7G Rainbow Colony is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Selvaraghavan. The film was shot simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu; the latter titled 7G Brindavan Colony.[1][2] It stars debutant Ravi Krishna and Sonia Agarwal. The music was scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja, whilst Arvind Krishna performed the cinematography. The film deals with unrequited love of a boy towards a girl.[3]
| 7G Rainbow Colony | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster of the Tamil version | |
| Directed by | Selvaraghavan |
| Written by | Selvaraghavan |
| Produced by | A. M. Rathnam |
| Starring | Ravi Krishna Sonia Agarwal |
| Cinematography | Arvind Krishna |
| Edited by | Kola Bhaskar |
| Music by | Yuvan Shankar Raja |
Production company | Sri Surya Movies |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 185 minutes (Tamil) 174 minutes (Telugu) |
| Country | India |
| Languages | Tamil Telugu |
Released on 15 October 2004, the film received critical acclaim and was commercially successful. Over the years, the film attained cult status and mass following.[4] Ravi Krishna received the Filmfare Best Male Debut (South) for his performance, whilst Yuvan Shankar Raja was awarded the Filmfare Best Music Director Award for his highly praised musical score.
Plot
editThis article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (May 2024) |
The movie begins with Kadhir (Ravi in Telugu version) heading to work. He appears distracted throughout the day and even instructs his assistant to postpone an important meeting with a big client. He then waits for someone at Marina Beach in Chennai (Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad in the Telugu version) with a bouquet of flowers. His best friend, Lakshmi, sees him and asks him whom he is waiting for. Kadhir explains that he is waiting to meet his girlfriend Anitha for their date. In flashbacks, we are shown how Kadhir first met Anitha.
Kadhir belongs to a lower middle class family, living with his parents and younger sister in Rainbow Colony in Chennai (Brundavan Colony, Hyderabad in the Telugu version). He is perceived as a good-for-nothing person as he skips classes, fails exams, and gets involved in fights. Kadhir believes that his father hates him and often quarrels with him, even threatening to leave the house, only to be persuaded not to do so by his mother. Kadhir’s life changes when a once well-off family moves into the same colony due to a loss in their business. Kadhir is attracted to the daughter of his new neighbour, Anitha. Although he tries to woo her, Anitha treats him with disdain. One day, Kadhir confesses to Anitha that he loves her. He tells her that having always been ridiculed, he found respite in the fact that she at least bothered to look at him. He promises to wipe her thoughts out of his mind, as he is not right for her.
Despite himself, Kadhir continues pursuing her. Anitha realises that Kadhir is not such a useless fellow when Lakshmi tells her that he has seen Kadhir dismantle and assemble a motorcycle within minutes each time they steal a bike to get drunk. Anitha takes Kadhir to a Hero Honda dealer and asks them to give him a job. He is promised a job if he can assemble a bike. Initially, the lethargic Kadhir is uninterested and gives up the task. Anitha takes him to the washroom and slaps him before revealing that she has fallen in love with him. She then tells him that they can only be together if he gets a proper job and gets his life straightened out. Kadhir then demonstrates his skill in motorcycle assembly, securing a good job with the dealer.
Later that evening, Kadhir plans a treat for his friends. However, Anitha confronts him and makes him break the good news to his parents first to get their blessings. However, Kadhir’s father berates him as usual for getting a job instead of completing college. Then later at night, Kadhir overhears his father telling his mother how proud he is of their son since getting a job at such a prestigious company, which is not easy. The only reason the father did not openly praise Kadhir is because he feared his son might misjudge him for giving him respect, only now that he is earning money for their household. Only then does Kadhir realise his father's love for him and weeps in joy. The intimacy between Kadhir and Anitha is discovered by her mother, and she refuses to allow them to continue dating even as Kadhir’s father tries to persuade her otherwise. Anitha's family is heavily indebted to another Northern Indian family that has been supporting them since Anitha's father suffered losses in his business. Anitha's parents want Anitha to marry the son of the family that has helped them.
