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Andhaghaaram
Official release poster
Directed byV. Vignarajan
Written byV. Vignarajan
Produced byPriya Atlee
Sudhan Sundaram
Jayaram
K Poorna Chandra
StarringArjun Das
Vinoth Kishan
Pooja Ramachandran
Manoj D
Kumar Natarajan
CinematographyA. M. Edwin Sakay
Edited bySathyaraj Natarajan
Music byPradeep Kumar
Production
companies
A for Apple
Passion Studios
O2 Pictures
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • 24 November 2020 (2020-11-24) (India)
Running time
171 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Andhaghaaram (transl. Darkness) is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language supernatural horror thriller film written and directed by V. Vignarajan, in his directional debut.[1] It is produced by Priya Atlee under A for Apple Productions, alongside Sudhan Sundaram and Jayaram under their banner Passion Studios and K. Poornachandra's O2 Pictures.[2] The film stars Arjun Das, Vinoth Kishan,[3][4] Pooja Ramachandran, and Kumar Natarajan.[5][6]

The film was released on Netflix on 24 November 2020.[7]

Plot

The movie follows three men in Chennai, who are seemingly unconnected to each other and the sinister happenings in their lives. The first man is Dr. Indran, one of the country's most renowned clinical psychiatrists. He is almost fatally shot by one of his violent patients. He survives, but his entire family is massacred, and he loses both his voice and professional license. After his operation, Indran opts for a new approach to his practice even though he is still being reviewed by authorities.

The second man is Selvam, an honest blind man who works as a clerk at a public library. After the death of his parents, he is taken care of by his uncle. His only inheritance is his father's mansion that he is struggling to maintain. Selvam's father was a famous occultist, and Selvam has learned some of the tricks of the trade from him. He needs money for his operation (kidney failure) so he agrees to hold a cleansing ritual at a haunted building. Though he manages to capture one of the spirits, there is another one that is still in the building.

The third man is Vinod, a cricket coach who is over-ridden by guilt at the condition of his best friend Pradeep. Pradeep is suffering from an unknown mental disorder after Vinod gifted him a book on the occult. Vinod also starts receiving mysterious and threatening calls through his newly installed landline rotary phone. His girlfriend Manasi convinces him to see a psychiatrist saying that he is imagining things.

It is revealed that the three men's timelines are taking place at different points in time. Selvam's closest confidant is Pooja, his tutor. She is the sister of Pradeep, who was once undergoing treatment by Indran. By the time Vinod gets a new landline installed, Pradeep has died by suicide, throwing himself off his balcony and landing on Indran, who also dies. Just like Pradeep, countless other patients Indran has been illegally treating have committed suicide through hypnosis. Indran had lost all faith in humanity after the loss of his family, hence his evil plan. Even in death, his vengeance lives on. It is Indran's spirit who has been calling and tormenting Vinod. The phone used to be Selvam's and is actually a medium to communicate with the dead. However, Selvam would later get into trouble with loan sharks, who kill him in order to take over his father's mansion.

Pooja helps Vinod put the pieces together, but not before they realise that Selvam has been trying to help Vinod all along. Vinod breaks the telephone but Pooja tells him that he needs the telephone to contact Selvam to find out how to get rid of the tormenting spirit. Vinod runs back to the shop where he gave the telephone for fixing. He then stops at the bridge and attends the call. Indran hypnotises Vinod and forces him to jump off the bridge, but in the nick of time, Selvam possesses and saves Vinod by dismantling the phone, which ruptures both Indran and Selvam's connection with the world of the living.

In the end, it is shown that Selvam gets his revenge on the real estate businessman by strangling him with the help of Pooja's information, and she completes Selvam's final wish.

Cast

Production

The film began production in August 2014, with Vinoth Kishan and Arjun Das in pivotal roles and Pooja Ramachandran, Misha Ghoshal and Kumar Natarajan in supporting roles. Kishan was reported to play a blind role in the film, for which he stated that the role may not make audiences "empathetic", but further added it as an "exciting role" and "quite different from how blind characters are usually portrayed in Indian cinema". He further added that the blind role will have a pivotal part in the story.[4] Shooting of the film and post-production works were completed within late 2014.[3]

Music

Andhaghaaram
Soundtrack album by
Pradeep Kumar
Released14 November 2020
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length16:00
LanguageTamil
LabelThink Music
ProducerPradeep Kumar
Pradeep Kumar chronology
Sillu Karupatti
(2019) 		Andhaghaaram
(2020) 		Vaazhl
(2021)

The film's soundtrack album is composed by Pradeep Kumar which has four tracks with lyrics written by Sivam. One of the songs "Suzhalum Irulil" features an orchestral version, performed by Shakthisree Gopalan and the other tracks were performed by Sivam, Sean Roldan and Shahid Hameed along with Kumar himself. The album was released on 14 November 2020 by Think Music.

