Kireedam (2007 film)

For the 1989 Malayalam film, see Kireedam (1989 film).

Kireedam (transl. Crown) is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by A. L. Vijay in his directorial debut. The film is the Tamil remake of the 1989 Malayalam film of the same name. It stars Ajith Kumar in the main lead role alongside Trisha and Rajkiran, while Vivek, Saranya, Ajay (his Tamil debut) and Santhanam appear in supporting roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, while Tirru was the cinematographer.

Kireedam
Directed by	A. L. Vijay
Written by	A. L. Vijay Na. Muthukumar (dialogues)
Screenplay by	A. L. Vijay
Story by	A. K. Lohithadas
Based on	Kireedam (Malayalam)
Produced by	Suresh Balaje
Starring	Ajith Kumar Trisha Rajkiran Ajay Vivek Saranya Santhanam
Cinematography	Tirru Nirav Shah
Edited by	Anthony
Music by	G. V. Prakash Kumar
Production companies	Sujatha Cine Arts Adlabs Limited
Release date	20 July 2007 (2007-07-20)
Running time	157 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Kireedam released on 20 July 2007. The film received positive reviews and became a commercial success at the box office. It was dubbed into Telugu as Poorna Market.^[1]

Plot

In Trichy, Rajarajan, a police constable, lives with his loving family: wife Rajeswari, two sons, and two daughters. He aspires for his elder son, Sakthivel "Sakthi," to become a police sub-inspector. Rajarajan has a cordial and amiable relationship with Sakthi. Rajarajan's unwavering commitment to honesty often lands him in trouble. Meanwhile, Sakthi proposes to Divya, after a few encounters and she eventually reciprocates. Rajarajan, delighted by their love, arranges their engagement. Sakthi successfully clears his sub-inspector exams and heads to Chennai for the interview.

However, Rajarajan's life takes a turn when he reprimands an MLA's son for a traffic offense. The MLA demands an apology, but Rajarajan refuses, leading to his punishment transfer to Kodiyakkarai, under the tyrannical control of local don Varadarajan "Varadan," who dominates the harbor and instills fear among the locals. When Rajarajan arrests one of Varadan's henchmen, Varadan retaliates, beating Rajarajan. Sakthi, who happens to be at the market, intervenes to protect his father. Varadan attacks Sakthi, but Sakthi overpowers him, shattering Rajarajan's dream of making him a policeman. The villagers celebrate Sakthi's bravery. Varadan, recovered from his injuries, vows to avenge his defeat. But, he and his associates are arrested for murder charges related to the killing of Munnar Ravi. A bar fight instigated by Sakthi's friend Kumar mistakenly implicates Sakthi, further complicating his life.

Chellapandi, an associate of Varadan's rival group, collaborates with Sakthi's brother-in-law, exploiting Sakthi's popularity for personal financial gain. Sakthi confronts and beats Chellapandi and his brother-in-law for misusing his name. Sakthi's brother-in-law feigns innocence, deceiving the family and shifting the blame to Sakthi. Trusting his brother-in-law, Rajarajan, who is already concerned about Sakthi's perceived descent into criminality, he expels Sakthi from their home. Divya's parents plan to cancel her marriage with Sakthi and arrange a new groom for her. Meanwhile, Varadan's men, Maasilamani and Jayakumar are released on bail and immediately seek revenge against Sakthi, attacking him in a crowded road. Sakthi flees them but they chase him causing public disturbance. Forced to retaliate, Sakthi assaults Maasilamani and Jayakumar. Rajarajan, initially elated by Sakthi's success in the SI exam, after learning about Sakthi's brawl with Varadan's men reprimands and beats Sakthi at the police station. Rajarajan assures Divya's father that Sakthi will not interfere with their marriage plans, prompting Sakthi to sacrifice his love. With Varadan's bail impending, the inspector advises Sakthi to leave town, citing safety concerns.

Sakthi returns to Trichy, where Divya confesses her enduring love for him. Varadan, seeking to lure Sakthi back to Kodiyakkarai, attacks Sakthi's family. Alerted by a sub-inspector, Sakthi rushes back to Kodiyakkarai, determined to settle the score with Varadan once and for all. Intentionally allowing Varadan to beat him, Sakthi hopes that Varadan will spare his family if he is killed. However, Sakthi regains the upper hand, subduing Varadan. Sakthi kills Varadan in front of Rajarajan and the police, ensuring his family's safety. Despite this, the court acquits Sakthi, recognizing Varadan as a social menace and considering Sakthi's future. Ultimately, Rajarajan's dream is fulfilled as Sakthi becomes a sub-inspector.

Cast

• Ajith Kumar as Sakthivel "Sakthi"
• Trisha as Divya
• Rajkiran as Rajarajan, Sakthivel's father
• Vivek as Sakthivel's brother-in-law
• Saranya as Rajeswari, Sakthivel's mother
• Santhanam as Balasubramaniam, Sakthivel's friend
• Ajay as Varadarajan "Varadan"
• Cochin Haneefa as Chellapandi
• Ravi Kale as an Inspector
• K. P. A. C. Lalitha as Sakthivel's grandmother
• M. S. Bhaskar as Sub-Inspector
• Manobala as Constable Muthusamy
• Sathyan as Sakthivel's friend
• Anju Mahendra as Kumar, Muthusamy's son
• Bala Singh as Maasilamani
• Jayakumar as Jayakumar, Varadarajan's henchman
• Ravi Prakash as Divya's father
• Meena Kumari as Mullai, Sakthivel's elder sister
• Jaya Murali as Divya's mother
• Pinky as Sakthivel's younger sister
• Vinoth as Vinoth, Sakthivel's younger brother
• Periya Karuppu Thevar as a villager
• Muthukaalai as a villager
• Nellai Siva as an auto driver
• Munnar Ramesh as Munnar Ravi, Vardarajan's former associate
• KVN Manimegalai as Munnar Ravi's wife (uncredited)
• Vimal as Sakthivel's friend (uncredited)

