Vai Raja Vai (transl. Place It King, Place It) is a 2015 Indian Tamil language black comedy crime thriller film written and directed by Aishwarya Dhanush, and produced by AGS Entertainment featuring an ensemble cast starring Gautham Karthik, Priya Anand, Vivek, Gayathri Raguram and Daniel Balaji with S. J. Suryah, Taapsee Pannu and Dhanush playing guest appearances. The film was announced on 12 September 2013, along with the commencement of principal photography.[1]
| Vai Raja Vai | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster | |
| Directed by | Aishwarya R. Dhanush |
| Written by | Aishwarya R. Dhanush Madhan Karky (dialogue) |
| Screenplay by | Aishwarya R. Dhanush |
| Story by | Aishwarya R. Dhanush |
| Produced by | Kalpathi S. Aghoram Kalpathi S. Ganesh Kalpathi S. Suresh |
| Starring | Gautham Karthik Priya Anand Vivek Sathish Daniel Balaji Gayathri Raguram |
| Cinematography | Velraj |
| Edited by | V. T. Vijayan T. S. Jay |
| Music by | Yuvan Shankar Raja |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the film's soundtrack and score. The film's plot summary is a mix of Hollywood movies Next and 21.
The film was released on 1 May 2015 to mixed reviews from critics and was declared successful at the box office.[2]
Plot
editKarthik is a middle-class boy gifted with extrasensory perception who works at an IT company. He has a girlfriend Priya. During school days, he scores good in the exams using his power, so his father asks him to suppress this power to avoid suspicion due to prior incidents. Then Karthik meets Pandian aka Panda at his office and befriends him. Panda, a gambler, learns of Karthik's power and asks him to play cricket gambling by using his power. Rangarajan aka Rande is in charge of cricket gambling under an unknown man known as Kumar. Karthik wins a crore in gambling and uses 10 lakhs for his elder sister Gayathri's marriage. Panda, Karthik and Sathish vacation in Goa to spend the gambling money. There, Rande threatens Karthik to play roulette in the Casino Royale ship. Initially Karthik hesitates, but Rande threatens him by kidnapping Priya. Karthik accepts to play. By this incident, Priya realises Karthik's power. To train Karthik, Shreya comes to help. Karthik plays the game and tricks Rande to take his place in gambling. The casino officials arrest Rande. Karthik, with his money won in the gambling with Panda, Sathish and Priya, escapes and goes back home. Shreya helps Rande escape from guards by the saying of Kumar. Rande traces Karthik and takes him to his place. There, Karthik uses his power to fight Rande's sidekicks and threatens Rande. At that time, a Rolls-Royce Phantom arrives and is revealed that the unknown man Kumar is Kokki Kumar, and he asks Karthik to play for him in politics.
Cast
edit- Gautham Karthik as Karthik
- Saran Shakthi as Young Karthik
- Priya Anand as Priya
- Vivek as Pandian (Panda)
- Sathish as Sathish
- Daniel Balaji as Rangarajan (Rande)
- Gayathri Raghuram as Gayathri
- Vasanth as Karthik's father
- Sriranjani as Karthik's mother
- Bose Venkat as Inspector Velraj
- M. S. Bhaskar as Karthik's uncle
- Manobala as Mano
- Kavithalaya Krishnan as Broker
- Mayilswamy
- Swaminathan
- Besant Ravi
- Vijay Babu as Priya's father
- Rindhuravi as Priya's mother
- Usha Elizabeth as Sana, Sathish's mother
- Priya Bhavani Shankar as News Reporter
Guest appearances
- S. J. Suryah as himself
- Taapsee Pannu as Shreya
- Dhanush as Kokki Kumar
Production
editCasting
editInitially, director Aishwarya's choice for the lead actor was Atharvaa, but due to schedule conflicts he was unable to work on the project, therefore, Gautham Karthik was signed to play the male lead.[3] It was later announced that Priya Anand was going to be the female lead opposite Gautham in the film.[4] Velraj was confirmed as cinematographer for the film.[5]
Director Vasanth was cast as Gautham's father to make his acting debut, while choreographer Gayathri Raguram was signed to play Gautham's sister, making her return as an actress after a ten-year hiatus.[6] Taapsee Pannu and Daniel Balaji were chosen to perform guest appearances in the film. Taapsee's role would be a surprise element in the film as for the first time she plays a character with a negative shade.[7] She later stated that she was not playing the villain in the film but "an aloof girl who is a regular at casinos".[8] In November 2014, Dhanush also shot for a cameo role, reprising the role he played in the film Pudhupettai, Kokki Kumar.[9]
Filming
editThe film was mostly shot in Chennai, with major portions being shot at Pacifica Tech Park, OMR. The climax scenes were filmed in a cruise liner as the ship sailed a seven-night itinerary across Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In December 2013, the crew filmed a song in Osaka, Japan.[10] Gayathri Raguram, besides acting in the film, choreographed the love duet.[11] A few scenes and songs were also canned in Goa.[12]
Soundtrack
edit| Vai Raja Vai | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 10 December 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2013–2014 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 19:41 | |||
| Language | Tamil | |||
| Label | Sony Music India | |||
| Producer | Yuvan Shankar Raja | |||
| Yuvan Shankar Raja chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Vai Raja Vai | ||||
| ||||
Yuvan Shankar Raja was chosen to compose the film's soundtrack and score, making his first collaboration with Aishwarya R. Dhanush. The soundtrack album featuring five tracks was released on 10 December 2014 in Chennai.[13] Four months earlier, a single from the album, "Move Your Body", a song in the trap-and-bass genre,[14] which was written by Aishwarya's husband, actor Dhanush and sung by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja, was released on YouTube on 18 August 2014.[15] Besides Dhanush, Madhan Karky wrote two songs, while Gana Bala and Hiphop Tamizha wrote and performed each a song.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vandha Kadha" | Gana Bala | Gana Bala | 3:32 |
| 2. | "Pachchai Vanna" | Madhan Karky | Yuvan Shankar Raja | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Pookkamazh" | Madhan Karky | Tanvi Shah, Yuvan Shankar Raja | 3:58 |
| 4. | "Naam Vaazhndhidum (Title Track)" | Hiphop Tamizha | Hiphop Tamizha, Yuvan Shankar Raja | 4:39 |
| 5. | "Move Your Body" | Dhanush | Ilaiyaraaja | 3:17 |
| Total length: | 19:41 | |||
Release
editA first-look teaser of 70 seconds was released on 18 April 2014 which received a good response.[16] The trailer was released alongside the soundtrack on 10 December 2014.[17] The satellite rights of the film were sold to STAR Vijay.
