Michael (2023 film)
Michael is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language neo-noir action thriller film written and directed by Ranjit Jeyakodi, and produced by Karan C Entertainments and Sree Venkateswara Cinemas.[3] The film features Sundeep Kishan, Vijay Sethupathi, Divyansha Kaushik, Gautham Vasudev Menon, and Varun Sandesh in the lead roles.[4] The film was originally shot in Telugu and the climax scenes were reshot in Tamil.[5]
| Michael | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ranjit Jeyakodi |
| Written by | Ranjit Jeyakodi |
| Produced by | Bharath Chowdary Pushkar Ram Mohan Rao |
| Starring | Sundeep Kishan Vijay Sethupathi Divyansha Kaushik Gautham Menon Varun Sandesh |
| Cinematography | Kiran Koushik |
| Edited by | R. Sathyanarayanan |
| Music by | Sam C. S. |
Production companies | Karan C Productions Sree Venkateswara Cinemas |
Release date |
|
Running time | 155 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Box office | est. ₹11 crore[1][2] |
Michael was released on 3 February 2023 in Telugu,[5] with dubbed releases in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada languages.[6][7] The film received mixed reviews from critics, and grossed ₹11 crore (US$1.4 million) at the box office.
Plot edit
In the 1980s, Michael is a gangster, who is mentored by the Bombay-based crime boss Gurunath, and raised by his right-hand man Swamy. However, he is always rebuffed by Gurunath's son Amarnath and wife Charulatha. One day, Gurunath gets attacked by a gang, where he learns that his rival Rathan was behind the attack. Gurunath sends Michael to Delhi to kill Rathan and his daughter Theera. However, Michael falls in love with Theera and decides not kill Rathan. One night, Michael, Theera, and Rathan are captured and brought to Amarnath. He reveals that he orchestrated the attack on his father, to take over his position. He also tells Michael that Theera was earlier pretending to love him, but now she truly loves Michael.
Amarnath kills Rathan and shoots Michael, gravely injuring him. Amarnath's men throw him into the sea, but Michael survives and arrives at Amarnath's hideout. He injures and kills almost all of Amarnath's men, before killing Amarnath himself. He later walks away with Theera. Michael reveals about Amarnath's death at his hands, to Gurunath, who swears to exact revenge. Charulatha and Gurunath go to Amarnath's hideout, to collect his body. Gurunath announces a bounty to kill Michael and Theera, in exchange for his position. Michael and Theera are taken in by Kannamma and her husband, a retired police officer, to hide from Gurunath's men. Kannamma's husband calls Gurunath and lets him know that Michael and Theera are staying with him. Gurunath sends his men to kill them.
However upon arrival, they are hoodwinked by Kanamma's husband, where he, along with Kannamma, finish off Gurunath's men. Kannamma and her husband reveal to Theera that Michael's mother Jennifer, a singer, was having an affair with Gurunath and was oblivious of the fact that he was already married to Charulatha. Jennifer became pregnant with Michael, of which Charulatha came to know about, enraging her. She tried to kill her by setting her house on fire, but Jennifer managed to survive and worked as a cook in a prison, raising Michael in the process. Michael learnt about his mother's past and purposely gained Gurunath's attention to work for him, in order to kill him at the right time.
Swamy also knew about his past and was helping him all along. Michael heads back to Bombay and confronts Gurunath at his mansion, where he reveals his relation to him and about Amarnath's attempt to take over him. Michael later kills both Charulatha and Gurunath, thus avenging the injustice caused to his mother. Later, Michael reunites with Theera and takes over Gurunath's empire, becoming the new crime boss of Bombay. Later, Swamy is kidnapped by a new gang led by Gurunath's twin brother. Gurunath had kept this a secret from everyone except Charulatha. After learning about Michael, Gurunath's brother swears revenge against him.
Cast edit
- Sundeep Kishan as Michael
- Vijay Sethupathi as Michael's Godfather
- Divyansha Kaushik as Theera
- Gautham Vasudev Menon as Gurunath and his younger identical twin brother
- Varun Sandesh as Amarnath, Gurunath and Charulatha's son
- Varalaxmi Sarathkumar as Kannamma, Michael Godfather's wife
- Anasuya Bharadwaj as Charulatha, Gurunath's wife and Amarnath's mother
- Deepshikha as Jennifer, Michael’s mother (special appearance)
- Ayyappa P. Sharma as Swamy
- Raj Tirandasu as Michael's friend
- Master Vasanth Vikas
- Master Bhanu
- Master Lohith
- Anish Kuruvilla as Rathan, Theera's father
- R. K. Mama
- Ravi Varma as a Police officer
Music edit
The soundtrack and score of the film were composed by Sam C. S.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nee Vuntey Chaalu" | Kalyan Chakravarthy Tripuraneni | Sid Sriram | |
| 2. | "Pammare" | Chandrabose | Mangli | |
| 3. | "Poru Poru" | Vamsi Krishna, Ranjit Jeyakodi | Sarath Santhosh | |
| 4. | "Guardian Angel" | Sharanya Gopinath | Sharanya Gopinath |
Release edit
The film was released in theatres on February 3, 2023. The digital rights were sold to Aha,[8] while the satellite rights of the Telugu version were sold to Zee Telugu and dubbed Tamil version were sold to Star Vijay. The film was premiered on Aha from 24 February 2023.[9][10]
The Hindi dubbed version was premiered on Sony Max on 28 May 2023.[11]
Reception edit
Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Michael is a genre film that achieves what it sets out to do – tell a dark coming-of-age tale of a young man who knows what it means to be human for better or worse. Watch it if that’s your kind of cinema."[12] Latha Srinivasan of India Today gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Michael is a gangster flick that’s more style than story for the most part. Having said that, Sundeep Kishan, Vijay Sethupathi and Sam CS are the absolute highlights of this film."[13]
Thinkal Menon of OTTplay gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Michael is a mish-mash of several home-made gangster films which have entertained in the past. The movie is a wasted opportunity and might appeal to hardcore action lovers who do not mind enjoying old wine in a new bottle."[14]
References edit
- ^ "Michael Box Office Collection". Box Office Adda. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ "Sundeep Kishan, Vijay Sethupathi's Michael Locks Its OTT Release Date". News 18 (in Telugu). 21 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ "Michael Movie: Showtimes, Review, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos | eTimes", The Times of India, retrieved 2023-01-23
- ^ "Michael (2023) Movie Release Date, Cast, Trailer". 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ a b "Michael Review". Moviecrow. 3 February 2023.
And it's predominantly a dubbing movie, almost 99% is shot in Telugu and converted to Tamil in post-production
- ^ "Sundeep Kishan, Vijay Sethupathi's film Michael gets a release date in February; Check out new poster". PINKVILLA. 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (2023-01-23). "Interview: Sundeep Kishan says the gangster drama movie 'Michael' has changed him as an actor and a person". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Stream Michael on Aha Video". Aha Video. 24 February 2023.
- ^ "Michael OTT release date: When and where to watch this bilingual gangster drama starring Sundeep Kishan online". ottplay.com. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
- ^ "Michael's OTT release date is here". 123telugu.com. 2023-02-18. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ "Pan-Indian disaster film locks its world television premiere date". 123telugu.com. 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ "Michael Movie Review: Sundeep Kishan steals the show as the broody titular character". The Times of India.
- ^ "Michael Movie Review: Sundeep, Vijay Sethupathi shine in technically sound film that's bogged down by weak storyline". India Today.
- ^ "Michael review: Sundeep Kishan, Gautham Menon and Vijay Sethupathi stand out in this clumsy action flick". OTTplay.
External links edit
- Michael at IMDb