Honest Raj is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by K. S. Ravi. The film stars Vijayakanth, Gautami and Aamani, while Devan, Manorama, Senthil, Vijayakumar, and Nizhalgal Ravi play supporting roles. It marked the debut of cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran in Tamil cinema. The film, produced by G. Thyagarajan, was released on 14 April 1994 to positive reviews. The film was remade in Hindi as Rakshak (1996).[1]
| Honest Raj | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | K. S. Ravi |
| Written by | M. S. Madhu (Dialogues) |
| Screenplay by | K. S. Ravi |
| Story by | K. S. Ravi |
| Produced by | T. G. Thyagarajan |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ravi K. Chandran |
| Edited by | Anil Malnad |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
edit"Honest" Raj, a police officer in a coma for four years, wakes up suddenly. Abhinaya, a newly appointed doctor, saves him from a killer with the help of Raj's assistant Velu.
10 years ago, Raj lived with his mother Maragatham in Chennai. Maragatham was a Bank officer, and Raj was a graduate searching for a job. When Maragatham's Bank was taken hostage, Raj came to rescue and defeated the robbers. The City police reward him, and the commissioner asks him to attempt Public service exams for Indian Police Service. Raj complies and after the exams, mom-son duo visit Maragatham's native village for a vacation. Pushpa, a village girl, fell in love with Raj and they get engaged. Raj's best friend Varatha attempted to suicide after his father's creditors pressured him. Raj saved him, and Varatha lent his printing press company to Pazhani. Raj and Pushpa got married, and he passed the IPS exam successfully. Varatha found counterfeit money in his factory and started an illegal business with Pazhani. Bharatha then became rich and killed his partners.
Raj came back with his mother, wife, and son Babloo to see Varatha. Raj found an illegal business thanks to Kesavan, a former henchman of Varatha. Even though Varatha was his best friend, Raj tried to arrest him. Varatha soon killed his wife and mother. To save at least Babloo, Raj was hurt by bullets and lapsed into a coma. Gopalakrishnan, a veteran police officer, took care of Babloo.
Raj decides to take revenge and punish the culprit. Varatha kidnaps Babloo and threatens to kill him. Raj saves Babloo; kills Varatha, who does not want to surrender; and marries Abhinaya.
Cast
edit- Vijayakanth as "Honest" Raj IPS
- Gautami as Dr. Abhinaya
- Aamani as Pushpa
- Manorama as Maragatham, Raj's mother
- Devan as Varadharajan
- Senthil as Velu
- Vijayakumar as Gopalakrishnan
- Nizhalgal Ravi as Kesavan
- Ponnambalam as Pandian
- Ajay Rathnam as Muthiah
- Madhan Bob
- Mohan Raman
- Ganapathy Subramaniam Shanmugham as Bablu
Soundtrack
editThe music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics written by Vaali.[2][3]
| Song | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|
| "Katuren Katuren" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 5:50 |
| "Izuthu Potheena" | Mano, Janaki | 4:45 |
| "Katti Pudikkattma" | Janaki | 5:42 |
| "Vanil Vidivelli" | Mano, Janaki | 5:48 |
| "Day by Day" | Viji Thomas | 5:14 |
Release and reception
editHonest Raj was released on 14 April 1994, during the Puthandu holiday.[4] The film opened up against other films like Adharmam, Indhu, Sakthivel, Varavu Ettana Selavu Pathana and Veera.[5] MM of The Indian Express wrote, "Ravi's tightly knit screenplay and deft handling [..] give an added dimension to the characters and make the film engrossing".[6] K. Vijiyan of New Straits Times wrote, "Ravi's use of flashbacks and his treatment of the story lift this movie from ordinary and prevent it from turning dreary".[7] Thulasi of Kalki called it a good Vijayakanth after a long time.[8] Rocky Rajesh won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Stunt Coordinator.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ Arunachalam, Param. BollySwar: 1991–2000. Mavrix Infotech. p. 745. ISBN 9788193848210.
- ^ "Honest Raj (1994)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ "Honest Raj Tamil Film Audio Cassette by Ilayaraaja". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Honest Raj". The Indian Express. 14 April 1994. p. 15. Retrieved 11 March 2019 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "ஏப்ரல் 14ம் தேதியில் வெளியான திரைப்படங்கள்..." Screen 4 Screen (in Tamil). 14 April 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ MM (15 April 1994). "Suspensful from scene one". The Indian Express. p. 7. Retrieved 19 December 2018 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Vijiyan, K. (14 May 1994). "Vijayakanth's fans should be thrilled". New Straits Times. p. 26. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2022 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ துளசி (22 May 1994). "ஆனஸ்ட் ராஜ்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 48. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024 – via Internet Archive.