Aandavan Kattalai (2016 film)

Aandavan Kattalai (transl. God's order) is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language satirical comedy drama film co-written and directed by M. Manikandan. The film stars Vijay Sethupathi and Ritika Singh, with Pooja Devariya, Nassar and Yogi Babu amongst others in supporting roles. Produced by G. N. Anbu Chezhiyan and featuring music by K, the film began production in March 2016 and was released on 23 September 2016.

Aandavan Kattalai
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	M. Manikandan
Screenplay by	Arul Chezhiyan M. Manikandan Anucharan
Story by	Arul Chezhiyan
Produced by	G. N. Anbu Chezhiyan
Starring	Vijay Sethupathi Ritika Singh
Cinematography	N. Shanmuga Sundaram
Edited by	Anucharan
Music by	K
Production companies	Gopuram Films Tribal Arts
Distributed by	Sri Green Productions
Release date	23 September 2016 (2016-09-23)
Running time	150 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Narrating the story of how two men from interior Tamil Nadu struggle to acquire travel documents to fly to London, Aandavan Kattalai opened to widespread critical acclaim and became a huge commercial success.^[1] The film was remade in Telugu as London Babulu (2017) and in Gujarati as Shubh Yatra (2023).

Plot

Faced with several debts, an accountant Gandhi Arumugam leaves his village near Madurai to head to Chennai with his best friend Muthupandi Selvam alias Pandi to get all the documents necessary for going to London, where they plan to make money to pay off their debts. They approach two middlemen to help them get the passport and British tourist visa necessary for them to go to London. The middlemen claim that the British Deputy High Commission would prefer to give tourist visas to those who are already married, so the duo are forced to add their "wife's" name while applying for the passport, with Gandhi adding his "wife's" name as Karmeghakuzhali, following a suggestion from their real estate broker, Murugesan. However, Gandhi's visa application is rejected, forcing him to remain in Chennai and take up a job as an accountant with a drama troupe Stray Factory, run by Master, while Pandi passes his visa interview and leaves for London with the help of a passport officer, Kumar.

With his hard work and sincerity, Gandhi soon becomes the favourite employee of Master and is made to act in his plays. Eventually, Stray Factory are invited to perform in London, leaving Gandhi in a bind as he now needs to get his "wife's" name removed from his passport. He finds out that the only way to do so is to divorce his "wife", but for that he needs to find a woman who has the name Karmeghakuzhali. He successfully manages to track down a woman with the name Karmeghakuzhali, who is a television journalist, and tries to convince her to act as his wife and "divorce" him. He also feigns muteness. Initially she refuses, but she soon gives Gandhi the necessary documents to "divorce" her, pitying him. However, since both husband and wife need to be present at court at the time of divorce, Gandhi convinces Aarthi, an actress who works in Stray Factory, to act as Karmeghakuzhali at the court. But at the time of the divorce hearing, Aarthi disappears to the toilet, forcing a reluctant Karmeghakuzhali, who is present at the court, to take part in the divorce hearing. The subsequent events at the divorce hearing prove humiliating for Karmeghakuzhali, also she learns that Gandhi's muteness is feigned. Hence she leaves the court in tears with no "divorce" granted.

Later, Gandhi finds out that Pandi was deported upon arrival in London by immigration officials for giving false information and address verification while obtaining his passport, and he too finds himself in the dock for doing the same. However, he shows his and Pandi's original Voter ID cards to the immigration officials, getting them released, while the middlemen are arrested. Pandi reveals that he was sent to Sri Lanka and tortured by prison officials after he had tried to seek asylum in London as a Sri Lankan refugee, and humiliated by the recent events, he returns to his village.

Gandhi goes to the Regional Passport Office in Chennai and admits his crime to the Regional Passport Officer. The passport officer asks him to pay a fine of ₹1,300 (equivalent to ₹1,900 or US$23 in 2023) to get Karmeghakuzhali's name removed from his passport. But in a last-minute decision, Gandhi chooses not to remove Karmeghakuzhali's name from his passport and instead proposes marriage to Karmeghakuzhali, who is initially taken aback, but agrees. He soon obtains a British visa and leaves for London with the rest of the Stray Factory troupe.

