Sivaji (film)

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Sivaji
Image:Sivaji (film) poster.jpg
Sivaji film poster.
Directed by S. Shankar
Produced by M. S. Guhan
M. Saravanan
Written by Story:
S. Shankar
Dialogue:
Sujatha
Starring Rajinikanth
Shriya Saran
Suman
Vivek
Raghuvaran
Manivannan
Nayantara
Solomon Pappayya
Music by A. R. Rahman
Cinematography K. V. Anand
Editing by Anthony
Distributed by Image:Flag of India.svg AVM
Image:Flag of Malaysia.svg Pyramid
Image:Newworldmap.svg Ayngaran
Release date(s) Soundtrack:
April 2, 2007
Film:

Image:Flag of India.svg June 15, 2007
Image:Newworldmap.svg June 14, 2007

Running time 185 min.
Country India
Language Tamil
Budget Rs.80 Crores[1]
Gross revenue Rs.180 Crores [1]
Official website
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Sivaji (Tamil: சிவாஜி), a 2007 Tamil language film, was directed by S. Shankar and starred Rajinikanth and Shriya Saran in the lead roles while Vivek and Suman played the other prominent roles in the film. Nayantara, Manivannan, Raghuvaran, Solomon Pappayya, Cochin Haneefa, Bose Venkat and director Shankar are some others credited with appearance in the movie. The film's score and soundtrack was written and composed by A.R. Rahman, with lyrics from Vairamuthu, Vaali and Pa. Vijay.

The movie, which was announced in October 2005, was supposed to release on April 14, 2007, the Tamil New Year that year. After a delayed release, which was attributed to post-production delays, it was released world-wide on June 15, 2007.[2][3] The movie also released in Telugu as a voice-dubbed version on the same date. The film released in many theaters worldwide.[4][5] The movie was set to be voice-dubbed in Hindi and the release was planned later in the same year.[6] As per the industry estimates, the movie was the most expensive Indian film at the time of its release.[7] Some budget estimates ranged from Rs. 60 to 96 crores[8][9] inclusive of Rajinikanth's salary of Rs. 20 crores.[10] With this movie, Rajinikanth completed 100 Tamil movies.[11] The film, which also released as a DVD, opened to a good box-office reception across the globe.[7][4][12]

Contents

[edit] Plot

Image:Leadactors sivaji.png
Sivaji trying to woo Tamizhselvi for marriage.
The film begins with a masked person brought to the Central Jail in Chennai, India. When asked by a fellow-inmate for his imprisonment, the masked person replies that he is imprisoned for attempting to do good for the people. The unmasked person, Sivaji (Rajinikanth) winds into a flashback that shows him returning from the US as a software systems architect to Chennai. He brings along with him his earnings of INR 250 crores with an intention to begin a charity organization called Sivaji Foundation. This organization is to have an aim of building hospitals and educational institutions to serve the poor without any charge. However, he faces roadblocks in the form of bureaucracy and corrupt officials. Setting aside his principles, he bribes his way through the system; mortgaging his house and personal property in the process. Adiseshan (Suman), a politically influential businessman, sees Sivaji Foundation as a competition to his business empire. Using his political clout, he repeals the permits issued to the foundation by the government. Sivaji approaches a lawyer, using his car to pay the lawyer's fee. However, in court Sivaji admits to having bribed officials. This undermines his case and the judge reiterates the staying order on construction by Sivaji Foundation.

Meanwhile, Sivaji falls in love with Tamizhselvi (Shriya). Tamizhselvi's family is scared by the overbearing nature of Sivaji's family. Sivaji's family wins over Tamizhselvi, but the jaadagam (horoscope) of the two do not match and the astrologer predicts impending doom if the two are united. Unable to bear the thought of being responsible for Sivaji's death, Tamizhselvi refuses Sivaji. Sivaji, however, calms her fears and convinces her for marriage with him.

