136 min|Comedy, Drama, Romance
by abtheboss|created - 23 Jan 2018|updated - 23 Jan 2018| Public
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1.Ala Modalaindi(2011)
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On the day of his girlfriend's marriage, Gautam gets kidnapped by an unknown criminal. Bored on the way to the kidnapper's den, Gautam is forced to narrate his cute love story which is filled with loads of twists and turns.
Director:Nandini Reddy| Stars:Nani, Nithya Menon, Sneha Ullal, Kriti Kharbanda
Votes:2,214
2.OK Kanmani(2015)
Unrated|139 min|Romance
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Two young lovers are compatible in every way - they even agree that marriage is futile. However, their emotions are not so easily managed, especially when they witness the unconditional love of the older couple with whom they live.
Director:Mani Ratnam| Stars:Dulquer Salmaan, Nithya Menon, Prakash Raj, Leela Samson
Votes:4,148
3.Ishq(2012)
160 min|Comedy, Romance
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Priya falls in love with rahul during a delayed flight journey but realizes that he and her brother share a past
Director:Vikram K. Kumar| Stars:Nithiin, Nithya Menon, Nagineedu, Ajay
Votes:1,399
4.Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde(2013)
150 min|Comedy, Drama, Romance
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Nitin saw a girl and fell for her.After searching for her he gets her number from a friend. He contacts her and they both fall in love, but little does he know that he was talking to .. See full summary »
Director:Vijay Kumar Konda| Stars:Nithiin, Nithya Menon, Isha Talwar, Ali
Votes:1,247
Sven co op commands youtube. You now have to use '.' Uploaded v4 to make this plugin work with SC 5.0.2 (thanks to @n!t@ and WebKonstantin for finding the problem before I even woke up).I also made kind of a big change to the command syntax.
5.Malli Malli Idhi Rani Roju(2015)
161 min|Musical, Romance
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Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju is a feel good love story which stays within your heart.
Director:Kranthi Madhav| Stars:Punarnavi Bhupalam, Chinna, Pavani Gangireddy, Pavithra Lokesh
Votes:751
6.Mersal(2017)
Not Rated|172 min|Action, Thriller
Conjugate sentences into present and future tenses using the given words (see pdf for full prompt)Present and future tense highlighted as indicated.a. 12 tenses in english grammar with examples in tamil pdf.
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A magician and a doctor attempt to expose the corruption at the heart of India's medical industry.
Director:Atlee Kumar| Stars:Joseph Vijay, S.J. Surya, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Votes:22,074
7.Ustad Hotel(2012)
151 min|Comedy, Drama, Family
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An urbane chef from a well-to-do family with very high ambitions goes on to find approval from his conservative father, true love and the real purpose of his life.
Director:Anwar Rasheed| Stars:Dulquer Salmaan, Thilakan, Siddique, Nithya Menon
Votes:9,392
8.Urumi: The Warriors Who Wanted to Kill Vasco Da Gama(2011)
150 min|Action, Drama
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Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar, a warrior in 16th century Kerala wants to avenge his father killed in a confrontation with Vasco da Gama and his troops and is assisted by his best friend Vavvali and warrior princess Ayesha.
Director:Santosh Sivan| Stars:Prithviraj Sukumaran, Prabhu Deva, Genelia D'Souza, Nithya Menon
Votes:1,564
9.100 Days of Love(2015)
Not Rated|153 min|Comedy, Romance
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A man, who just got dumped, falls in love with another girl who he bullied in his childhood.
Director:Jenuse Mohammed| Stars:Dulquer Salmaan, Nithya Menon, Sekhar Menon, Aju Varghese
Votes:1,502
10.Myna(2013)
144 min|Romance
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The film begins with Satya (Chetan Kumar) being chased by the police. He is caught and is charged with a 34 serial murder case. While being transported to Bangalore on criminal charges, he .. See full summary »
Director:Nagashekar| Stars:Chethan Kumar, Nithya Menon, Sarath Kumar, Suhasini
Votes:106
Nithya Menen[3][4][5] (born 8 April 1989) is an Indian filmactress and playback singer. She primarily works in South Indian films, where she has established herself as a leading actress. She is recipient of three Filmfare Awards for the Telugu films Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde, Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju and Mersal in Tamil.
After making her acting debut as a child in the 1998 English filmThe Monkey Who Knew Too Much, Nithya played her first supporting role in Kannada film7 O' Clock. She made her debut in leading role in Malayalam with Akasha Gopuram,Telugu with Ala modalaindi and Tamil with 180.