Critical reception
editThe New Indian Express stated the film was "compact, breezy, stylish and a pleasant watch".[18] Sify called the film "a perfect recipe of a full-on entertainer without even a dash of obscenity or violence...the film is smartly packaged as an exciting and stylish entertainer".[19] The Times of India gave 3 stars out of 5 and wrote, "The film isn't perfect, far from it, it has a few weak spots that could have been disastrous but the confidence with which Aishwaryaa manages to narrate this story helps us tide over its issues".[20]
The Hindu wrote that "her second film too suffers from bipolar disorder".[21] Indo-Asian News Service gave 2 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Vai Raja Vai is a good effort gone completely awry", noting that "the first half is incredible fun" but that the film "goes haywire post interval".[22] Rediff gave the same rating and wrote, "Despite a good storyline, young enthusiastic cast and an impressive technical crew, the film barely manages to hold your attention", calling the film a "let down".[23]
Box office
editThe film collected ₹3.35 crore (US$400,000) in Tamil Nadu in first day.[24]
References
edit- ^ "Gautham Karthik confirms 'Vai Raja Vai'". The Times of India. 19 April 2013. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- ^ "'Vai Raja Vai' Box Office Success: Aishwarya Thanks Rajinikanth, Dhanush". International Business Times. 5 May 2015. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ "Aishwarya Dhanush's next is Vai Raja Vai". The Times of India. 20 April 2013. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- ^ "Priya Anand is Gautham Karthik's new pair! – Priya Anand- Gautham Karthik New Pair- Vai Raja Vai- Aishwarya Dhanush- Yuvan Shankar Raja- Ags- Velraj- Kola Baskar". Cinemalead.com. 14 May 2013. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- ^ Cinema cinema! Archived 8 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine. The Hindu. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ Lakshmi, V. "After a decade, Gayathri returns to the big screen". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ Lakshmi, V. "Taapsee's cameo in Aishwaryaa's film". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ "I'm not the villain in Vai Raja Vai: Taapsee". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
- ^ "Dhanush to do a cameo in 'Vai Raja Vai'". Sify. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Aishwarya Dhanush shoots in Osaka!". Sify. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- ^ "'It's all for Aishwaryaa Dhanush'". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ "Exclusive interview: Aishwarya Dhanush talks about Vai Raja Vai". Sify. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015.
- ^ "'Vai Raja Vai' audio launched in style". Sify. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014.
- ^ T. Krithika Reddy (16 August 2014). "The Yuvan Wave". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ "Vai Raja Vai single out". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ "'Vai Raja Vai' and 'Irumbu Kuthirai' teasers well received". Sify. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- ^ "WATCH: Slick & pacy 'Vai Raja Vai' Trailer!". Sify. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014.
- ^ Mannath, Malini. (3 May 2015) "Aishwarya Dhanush Returns With Second Venture Vai Raja Vai" Archived 4 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine. The New Indian Express. Retrieved on 2015-06-16.
- ^ Review : Vai Raja Vai. Sify.com. Retrieved on 16 June 2015.
- ^ Vai Raja Vai Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India Archived 21 January 2017 at archive.today. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2 May 2015). Retrieved on 2015-06-16.
- ^ "Vai Raja Vai: Curse of the second half" Archived 6 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine. The Hindu (1 May 2015). Retrieved on 2015-06-16.
- ^ Vai Raja Vai review: Good effort gone awry. Hindustantimes.com (2 May 2015). Retrieved on 2015-06-16.
- ^ Review: Vai Raja Vai is a let down – Rediff.com Movies Archived 30 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Rediff.com (1 May 2015). Retrieved on 2015-06-16.
- ^ "'Vai Raja Vai' Box Office Collection: Aishwarya Dhanush's Movie Gets Good Opening on First Day". International Business Times. 2 May 2015. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
External links
edit- Vai Raja Vai at IMDb