Narasimha (transl. Man Lion) is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Thirupathisamy, which features Vijayakanth in the lead role. The film has an ensemble supporting cast including Isha Koppikar, Raghuvaran, Nassar, Anandaraj, Ranjith, Rahul Dev, and Vadivelu. The soundtrack for the film was composed by Mani Sharma, and the cinematography was done by S. K. Boopathy. The film was released on 12 July 2001.[2] The film was also dubbed and released in Hindi as Jwalamukhi.
| Narasimha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Thirupathisamy |
| Screenplay by | Thirupathisamy |
| Story by | G. V. Kumar |
| Produced by | Vijayakanth L. K. Sudhish |
| Starring | Vijayakanth Isha Koppikar |
| Cinematography | S. K. Boopathy |
| Edited by | B. S. Vasu Saleem |
| Music by | Mani Sharma |
Production company | Captain Cine Creations |
| Distributed by | Captain Cine Creations |
Release date |
|
Running time | 139 minutes [1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editAfter the death of their terrorist leader Wasim Khan, the new leader Rasool Akhtar (Rahul Dev) wants to destroy India. After kidnapping 20 Indian soldiers, Akhtar brutally kills them. He also brainwashed the orphan child Sher Khan (Master Akilesh). Meanwhile, Narasimha (Vijayakanth) breaks the tight security around a CBI office building in New Delhi and successfully plants a bomb there. When he tries to escape, Defense Minister Raana (Raghuvaran) and the other officers arrest him. During the interrogation, the police fail to obtain any information from him and the next day, he manages to escape from the place.
Thereafter, Narasimha goes on a killing spree. He first murders the renowned music director D'Souza (Adithyan) in Mumbai despite being under the protection of the local don Shinde (Sharat Saxena). In Calcutta, Narasimha saves the wealthy businessman Kulkarni (Kolla Ashok Kumar) from the Director general of police C. P. Sharma (Ranjith) and kills him. During the Onam festival in Kerala, Narasimha murders Chinna Thamburan Iranyan (Kazan Khan), the son of Periya Thamburan Vasudevan (N. F. Varghese). Narasimha even kidnaps Shinde, Kulkarni, and Vasudevan.
It is then revealed that Narasimha is an honest army officer appointed by Raana, working undercover to save the three Indian colonels kidnapped by Rasool Akthar. D'Souza, Sharma, and Iranyan worked for Akthar and helped him kidnap the three Indian colonels. Meanwhile, Vaanathi (Isha Koppikar) falls in love with Narasimha, and they eventually get engaged. On the day of the marriage, the terrorists kidnap Vaanathi and inform Narasimha that a person in a burqa will commit a terrorist attack in an amusement park. There, Narasimha shoots the person in the burqa and finds out that she is none other than Vaanathi. At the hospital, Vaanathi is in a critical condition and a tearful Narasimha ties the knot with her.
With a limited squad, Narasimha tracks down Akthar's hidden place, kills him, and saves the three abducted Indian colonels. The film ends with Narasimha taking Sher Khan with him, and he calls him “Indian”.