Early life[edit]
Nithya Menen was born in Bangalore, Karnataka to a Malayali family.[2] She studied journalism at the Manipal University.[6] She once said in an interview that she never wished to become an actress but a journalist, as she was 'an idealist',[7][8] but felt journalism was 'not what it used to be'.[9] She then decided to become a filmmaker as she could express her ideas 'better through films',[8][10] and enrolled for a course in cinematography at the FTII Pune. During the educational entrance examination, she met B. V. Nandini Reddy, who spoke [11] and convinced her to take up acting.[12] Nandini Reddy would later turn director and sign Nithya for the lead female role in her first Telugu film.
Career[edit]1998[edit]
Nithya appeared first on screen as a child artist when she was eight in the Indian English language film, The Monkey Who Knew Too Much (1998), playing the younger sister to Tabu's character.[13] In 2006, she started her acting career in a supporting role with the Kannada film 7 O' Clock directed by Kannada's top cinematographer Santosh Rai Pataje.[14] The 2008 off-beat film Aakasha Gopuram, directed by National Film Award-winning director K. P. Kumaran, marked her Malayalam debut in leading role in which she was paired with Mohanlal. She was in the midst of her 12th class exams when she was offered the role, after Mohanlal had spotted her on the front cover of a tourism magazine, Stark World Kerala.[3][7] Her performance was well received, with critics writing that she shows 'sparkle in her debut venture' and 'makes her entry in an impressive role',[15][16] though the film, based on the Norwegian play The Master Builder, got mixed reviews and was a financial failure.[15][16] She next made a comeback into Kannada films with the super hit film Josh. She played a supporting role in the film, which received rave reviews,[17][18][19] and became a commercial success as well, with her performance garnering her a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category at the 57th Filmfare Awards South.
2010: Telugu debut and breakthrough[edit]
In 2011, her first release was Nandini Reddy's romantic comedyAla Modalaindi, which was Nithya's maiden Telugu venture as well.[5] The film opened to favourable reviews by critics and turned out to become a sleeper hit,[20] while Nithya received critical praise for her performance. Idlebrain's Jeevi in his review cited that she 'epitomized Nitya character with her fabulous performance', 'looks beautiful in all kinds of dresses' and was 'the best debut in recent years of Telugu cinema after Samantha in YMC',[21] while another critic wrote that she was a 'charming find' and '..quite the Genelia replacement that our cinema so badly needs right now.'[22] She eventually won the Nandi Award for Best Actress for her performance and received a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Actress at the 59th Filmfare Awards South.[23] Further more, she also sang two songs for the soundtrack album of the film, tuned by Kalyani Malik.[6][24] Nandini Reddy, later, went on to describe Nithya as 'the discovery of the decade'.[20] Following Ala Modalaindi, she starred in Santosh Sivan's historical fiction Urumi as part of an ensemble cast.[25] She portrayed a Chirakkal princess named Bala, playing the love interest of Prabhu Deva's character,[25] which gained positive remarks, with a Sify review claiming that she 'looks pretty and is a scene stealer'.[26] Nithya quoted that much of her character was based on 'Santosh's perception of who I am', with Sivan stating that he had written that role for her and that only she could play it. She received a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 59th Filmfare Awards South[25] She next appeared in ad-filmmaker Jayendra's bilingual venture 180/Nootrenbadhu, made and released in Tamil and Telugu, in which she played a photo journalist named Vidhya.[27] She described the character as 'bubbly, full of life, nosey, wide-eyed and innocent in life' and to be similar to herself.[27] Later the year, she was seen in Sibi Malayil's Violin in Malayalam and the Gautham Menon-produced Veppam in Tamil.