Image:Faceoff sivaji.png
After losing the court trial, Sivaji faces Adiseshan - his nemesis.
By now, Sivaji Foundation has lost all the money. Using a rupee coin that Adiseshan gives to him in mockery, Sivaji sets out to turn his fortune around by his new revengeful avatar. He estimates that there is about two thousand million INR of illegal, untaxed money within the nation. He uncovers details about people who possess substantial quantities of illegal money and then threatens each of them and obtains half of their illegal wealth. After transferring the money to bank accounts around the world, Sivaji informs the Income Tax Vigilance Department about the details of the illegal money held by them. Sivaji's associates now deposit the money sent across the world as donations to the Sivaji Foundation. This makes the money legitimate and be usable by Sivaji Foundation. Sivaji begins to realize his dream of providing free, top-quality education, services and jobs for people in every district of Tamil Nadu. Sivaji's enemies seek to find out how he converted their illegal money to a usable form. They approach his wife, Tamizhselvi, and threaten her with danger to Sivaji's life. Fearing his life, she turns over his notebook PC with all the information regarding the various money transfers to the authorities. With presentable evidence, Sivaji is arrested and the scene returns to the beginning of the movie - Sivaji in central prison.
Image:Revival sivaji.png
Sivaji as M. G. Ravichandran with Arivu, his maternal uncle in the climax.
Adiseshan plots Sivaji's death; he plans to murder Sivaji and make it look like his enemies bombed the police van he was traveling in. However, Dr. Chezhian (Raghuvaran) and Tamizhselvi cart away Sivaji's dead body and plant a dummy in the police van. Everyone is made to believe that Sivaji is dead. However, Dr. Chezhian revives him using a defibrilator. After a few days when everyone wonders about the future of Sivaji Foundation, the revived Sivaji returns to take over the work of Sivaji Foundation in a disguise as Sivaji's friend, M.G. Ravichandran. Adhiseshan realizes that he is not Sivaji's friend, but Sivaji himself. However, he is unable to prove it due to the records that suggest Sivaji's death. Sivaji avenges for Adiseshan's wrong-doings and eventually Adhiseshan gets killed in a stampede. The credits appear with audience being suggested that Sivaji succeeds with the foundation and achieves what he dreamed of.

[edit] Cast & Crew

[edit] Cast

  • Rajinikanth as Sivaji Arumugam. Sivaji, a rich NRI, is a software system architect by profession in the United States. While in his late 30s, he returns to his native Tamil Nadu to improve the education system and to eradicate poverty. He is pitted against Adiseshan, who refuses to let him continue his good work. His parents are played by Manivannan and Vadivvukarasi respectively while his love interest is Tamizhselvi.
  • Shriya Saran as Tamizhselvi Ramalingham. Tamizhselvi is the daughter of the characters played by Pattimandram Raja and small-screen actress and former news correspondent, Uma. During the course of the film, Tamizhselvi is approached by Sivaji, who falls in love with her. She finally relents to his love and gets married to him.
  • Suman as Adisheshan. Adisheshan is a rich and influential industrialist running medical schools and charitable hospitals, financially exploiting the people. Though ironically clad in white clothes throughout the film, he plays the villain, the main hindrance to the Sivaji Foundation.
  • Vivek as Arivu. Vivek plays the role of Sivaji 's maternal uncle. His character Arivu provides the comic relief in the film and also plays a key role in assisting Sivaji to win over Tamizhselvi.
  • Raghuvaran as Dr. Chezhian. An extended guest role, the dean of the hospital Sivaji sets up. He eventually becomes a pivotal factor for the revival of Sivaji against Adiseshan.

[edit] Crew

[edit] Production

Image:Launch sivaji.jpg
The key people involved with the film - (from left to right) Actor Shriya Saran, director Shanker, producer AVM Saravanan, actor Rajinikanth and producer M.S. Guhan at the film's beginning.
The first filming schedule was at AVM Studios situated in Chennai, India on November 28, 2005. The movie's launch was a secret event, with only pivotal members of the cast and crew being called for attendance for the event.[13] Shooting began at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad and the first shot taken was the Vaaji Vaaji song.[14]

[edit] Casting

For Sivaji, S. Shankar, the director stepped out of his stereotype of selecting the lead actors only after the script was ready. In an interview, he said that the film's script was written keeping Rajinikanth in mind. About the leading lady for the film, there were initial speculations on who would essay the role. Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Nayantara and Jyothika were rumored to bag the role.[15] However, the air was cleared when Shankar and Rajinikanth announced that Shriya Saran would essay the role as Rajinikanth's love interest.[16] The voice of Kanika, an actress, was used as a voice-over for Shriya.[17]

Names of Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal, Nana Patekar and Prakash Raj cropped up for the portrayal of the antagonist's role in the film. In March 2006, Suman was confirmed as the person selected to play the role of Adiseshan.[18] The director, Shankar, realized that Suman lacked the wry smile needed for his character. This conspicuous smile of Adiseshan was made possible with a denture. It was Shankar's idea again to adorn the character with spotless dhoti, shirt, shoes, a Rolex watch and Ray Ban sunglasses.[19] Prior to this, Suman had acted with Rajinikanth in Thee (1980).

