Azhagiya Tamil Magan (transl. Adorable Tamil Son) is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language action film[1] directed by Bharathan, written by S. K. Jeeva and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Vijay in the main dual lead role (for the first time in his career) as an MBA student and a money-minded womanizer. Shriya Saran and Namitha and others play pivotal roles with an ensemble supporting cast. With cinematography by K. Balasubramaniam and editing by Anthony, the film's score and the soundtrack are composed by A. R. Rahman. The film follows Guru, an excelling athlete who has the ability to predict future events. With his unique ability, he identifies several tragic future events, including the attempted murder of his lover by Prasad, his look-alike.
| Azhagiya Tamil Magan | |
|---|---|
 poster | |
| Directed by | Bharathan |
| Screenplay by | Bharathan |
| Story by | S. K. Jeeva |
| Produced by | Swargachitra Appachan |
| Starring | Vijay Shriya Saran Namitha |
| Cinematography | Balasubramaniem |
| Edited by | Anthony |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Pyramid Saimira |
Release date |
|
Running time | 178 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Azhagiya Tamil Magan released on the 8 November 2007 and distributed worldwide by Pyramid Saimira, it became a above average venture in its initial release, but after its re-release on 22 March 2024 declared a hit in Tamil Nadu.[2][3] The film entered the top ten Asian film box office charts in Malaysia in February of 2008.[4] In 2021 and 2024, The film had a limited re-release in Kerala.[5][6]
Plot
Gurumoorthy aka Guru is an athlete and business management student. Abhinaya is the daughter of a business baron. They meet and fall in love.
The film goes on to show how the lovers manage to get the permission of their parents. In the meantime, a different dimension in the tale is revealed while the romantic drama is unfolding. Guru visualizes some bizarre scenes inside his mind. The scenes are disturbing; and worse, they become true in real life.
A psychiatrist confirms that it is Extra Sensory Perception power and says that the imageries visualized by Guru would actually happen sooner or later. Unfortunately Guru visualizes another scene where he stabs Abi in the stomach. Sensing that he poses a danger to his sweetheart, he runs away from her to Mumbai.
In Mumbai, he stumbles upon a person who looks like himself. This gives him a different meaning of the horrible incident visualized by him. Before catching the man, Guru gets himself into an accident. In the meantime, the new man moves to Chennai.
Stylish and carefree Prasad, the look-alike of Guru, is a greedy person who does anything for money. He is a womaniser and enjoys life. He meets Dhanalakshmi during his travel to Chennai. He has sex with her and escapes. Abinaya mistakes him for Guru and brings him to her house. Sensing his opportunity, Prasad decides to act as Guru and intends to marry the rich Abhi.
The real Guru comes back and tells everyone the truth. But no one is ready to believe him, as he is outplayed by the wicked Prasad at each and every move. Finally the truth prevails, but not before a tense battle between the two. During the battle, when Guru tries to kill Prasad, he accidentally stabs Abhi. Guru tries to take Abhi to the hospital but Prasad knocks him out and changes into Guru's clothes so he will look like Guru in front of Abhi. Abhi recovers at the hospital and thinks Prasad is Guru again. At the hospital she tells him how much she hates Prasad and how much she loves Guru. When Prasad hears this, he feels guilty, realises all his mistakes done and tells her he is not Guru. Guru suddenly comes into the room, and Prasad leaves as a reformed man, after apologising to them.
As Prasad walks away from the hospital, Dhanalakshmi appears saying she is pregnant and its twins. Prasad and Dhanalakshmi join together, while Guru and Abinaya get married.