2012 :Recognition[edit]
Her first 2012 release was the Telugu romance film Ishq with Nitin Reddy. She received the CineMAA Award for Best Actress(jury) while received best actress nomination at the same event and at the SIIMA Awards. She acted in Karmayogi, a Malayalam adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. For the Kannada film Aidondla Aidu she had sung and also choreographed one of the songs, titled 'Payasa'.[28] She was seen in two Malayalam projects, T. K. Rajeev Kumar's Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty, in which she portrayed a village woman whose daily life is filmed and broadcast as a reality show for a month,[29] and Ustad Hotel directed by Anwar Rasheed.[30]
2013: critical acclaim[edit]
In 2013, she starred in three Telugu films, Okkadine, Jabardasth and Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde and one Kannada movie Mynaa. She played a character with two shades in Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde and she dubbed for her as well as for the character of her co-star Isha Talwar. For this movie, she received her first Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actress at the 61st Filmfare Awards South.[31] In 2014, she made a cameo in the Malayalam movie Bangalore Days, which became the highest grosser of that year.[32] Her Kannada film Mynaa which won the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Kannada[33] in which she plays a character of a physically challenged girl, became a huge blockbuster hit completing 100 days in many centers across Karnataka and her performance was well praised by the critics. She has paired up with Sharwanand for the 2015 Telugu movie Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju. Her performance was well praised by the critics eventually receiving her Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress South, Nandi Special Jury Award and also receiving her second nomination at Filmfare. With this Nithya became the first Telugu actress ever to win Critics Award & the Best Actress Award at Filmfare. She did a minor role in the film S/O Satyamurthy, directed by Trivikram'. She appeared opposite Dulquer Salmaan in two films in 2015, 100 Days of Love, a romantic Malayalam film and OK Kanmani, bilingual film directed by Mani Ratnam'. Dulquer and Nithya's on-screen chemistry was praised in the reviews of both films. For OK Kanmani, she received her first Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actress nomination.[34][35]
2016: Tamil projects[edit]
Nithya at the 65th Filmfare Awards South ceremony
In 2016, she starred in three Tamil films, 24 opposite Suriya was opened to high critical acclaim, with critics praising her screen presence and garned her a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Tamil nomination at 64th Filmfare Awards South, Another K. S. Ravikumar's bilingual project titled Kotigobba 2 opposite Sudeep while both versions opened to positive reviews, Kannada version became Blockbuster and Tamil version turned out to be a sleeper hit at Box Office.[36] later she starred opposite Vikram in a SciFi thriller Iru Mugan in which she had a limited screen presence.[37] In Telugu she starred in two films, okka Ammayi Thappa opposite Sundeep Kishan opened to negative reviews and tanked at box office, Followed by Janatha Garage opposite Jr. NTR opened to positive reviews, though her role is limited but brought raves from critics and latter was commercially successful at box office.[38][39]
In 2017, Her only release was a Tamil film Mersal opposite Vijay opened to critical Acclaim with praising portrayal of her character 'Aishwarya Vetrimaran' as a loyal wife by critics and Audience alike and the film turned out be a Blockbuster at the box office and garned her a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Tamil at 65th Filmfare Awards South .[40][41]
2018: Upcoming projects[edit]
In Telugu, Her first release was Nani's Production venture an anthology psychological thriller Awe[42] In which she played one of the couple alongside Eesha Rebba who try to get approval of their lesbian relationship from latter's parents.Later the film was opened to unanimous critical acclaim with crtics praising menen's performance as screen lighting with a brief and impactful role. Never gonna give you up chords and lyrics.
As of November 2018, Menen has several projects under various stages of production. she completed Vk Prakash's praana which marks her comeback to Malayalam industry after 2015's romantic flick 100 days of love,.[43][44] In Tamil she is filming for a romantic thriller Psycho directed by Mysskin which also stars Udhayanidhi Stalin and she has committed to star in the biopic of legendary actress and late chief minister of Tamilnadu Jayalalithaa. She is all set to make her Hindi debut with Mission Mangal alongside Akshay Kumar.
Filmography[edit]
Discography[edit]
Awards and nominations[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nithya_Menen&oldid=905012539'
Santosh Sivan’s cinematic oeuvre is an envious compilation of movies and ad films that are breathtakingly pleasing on the eye. Naturally, Sivan’s brilliance as a cinematographer comes to the fore even when he’s a director. Such is the case with Urumi – a historical fantasy written with wide-eyed imagination by Shankar Ramakrishnan and brought to screen by Sivan magnificently. With pleasing visuals of locations that are often rain-soaked - it seems a cinematographer can never get enough of rains and given the fact that rains bring out the best of nature’s colors, it is only natural after all – the director-writer team of Sivan and Ramakrishnan weave a fairy tale drama blending history and present meticulously.