Film critic Ramesh Bala, through his review for Indiaglitz gave 8 out of 10 to the soundtrack stating "Pradeep Kumar delivers the morose haunting soundtrack for Andhaghaaram and perfectly in sync with the movie's tone" and listed "Suzhalum Irulil" and "Izhupari Aattam" among their favourite picks.[8]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Suzhalum Irulil"Pradeep Kumar, Shahid Hameed, Sivam4:38
2."Izhupari Aattam"Sean Roldan4:24
3."Yaardhaan Kandaaro"Pradeep Kumar, Sivam3:34
4."Suzhalum Irulil (Orchestral Version)"Pradeep Kumar, Shakthisree Gopalan3:24
Total length:16:00

Marketing and release

Despite production being completed in 2014, the film was delayed for more than six years since no one was willing to distribute the film as it featured newcomers and no prominent faces.[1][9] In 2019, following Arjun Das' popularity after his role in Kaithi (2019), the film once again came into news.[3] Director Atlee came forward to present the film under his banner A for Apple Studios, which marked his second production venture after Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae (2017) and Passion Studios co-produced the film.[10]

The film's first poster and teaser were released in April 2020.[11] The team also planned for the promotional activities of the film before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown was announced and then makers opted for a low-key announcement.[12] Furthermore, the team also decided to release the film through streaming platform Netflix as theatres being shut due to the lockdown.[13] The second trailer was released during November 2020,[14] confirming the Netflix release on 24 November 2020 and was also released in Telugu under the title Andhakaaram.[15]

Reception

V. Lakshmi of The Times of India gave 3 out of 5 and stated "Though the narration keeps you glued, a lacklustre twist makes you question if your patience was worth it."[16] Pradeep Kumar of The Hindu stated that "The film appears complicated due to a drawn out screenplay. Nonetheless, director Vignarajan’s debut is an interesting piece of work".[17] Manoj Kumar R of The Indian Express gave a rating of 2.5 out of 5 and reviewed "Andhaghaaram feels a bit rushed. The ease and clarity with which Vignarajan moves the story forward from the beginning disappears towards the end. It feels overwhelming with the deluge of revelations that Vignarajan dumps on the audience making it difficult for the audience to keep with what’s happening. But, Andhaghaaram is still a good attempt, given the complexity of its concept."[18]

Ranjani Krishnakumar of Firstpost was more critical on the film stating that "Andhagaaram could have been an interesting film, but soon enough, it gets tiresome. The details unravel painfully slowly, and in excruciating little bursts" and gave 2 out of 5.[19] Shrikanth Venkatesh of Sify gave 3.5 out of 5 praising Vignarajan's direction stating it as "a fairly impressive debut attempt". He further added "In spite of some flaws, it does give us reasons to look forward to the director’s next ventures".[20] Behindwoods Review Board rated 3 out of 5 and summarised "Andhaghaaram is high on thrills, performances and technicalities but could have been even more gripping if the runtime was a bit shorter".[21]

Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South reviewed that "Andhaghaaram is underwhelming, and yet, scene for scene, it’s some kind of spectacular". Apart from praising the technical aspects of the film, he also appreciated director Vignarajan stating it as an "arrival of a very real talent".[22]

References

  1. ^ a b "Fresh talents in Orey Nyabagam". The Times of India. 15 January 2017. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Atlee to present Andhaghaaram". The New Indian Express. 13 April 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Arjun Das is excited to make his acting debut". The Times of India. 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Blind role in 'Andhaghaaram' won't make audience empathetic: Vinoth Kishan". Business Standard. 12 August 2014. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Atlee announces next movie with 'Master' actor — trailer release date and other details". Indiaglitz. 12 April 2020. Archived from the original on 13 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Waiting for the break i deserve". The New Indian Express. 17 February 2018. Archived from the original on 7 September 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Arjun Das-starrer 'Andhaghaaram' to release on Netflix on 24 November". The New Indian Express. 30 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  8. ^ Bala, Ramesh (21 November 2020). "Music Review (Tamil): Andhaghaaram". Indiaglitz. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Atlee to present long-delayed 'Andhaghaaram'". The News Minute. 14 April 2020. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Atlee's productorial venture titled 'Andhaghaaram'". dtNext.in. 12 April 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Andhaghaaram: Atlee's next production is a supernatural thriller". India Today. 13 April 2020. Archived from the original on 24 April 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Andhaghaaram trailer: Atlee presents a cat-and-mouse thriller with supernatural bent". Hindustan Times. 14 April 2020. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Atlee's Andhaghaaram to release on Netflix". The Indian Express. 30 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  14. ^ "[VIDEO] New trailer of Atlee's Andhaghaaram out now! Sivakarthikeyan unveils the Arjun Das starrer". zoomtventertainment.com. 10 November 2020. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Tamil film 'Andhaghaaram' to release on Netflix next month". The Week. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Andhaghaaram Movie Review: A long-drawn, yet engaging thriller", The Times of India, archived from the original on 18 April 2021, retrieved 1 April 2021
  17. ^ Kumar, Pradeep (24 November 2020). "'Andhaghaaram' movie review: Slow-burn suspense thriller is a test of patience". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Andhaghaaram movie review: A good attempt". The Indian Express. 24 November 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Andhagaaram movie review: An interesting thriller that is bogged down by tiresome self-actualisation". Firstpost. 25 November 2020. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  20. ^ "Andhaghaaram review: An atmospheric thriller that has more highs than lows". Sify. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Andhaghaaram (aka) Andhagharam review". Behindwoods. 24 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  22. ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (24 November 2020). "Andhaghaaram On Netflix, With Arjun Das And Vinoth Kishan: An Underwhelming Thriller, But A Top-Notch Show-Reel". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
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