Wikipedia

Thoongaavanam

(Redirected from Cheekati Rajyam)

Thoongaavanam (transl. Sleepless forest) is a 2015 Indian action thriller film directed by Rajesh M. Selva. The film stars an ensemble cast including Kamal Haasan, Prakash Raj, Trisha Krishnan, Kishore, Sampath Raj, Guru Somasundaram, Yugi Sethu, Aman Abdullah, Asha Sharath, Madhu Shalini and Jagan. It was filmed simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu languages, the latter titled Cheekati Rajyam (transl. Kingdom of darkness). Both versions were produced by Raaj Kamal Films International and Sree Gokulam Movies. The film is a remake of the French film Sleepless Night (2011).[3] Thoongaavanam was released on 10 November 2015 coinciding with Diwali while Cheekati Rajyam was released ten days later, on 20 November.

Thoongaavanam
Theatrical release poster in Tamil
Directed byRajesh M. Selva
Screenplay byKamal Haasan
Based on
Sleepless Night
by Frédéric Jardin
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySanu Varghese
Edited byShan Mohammed
Music byM. Ghibran
Production
companies
Distributed byEscape Artists Motion Pictures
Release dates
  • 10 November 2015 (2015-11-10) (Tamil)
  • 20 November 2015 (2015-11-20) (Telugu)
Running time
127 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
Languages
  • Tamil
  • Telugu
Box officeest. ₹50 crore[2]

Plot

edit

C. K. Diwakar is an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer in the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), who along with his deputy Mani, steals a narcotics shipment but gets stabbed in the process. In retaliation, Vittal Rao, a drug lord, who was due to receive the shipment, kidnaps Diwakar's son Vasu. He is willing to release Vasu if Diwakar can return to him the bag of cocaine that he stole earlier. With no other option at hand, Diwakar agrees and proceeds to Vittal's nightclub, with the bag of cocaine, where Vasu is held hostage. His act of hiding the bag in the men's toilet is noticed by NCB agent Mallika, who becomes suspicious. Thinking that Diwakar is involved in drug smuggling, she informs her superior Dhiraviyam / Mohan.

Dhiraviyam / Mohan begin to pursue Diwakar, taking away the bag of cocaine from the toilet in the process. When Diwakar realises that the bag of cocaine has gone missing, he decides to return to Vittal a bag containing packets of milk powder instead, thinking that he and his cronies, including a gangster named Pedha Babu, will not realise the difference. Unfortunately, Vittal and Pedha soon find out that Diwakar had cheated them and decide to kill him. Diwakar's wound gets worse and starts bleeding. Caught between Vittal's gang on one side and Mallika and Dhiraviyam / Mohan on the other side, Diwakar confronts Mallika and tells her that contrary to her suspicions, he has been working undercover and had planned the entire operation to expose cops such as Dhiraviyam / Mohan and Mani, who are involved in drug smuggling.

Diwakar then rescues Vasu without Vittal's knowledge, and Vittal is also arrested by Mallika and Dhiraviyam / Mohan. While taking Vittal to prison, Mallika finds out that she has Mani's mobile phone, and on reading the messages in it, she finds out that Diwakar had been speaking the truth all along, realising that Dhiraviyam / Mohan and Mani are involved in drug smuggling and had tried to frame Diwakar. Though Dhiraviyam tries to resist arrest, killing Vittal in the process, he is eventually brought to justice. Diwakar falls unconscious due to the constant bleeding of his wound and Vasu takes him to the hospital. Diwakar recovers. Three months later, Mallika is now Diwakar's deputy, and the duo is shown thwarting the attempted murder of a police officer.