When Prithviraj was offered a handsome rate for his ancestral property in Kerala, he decides to sell it. However, it’s not as easy as it seems and the issue opens up a can of worms for the rather carefree youth. Urumi is told in flashbacks and converges into a classic intersection where past meets the present. Shankar Ramakrishnan has done some hands-on research with his subject and what transpires on screen is a neatly thought out script infused with adequate performance by the actors. A lot of credit goes to Sivan’s casting of the lead roles of the film as they weave in and out of the film with practiced ease convincingly. Prithviraj – who has also coproduced the film with Sivan and Shaji Natesan – plays the lead role of a 16th century warrior, Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar. Kelu is seeking revenge for his father’s death and is braying for Vasco Da Gama’s blood since the Portuguese sailor is responsible for the death of his beloved father. Prithvi’s acting skills needs no elucidation and so he proves that he can be equally impressive in the role of a waywardly young man of present day and as a warrior prince who has a huge responsibility of planning an uprising to oust the Portuguese from the Malabar Coast. While he shines as an angry-young-man whose responsibilities set him apart from the herd, he also does not forget to highlight the subtleties of emotions he goes through when he is attracted to the brave Ayesha – played by Genelia. Genelia, as the valiant Princess of Arackal, who takes on the responsibility of safeguarding her family’s modesty and dignity plays her role to perfection. Her loathe for men - whom she considers womanizers waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of women - is rendered well and she scores in the fight scenes also. Prabhu Deva as Vawwali, Prithviraj’s best friend, pulls off comedy like it is his second skin. His brief liaison with Nithya Menon, his tease at Prithviraj when he is seemingly falling for Genelia and his courageousness at arranging a coup – all these aspects make his character endearing. Rest of the actors including Jagathy Sreekumar, Arya, Alexx ONell, Robin Pratt and Amole Gupte are proofs of perfect casting. Vidya Balan and Tabu are crackling in their few-minutes-long cameo appearances in songs. You almost long for Tabu’s presence for a little longer and Vidya pushes the envelope of raunchiness a little too farther. However, also as a nondescript ashram owner, she is brilliant nevertheless. Another aspect of the movie worth mentioning is its painstakingly designed costumes that are rather clinical. Genelia slips in and out of designer shawls and beautifully created ensembles befitting a princess that she plays. However, you only expect the princess to be muted in style when she is struggling for her family’s dignity. The costumes, otherwise, are inspired, to say, and are appropriate for a period film of Urumi’s stature. S. Sasikumaran’s dialogues are sharp and edgy for a period film that is after all a revenge drama in its heart. Deepak Dev’s songs are hummable and his background score is muted, suited for the setting of the film. Sreekar Prasad’s able handed editing ensures that the movie is not lagging as it winds along its course. On the whole, it’s unlikely that you might have an opportunity to watch another film like Urumi. It’s unique, gets the historical facts right and is a mélange of revenge drama and contemporary themes of greed for land and suchlike. You will love it and as for your children, this might as well be a history lesson about the 16th century India and her wealth and the near-successful Portuguese invasion.
Verdict: History revisited! Must watch film!
Urumi (Malayalam: ഉറുമി) is a 2011 Indianperiodaction drama film written by Shankar Ramakrishnan and directed and co-produced by Santosh Sivan.[2][3] It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Prabhu Deva, Genelia D'Souza, Amol Gupte, Jagathy Sreekumar, Nithya Menon, and Alexx O'Nell in lead roles and features Tabu, Arya and Vidya Balan in extended cameos.
The film is set in the early 16th century, when Portuguese sailors dominated the Indian Ocean. The story follows Chirakkal Kelu (Prithviraj), seeking to avenge the death of his father at the hands of the sailors, and his cohorts Vavvali of Nagapattinam (Prabhu Deva), princess Ayesha of Arackel (Genelia D'Souza) and princess Bala of Chirakkal (Nithya Menon). The plot incorporates the intrigues of the Chirakkal royal house, where Kelu serves as commander-in-chief, its rivalry with the house of Arackal, and the assassination of prince Bhanu Vikraman (Ankur Khanna). . The plot also incorporates such historical figures as Estêvão da Gama (Alexx O'Nell), Vasco da Gama (Alexx O'Nell & Robin Pratt) and Chenichery Kurup (Jagathy Sreekumar).
The film was made on a budget of more than ₹12 crore (US$1.7 million), making it the second-most expensive Malayalam film at the time, after Gokulam Gopalan's Pazhassi Raja (2009).[4] The film also marked the debut of Prithviraj Sukumaran as producer.[5]Urumi was released in Hindi as Ek Yodha Shoorveer, in Tamil as Urumi: Padhinaintham Nootrandu Uraivaal written by Sasikumaran and dubbed in Telugu with the same title, Urumi.[6][7]
The film was critically acclaimed[8] and a huge success at the box-office. It won two Kerala State Film Awards, for Best Background Music (Deepak Dev) and for Best Sound Recordist (M. R. Rajakrishnan). [9][9] It also won the Best film and Best Director in Imagine India Film Festival in Barcelona.[10] It was also the Opening Film of the Panorama Section in Goa Film Festival.[9]
Plot[edit]
The executives of the multinational mining corporation Nirvana Group inform Goa-based Krishna Das (Prithviraj Sukumaran) that his ancestral property in north Kerala, leased out to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) by his late grandfather, is both rich in minerals and able to be sold because the lease period has expired. Nirvana Group offers him a large sum of money as an advance on the purchase. The NGO currently runs a tribal school on the property, which is situated inside the Kannadi Forest Range. When Krishna Das and his friend Thanseer (Prabhu Deva) visit the property, they are kidnapped by local tribal men and taken to a cave deep in the forest. There, Krishna Das meets the tribal chief Thangachan (Arya), who explains to him that he is the descendant of certain Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar.