In early 2006, a magazine came out with a cast list that included mimicry artists, Cochin Haneefa, Chinni Jayanth and Mayilsaamy.[20] The names of support cast for the movie was released in a phased manner. By mid-2006, Manivannan, M. S. Baskar, Livingston, Vadivukarasi, Pyramid Natarajan, Uma Padmanabhan, Pattimandram Raja, Vannakam Thamizhuzhagam Revathi, Solomon Pappayya, Muthukaalai, Nellai Siva, Bose Venkat and M'Sia Prabhu were selected for the film.

[edit] Development

Image:Sahana sivaji.jpg
Sketches by Thotta Tharani for the Sahana song
In 2005, Chennai's oldest operative studio,[21] AVM Productions, which was run by M. S. Guhan and M. Saravanan, approached Shankar in making a film under their production house. Utilizing the budget available from AVM, Rajinikanth was signed for the film. After consulting Sivaji Ganesan's family to avoid any issues with the film's name, the project was subsequently announced in August 2005.[22] The film was eventually named Sivaji, after Rajinikanth's name at birth - Sivaji Rao Gaekwad with a tagline, The Boss.[23]

The art director, Thotta Tharani suggested the use of Ramoji Film City to the director. The Vaaji Vaaji song was picturized with an intention to showcase a Babylonian palace. [14] The Sahana song was sort of a challenge to Tharani. After listening to the lyrics of the song which speaks of the four seasons, Tharani thought of using the idea he used in Japan. He made use of acrylic and glass with the former on the floor to allow dance movements. K. V. Anand, the cinematographer, seemed to have a tough time in lighting up these sets made of glass. Once he had the sketches and the idea ready, the technicians at the Film City created the sets. Tharani believed that the coordination with Anand was important. Tharani contributed to similar creations for the music shop where Tamizhselvi worked as a saleswoman, and the scene here being followed up with a fight sequence in an open-air theater. Tharani's sketches and ideas came out in the form of a set of paintings titled, Unsung.[24]

Brinda choreographed the Balleilakka song in Wai, a hill station near Pune with hundreds of people for eight days. Shooting problems due to Rajinikanth's following in his native Tamil Nadu prompted them to chose Wai for the song.[25]

[edit] Release and reception

Ratings
Australia:  M [26]
India:  U [3]
United Kingdom:  12A [27]

[edit] India

The Indian censor board certified the movie on May 17, 2007 with minor screen and dialogue cuts[3], although the exact details of these cuts was not officially revealed.

Worldwide, the movie was estimated to have been released in approximately 850-1000 screens[4][5] and opened to near full opening.[28]

Sivaji was released in 16 theaters in Chennai and is reported to have collected 13.5 million INR within the first four days, a record of sorts for Tamil movies. In Tamil Nadu, the movie was released in 300 theaters while the dubbed version in Telugu was released in 50 theaters. The movie also debuted well in Kerala and in Bangalore. Despite protests from pro-Kannada groups, the movie debuted in 13 theatres.[29] In the national capital, New Delhi, the movie debuted on 4 screens in PVR Cinemas[4]. Based on what the distributors claim, there was "overwhelming response to the film", with the number of screens increasing to 12 by the second week.[30] The movie made a good debut in the nation's other metros as well such as Mumbai[29] and Kolkata.[31] Even in non-traditional markets for Tamil movies like Pune[32] and Baroda,[33] the movie made had a good opening. On July 15, 2007, AVM Studios, the producers of the movie, announced their decision to dub the film in Hindi because "the response has been phenomenal for the movie".[34]

[edit] International

Image:Fans sivaji.jpg
The film saw the regular craze and enthusiasm by Rajinikanth fans.
Internationally, Sivaji had good screenings in Malaysia with reports of the film causing a riot to break out in three states due to delays and cancellations of the screenings. The film eventually was released in residential suburb by a local minister, Ajith Kumar and Nayantara.[35] Sivaji made a debut with 150 screenings of the movie in Singapore.[7] In Sri Lanka, the movie debuted across 70 theatres with all 700 shows running at near 100% capacity.[36] In the Persian Gulf that contains a sizeably large Indian diaspora, the movie opened to a full house. Owing to the enthusiasm, a non-profit organization distributed 1000 tickets to laborers and domestic help across Dubai enabling them to watch the movie.[37] In United Kingdom, the movie debuted on the box-office list at # 9 with earnings of about £14000 per screen - the highest screen average in 2007. It was the first south Indian movie to enter UK Top 10.[38] In United States of America, Sivaji was released in 24 theaters with subsequent additions of 19 and 21 theaters for the Tamil version and Telugu version respectively.[39] The producers of the movie claimed that the movie was going to be dubbed in Chinese and Japanese by Ayngaran International, the holder of international rights of the movie.[34] The response in Cape Town was disappointing, while the box-office collections in Johannesburg and Durban allowed it to become the first Tamil film to feature in the South African box-office top 10.[40].