Cast

edit

Adapted from the closing credits[a]

Production

edit

Development

edit

In April 2015, it was announced that Kamal Haasan's next project would be an action thriller, tentatively titled Ore Iravu, and directed by his former assistant Rajesh M. Selva.[8] By the following month, the film was officially titled Thoongaavanam.[9] Haasan added that the film would be shot simultaneously and with the same cast and crew in Telugu as Cheekati Rajyam.[10] The film was produced by Raaj Kamal Films International in association with Sree Gokulam Movies.[11] Sanu Varghese and Shan Mohammed serve as the cinematographer and editor, respectively,[12] while Ghibran was recruited as the music composer, working on his fourth successive Haasan film.[10][13] Suka was chosen to write the Tamil dialogues,[14] while Abburi Ravi was assigned to work on the dialogues for the Telugu version besides making a cameo.[7]

Casting

edit

Haasan was reported to be play an Indian Revenue Service officer in the Narcotics Control Bureau.[5] Trisha and Prakash Raj were the first actors to be cast and reported to play the female lead and an important supporting role respectively.[15][16] This film marks Trisha's 50th film and completes her 15 years in the industry.[17] While Prakash Raj was said to portray a drug dealer, Trisha's role was said to be a police officer.[5] In June 2015, Asha Sharath, was announced as part of the cast.[18] Uma Riyaz Khan appeared in an "important role", reuniting with Haasan after Anbe Sivam (2003),[19] and Kishore informed that he would play a "key role".[20] In June 2015, it was reported that Madhu Shalini was part of the film and had starting filming,[21] while Sampath Raj was also added to the cast.[22] Aman Abdullah played Haasan's son, making his acting debut.[23]

Filming

edit

Principal photography began in late May at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad,[24] and was completed in 38 working days by early August 2015.[25] Since the film is a Tamil-Telugu bilingual, scenes involving Tamil Nadu Police uniforms and vehicle nameplates were reshot for the Telugu version to include Andhra Pradesh police uniform and vehicle nameplates to avoid localisation issues.[26]

Soundtrack

edit
Thoongaavanam
Soundtrack album by
Ghibran
Released7 October 2015 (2015-10-07) (Tamil)
3 November 2015 (2015-11-03) (Telugu)
Recorded2015
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length4:33
LanguageTamil
Telugu
LabelThink Music
ProducerGhibran
Ghibran chronology
Papanasam
(2015)		 Thoongaavanam
(2015)		 Babu Bangaram
(2016)
External audio
audio icon Official Video Song (Tamil) on YouTube
audio icon Official Video Song (Telugu) on YouTube

The soundtrack album for Thoongaavanam composed by Ghibran, features only one song, "Neeye Unakku Raja". The metal song, written by Vairamuthu and sung by Kamal Haasan, with backing vocals by Yazin Nizar and model-turned-singer Aishvarrya,[27] was released on 7 October 2015.[28] The Telugu version, "Cheekati Raajyam", was written by Ramajogayya Sastry, who also made a cameo in the film,[29] and was released on 3 November.[30]

Track listing (Tamil)
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Neeye Unakku Raja"VairamuthuKamal Haasan, Aishvarrya, Yazin Nizar4:33
Track listing (Telugu)
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Cheekati Raajyam"Ramajogayya SastryKamal Haasan, Aishvarrya, Yazin Nizar4:32

Release

edit

Thoongaavanam was released on 10 November 2015, coinciding with Diwali,[31] and Cheekati Rajyam ten days later, on 20 November.[32] AZIndia.com, then an up-and-coming distribution company, acquired the theatrical rights for both versions in the United States, with a premiere planned for Thoongaavanam on 9 November.[33] Escape Artists Motion Pictures distributed the film in Tamil Nadu.[34] Cheekati Rajyam premiered on 19 November.[35]

Reception

edit

Thoongaa Vanam

edit

Gautaman Bhaskaran of Hindustan Times gave the film a rating of 4/5 stars, calling it "an absolute slick crime adventure".[36] Latha Srinivasan of Daily News and Analysis gave 3.5/5 stars mentioning Thoongaa Vanam as a slick, well-made film that takes you through the course of happening over one night to the police officer and appreciated Rajesh Selva for directing a film that broke from the regular Tamil films. They also appreciated the performance of Kamal Haasan, Trisha and Ghibran for the excellent background score.[37]

