Dhaya (film)

Dhaya (transl. Mercy) is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Senthil Kumar and produced by Prakash Raj. It stars Prakash Raj, Meena, Lakshmi and Raghuvaran. The National Film Award—Special Jury Award for Best Actor was awarded for Raj for this movie. The film released on 14 February 2002 and received positive reviews from critics and audience.

Dhaya
DVD cover
Directed by	Senthil Kumar
Written by	V. Prabhakar (dialogues)
Story by	Senthil Kumar
Produced by	Prakash Raj
Starring	Prakash Raj Meena Raghuvaran Lakshmi
Cinematography	Vijay Milton
Edited by	V. Jaishankar
Music by	Bharadwaj
Production company	Duet Movies
Release date	14 February 2002 (2002-02-14)
Running time	163 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Plot

Dhaya is set in Chennai, where the titular character, Dhaya, played by Prakash Raj, is a feared and notorious rowdy. Dhaya has amassed significant political influence, allowing him to engage in his criminal activities with impunity. The local police, aware of his power and connections, often turn a blind eye to his unlawful deeds.

Thulasi, a woman who recently moves into Dhaya's neighborhood, becomes concerned about his dangerous lifestyle. She makes multiple attempts to reform him, trying to show him a path away from crime and violence. However, all her efforts fail, as Dhaya is deeply entrenched in his criminal world.

The story takes a darker turn with the introduction of Rudhraiya, a former army man harboring a personal vendetta against Sharada Amma, a righteous woman who runs an orphanage for abandoned children. Sharada Amma is known for her good deeds and strong moral character. However, Rudhraiya, motivated by his unresolved past, hires Dhaya to discredit Sharada Amma and bring her down.

Dhaya, in line with Rudhraiya's plan, begins working for Sharada Amma, managing to earn her trust. Sharada Amma, despite Thulasi's warnings about Dhaya's true nature, remains oblivious to his sinister motives. Dhaya cleverly manipulates the situation and gets himself hired as her car driver, all the while plotting to destroy her and her reputation.

At this point, Dhaya’s scheme takes a more insidious turn, involving a poisoning plot to carry out Rudhraiya's objective of discrediting Sharada Amma. The film’s tension builds as Dhaya’s duplicity begins to unravel, leading to intense confrontations and revelations about his character and whether or not redemption is possible for someone like him.

Cast

• Prakash Raj as Dhaya
• Meena as Thulasi
• Raghuvaran as Major Rudhraiya
• Lakshmi as Mother Sharada
• Ramesh Khanna as Kappi Sekar
• Dhamu as Thotti Siva
• Janagaraj as Selvaraj, Thulasi's father
• Pandu as Police Constable
• Pyramid Natarajan as Judge Venkatraman
• Bala Singh as Minister
• LIC Narasimhan as Minister's PA
• Vasu Vikram as Marimuthu
• Singamuthu as Nair
• Bonda Mani as himself
• Simran as an item number in the song "Thorakatha Pottiye"

Production

The film's director, Senthil Kumar, used to be an erstwhile assistant of Agathiyan.

Soundtrack

Dhaya
Soundtrack album by Bharadwaj
Released	4 January 2002
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	29:12
Producer	Bharadwaj
Bharadwaj chronology
Pandavar Bhoomi (2001) Dhaya (2002) Roja Kootam (2002)

All music is composed by Bharadwaj

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Annathe Nadantha"	Snehan	Tippu	04:55
2.	"Dhaya Dhaya"	Snehan	Manikka Vinayagam, Bharadwaj	04:22
3.	"Aan Azhaga"	Snehan	P. Unnikrishnan, Sujatha Mohan	04:42
4.	"Kadavulai Parthathillai"	Nandalala	Bharadwaj	02:39
5.	"Thorakatha Pottiye"	Pa. Vijay	Anuradha Sriram, Manikka Vinayagam	04:31
6.	"Guru Brahma Guru Vishnuee"	Snehan	Reshmi, Chorus	03:23
7.	"Dhaya Dhaya Oorellam"	Snehan	Tippu, Chorus	04:40

Reception

Malini Mannath of Chennai Online wrote that "Daya is interesting at places, but could have been crafted better". A critic from Thiraipadam.com wrote that "Dhaya is another in the long list of movies featuring a rowdy as hero but employs sufficient plot points to seem different from other run-of-the-mill stories". A critic from Cinema Today wrote that "A film with life, it manages to also make an impact on our minds and thus succeed".