Cast
- Vijay in a dual role as Guru (protagonist) and Prasad (antagonist)
- Shriya Saran as Abhinaya, Guru's love interest
- Namitha as Dhanalakshmi, Prasad's love interest
- Santhanam as Muruga
- Sathyan as Guru's friend
- Sayaji Shinde as Seth, a corrupt jeweler, second antagonist and Prasad's Sidekick
- Ashish Vidyarthi as Anand Chellaiah, Abhi's father
- Tanikella Bharani as Kathiravan, Guru's father
- Geetha as Muthulakshmi, Guru's mother
- Ganja Karuppu as Kathiravan's assistant
- M. S. Bhaskar as Guru's coach
- Sriman as Shakthi, an athlete with whom Guru competed with
- Manobala as Train Travelling Ticket Examiner
- Baby Niveditha as Renu
- Chaams as a train passenger travelling from Bombay to Madras
- Bombay Gnanam as Renu's Tamil teacher
- Kripa as Shwetha, Abhinaya's friend and Shakthi's sister
- Kadhal Saravanan as Guruvayur Gopalakrishna
- Shakeela as Shakeela (special appearance)
- Karate Raja as runner in competition (uncredited cameo)
- Hema as a bus passenger (uncredited cameo)
- Appukutty as a priest (uncredited cameo)
Production
When producer Appachan approached Vijay for the film, Vijay said that he would sign the film if the producer successfully convinces A. R. Rahman to compose music for the film.[7] Subsequently, Appachan who had known Rahman earlier from the latter's days as a keyboard programmer, brought him on board as the composer and the project was on. The film marked the directorial debut of Bharathan, who assisted Dharani. He previously worked with Vijay in Ghilli (2004) as dialogue writer.[8]
Music
| Azhagiya Tamil Magan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 1 October 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2007–2008 Panchathan Record Inn and AM Studios | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Label | Star Music | |||
| Producer | A. R. Rahman | |||
| A. R. Rahman chronology | ||||
| ||||
The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman, marking his second collaboration with Vijay after 2004's Udhaya. "Ponmagal Vandaal" is a remix of the song of the same name from Sorgam (1970).[9]
| Track # | Song | Singers | Length | Lyricist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ellappugazhum" | A. R. Rahman | 5:31 | Vaali |
| 2 | "Ponmagal Vandaal" | Mohammed Aslam, Ember Phoenix | 3:05 | Alangudi Somu |
| 3 | "Nee Marilyn Monroe" | Benny Dayal, Ujjayinee Roy | 6:14 | Na. Muthukumar |
| 4 | "Valayapatti Thavile" | Naresh Iyer, Ujjayinee Roy, Srimathumitha, Darshana KT | 5:44 | Na. Muthukumar |
| 5 | "Kelamal Kaiyile" | Sriram Parthasarathy, Saindhavi | 5:27 | Thamarai |
| 6 | "Maduraikku Pogathadee" | Benny Dayal, Archith, Darshana KT | 5:23 | Pa. Vijay |
Release
The film was released on the 8th of November 2007 on Diwali day and distributed worldwide by Pyramid Saimira.[10] The film satellite rights was sold to Sun TV and digital rights to Sun Nxt.
Prior to its release, the film was rumored to be inspired from the American film Final Destination and that the leading actor had a supernatural power. The claims were refuted by director Bharathan.[11] Television Premier was occurred on January 26' 2010 on the occasion of Republic day.
Dubbed versions
The film was dubbed in Telugu as Maha Muduru and it's available on Hotstar.
