita appear in the lead roles. Based in the 1980s, the film narrates the tale of people who had taken up hunting as their profession and how they change their paths and move into a criminal lane after the government bans hunting.Produced by Madhiazhagan, it was released on 21 January 2022.

Cast

Production

Directed by writer-turned-filmmaker Chandra Thangaraj, the film was reported to be based on real-life events which had occurred in a small village in

Theni Theni is a valley town situated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu at the foothills of the Western Ghats. It is the headquarters of the Theni district, 70km from Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in th ...

. An erstwhile assistant to directors

Ameer Amir is a title of rulers or military leaders in many Muslim countries, alternatively written as ''Emir''. Amir or Ameer may also refer to: People * Amir (name), people with the given name and surname Amir or Ameer * Amir (singer) (born 1984), ...

and

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, Chandra stated that it took her nearly four years to find a producer for the film and she finally landed with producer Madhiazhagan after narrating the script to about 50 other producers. Director-actor Karu Pazhaniappan was cast in the lead role, while debutant Nikita from new Delhi was cast opposite him during late 2015. The film began production in December 2015 in

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

, before the team moved to film scenes in Theni and Bodimettu. As the film became delayed, Chandra chose to screen the film for prominent directors

Vetrimaaran V. Chitravel Vetrimaaran (born 4 September 1975) is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is known for his unique filmography with major commercial success and highly critically acclaime ...

. Based on his feedback, she re-edited the film during the

COVID-19 lockdown During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions), were implemented in numero ...

in 2020.

Release and reception

The film was released on 18 March 2022 across theatres in Tamil Nadu. A critic from 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 ...

'' wrote "the screenplay is very one-dimensional in spite of having twists and turns" and that "a little extra effort in the writing to enhance a gritty plot like this could have worked wonders for the film". A reviewer from ''

Cinema Express ''Cinema Express'' was an Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language entertainment fortnightly magazine published from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was a part of The New Indian Express, The New Indian Express Group, which also publishes ''Samakalika Mal ...

'' noted "what sounds like an arresting story on paper, faces endless stutters in getting transferred to the screen". ''

OTTplay HT Media is an Indian mass media company based in Delhi. It has holdings in print, electronic and digital media. HT Media's flagship newspaper is the ''Hindustan Times'', the second most widely read English newspaper in India after ''The Times of ...

'' critic said that "This heist drama, starring Karu Palaniappan in the lead, is an avoidable mess"

References

{{reflist 2020s Tamil-language films 2020s Indian films 2022 films Indian drama films 2022 directorial debut films Films scored by K (composer) 2022 drama films Tamil-language drama films