In the early 16th century, the Portuguese sailors under Vasco da Gama (Alexx O'Nell) captured a Muslim pilgrim ship and took all the passengers as prisoners. The general of Chirakkal kingdom (northern Kerala), the Kothuwal, sends a Brahmin negotiator and his own son, Kelu, (as per the customes of the land) to the captured ship to negotiate the prisoners' release. However, Vasco da Gama viciously rejects their attempt at negotiation, cutting off the negotiator's ears. He then orders that the prisoners be locked in the hold and the ship set on fire. Kothuwal storms the burning ship to rescue his son, Kelu. Although Kelu escapes, Chirakkal Kothuwal is killed during the rescue attempt. Vavvali, a Tamil Muslim boy, takes orphaned Kelu with him to his home, and treats him as his brother. Kelu crafts an urumi from the leftover ornaments of the dead women and children of the pilgrim ship. He takes an oath to one day kill Vasco da Gama.
Kelu and Vavvali are next seen as adults hunting in a forest somewhere in Chirakkal. They rescue the princess of Chirakkal Bala (Nithya Menon) from a group of abductors, armed with Portuguese pistols, who apparently have been organised by her cousin Bhanu Vikraman (Ankur Khanna). Under the orders of Bhanu Vikraman, Kelu and Vavvali are soon captured by the Chirakkal guards at Puthoor Ferry and tried before the king of Chirakkal (Amole Gupte). In the trial, it is revealed to the king that the two young men in fact saved the princess' life. Chenichery Kurup (Jagathy Sreekumar), minister of the king, convinces the king that the abductors might have been from Arakkal kingdom.
The king grants Kelu and Vavvali an audience. During the conversation, Kelu learns that Vasco da Gama is scheduled to return to India as the Viceroy. They plan to infiltrate and capture da Gama during the hanging of 'pirate' Balia Hassan in Fort Arakkal. However, they instead capture Estêvão da Gama (Alexx O'Nell) and bring him as a prisoner to Chirakkal. In the process, Kelu and Vavvali come across and helped by Ayesha (Genelia D'Souza), a fiery warrior princess of Arakkal palace. With the help of Ayesha, Balia Hassan is also freed from the gallows and chaos ensues. Unknownst to Kelu and Vavvali, a group of Chirakkal warriors simultaneously raid the Arakkal palace, assassinates the Harabichi Beevi and take a large number of women from the palace as prisoners. Back in Chirakkal, the king bestows Kelu with the honour of being the new general ('Kothuval'). Vavvali, however, is somewhat unhappy as the king neglected to acknowledge his role in the capture of Estêvão. Princess Ayesha - among captives from the raid in Arakkal - is presented to the spoiled prince Bhanu Vikraman as a concubine. She tries to kill the prince in his chamber, but Kelu saves him. Vasco da Gama, in Cochin, is enraged to know the capture and mutilation of his son Estêvão. Later, Kelu helps Ayesha escape from Chirakkal and asks her to flee from 'this cursed land'. Ayesha, with the help of Kelu and Vavvali, manages to rescue all the women locked up in Chirakkal and smuggle them to a secret cave in Puthur.
With princess Ayesha, Kelu and Vavvali set out to the villages in the kingdom and succeed in garnering support from the common folk against the Portuguese. A large number of people join with Kelu and Ayesha to form a resistance. Kelu also induces king of Chirakkal to seek assistance from the Syrian Christians in Kodungallur. Meanwhile, with the help of minister Kurup (Sreekumar), Bhanu Vikraman conspires against his uncle and joins forces with Estêvão da Gama. Bhanu Vikraman assassinates his uncle with a Portuguese pistol. Kelu returns to Chirakkal palace to discuss with Vikraman, now king of Chirakkal, what actions to take against da Gama, but Bhanu hesitantly states that the army will no longer take orders from Kelu. Chirakkal Bala, the princess of Chirakkal, now joins with Kelu and his cohorts. Meanwhile, da Gama (Robin Pratt), accompanied by Estêvão da Gama among others, arrives at the Chirakkal palace. Chenichery Kurup, whom da Gama remembers at first sight, welcomes him. During the audience, Bhanu Vikraman is killed by Estêvão da Gama. As a mark of respect for his allegiance to the Portuguese crown, the empire offers Kurup the post of the Governor General of the Laccadives.
