Neerparavai | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Seenu Ramasamy |
Written by | Dialogues: Seenu Ramasamy B. Jeyamohan |
Screenplay by | Seenu Ramasamy |
Story by | Seenu Ramasamy |
Produced by | Udhayanidhi Stalin |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Balasubramaniem |
Edited by | Kasi Viswanathan |
Music by | N. R. Raghunanthan |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Red Giant Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 137 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
Neerparavai (transl. Seabird) is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Seenu Ramasamy and produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin. It stars Vishnu and Sunaina, and Nandita Das plays the older version of the latter's character. Saranya Ponvannan, Samuthirakani, Varsha Ashwathi, and Anupama Kumar play supporting roles. The music is composed by N. R. Raghunanthan with cinematography by Balasubramaniem and editing by Kasi Viswanathan. The film released on 30 November 2012 to positive reviews from critics and did well at the box-office.
Plot
[edit]The film is introduced when an old lady's son and daughter-in-law come to stay in her house in a coastal village, where she lives by herself. The son asks his mother to sell off the house, so that he can build a house in the city with help from his father in law, but the old lady refuses to sell the house. The son and daughter-in-law notice that the lady often goes to the beach, and prays in the garden every night. When they ask her why she goes to the beach, she says that she is waiting for her husband to come. The son gets angry and reminds her that she has been waiting for 25 years, and he is not going to come. Whilst the mother goes to the beach, the couple digs the spot in the garden where she prays and find a skeleton. They report this to the police, and the case is handled by Inspector Agnes, who begins interrogating the old lady. The old lady tells her past.
Arulappasamy is a young man who is an alcoholic and wastrel and also a constant embarrassment to his hardworking adopted parents. Esther is an orphan girl who is adopted by a nun named Sister Benita, and she stays in the church. Arulappan slowly gets attracted to Esther, and his love for her changes him. He gives up drinking and wants to work so that he can marry Esther. However, the local fishermen do not allow him to go into the sea. The young man, due to his determination, buys a boat, marries his love, and life is all rosy until fate intervenes.
The married couple has a son. One day, Arulappan goes to fish, but after several days, he does not return. Esther is really worried about him. They find his body in a boat shot and bring him home. Esther says to keep him in the house, and it was all her fault because she is the one who sent him to work. The police releases the old lady but asks why she waits for her husband to come if she knows that he is dead. She says that only his body returned to shore, but his soul is still in the sea.
Cast
[edit]- Vishnu as Arulappasamy: a fisherman, Esther’s late husband.
- Sunaina as younger Esther: Sister Benita’s adoptive daughter,Arulppasamy's wife(in younger days)
- Nandita Das as older Esther:Arulappsamy's widow
- Saranya Ponvannan as Mary
- Samuthirakani as Uduman Gani
- Varsha Ashwathi as Inspector Agnes
- Anupama Kumar as Sister Benita: Esther’s adoptive mother
- Azhagam Perumal as Church Father
- Poo Ram as Lourdhusamy
- Yogi Devaraj as Abraham
- Vadivukkarasi as Ebenezer
- Thambi Ramaiah as Joseph Bharathi
- Imman Annachi as Annachi
- Manochitra as Annachi's sister
- Pandi as Anthony
- Aruldoss as Fisherman
- Pasanga Sivakumar as Radhakrishnan
- Theepetti Ganesan
- Seenu Ramasamy as doctor (Cameo appearance)
Production
[edit]Seenu Ramasamy chose B. Jeyamohan to pen the dialogues for his film.[1] The lead male role was initially supposed to be enacted by Vimal.[2] Later, it was officially announced that Vishnu will be the lead male as Vimal was unable to allot dates.[3] It was produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin under the Red Giant Movies banner.[4] Bindu Madhavi was signed up to portray the lead female role in January 2012.[5] However, the FEFSI strike of 2012 delayed the film, and Bindu had to opt out owing to date clashes. She was subsequently replaced by Sunaina.[6] Nandita Das, who previously appeared in critically acclaimed Tamil films including Azhagi and Kannathil Muthamittal, was announced to be joining the team in April 2012.[7] Furthermore, Saranya Ponvannan, who previously worked with the director in Thenmerku Paruvakaatru which fetched her the National Film Award for Best Actress, was signed for a supporting role.[8] Samuthirakani and Anupama Kumar also did important roles in the film.[9]
As the film is about a village fisherman, major portions of the film would be shot in the waters of Manapad and Kulasekarapattinam.[10][11] The film's shoot was delayed after Vishnu injured his arm while playing in the Celebrity Cricket League[12][13] and the shoot would resume on 8 April.[14] By early June, Seenu Ramasamy had completed the shoot of the talking part of the film and the crew would be shooting fight sequences and song sequences for 25 days, starting from 15 June.[15]
Soundtrack
[edit]N. R. Raghunanthan composed the soundtrack, teaming up with Seenu Ramasamy for the second time. The soundtrack album consists of 7 tracks. The lyrics were written by Vairamuthu. The audio was launched at Sathyam Cinemas on 10 October 2012.[16] A few lines in "Meenuku Siru Meenuku" created controversy among Christians, which led them to protest against the song; thus, the objected lyrics were changed.[17]
Behindwoods wrote, "Neerparavai is N.R.R’s best album so far that deserves a few more listens".[18]
No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Meenuku" | Vijay Prakash, Harini | 05:19 |
2. | "Para Para" | G. V. Prakash Kumar | 05:19 |
3. | "Devan Magale" | V. V. Prasanna, Saindhavi | 04:44 |
4. | "Raththa Kanneer" | Harish Raghavendra | 04:06 |
5. | "Para Para" (Sad) | Chinmayi Sripaada | 05:19 |
6. | "Yaar Vettu" | Anand Aravindakshan | 03:28 |
7. | "Para Para" (New) | Shreya Ghoshal | 05:19 |
Total length: | 33:34 |
Release
