Vaaimai (transl. The Truth) is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language legal drama film written and directed by A. Senthil Kumar.[1] Inspired by the script of Reginald Rose's Twelve Angry Men (1954), the film stars Shanthanu Bhagyaraj and Muktha Bhanu amongst an ensemble cast.[2] Goundamani, Thyagarajan, Ramki, Urvashi, Manoj K. Bharathi, Prithvi Pandiarajan and Poornima Bhagyaraj are also part of the cast. Though production had begun in 2013, the film released following a production delay on 8 September 2016.
| Vaaimai | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | A. Senthil Kumar |
| Written by | A. Senthil Kumar |
| Produced by | S. Mani S. Thamizhini |
| Starring | Shanthanu Bhagyaraj Ramki Goundamani Thiagarajan Muktha Manoj Bharathiraja Urvashi Prithvi Pandiarajan Poornima Bhagyaraj |
| Narrated by | Vijay Sethupathi |
| Cinematography | Rasamathi |
| Edited by | Anthony |
| Music by | Augath |
Production company | Min Max Movies |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (December 2024) |
A woman stands accused of helping her son assassinate a politician. She needs to defend herself against accusations that she was an accomplice to the plot.
Cast
edit- Shanthanu Bhagyaraj as Sidharthan
- Thiagarajan as Dheenadayalan
- Muktha Bhanu as Jhanavi
- Goundamani as Dr. Benny Quick
- Ramki as Thirumaaran IPS
- Poornima Bhagyaraj as Devakiammal
- Urvashi as Narayani
- Manoj Bharathiraja as Manibharathi
- Prithvi Pandiarajan as Velan
- Namo Narayana as Namo Narayanan
- Venkat Subha as Gopikrishna
- Rose Venkatesan as Rose IAS
- Ankitha Mohapatra as Chinmayi
- K. Bhagyaraj in a cameo appearance
- Vijay Sethupathi as Narrator
Production
editSenthil Kumar chose to make his debut with Vaaimai after his other project, Thirudan featuring Vijay Antony, ran into production troubles during 2012.[3] The film began production in February 2013, with Goundamani making a comeback to acting.[4] It was subsequently shot in places like Delhi, Rishikesh, Haridwar and Kollimalai, but took almost two years to complete, which the director attributed to the inclusion of an animated song sequence.[3] Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, when questioned about the film's similarities to Twelve Angry Men, replied, "To my knowledge, we will not be mentioning the film in the credits, as there have been many jury-based films made, and Vaaimai could be inspired by any of them".[5] Vijay Sethupathi serves as narrator.[6]
Soundtrack
editDebutant Auggath composed the music of Vaaimai.[7] The audio launch was held on 5 May 2015.[8]
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vaimaye Vellum" | Vijay Prakash | 4.32 |
| 2. | "Kanpadum Un Mugham" | Alka Yagnik | 3.45 |
| 3. | "Matta" | Blaaze, Vijay Prakash | 5.18 |
| 4. | "Boomiye Saamiye" | Sadhana Sargam | 3.18 |
| 5. | "Hey Nadu" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 5.10 |
| Total length: | 22.13 | ||
Release and reception
editThe film was released on 8 September 2016.[3] Vishal Menon from The Hindu called it "a forgettable re-interpretation of an all-time classic" and gave the film a very negative review.[9] A critic from Sify wrote "It's very difficult to tolerate when someone adapt a classic film like Twelve Angry Men with a plodding screenplay, over the top dialogues and dramatic performances! Well, if you are a fan of Twelve Angry Men, better never ever try to watch Vaaimai!".[10] A reviewer from The Times of India noted that the film is "unconvincing, with writing that makes no sense and execution that is laughable".[11]
References
edit- ^ "Shanthnu gears for 'Vaaimai'". The Times of India. 7 December 2012. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ "Vaaimai second schedule underway". The Times of India. 1 April 2013. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ a b c Subhakeerthana, S (8 September 2016). "A believer in content-oriented films". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^ "Goundamani is back!". The Times of India. 9 February 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ Srinivasan, Sudhir (9 September 2016). "Dad will not choose my films any more: Shanthnu". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^ "A Vijay Sethupathi Cameo In Vishnu Vishal's Kathanagayan". Silverscreen India. 14 November 2016. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ Karthik (19 July 2014). "Vaaimai (Music review), Tamil – Auggath". Milliblog. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ "Vaaimai Audio Launch Report". Silverscreen India. 6 May 2015. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
- ^ Menon, Vishal (10 September 2016). "Vaaimai: Court unquote". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^ "Vaaimai review: Watch at your own risk!". Sify. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^ "Vaaimai Movie Review". The Times of India. 9 September 2016. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
External links
edit- Vaaimai at IMDb
- Vaaimai at Rotten Tomatoes