The Chirakkal army, led by Angadan Nambi, attacks the rebel hideout. Rebels under Kelu, Vavvali, Ayesha and defected Chirakkal general Kaimal fight back. Soon, an Estêvão da Gama-led Portuguese unit arrives in the village as reinforcement for the Chirakkal force. The rebels manage to defeat the combined forces, but Vavvali is killed in action. The rebels now launch an attack on the Chirakkal palace. A terrible battle ensues. The rebels are immediately put on the defensive by the Portuguese cannons. Kelu manages to breach the perimeter set up by Estêvão and enters the palace. He manages to attack da Gama but is killed by the musketeers.
After hearing the moving story of his ancestors, Krishna Das decides not to sell his land to the multinational mining corporation and instead to start a new life in Kerala.
Cast[edit]
Extended cameos[edit]Nithya Menon In Urumi Hd
Themes[edit]
According to director Santosh Sivan, Urumi is his comment on globalization. He adds that the film resonates with people today as corporate lobbies are causing displacement of indigenous people across the world. 'I have travelled across the world while shooting for films and documentaries and I have seen first hand the displacement and exploitation, the side effects of globalisation being suffered by the people who live in close contact to nature. The film centres around a similar situation, but it is removed by a few centuries,' said Sivan. The film also focuses on a new perspective of storytelling. 'History is written by the victors, the powerful who won. So was Vasco da Gama a brave explorer or an invader after gold.' he added.[11]
'The film is designed in such a way that it talks about the present and the past. In the past, some people came and exploited our land and it is happening even now. Perhaps the people who lived then are the people who live now. Still we are not united and our progress is not uniform. The film has also portrayed this aspect in a different manner.', Sivan pointed out to Jyothsna Bhavanishankar of 'Behind the Woods'.[12]
Shankar Ramakrishnan, who wrote the story and screenplay for Urumi after conducting extensive research, said that the film presents history from a different perspective. 'Even a small child in Kerala perceives Vasco da Gama as an explorer, who made the first-ever colonial invasion in any part of the world. But there's more to him than that. Urumi is an attempt to portray or rather discuss the many realities that could have affected the course of our history,' he said. Shankar Ramakrishnan added that the title is not just suggestive of Kelu's weapon urumi, but 'the feeling of vengeance that we carry in our hearts'.[13]
Production[edit]
'Whenever you travel to Goa or Fort Kochi or such places, you will always find a suite in the name of Vasco da Gama who is revered as a discoverer of India. But when you delve deeper into the history, you will realize that he discovered India for the Western world but he is the conqueror, the first colonial ruler in the world as they all came to trade in pepper but instead of trading they decided to conquer the place. Hence, I thought it would be interesting to make a film that would show the small peppercorn changing the entire history of India. I think for every Indian it would be interesting.'