[edit]Neerparavai was initially scheduled to release on 23 November 2012,[19] but was pushed by a week to 30 November due to the successful run of Thuppakki.[20] Ahead of release, the film was initially denied entertainment tax exemption despite meeting the eligibility requirements, prompting the director to go on fast and he even approached the commissioner of Chennai Police for help.[21] After Udhayanidhi approached the Madras High Court, tax exemption was granted soon after.[22]
Critical reception
[edit]Sify gave 4 stars with a "good" verdict and said the film was "a moving drama that will undoubtedly leave you with a lump in your throat. And films like this are hard to find."[23] Malathi Rangarajan from The Hindu called the film as "soaring high" and said, "If meaningful cinema matters to you, go for it," by adding, "as a producer, Udhayanidhi Stalin can be proud of having backed a purposeful film, and as a creator, Seenu Ramasamy makes the water bird preen, and soar with confidence."[24] Behindwoods rated as 3/5 and said, "A simple love story narrated neatly. All the departments of Neer Paravai have worked in tandem, resulting in a satisfying experience for the viewer."[25] Pavithra Srinivasan from Rediff.com gave 3 out of 5 with a "go watch" tag and said "[It] is a beautiful record of the lives of a community, their hopes and dreams, and the harsh reality of their lives."[26] IBNLive praised the film by saying, "This Tamil film deserves praise for conviction"[27] Haricharan Pudipeddi from Nowrunning.com rated the film 3/5 by saying, "Neerparavai is a fitting and beautiful saga of sea-folks, whose lives most often get sabotaged by reality."[28]
Accolades
[edit]2nd South Indian International Movie Awards[29][30]
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Saranya
- Nominated – Best Director – Seenu Ramasamy
- Nominated – Best Cinematographer – Balasubramaniem
- Nominated – Best Actor – Vishnu
- Nominated – Best Actor in a Supporting Role – "Poo" Ram
- Nominated – Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Nandita Das
- Nominated – Best Lyricist – Vairamuthu for "Para Para"
- Nominated – Best Male Playback Singer – G. V. Prakash Kumar for "Para Para"
Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards[31]
- Vikatan Award For Best Male Character Artist – "Poo" Ram
60th Filmfare Awards South – 2013[32][33]
- Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil
- Nominated – Best Actress – Tamil – Sunaina
- Nominated – Best Supporting Actress – Tamil – Nandita Das
- Won – Best Supporting Actress – Tamil – Saranya Ponvannan
References
[edit]- ^ "Seenuramasamy ropes in Jeyamohan". The Times of India. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ "Vimal and Seenu Ramasamy teams up". Sify. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ "Vimal loses, Vishnu wins". IndiaGlitz. 28 December 2011. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "Udhaynidhi -Vimal venture to start soon". IndiaGlitz. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ "Bindhu Madhavi is Vishnu's heroine". IndiaGlitz. 2 January 2012. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ "Bad Luck For Bindhu Madhavi". Behindwoods. 28 March 2012. Archived from the original on 22 June 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "Nandita Das back in Kollywood". The Times of India. 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Rao, Subha J. (19 May 2012). "Award-winning mom". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ Oor Kaalan (18 May 2012). "Samudrakani joins 'Neer Paravai'". Kollyinsider.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "Vishnu's Neer Paravaigal starts at Kanyakumari". SuperGoodMovies.com. 3 January 2012. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ "Seenu Ramasamy is in Kanyakumari!". The Times of India. 6 November 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "Vishnu's 'Neer Paravai' resumes". IndiaGlitz. 28 March 2012. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "Vishnu's injury puts brake on shooting". IndiaGlitz. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "'Neerparavai' to fly from April". IndiaGlitz. 7 March 2012. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "Udayanidhi moved by this film". Behindwoods. 7 June 2012. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
- ^ "'Neer Paravai' audio launched". Sify. 11 October 2012. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ "Seenu Ramasamy removes the controversial lyrics from Neerparavai". Kolly Talk. 17 October 2012. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ "Neerparavai Music Review". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
- ^ "'Neerparavai' on November 23". Sify. 31 October 2012. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
- ^ "Thuppakki pushes Neerparavai release". MovieCrow. 19 November 2012. Archived from the original on 29 November 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Neerparavai director to go on fast!". The Times of India. 8 November 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Tax respite for Neerparavai". The Times of India. 10 November 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Neerparavai". Sify. Archived from the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (1 December 2012). "Neerparavai: Soaring high". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "Neerparavai Movie Review". Behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ Srinivasan, Pavithra (30 November 2012). "Review: Go watch Neer Paravai!". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "'Neerparavai' Review: This Tamil film deserves praise for conviction". IBNLive. 1 December 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ Pudipeddi, Haricharan (2 December 2012). "Neerparavai Review". Nowrunning.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "Nominees". South Indian International Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "The complete nominees list for this year's SIIMA". Behindwoods. 26 August 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "விகடன் விருதுகள் 2012" [Vikatan Awards 2012]. Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). 16 January 2013. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "60th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 (South) Nominations". Filmfare. 4 July 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "List of Winners at the 60th Idea Filmfare Awards (South)". Filmfare. 21 July 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
External links
[edit]- Neerparavai at IMDb