Cast
edit- Vijayakanth as Captain Narasimha
- Isha Koppikar as Vaanathi
- Raghuvaran as General Raana
- Nassar as Lieutenant Manavalan
- Ranjith as DGP C. P. Sharma
- Anandaraj as Lieutenant Thilagarnambi
- Chandrasekhar as Narasimha's brother (guest appearance)
- Rahul Dev as Rasool Akthar
- Vadivelu as Lala
- Radha Ravi as Manimaran (guest appearance)
- Thalaivasal Vijay as Army Major
- Venu Aravind as Army Major
- Master Akilesh as Sher Khan
- Sriman as Terrorist
- Sharat Saxena as Shinde
- Kazan Khan as Chinna Thamburan Iranyan
- N. F. Varghese as Periya Thamburan Vasudevan
- Adithyan as D'Souza
- Kolla Ashok Kumar as Kulkarni
- Thyagu as Astrologer
- Shanthi Williams as Vaanathi's mother
- Kuyili as Narasimha's sister-in-law
- Thalapathy Dinesh as Hacker
- S. Rajasekar as Psychiatrist
- Bayilvan Ranganathan as Politician
- Sempuli Jagan as Beggar
- Jayamani as Thief
- Auditor Sridhar as Doctor
- Ramya Krishnan in a special appearance
Production
editThe film was initially supposed to be directed by N. Maharajan of Vallarasu fame but due to a lack of dates, Vijayakanth had to opt for another director with Thirupathisamy, being selected.[3] Due to the success of his previous two films and his work in Narasimha, the director was signed up to direct a new film titled as Velan with Vijay and Priyanka Chopra starring.[4] Rambha was initially approached to play the lead female role, but her unavailability prompted the team to sign on Isha Koppikar.[5]
Thirupathisamy died before the release of the film after being a part of a car crash while returning home from an editing session — the producers of Narasimha later dedicated the film to him.[6] The film marked the debut of cinematographer Boopathy, who has since been a regular in Vijayakanth films.[7]
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack of the film was composed by Mani Sharma. Lyricist Pa. Vijay wrote his 100th song for the film.[8]
| No. | Song | Singers | Lyrics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Egipthu Raani" | Shankar Mahadevan, Harini | P. Vijay |
| 2 | "Innoru Desiya Geetham" | Shankar Mahadevan | Kabilan |
| 3 | "Kadhal Aararo" | Saisivan, Mahalakshmi Iyer | Yugabharathi |
| 4 | "Lala Nandalala" | Kalpana Raghavendar, Prathap Chandran | Kabilan |
| 5 | "Mandela Mandela" | Harini, Kalpana Raghavendar | Vaali |
Release
editThe Hindu wrote that the film "has beautiful songs and dance, a touch of comedy, attractive costumes and above all a message which says that the country matters more than anything else". In regard to performances, the critic claims that Isha is "beautiful", Rahul Dev "impresses" and that Vijayakanth "has used his histrionic ability to do justice to the character".[9] However the critic from Rediff called the film a "commercial confection" and concluded that the director "doesn't manage to put all the ingredients together in the right proportion."[10][11] The Indian Express concluded "the film, despite its dramatics and slick presentation, lacks a clear, solid screenplay, and among the numerous characters, not one is clearly etched."[12] Chennai Online wrote "The film has dramatic takings and a slick narrative style. But all these cannot compensate for the absence of a solid, clear script".[13]
In 2006, Vijayakanth and his brother-in-law L. K. Sudhish, the film's producers, were engaged in a legal battle to compensate distributors due to the film's losses.[14][15]
References
edit- ^ "Narasimha". IMDb. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "நட்சத்திர படப் பட்டியல்". Cinema Express (in Tamil). 1 December 2002. pp. 41–43. Archived from the original on 2 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "TAMIL CINEMA 2000". 19 March 2016. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016.
- ^ "Gokul's Tamil Cinema News". Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ "Screen the business of entertainment-Regional-Tamil-Interview". Screen. Archived from the original on 28 August 2001. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Cinema". Archived from the original on 23 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ Kumar, S.R. Ashok (6 February 2011). "my first break". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
- ^ "TFM Old News Items". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ "Film Review: Narasimha". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ "rediff.com, Movies: The Rediff Review: Narasimha". Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ "Salute (Vijaykanth) review: Salute (Vijaykanth) (Telugu) Movie Review - fullhyd.com". Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ "Narasimha:lacks a clear, solid screenplay". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ Mannath, Malini. "Narasimha". Archived from the original on 14 February 2004. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "Tamil movies : Lawsuit against Vijayakanth to compensate Narasimha loss". Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ "Notice to Vijayakanth - Tamil Movie News". Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.