– Santosh Sivan, the cinematographer-cum-director, explained his initial thoughts about the film on Vasco da Gama[12]
Parts of the film were shot in the forests of Malshej Ghat, Pune
In April 2011, Prithviraj Sukumaran explained the genesis of his production company: 'Santosh [Sivan] and I used to keep discussing a historical film during the making of [2010 Tamil film] Raavanan. We roped in Shaji Nadesan, a friend of ours, and thus was born August Cinema.'[14] 'I like the idea of recreating the bygone era. It is interesting to think of the characters you have heard as real. Also, it excited me to have cannons, swords, and urumi (curling blades) in a film.' Santosh Sivan was quite enthusiastic about the idea.[15]
Santosh Sivan and Prithviraj Sukumaran have acknowledged the vital role played by the script writer Shankar Ramakrishnan in shaping of film. Ramakrishnan, who had been working for some time as film-maker Ranjith Balakrishnan's associate director, had scripted a tale for a competition based on the medieval history of Kerala. 'Called Chekavar, it was on the gallant warriors of Malabar and the pageant of the Mamankam. I had shown it to Prithviraj [Sukumaran] during the shooting of Thirakkatha. He was quite taken up with the script and mentioned it to Santhosh [Sivan] when the two were working on Raavanan. That is how Santosh [Sivan] got in touch with me,' explains Shankar Ramakrishnan.[16] 'I was nearly imprisoned in Santosh Sivan's flat in Mumbai for about two months when I was writing the story of Urumi. Finally, I told him the one-line story of a boy who wanted to kill Vasco da Gama and the movie took off smoothly from then on. I did not see it as a period film as I felt that the issues it dealt with were contemporary', reveals Shankar Ramakrishnan.[17] Shankar spent two years gathering the material for his script and doing research to flesh out his characters, some of whom are familiar names in Indian history. He went to Kannur and read old ballads and stories of the region.[16]
Alexx O'Neill, who hails from Connecticut in the United States, was cast as Estêvão da Gama. 'When I had signed Urumi, it was basically for a single character Estêvão Da Gama, but later I played [young] Vasco Da Gama's role, too, and had to speak only in Portuguese', O'Neill said. 'I wanted to be very true to the accent and the way the character would speak at that time. So I hired a person in Mumbai before the shooting began. Even during the dubbing I had someone to assist me, so that I don't go wrong with the pronunciation', he added.[18]
The 16th century costumes were designed by Eka Lakhani, with make-up by Ranjith Ambady. The clothing worn by the characters, particularly that worn by the women, differed slightly from what would be historically accurate attire. 'You cannot re-create exactly how it was then, as women were topless in those days. So, you stylise the kind of dresses they wore in that era,' Sivan said to Rediff.[19] Shooting for the film started on 17 August 2010.[20] The production design was carried out by Sunil Babu. The main locations were Kerala and the forests of Malshej Ghat in Maharashtra.[21] Most of the scenes were captured in mostly natural light with a modest of budget and minimal visual effects.[6] 'It was tedious and the terrain was difficult. On screen, it looks beautiful but we shot standing in slush almost 24/7. People got foot infections. It was laborious', says Nithya Menon, who played a Chirakkal princess.[22] The film was shot with a combination of various formats. The Canon EOS 5D was extensively used, especially for the sensuous song featuring Vidya Balan.[23] The shooting lasted a period of seven months in the states of Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra.[11]
Urumi was filmed by three cinematographers – Santosh Sivan (who is the director of photography as well), renowned wild-life photographer Alphonse Roy, and national award-winning Anjuli Shukla. 'Shooting in the mist-laden Harishchadragad in Malshej valley is a difficult task as the light keeps changing constantly. It rains incessantly and the entire area is covered in slush. So each scene is a challenge. It is great to be a part of such a talented team,' says Anjuli. Sunil Babu, the set designer for movies such as Ghajini, Lakshya and Ananthabhadram, was art director for the film.[5] Visual effects were carried out by Mumbai-based Reliance Mediaworks.
Santosh Sivan was heavily involved in bringing out a 'tailored version' of the film in Telugu 2011, and in Tamil in 2012.[24] Many scenes in the film were re-shot to avoid lip-sync problems.[6]
The English version[edit]
The English version is expected to be just 110 minutes long, which is 55 minutes shorter than the Malayalam film. The director confirmed that the English version will showcase the brutal side of the Portuguese invader. The English version will be released in 2015. 'The English flick, titled 'Vasco Da Gama', is totally different from the Malayalam version in terms of structure and story. 'We will be retaining only 30% of the scenes from the original', said Santosh Sivan, adding that the extra sequences are already shot. The script is being sponsored by a forum of the Hong Kong International Film Festival.[24]
Reception[edit]
The first exclusive sneak preview of the film was held exclusively for Mani Ratnam. After watching the film, Mani Ratnam was all praise for Santosh Sivan, saying, 'Urumi is huge. It is entertaining and the performances are very convincing. It's simply Santosh [Sivan] magic.'[25]
M.R. Rajakrishnan won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Sound Recordist for his work in Urumi.