The movie has exaggerated and conflicting reports on the cumulative box-office collections worldwide. From these reports, the film garnered around Rs. 1 billion at the box-office, a record of sorts for an Indian film.[41]

[edit] Special screenings

Rajinikanth used his political affiliations to screen the film for several politicians. Rajinikanth flew to Hyderabad to showcase the film for the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu, on June 14, 2007.[42] At the screening, Rajinikanth told the media that he would invite the Chief Minister, Rajasekhara Reddy, for a special viewing as well. Rajinikanth said that he had screened the movie to current and former Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers, Dr. Karunanidhi[43] and Jayalalitha,[44] respectively, and that India's Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, was also keen to watch the movie.[43] A private screening was shown to Amitabh Bachchan, as well.[45]

[edit] Soundtrack

Main article: Sivaji soundtrack
Sivaji: The Offical Motion Picture Soundtrack
Image:Sivaji audio.JPG
Studio album
Released April 2, 2007
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length 36:10
Label AVM Music
Professional reviews

Yahoo! India Movie Reviews Image:Star full.svgImage:Star full.svgImage:Star full.svgImage:Star full.svgImage:Star full.svg[46]

After some re-recording of the background score in Paraguay[47], A.R. Rahman had been to London for additional re-recording.[47][48]

[edit] Songs

No. Song Singers Length (m:ss) Lyrics Notes
1 Balleilakka S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Reihana, Benny 6.08 Na. Muthukumar An item song performed by Rajinikanth and Nayantara celebrating the return of Sivaji to Tamil Nadu.
2 Style Blaaze, Tanvi, Rags, Suresh Peters 5.13 Pa. Vijay Previously titled, Oru Koodai Sunlight. Another version was recorded without Suresh Peters.

Shaggy was initially called in to sing the song.

3 Vaaji Vaaji Hariharan, Madhushree 5.49 Vairamuthu
4 Athiradee A. R. Rahman, Sayonara 5.47 Vaali
5 Sahana Udit Narayan, Chinmayi 5.21 Vairamuthu Another version was recorded with Sujatha in place of Chinmayi
6 The Boss [49] Naresh Iyer, Blaaze, Raqueeb Alam 3.20 Na. Muthukumar, Blaaze
7 Sahara Vijay Yesudas, Gomathishree 4.32 Vairamuthu

[edit] Controversies

The movie attracted criticism and litigation, including accusations of plagiarism and defamation. Jaya Rajadevan, one of the film's assistant directors, sought an injunction in civil court to stop screening of the film for alleged plagiarism. Rajadevan claimed that he had written the film's story and had discussed it with Shankar's manager in 2005. Although the court sent notices to S. Shankar, among others, the screening of the film was not stopped.[50]