Cast

• Vijay Sethupathi as Gandhi Arumugam
• Ritika Singh as Karmeghakuzhali
• Pooja Devariya as Aarthi
• Nassar as Master
• Yogi Babu as Muthupandi Selvam
• A. Venkatesh as Gandhi's brother-in-law
• Singampuli as Murugesan
• S. S. Stanley as Kumar
• George Maryan as Senior lawyer
• Vinodhini Vaidyanathan as Junior lawyer
• Ramesh Thilak as Passport Broker
• Hareesh Peradi as Deportation Officer
• Cheenu Mohan as Passport Official
• R. N. R. Manohar as Minister
• Namo Narayanan as Viji
• Sushila Natraj as Judge Shantha Kumari
• Vazhakku En Muthuraman as Regional Passport Officer
• Aravindhan as Nesan^[2]
• Carl A. Harte as Visa Officer

Production

Following the release of Kaaka Muttai (2015), Manikandan revealed in July 2015 that he would direct Vijay Sethupathi in a film to be produced by G. N. Anbu Chazhiyan of Gopuram Films. Manikandan and Vijay Sethupathi had known each other before they entered the Tamil film industry and had regularly collaborated for independent short films.^[3] The start of the shoot was delayed to allow Vijay Sethupathi to complete his ongoing projects, while Manikandan moved on to finish work on Kuttrame Thandanai (2016). Before the end of 2015, the makers announced that the film would be titled as Aandavan Kattalai and that composer K would work on the film's score and soundtrack. Manikandan stated it would be based in Chennai and would be a "realistic dark comedy" with a "quirky" subject.^[4][5] Prior to release, it was revealed that the film would narrate the people's craze of trying to get settled in foreign country and taking bureaucratic shortcuts to achieve their goal.^[6] Actress Ritika Singh was signed on to portray the leading female role of a journalist, only a month after the release of her first film Irudhi Suttru (2016).^[7][8] An ensemble cast of actors including Pooja Devariya, Nassar, Singampuli and Yogi Babu also joined the team, before production began.^[9]

The film began production in early March 2016 at Kilpauk, Chennai and progressed swiftly throughout the city.^[10] The final schedule was shot in a studio resembling an embassy in Chennai during May 2016.^[11] The shoot of the film and dubbing work was completed by July 2016.^[12]

Soundtrack

The music of Aandavan Kattalai's was composed by K. The soundtrack album features nine tracks, sung by Benny Dayal, Anthony Daasan, Janani S. V. and K himself; while all lyrics were written by Gnanakaravel, Vivek Velmurugan, Darwin Guna. The album was released on 12 September 2016.^[13][14] Behindwoods.com gave the album a rating of 2.75/5 stating "Aandavan Kattalai is a brilliant album from K who gives the best of various genres in a perfect package".^[15]

Track listing

No.	Title	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Vazkhai Oru Ottagam"	Benny Dayal	3:57
2.	"Elandha Pazham"	Yogi Sekar	1:43
3.	"Imsai Rani"	Karthik	3:43
4.	"Vaagadai Veedu"	Jiby, Deepu, Philip, Sajan, K	2:28
5.	"Kaarmegazhukali"	Jananie S.V	2:38
6.	"108 Thenga"	K	2:24
7.	"Gandhi Thatha"	Darwin Guna	1:17
8.	"Polambing Song"	K	2:04
9.	"Yaaro Petha Pillai"	Anthony Daasan	2:38
Total length:			23:32

Release and reception

The film was theatrically released on 23 September 2016 by distributors, Sri Green Productions.^[16] The film had a lower profile release that Prabhu Solomon's Dhanush-starrer Thodari (2016), which released on the same day, but by the first weekend, it had overtaken it in collections and also replaced its shows in several cinema halls.^[17][18] The film subsequently went on to become a profitable venture for the producers. The satellite rights of the film were sold to Sun TV.^[19]

Upon release, the film received acclaim from critics and audiences.^[20][21] The Hindu gave Aandavan Kattalai a positive review and noted that it was "yet another marvellous comedy of desperation from Manikandan". The critic added that "Manikandan and his writing team (Arul Chezhiyan, Anucharan) should hold classes for other Tamil filmmakers who want the story-screenplay-dialogue credit but reveal little understanding of these elements" as "everything in Aandavan Kattalai is there for a reason".^[22] The Times of India wrote "Just like how Manikandan's Kaaka Muttai and Kutramme Thandanai refrained from finger-pointing and sermonising, Aandavan Kattalai, too, is far from being preachy, despite involving a subject that offer plenty of targets to take pot-shots at" and gave the film a high rating of three-and-a-half out of five stars.^[23] Sreedhar Pillai wrote for Firstpost, "Aandavan Kattalai works largely due to its script and the situational comedy in the narration" and "the way the story unfolds and the difficult situations the hero faces is so well brought out, without taking any cinematic liberties".^[24] Similarly, Anupama Subramanian of Deccan Chronicle called it "a film that's not to be missed",^[25] while IndiaGlitz called it a "gem".^[26] Likewise, Sify stated "Aandavan Kattalai is a must watch for all the ardent movie buffs".^[27] S Saraswathi of Rediff.com gave it 4 out of 5 stating that "the director once again delivers big time with a refreshing screenplay loaded with reality and fun, some great music, delightful characters and brilliant all-round performances".^[28]