Reception
Box office
The film collected $1,043,064 or ₹9 crore at the overseas box office.[12][13]
Critical response
The film was reviewed by BBC UK, mentioning the film has the right mix of romance and action.[14] Sify stated, "The highlight here is that there are 2 Vijays - the good guy and the bad guy. Director Barathan has tried out a new format, where both the hero and the villain entertain the audiences with howlarious moments, that brings the house up. Vijay makes it work and believable as he melds an effortfully from casual song froid to utter seriousness. His terrific comic timing, his ability to mock and lampoon makes his performance absolutely hits a bulls eye. In the negative character Prasad’s role, he is the veritable scene stealer. He has dubbed impressively modulating his voice for both the characters, and the way he dances in the introductory title song is amazing. No two ways about it, Vijay is the heart and soul of ATM and rated 5/5.[15][16] Ananda Vikatan rated the film 40 out of 100.[17] IndiaGlitz stated Azhagiya Tamil Magan banks heavily on Vijay's charm and performance, Vijay has lived up to the challenge created by the huge success of Pokkiri. He looks stylish and handsome with his dual role. He lights up the screen with his dynamic performance. Director Bharathan has exploited Vijay's strengths in a dual role as well. He has provided a perfect family entertainer and rated 5/5 as well.[18] Bollywood Life stated, "When you think about Vijay's dance moves, the first song which comes to our mind his energetic, inspiring number Ellappugazhum from ATM - Azhagiya Tamil Magan. Incidentally, the words from the song "Ellappugazhum iraivan ke" are the once uttered by Mozart of Madras AR Rahman every time he receives an award. To the tunes of Rahman, Vijay's awe-inspiring dance moves will make you stand up from your seat, pumping your fist with new found energy."[19] Kalki wrote from the interval, makers are spinning the yarn. The screenplay is weak and predictable and concluded if the pressure given in first half is repeated in second half, this Tamil son would have came beautifully.[20] Malini Mannath of Chennai Online wrote "'Azhagiya...' is an enthusiastic attempt by a debutant maker to showcase his hero in a totally different mould. But with Vijay's preferring to play it safe, and his reluctance to go the whole hog, the film is at most a stepping stone for such projects in future".[21]
Accolades
| Year | Award Category | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Filmfare Award for Best Choreography – South | Prem Rakshith (Won for the song "Ellappugazhum") |
| 2008 | Vijay Award for Entertainer of the Year | Vijay |
References
- ^ a b "Azhagiya Tamilmagan". Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "Chennai Box Office - sify.com (1970)". Sify. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ "Azhagiya Tamil Magan re-release". Dinamani (in Tamil). 16 March 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ Wong, Silvia (5 February 2008). "Malaysian box office hits all-time high of $100m". Screen. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Video: Fans Go Crazy as Kerala Theatres Re-release Vijay's ATM". 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Azhagiya Tamil Magan re-release in Kerala in 2024". X (formerly Twitter). 24 May 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "|| വിജയുടെ ആഗ്രഹം കേട്ട് കണ്ണ് തള്ളിപ്പോയി || Azhakiya Thamizh Makan || Swarga Chithra Appachan ||". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "'Azhagiya Thamizh Magan' starts today!". Cinesouth. 24 January 2007. Archived from the original on 27 January 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ Jeshi, K. (2 November 2013). "Released on Deepavali". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- ^ "Deepavali releases for 2007". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 9 January 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Vijay does a Vaali". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
- ^ "Azhagiya Tamizh Magan (2007)". www.boxofficemojo.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "DEEPAVALI BOX OFFICE US UK VEL AZHAGIYA TAMIL MAGAN OM SHANTI OM SAAWARIYA SIVAJI BILLA DASAVATHARAM tamil movie news hot stills picture image gallery". www.behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ "Shropshire - Bollywood - Azhigiye Tamizh Magan". BBC. 29 October 2014. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "Azhagiya Tamil Magan". Sify. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ^ "AZHAGIYA TAMIL MAGAN MOVIE REVIEW cast crew VIJAY SHRIYA NAMITHA Direction BHARATHAN Music A R RAHMAN Production Swagachitra Appachan movie wallpapers hot stills picture image gallery". Archived from the original on 11 July 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ^ சார்லஸ், தேவன் (22 June 2021). "பீஸ்ட் : 'நாளைய தீர்ப்பு' டு 'மாஸ்டர்'... விஜய்க்கு விகடனின் மார்க்கும், விமர்சனமும் என்ன? #Beast". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "Azhagiya Tamil Magan review. Azhagiya Tamil Magan Tamil movie review, story, rating - IndiaGlitz.com". Archived from the original on 10 November 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ^ "Illayathalapathy birthday special: Vijay's 5 best dance numbers!". 22 June 2015. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ "அழகிய தமிழ்மகன்". Kalki (in Tamil). 25 November 2007. p. 55. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ Mannath, Malini (19 November 2007). "Azhagiya Tamizh Magan". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 21 November 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2024.