M. Satyamoorthy, on July 9 2007, also sought to stop screening of the film, alleging that it defamed the Indian National Congress, a political party, as well as its President, Sonia Gandhi, and the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh. Satyamoorthy cited a scene in which portraits of Gandhi and Singh are visible behind Adiseshan's (the villain's) chair, implying he was a member of the Indian National Congress.[51] Satyamoorthy also claimed 500 million INR in damages from the film's producer, director and lead actor to be paid to the Tamil Nadu section of the party.[52]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Omkar Sapre. ADAG to produce regional films (English). Indiatimes. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
  2. ^ "`Sivaji' release likely to be delayed", The Hindu. Retrieved on 2007-04-29. (English) 
  3. ^ a b c `Sivaji' release will be on June 16. The Hindu (2007-05-21). Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
  4. ^ a b c d Sivaji takes Delhi by storm. CNN-IBN (2007-06-16). Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
  5. ^ a b "Fans give a thumbs up to Sivaji", 2007-06-15. Retrieved on 2007-06-15. 
  6. ^ Sivaji: The Boss to be dubbed in Hindi. Hindustan Times (2007-08-28). Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  7. ^ a b c Jennifer Marostica (2007-06-19). 'Sivaji' is the boss in Singapore. TimesNow (from Reuter report). Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
  8. ^ Sivaji dances on Jhoom.... Business Standard (2007-06-22). Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
  9. ^ King, Airbrushed. Outlook India. Retrieved on 18 June, 2007.
  10. ^ Superstar: Rajinikanth highest paid actor in India. NDTV.com. Retrieved on 25 October, 2006.
  11. ^ Sivaji gold rush sweeps the globe. Rediff (2007-06-22). Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  12. ^ Bollywood faces a southern challenge. Times of India (2007-06-03). Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
  13. ^ Rajni starrer `Sivaji' launched. The Hindu (2005-11-30). Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
  14. ^ a b Warrier, Shobha (2007-06-30). Vaaji Vaaji song in 'Sivaji'. Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  15. ^ Shreya is Rajinikanth's heroine in "Sivaji". The Hindu (2005-10-13). Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
  16. ^ "Shriya to act in Sivaji", The Hindu.com. Retrieved on 3 April. 
  17. ^ The voice behind Shriya in Sivaji. Rediff (2007-05-25). Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
  18. ^ Suman, the villain in Sivaji. Rediff (2006-03-13). Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
  19. ^ Meet the villain of Sivaji. Rediff (2007-06-11). Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  20. ^ (February 2007) "Cast: Sivaji (2007)". Kumudam. Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
  21. ^ "AVM: 60 years and counting", Rediff. Retrieved on 3 April. 
  22. ^ Rajni's new film titled `Sivaji'. The Hindu (2005-08-24). Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
  23. ^ Rajnikanth stamps his class: Film Review. The Hindu (2005-06-16). Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
  24. ^ Warrier, Shobha (2007-06-30). Sahana song in 'Sivaji'. Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  25. ^ Rajamani, Radhika (2007-06-01). 'Rajni sir has excellent style'. Rediff.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  26. ^ "Office of Film and Literature Classification, Australia", Office of Film and Literature Classification, Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved on 2007-10-27. 
  27. ^ BBFC Sivaji: The Boss Rating. Retrieved on 2007-06-03.
  28. ^ Filmy Fiscal: Rajini's Sivaji rules BO. CNN-IBN (2007-06-19). Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
  29. ^ a b Roshmila Bhattacharya (2007-06-22). Sivaji cuts across language barrier. Indian Express. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
  30. ^ Rajni rocks as `Sivaji` rules in Delhi too!. Zee (2007-06-23). Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
  31. ^ Priyanka Roy (2007-06-20). The Boss breaks the plex barrier - After Southern storm, Rajanikanth mega movie is Friday’s biggest release. Telegraph India. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
  32. ^ Sivaji opens to packed houses. Times of India (2007-06-23). Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
  33. ^ Apurva (2007-07-07). Rajni Roars. The Indian Express. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
  34. ^ a b Sivaji to set Hindi heartland on fire. The Economic Times (2007-07-15). Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  35. ^ Movie-goers riot over film hitches. ABC News Online (2007-06-17). Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
  36. ^ PK Balachandran (2007-06-22). Sivaji takes Sri Lanka by storm. Hindustan Times. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
  37. ^ 1,000 labourers to watch 'Sivaji' free in Dubai. The Hindu (2007-06-18). Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
  38. ^ United Kingdom Box Office Returns: 15 June 2007. imdb. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  39. ^ 'Sivaji' is all set to be a hit in US. Moneycontrol.com (2007-06-15). Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
  40. ^ Box Office Mojo (2007-08-12). South Africa (Entire Region) Box Office, August 10-12, 2007. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
  41. ^ Raghavendra, Nandini (2007-12-31). Bollywood going global, Shahrukh Khan more popular than Tom Cruise. The Economic Times. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
  42. ^ Naidu calls Rajini to join Third Front. CNN-IBN (2007-06-15). Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
  43. ^ a b Rajnikanth welcome to join Third Front: Naidu. The Hindu (2007-06-15). Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
  44. ^ Sivaji hits screens; Rajni fans throng theatres. Zee News (2007-06-15). Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
  45. ^ Rajni meets Amitabh. Times Now.TV (2007-06-27). Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
  46. ^ Sivaji: Music Review. Yahoo.com. Retrieved on 3 April, 2007.
  47. ^ a b Background score for 'Sivaji' mixed in London!. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
  48. ^ Audio raises expectations on Sivaji. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
  49. ^ Motta Boss Stills. Retrieved on 06 December, 2007.
  50. ^ Plagiarism slur on 'Sivaji' producer. TimesNow.tv (2007-06-28). Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  51. ^ Rajnikant's Sivaji-the boss caught in a political wrangle. Hindustan Times (2007-07-09). Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
  52. ^ PIL seeking ban on Sivaji-the Boss filed in Madras HC. The Hindu (2007-07-09). Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
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