The film opened to positive reviews from both critics and viewers.[26][27] It earned accolades as 'arguably one of the best historical fantasies Malayalam cinema has ever seen' and was critically acclaimed at film festivals around the world.[28]The Hindu described the film as 'a landmark film in Malayalam'.[5] Sarswathy Nagarajan describes, 'It is a decisive turn for Malayalam cinema because 'Urumi,' while broadening the horizons of Mollywood, is also an attempt to reach out to a global audience. The lavishly made 'Urumi' brings together a host of talented actors and technical personnel from Indian cinema.'[29]
Reviewers also criticised the film's depiction of women, 'Also, unlike [2015 Telugu film] Bahubali, where the warrior woman had to eventually get tamed into a sultry seductress for the hero’s convenience, here she [Ayesha of Arakkal] continues to hold her own and fights fiercely till the end. And then motherhood takes over everything and she has to play her desired, destined role in bringing forth the next generation of warriors to fight newer round of injustices and exploitations.', wrote The Hindu.[30]The Times of India praised the film's acting performances, technical details, cinematography.[31]
'Nowrunning' gave the film a 3/5 rating and comments that the story is 'timeless, the images magical, the acting solid, the script first-rate, the romance delightful, the action deadly and the energy raw – in short, the kind of film that one loves to see, and then animatedly write about.'[32] Rediff also gave a 3/5 rating for the movie.[3] Sify gave a 4/5 rating with its movie verdict being 'Very Good'. According to Sify, 'Urumi is a fairy tale fantasy film that has a heart and technical artistry.'[33] Indiaglitz rated the movie as a 'must see' and commented: 'All in all, Urumi is a must watch for all those who love quality cinema. Redefining the traditional qualities of period dramas, Urumi is sure to become a movie that will be respected and adored by Mollywood for its creative panache, tremendous performances, and great technical wizardry.'[34]
The film was also one of the seven Malayalam films selected to be screened at the Indian Panorama section of International Film Festival of India.[35]
The Tamil version released by Kalaipuli S Dhanu's V Creations opened to positive reception by critics as well as audiences.[36][37] 'The Hindu' wrote of the Tamil version, 'From the very first scene of this film to the last, director-cum-cinematographer Santosh Sivan proves to be on top of this technical masterpiece. The songs, waterfall sequences and the war scenes evoke a feel of realism due to its stunning visuals and brilliant re-recording. Certain portions in the film become very melodramatic to suit the Indian audiences thereby derailing the pace. The brilliantly choreographed action sequences seem to be a tad too loud for the ears.'[38] Notable websites and Tamil magazines praised the dialog of the Tamil version.[37] The film was released as 'Ek Yodha Shoorveer' in Hindi in 2016 and was widely criticised for 'laughable dubbing'.[39]
The film has also caught the eye of Academy award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone. 'I had met Stone while he was in Mumbai a few months ago and he was curious when he came to know that I was doing a film on Da Gama. We had a discussion about it and he wanted me to send him a copy once the film was done,' said Santosh Sivan.[11]
Box office[edit]
The film fetched over ₹5 crore (US$720,000) as distributor's share. The film had collected ₹2.90 crore (US$420,000) from 3 days at 77 theatres from Kerala and it had broken previous record of Prithviraj Sukumaran film Anwar (2010).[40] The film became a notable hit in Tamil and Telugu as well.[41] The film collected US$12,023 from UK box office.[42]
Urumi InstrumentAwards[edit]
Soundtrack[edit]
The songs and the background score for the film were composed by Deepak Dev, with lyrics by Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri, Rafeeq Ahammed and Engandiyur Chandrasekharan. The music album consists of nine songs. According to Deepak Dev, composing songs for Urumi was a challenge as Santosh Sivan had proscribed all electronic music, as the film is set in the sixteenth century. It was Prithviraj who suggested Deepak Dev to Sivan. The songs encompass many genres, including folk, lullaby and ballad. The vocalists range from the most experienced K. J. Yesudas to newcomers Job Kurian and Reshmi Sathish. The song 'Chimmi Chimmi' is done as a tribute to M. G. Radhakrishnan, a composer Deepak Dev is said to have admired.
Music is an organic part of the film as it takes the narrative along. Deepak Dev composed the five songs for the film, the lyrics of which were written by Rafeeq Ahmed, Kaithapram, Prashanth Narayan and Chandru.[5]
Plagiarism accusations[edit]
The song 'Aaro Nee Aaro' in the film is alleged to be plagiarised from Loreena McKennitt's 'Caravanserai' of the album An Ancient Muse. The track also uses major hooks from Loreena's famous track 'The Mummers' Dance'. Loreena McKennit filed a plagiarism suit against composer Deepak Dev and the makers of Urumi in Delhi High Court. On 21 September 2011, Justice Manmohan Singh passed an order on a copyright infringement claim preventing the makers from releasing the soundtrack in English, Hindi, and Tamil. Since the producers failed to appear in court, Delhi High court Judge Hema Kohli passed an arrest warrant against actor Prithviraj, Santhosh Sivan and Shaji Natesan.[46][47][48]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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