Rating it 3/5 stars, S. Saraswathi of Rediff.com appreciated the performances of the lead cast as well as the film's technical aspects but criticised the lack of pace in the film's screenplay before concluding "the intriguing plot, good performances, Ghibran's innovative background score and camera angles of Sanu Varghese make director Rajesh M. Selva's Thoonga Vanam [sic] worth a watch."[38] M. Suganth of The Times of India also rated the film 3/5 and wrote, "even though the film cleverly spreads the action across various areas in the club [...] it isn't enough to shake off the feeling of claustrophobia. By the time the film gets over, we feel exhausted."[39] Karthik Keramalu of IBNLive gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "Actors move in and out of rooms, run this way and that, plot and fail, hide and seek. Yet all the effort of the cast and crew is shaken and not stirred enough as the screenplay gets a few nods wrong."[40]

Baradwaj Rangan, writing for The Hindu, stated that the film picks up in the post-interval portions "the kitchen-sink action choreography, the sounds of things breaking and clattering, the bursts of background score, the jittery camerawork", concluding the film as "an okay thriller", but criticised Rajesh Selva for not giving the output to the dazzle of Brian De Palma films.[41] Sify described the film as a "classy thriller that gives an edge of the seat ride with world class action sequences and no-nonsense execution!". Haasan, Prakash Raj, Sampath Raj, Kishore and Trisha were appreciated for their performances, while they concluded mentioning about the technical aspects like music, action, editing and camera work that gave an edge to the film.[42] R S Prakash of Bangalore Mirror wrote, "It is Kamal Haasan all the way, and he asserts his class and caliber. Even in scenes where emotional outbursts would have been natural, the seasoned star has refrained from turning melodramatic".[43]

Cheekati Rajyam

edit

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu stated, "though the film isn't really exceptional, makes for an engaging watch". She also mentioned the performance of Kamal Haasan, Prakash Raj and Trisha as good, concluding the film as a stylish cop drama as attention is paid even to little details of the film making.[6] Suresh Kaviyarani of Deccan Chronicle wrote, "Though the second half is a bit slow, overall the movie is good as it is a nice departure from the regular masala films".[44]

Box office

edit

The film grossed over ₹50 crore worldwide. Its box office shortcomings were attributed by journalists to the 2015 South India floods.[2]

Notes

edit
  1. ↑ The closing credits mentioned several character names that are not used in the narrative including Duraipandian, Maheswari, Jagan, Mandhiramoorthy and Gelusil Babu.[4]