Production

The film was announced in September 2006 as a collaboration between producer Balaji and Ajith, and was to be co-produced by the Mumbai-based production company Adlabs.^[2][3] Vijay, a former assistant of Malayalam director Priyadarshan (who directed Hindi remake of 'Kireedam' Gardish, released in 1993) made his directorial debut with Kireedam after working as an ad film maker and chose to remake the 1989 film of the same name directed by Sibi Malayil and written by A. K. Lohithadas. Ajith Kumar was signed to appear in the lead role with Trisha, Rajkiran, Saranya and Vivek also a part of the cast, while the cinematographer was Tirru, music was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar and the film was edited by Anthony. Vijay revealed that he "reworked about 80 per cent" from the original version.^[4] The film was briefly renamed Magudam, before being changed again.^[5] The film marked comeback of production company Sujatha film Arts into film production after 17 years.^[6]

The first schedule of shooting took place at Rajamundhry. In the 20 days schedule, some crucial scenes were shot with Ajith, which included a fight scene with Ajay Kumar who plays a rowdy here. Choreographed by stunt master Super Subbarayan, it had Ajith taking on Ajay and members of his gang. The second schedule continued in Chennai. A lavish set was erected by art director Selvakumar. A fight scene was shot here too between Ajith, Ajay Kumar and 20 stunt men who played Ajay’s henchmen. Ennore harbour was the venue of some more stunt scenes.^[7]

Soundtrack

Kireedam
Soundtrack album by G. V. Prakash Kumar
Released	5 June 2007
Recorded	2007
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	28:54
Label	Big Music T-Series
Producer	G. V. Prakash
G. V. Prakash Kumar chronology
Oram Po (2007) Kireedam (2007) Polladhavan (2007)

The album consists of six tracks, five songs and a theme music track composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar. Dharan revealed that he had the opportunity to work for Kireedam but he could not take up the project as he was going through a tough phase then, suffering a personal loss in his family.^[8]

Tracklist

No.	Title	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Akkam Pakkam "	Sadhana Sargam	5:12
2.	"Vizhiyil Un Vizhiyil"	Sonu Nigam, Swetha Mohan	4:38
3.	"Kanavellam"	P. Jayachandran, Karthik	5:10
4.	"Kanneer Thuliye"	Vijay Yesudas	5:20
5.	"Vilaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu"	Shankar Mahadevan	4:09
6.	"Kireedom - Theme" (Instrumental)		4:25
Total length:			28:54

All tracks are written by Na. Muthukumar.

Release

Kireedam released on 20 July 2007.

Marketing

A game was released about the film by Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd to promote the film. In the game, the player has to help Shakti kill the gangsters while undergoing police training using different weapons. The player has to defend himself using different keys and approach the red cross to gain health. While doing this he can not let his father Rajaram catch him, which will bring the game to an end.^[9][10]

Reception

The film opened to positive reviews at the box office. The Hindu, in a review of Kireedam, said that "Vijay has neatly packaged a strong storyline with a sensibly balanced mix of sentiment and action. At no point does the film sag." It appreciated the lead and supporting cast: "Looking well-toned and incredibly youthful, Ajith makes a mark both with his appearance and expressions. And matching him equally in the two departments is an awesome Trisha."^[11] The review from an entertainment portal, Sify.com, hailed the attempt: "For once a Tamil remake of a Malayalam classic, lives up to our expectations. Kireedam is quality cinema, one that is daringly different from the run-of-the mill superstar films that are dished out in the name of mass movies." Sify.com added, "On the whole, Kireedam is an engaging entertainer which is so rare to find these days. Go for it!"^[12] A review from another movie portal, Behindwoods.com, gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars with the verdict "Complete family entertainer". It called the movie a "good realistic attempt towards meaningful cinema. But if the sluggish pace in the second half is taken care of, the movie would have been much crisper" and said that "Kreedom will categorically be Ajith's prized trophy in his film career."^[13] Manasvini of Kalki praised the acting of Rajkiran and Ajith, Prakash's music, Thiru's cinematography, Antony's editing and cited director Vijay is the one who needs to shake hands. A bouquet should be given for narrating the emotional struggle of father and son with elegance and he has elevated Ajith in his debut film.^[14] Chennai Online wrote "Debutant director Vijay (son of producer Azhagappan and brother of hero Udaya), moves his narration fairly smoothly. While he has remained faithful to the crucial events in the original version, and to the finale, he has brought in a few changes - Like the more elaborate love track. No doubt Vijay has managed to weave them fairly neatly into the Story. But in the process, the central plot has lost out on its essence, depth and intensity. And the final product has turned out to be yet another routine simple youth versus gangster saga, and an average, run-of-the-mill entertainer".^[15] The film went on to win a single Filmfare award for Best Female Playback Singer for Sadhana Sargam's rendition of "Akkam Pakkam". Moreover, the film was nominated in four categories during the Vijay Awards for 2007, with Rajkiran, G. V. Prakash Kumar, Trisha and Sadhana Sargam being nominated in their respective categories.

The final scene in the film was changed after release from a sad to an upbeat ending after the producers felt that the original scene may keep audiences away.^[16] The film consequently went on to become a profitable venture at the box office.^[17]