Remakes

Aandavan Kattalai was remade in Telugu as London Babulu (2017)^[29] and in Gujarati as Shubh Yatra (2023).^[30]

References

1. "Aandavan Kattalai box office collection: Vijay Sethupathi-starrer holding well in TN on weekdays". International Business Times. 29 September 2016. from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
2. ""எல்லாமே ஆண்டவன் கட்டளை சார்!"". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). 20 October 2016. from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
3. Karthik, Janani (23 July 2015). "Kakka Muttai Manikandan to direct Vijay Sethupathi". The Times of India. from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
4. "Composer K to work in the upcoming Vijay Sethupathi – Manikandan film". Behindwoods. 1 November 2015. from the original on 29 April 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
5. "Vijay Sethupathi-Manikandan's next gets a Sivaji title". IndiaGlitz. 29 December 2015. from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
6. "What is Aandavan Kattalai all about?". IndiaGlitz. 10 May 2016. from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
7. "Ritika to play an urban girl in Manikandan's next film". The Times of India. 2 March 2016. from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
8. "'Irudhi Suttru' Rithika to act with Vijay Sethupathi!!!". IndiaGlitz. 27 February 2016. from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
9. "Vijay Sethupathi's Next To Expose Discrepancies In Issuing Passports!". Filmibeat. 11 May 2016. from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
10. "Today Pooja, Tomorrow Release for Vijay Sethupathi". IndiaGlitz. 10 March 2016. from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
11. "'Kaaka Muttai' director M. Manikandan's next about discrepancies in issuing passports". The Indian Express. 10 May 2016. from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
12. "An important update on Vijay Sethupathi's 'Aandavan Kattalai'". IndiaGlitz. 24 July 2016. from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
13. . Sify. 4 October 2016. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
14. Aandavan Kattalai – Music Box | Tamil. Sony Music India. 11 September 2016. from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2016 – via YouTube.
15. "Aandavan Kattalai songs review". Behindwoods. 12 September 2016. from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
16. . Sify. Archived from the original on 26 September 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
17. "Aandavan Kattalai dominates Dhanush's Thodari at box office". The Indian Express. 27 September 2016. from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
18. "Chennai Box Office: Excellent opening for Aandavan Kattalai while Dhanush's Thodari disappoints". CatchNews.com. 7 February 2017. from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
19. "Did You Notice This New Trend in Kollywood?". Behindwoods. 25 January 2017. from the original on 27 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
20. "Aandavan Kattalai movie review by audience: Live update". International Business Times. 23 September 2016. from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
21. "Aandavan Kattalai review round-up: Critics give thumbs-up to Vijay Sethupathi-starrer". International Business Times. 24 September 2016. from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
22. "Aandavan Kattalai: My dear visa". The Hindu. 23 September 2016. from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
23. Suganth, M (23 September 2016). "Aandavan Kattalai Movie Review". The Times of India. from the original on 28 September 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
24. Pillai, Sreedhar (24 September 2016). "Aandavan Kattalai review: After Kaaka Muttai, this Manikandan film reinforces that content is king". Firstpost. from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
25. Subramanian, Anupama (24 September 2016). "Aandavan Kattalai movie review: A film that's not to be missed!". Deccan Chronicle. from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
26. "Aandavan Kattalai Review". IndiaGlitz. 23 September 2016. from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
27. . Sify. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
28. Saraswathi, S (23 September 2016). "Review: Andavan Kattalai is not to be missed". Rediff.com. from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
29. Chinnikrishna, B (17 November 2017). "London Babulu movie review: Rakshith is no Vijay Sethupathi but has his heart in the right place". Firstpost. from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
30. Oza, Nandini (28 April 2023). "'Shubh Yatra' review: A fun take on Gujarati 'US dream'". The Week. from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.

External links

• Aandavan Kattalai at IMDb