Karmayodha is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language action crime film co-produced, written and directed by Major Ravi. It features Mohanlal, Murali Sharma, Mukesh, Sai Kumar, Bineesh Kodiyeri, Rajeev Pillai, Asha Sarath, Aishwarya Devan, Malavika Nair, Janardhanan and Riyaz Khan. The soundtrack was composed by M. G. Sreekumar; the background score was provided by Jeffrey Jonathan. The film received mixed reviews and was an average grosser.
| Karmayodha | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Major Ravi |
| Written by | Major Ravi Shaji S.V Sumesh V Robin |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Pradeep Nair |
| Edited by | Donmax |
| Music by | Jeffrey Jonathan |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
Plot
editMadhavan Menon alias Mad Maddy is a ruthless and psychotic cop working with the Mumbai Police. He is an encounter specialist who makes decisions on the spot, without always waiting for orders from the top. His latest assignment is to investigate the missing of a teenage school girl from Mumbai. He reaches Kerala on being tipped off that the girl could be taken to Kerala. In the meantime, another girl gets kidnapped in Kerala, presumably by the same people or people linked to them. There is also information that some other girls too have been kidnapped. Following the leads, Maddy comes to the conclusion that all the girls have been abducted by a Kerala-based sex trafficking racket led by a psychotic pimp named Khais Khanna, who had a grudge on Maddy. As long ago, when Khanna kidnaps a girl, Maddy comes to save her. When Khanna try to attack Maddy, Maddy stab at Khanna's penis with a knife, resulting Khanna to lose his penis permanently. Maddy embarks on a mission to eliminate the racket and save the girls, including his daughter Diya. Finally, Maddy kills Khanna and rescues his daughter along with the other girls with the help of his colleagues.
Cast
edit- Mohanlal as DCP Madhava Menon IPS ("Mad Maddy"), a psychotic Mumbai Police officer
- Murali Sharma as Khais Khanna, a psychotic pimp and the main antagonist
- Mukesh as CI Krishnaraj, Kerala Police
- Rajeev Pillai as ACP Tony Varghese IPS, Mumbai Police officer
- Asha Sarath as Arathi, Maddy's wife
- Sai Kumar as ACP Eappen Devassy IPS, Kerala Police Officer
- Pradeep Chandran as Arathi's Bose
- Bineesh Kodiyeri as Manu
- Shaalin as Renuka
- Aishwarya Devan as Saleena
- Sona Heiden as Selena
- Malavika Nair as Diya
- Kannan Pattambi as Thenkasi Selvam (Dubbed by Major Ravi)
- Riyaz Khan as Sathan Sunny
- Vishnu Hariharan
- Sarayu
- Sudheer Karamana as Anoop
- Anil Murali as Surab
- Santosh Sleeba as a police officer
- Janardhanan as Narayana Menon
- Sukumari as Maddy's mother
- Gayathri Varsha as Krisharaj's Wife
- Jayakrishnan as District Collector Muhammad Riyaz IAS
- Bindu Ramakrishnan as Manu's mother
- Lakshmi Menon as Divya
- Sasi Kalinga as Chachaji
- Dr Rony David as City Police Commissioner, Mumbai Police (Voice Dubbed By Vijay Babu)
Production
editThe pooja ceremony of the film was held on 7 July 2012 at the BTH Sarovaram Hotel in Cochin, India.[1] The film was shot on locations in Mumbai, Cochin, Munnar and Nagercoil. Filming began in August 2012.
Notably, Karmayodha is not set in the military backdrop that had characterised all other Mohanlal–Major Ravi films, such as Keerthi Chakra, Kurukshetra and Kandahar.[2] "Mohanlal's characterisation is similar to Denzel Washington's in the action film Man On Fire, which is about a single man on a mission who doesn't play by the rules to reach there," says Ravi.[3]
Marketing
editThe films' teaser featured the song "American VI: Ain't No Grave" by American musician Johnny Cash. It was the first time that an English track was being used in a Malayalam film. The makers also gave credit to Cash's song claiming that "It has been used for teaser purposes only". The teaser went viral, and received praise for incorporating the song, which perfectly sets the action-thriller tone of the film. "The idea of using the song came during the editing stage, and I thought it truly complemented the Mexican-style footage that was used for the teaser. Though the song is a free template that's been made available by its producers to be used by anyone, we have also given the due credit.", says Ravi. Cash often performed wearing dark clothing, earning him the nickname 'The Man in Black.' Mohanlal's character is also seen wearing a black attire in the teaser and the stills.[3]
The first-look poster was released in September 2012; the film's first teaser was released on 3 October 2012, and a theatrical trailer was released on 25 November 2012.
Soundtrack
edit| Karmayodha | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 25 November 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 15:28 | |||
| Language | Malayalam | |||
| Label | Music Zone | |||
| Producer | M. G. Sreekumar | |||
| M. G. Sreekumar chronology | ||||
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The soundtrack was composed by M. G. Sreekumar, with lyrics by Dr. Madhu Vasudevan. The album was launched on 25 November 2012 at IMA Hall in Kochi. The event was attended by Mohanlal, Joshiy, Major Ravi, Mukesh, Rajeev Pillai, MG Sreekumar, Pradeep Nair, Pranav Mohanlal, Renji Panicker, Jeffrey Jonathan and other personalities from the film industry, along with the technical crew and cast of the film. The background score for the film was provided by Jeffrey Jonathan. The film notably features Murukan Kattakada's famous poem "Kannada", which has been rendered by the poet himself.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mooliyo Vimookamay" | Madhu Vasudevan | Najim Arshad | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Karmayodha Theme" | Madhu Vasudevan | Jeffrey Jonathan | 2:55 |
| 3. | "Ellavarkkum" | Murukan Kattakada | Murukan Kattakada | 3:40 |
| 4. | "Karmayodha Rap" | Madhu Vasudevan | Jeffrey Jonathan | 4:20 |
| Total length: | 15:28 | |||
Release
editThe distribution rights for Karmayodha in Kerala were bought by Red Rose Release. The film's premiere show was held on 20 December 2012 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[citation needed] The worldwide release took place on 21 December 2012. Karmayodha was released in Europe and the UAE on 27 December 2012.
Critical reception
editThe film opened to mixed reviews. Sify.com said: "A rather flimsy plot, some bad performances, silly lines and villains who are unintentionally comical make you cringe in the seats. The plot moves ahead without a definite aim or direction with some weak links that barely look convincing."[4]
Rediff.com rated the movie 2 out of 5, saying: "Karmayodha is not worth watching".[5]
Indiaglitz gave the film an average rating of 5.9/10, saying that "Karmayodha may satisfy the die-hard Mohanlal fans."[6]
References
edit- ^ "Pooja and Movie Launch of Major Ravi - Mohanlal Film 'Karma Yodha'". Filmiparadise.com. 5 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
- ^ Vijay George; P. K. Ajith Kumar; Saraswathy Nagarajan (20 December 2012). "Stars at the marquee". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
- ^ a b Sanjith Sidhardhan; Shiba Kurian (13 October 2012). "Johnny Cash's track in Mohanlal's next goes viral". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- ^ "Movie Review:Karmayodha". Sify. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
- ^ "Review: Karmayodha is not worth watching".
- ^ "Karmayodha Malayalam Movie Review - cinema preview stills gallery trailer video clips showtimes". IndiaGlitz. 22 December 2012. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
External links
edit- Karma Yodha at IMDb