References

edit
  1. ↑ "Thoongaavanam". Central Board of Film Certification. Archived from the original on 21 April 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 "'Vikram': Kamal Haasan's last five movies' box office stats". The Times of India. 3 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Thoongaavanam to Oru Naal Iravil: Films remade in Tamil in 2015 that stayed with the audience". India Today. 20 December 2015. Archived from the original on 14 September 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  4. ↑ Thoongaa Vanam (motion picture) (in Tamil). Raaj Kamal Films International. 2015. From 1:55:24 to 1:59:56 – via Amazon Prime Video.
  5. 1 2 3 "'Thoongaa Vanam' characters' names revealed!". Sify. 28 September 2015. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (20 November 2015). "Cheekati Rajyam: The night is sinister". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  7. 1 2 CH, Murali Krishna (15 October 2019). "Abburi Ravi: I agreed to play a terrorist in Operation Gold Fish because of my friendship with Sai Kiran Adivi". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  8. ↑ "First-timer to direct Kamal Haasan's next". The News Minute. 19 April 2015. Archived from the original on 14 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  9. ↑ Rampal, Anshul (14 May 2015). "Kamal's next action-thriller gets new title". Desimartini. Archived from the original on 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  10. 1 2 "Kamal Haasans Next Film Titled Cheekati Rajyam in Telugu". NDTV. 24 May 2015. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  11. ↑ Raaj Kamal Films International (16 September 2015). Thoongaavanam - Official Trailer - #1 | Kamal Haasan | Ghibran | Rajesh M Selva. Archived from the original on 31 July 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  12. ↑ "Kamal Haasan next project 'Thoongavanam' is bilingual thriller". Daily News and Analysis. 17 May 2015. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "Kamal Haasan's next titled Cheekati Rajyam' in Telugu". Deccan Herald. 24 May 2015. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "Suka is the dialogue writer for Kamal's 'Thoongaa Vanam'". Sify. 27 May 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Manisha Koirala for Kamal's 'Thoonga Vanam'". The Times of India. 14 May 2015. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "Manisha Koirala approached for Kamal Haasan's next". The Indian Express. 13 May 2015. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  17. ↑ "Why is Thoongavanam special for Trisha?". The Hindu. 17 September 2015. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  18. ↑ Manohar, Niveda (29 June 2015). "Asha Sharath Joins Thoongavanam". Silverscreen India. Archived from the original on 28 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  19. ↑ "Uma Riyaz Khan in Kamal's 'Thoonga Vanam'". Sify. 16 May 2015. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  20. ↑ "Kishore in Kamal Haasan's Thoongavanam". The Times of India. 29 May 2015. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  21. ↑ "Madhu Shalini in Kamal Haasan's 'Thoongaavanam'". Business Standard. Indo-Asian News Service. 6 June 2015. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  22. ↑ CR, Sharanya (6 June 2015). "Sampath to work with Kamal in Thoonga Vanam". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  23. ↑ Gowri, Devika (10 November 2015). "Kamal Haasan is Aman's favourite!". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  24. ↑ Krishnamoorthy, Suresh (25 May 2015). "With Cheekati Raajyam, Kamal returns to Telugu". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  25. ↑ "Thoongavanam wrapped up in 38 days". Deccan Chronicle. 8 August 2015. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  26. ↑ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (3 November 2015). "My focus is to give quality films at great speed". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 September 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  27. ↑ Sundar, Mrinalini (11 October 2015). "I have never sung metal before: Aishvarrya". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  28. ↑ "'Thoongaavanam' team's birthday gift for Kamal Haasan – a single!". The Indian Express. 7 October 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  29. ↑ "Kamal Haasan's Cheekati Rajyam all set for Telugu release". The Times of India. 8 November 2015. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  30. ↑ "Cheekati Raajyam (From "Cheekati Raajyam") – Single". Apple Music. 3 November 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2026. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  31. ↑ "Diwali releases to be censored next week!". Sify. 23 October 2015. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  32. ↑ Yellapantula, Suhas (10 November 2015). "Thoonga Vanam: Racy Return for Kamal Haasan". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 14 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  33. ↑ "'Thoongaa Vanam' US rights sold!". Sify. 2 October 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  34. ↑ Pillai, Sreedhar (10 October 2015). "They're still on top". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  35. ↑ "Star studded premiere for Kamal Haasan's Cheekati Rajyam". The Times of India. 19 November 2015. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  36. ↑ Bhaskaran, Gautaman (10 November 2015). "Thoongaavanam review: A better Kamal film, pacy and slick". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 10 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  37. ↑ Srinivasan, Latha (10 November 2015). "'Thoongaavanam' review: This Kamal Haasan-Trisha starrer is more Hollywood than Kollywood". Daily News and Analysis. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  38. ↑ Saraswathi, S. (10 November 2015). "Review: Thoonga Vanam is worth a watch". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  39. ↑ Suganth, M. (11 November 2015). "Thoongaavanam Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  40. ↑ Keramalu, Karthik (11 November 2015). "'Thoongaavanam' review: The movie is uninspiring and a tame thriller". IBNLive. Archived from the original on 13 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  41. ↑ Rangan, Baradwaj (10 November 2015). "Thoongavanam: An okay thriller, with goodies for fans". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  42. ↑ "Thoonga Vanam". Sify. 10 November 2015. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  43. ↑ Prakash, R S (13 November 2015). "Movie Review: Thoongavanam". Bangalore Mirror. Archived from the original on 26 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  44. ↑ Kaviyarani, Suresh (20 November 2015). "Movie Review 'Cheekati Rajyam': A good adaptation". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thoongaavanam&oldid=1358537472"