Va (film)

Va (Tamil: வ; Tamil numeral for 1/4; working title: Va Quarter Cutting) is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language black comedy film written and directed by Pushkar-Gayathri. It stars Shiva, SPB Charan and Lekha Washington, with Kalyan, John Vijay and Abhinayashree playing supporting roles. The film's story takes place in one night, in which a man, with the help of his would-be brother-in-law, hunts for a last liquor before leaving to Saudi Arabia.

Va
Poster
Directed by	Pushkar-Gayathri
Written by	Pushkar-Gayathri
Produced by	Sashikanth Sivaji
Starring	Shiva Lekha Washington S. P. B. Charan
Cinematography	Nirav Shah
Edited by	Anthony
Music by	G. V. Prakash Kumar
Production company	YNOT Studios
Distributed by	Cloud Nine Movies
Release date	5 November 2010 (2010-11-05)
Country	India
Language	Tamil

The movie was a box office Sleeper hit made within a shoestring budget of ₹2 crore. The film, produced by Sashikanth Sivaji's YNOT Studios and distributed by Dhayanidhi Alagiri's Cloud Nine Movies, features film score composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar and cinematography by Nirav Shah. The shooting of the film commenced in early 2010 and was held at various locations in Chennai.

Plot

Sunderrajan aka Sura (Shiva) comes to Chennai from Coimbatore on his way to Saudi Arabia. He is received by Marthandam (S. P. B. Charan), a veterinary doctor who is going to marry his sister soon. After the travel agent informs Sura that he cannot taste liquor or women in Saudi, he and Marthandam go to a wine shop to have the last gulp. It is a dry day thanks to elections. Sura is determined to taste the 'quarter' and starts his journey to various places in Chennai where he is told that liquor would be available. He goes to a politico who supplies wine for votes, a star hotel, an Anglo-Indian group of youngsters, a fish market, a gambling den, a kulfi shop, and a brothel house, among other places, all in search of 'quarter'. During his trip, he meets Saraswathi aka Saro (Lekha Washington), who attempts suicide after her parents scold her, and King-Prince, a father-son duo (both roles played by John Vijay) who runs a gambling center. How Sura, in the company of Marthandam and Saro, succeeds in his mission and leaves for Saudi forms the remaining story.

Cast

• Shiva as Sunderrajan (Sura)
• S. P. B. Charan as Marthandan, Sura's brother-in-law
• Lekha Washington as Saraswathi (Saro)
• John Vijay as Pichai (Prince) and King
• Kalyan as Sokkathangam
• Abhinayashree as Singari Sundaram
• Kaali Venkat as Mano
• R. Amarendran as Gnani
• Manikka Vinayagam
• Krishnamoorthy
• Craig Gallyot as Babyface
• Arya as Chandru (guest appearance)

Production

Development

When I was doing Tamizh Padam, Sashikanth of 'Y Not' studios approached me with Quarter Cutting script. I read and liked it and gave my assent. He approached Durai Dayanidhi and Vivek Ratnavelu of Cloud Nine and decided to make the film under their banner. It was truly a good experience to have worked with Pushkar and Gayatri as they are passionate film makers. During the shoot, they never gave proper breaks. I would be dreaming to have my food at 9 PM and they would come and say, 'machi, today no break, please eat your food fast'. I have worked in many films and break times are something to look forward to. But here, they would never announce breaks and to top it all, the shooting was from 6 PM to 6 AM. The entire biorhythm was changed but Pushkar and Gayatri were working like ghosts because they were so involved in the film. I think they are technically talented and know all the shots.
-Shiva.

Sashikanth Sivaji of YNOT Studios, began discussions for his next production in late 2009, when filming his 2010 blockbuster Thamizh Padam. He decided to work with director-duo Pushkar-Gayathri who he thought had a fresh and different script. Fresh out of the success of their debut venture Oram Po, the husband-wife duo had worked on a script that revolved around the local flavors of Chennai. They wanted their next film to be a contrast to Oram Po, which too was based on Chennai and hence worked on a comedy script for their second movie.

The film was publicized under the title Va: Quarter Cutting, but due to the use of English words, it did not meet the requirements for the then Government of Tamil Nadu's Entertainment Tax Exemption Act, which demands titles of creative works to be in Tamil only. Thus, the film's title was changed to Va, meaning one-fourths.

Filming

Filming began in early 2010. Shooting was carried out in and around Chennai in the following weeks. The film's main portions were extensively shot across places in the old city and Marina beach.

Release

The satellite rights of the film were sold to Kalaignar. The film was given a "A" certificate by the Indian Censor Board.

Soundtrack

Va
Soundtrack album by G. V. Prakash Kumar
Released	4 September 2010 (2010-09-04)
Recorded	Y Not Studio
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	19:20
Label	Think Music
Producer	G. V. Prakash Kumar
G. V. Prakash Kumar chronology
Darling (2010) Va (2010) Aadukalam (2010)

Soundtrack scored by G. V. Prakash Kumar. The track Unnai Kan Thedudhe is heavily inspired by his own Un Mela Aasadhan from Aayirathil Oruvan. Several parts of the score are adapted from soundtracks of the films Kill Bill, Amelie, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Sherlock Holmes and Snatch.

Tracklist

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Dialogue 1"		Shiva, S. P. B. Charan	0:25
2.	"Unnai Kan Thedudhe"	Kumararaja	G. V. Prakash Kumar, Gana Ulaganathan	3:39
3.	"Dialogue 2"			0:15
4.	"Thediyae Thediyae"	Kumararaja	Andrea Jeremiah	5:30
5.	"Dialogue 3"	Snehan	Shiva	0:17
6.	"Saudi Basha"	Shiva, R. Amarendran	G. V. Prakash Kumar, Bhargavi	3:10
7.	"Dialogue 4"		Shiva, S. P. B. Charan	0:06
8.	"Saarpu Saarpu Ji"	Kumararaja	G. V. Prakash Kumar, Lakshmikanth	3:38
9.	"The Quarter Song"	Kumararaja	G. V. Prakash Kumar, Gana Ulaganathan, Remix: DJ Vijay Chawla	3:38
Total length:				19:20

Reception

A critic from The Times of India rated the film 2+1⁄2 out of 5 stars and wrote that "The cocktail in the screenplay of "Va" doesn’t quite jel and leaves you dissatisfied as the kick is not quite up to the mark. It only leaves you wanting for one more drink". A critic from Behindwoods gave the film the same rating and wrote that "Directors Pushkar and Gayatri should be credited for respecting their audience’s intelligence and for delivering a ‘different film’ which could in many ways be an avant-garde work. However, will the different genre of comedy appeal to every segment of the audience is something that needs to be waited and watched". A critic from Rediff.com gave the film the same rating and wrote that "Va Quarter Cutting certainly has its moments of brilliance (due to Shiva's own performance). But there are also moments when it becomes mundane, irritating and loses pace. And it's these moments that prevent it from being a completely enjoyable experience". A critic from The Hindu wrote that "The helming team of Pushkar and Gayatri comes a cropper in this comedy attempt, which lacks cohesion. Incidentally, why does the promo (!) call Va a ‘mokkai padam' (boring film)? Confession?" A critic from Sify wrote that "On the whole, Va Quarter Cutting is a big letdown, despite having some of the best comic actors, from the current crop". A critic from Indiaglitz wrote that "Va-Quarter Cutting is no doubt a bold attempt by Pushkar and Gayathri. But whether it would work or not is the big question here".

External links

• Va at IMDb