Using her friend's marriage as a ruse and with unwitting help of her friend's aunt, Anitha escapes her home and travels with Kadhir to a tourist place near Thekkady in Kerala, and they end up in a hotel room. Anitha reveals that she has made the biggest decision of her life by deciding to make love to him, as he should not regret falling in love with her when she marries the man her parents chose. Though stunned by her decision, Kadhir goes with her plan and the two consummate their love. The next morning, Kadhir and Anitha argue when Kadhir says he wants Anitha to live with him, while Anitha accuses him of being attracted to her only because of the sex. They continue arguing as they exit the hotel, which culminates in Kadhir slapping Anitha in anger, causing her to cross the road alone in tears. While a guilt-ridden Kadhir calls out to Anitha, she is knocked down by a truck as a helpless Kadhir watches, then also hit by another speeding vehicle. Anitha dies gruesomely on the spot as she is subsequently run over by several vehicles and Kadhir is injured. The following day, he is shocked to find the mere remains of Anitha in the hospital mortuary. Though heartbroken, Kadhir tells the police that Anita never accepted his love, and her death was really an accident. This way, he saves her dignity, and her mother blesses him as she leaves. Though the police want to file a murder case on Kadhir, Anitha's mother refuses to name him as a murderer. Shortly after Anitha's funeral, Kadhir tries to commit suicide unsuccessfully, only to end up causing a ruckus in traffic and get assaulted by the angry crowd, but is saved by a group of nuns. He then hallucinates about Anitha's spirit coming to him and advising him to live life to the fullest and that she will always be with him.
Back in the present day, it is revealed that Kadhir has become successful in his life but has remained mentally damaged since Anitha's death. He still believes that she is alive and always imagines talking to her. The film ends with Kadhir talking to himself at the beach, thinking that he is talking to Anitha.
Cast
edit| Cast (Tamil) | Cast (Telugu) | Role (Tamil) | Role (Telugu) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ravi Krishna | Kadhir | Ravi | |
| Sonia Agarwal | Anitha | ||
| Suman Setty | Lakshmi Narayanan | Lakshmi Narayana | |
| Vijayan | Chandra Mohan | Kadhir’s father | Ravi's father |
| Sudha | Kadhir’s mother | Ravi's mother | |
| Sudeepa Pinky | Anu, Kadhir’s sister | Ravi's sister | |
| Rathan | Managing Director of Hero Honda | ||
| Savita Prabhune | Anita's mother | ||
| Manorama | Shweta's aunt (Cameo appearance) | ||
| Mayoori | "Naam Vayathukku Vanthom" | "Mem Vayasuku Vachcham" | |
Production
edit7G Rainbow Colony was the second venture of Selvaraghavan as a director. He revealed that the film's inspiration came from his college days when he had been fascinated with a Punjabi girl during his education in KK Nagar.[5] He based several of the scenes on real-life happenings with his friends, revealing that the film was "75% biographical" and the lead character was an "average guy" like himself, whom "no one would make a film on". 90% of the filming took place in and around Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, with some sporadic schedules taking place in Chennai and Thekkady.[6]
Selva cast Ravikrishna, son of producer Rathnam after a successful screen test. For the lead female role, Selvaraghavan initially considered Genelia D'Souza and auditioned Mumbai model Mamta Zaveri, who was to work with Dhanush in Sibi Chakravarthy's shelved film Raghava. The film later began production with Swathi Reddy in her first lead role, though she later opted out and was replaced by Sonia Agarwal due to her Punjabi origin.[7]
Soundtrack
edit| 7G Rainbow Colony | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 21 May 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2004 | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Length | 41:55 | |||
| Label | Five Star Audio | |||
| Producer | Yuvan Shankar Raja | |||
| Yuvan Shankar Raja chronology | ||||
| ||||
Selvaraghavan teamed up once again with musician Yuvan Shankar Raja after Thulluvadho Ilamai and Kaadhal Kondein. The soundtrack released on 21 May 2004 and features 10 tracks overall, two of which are Instrumentals. The lyrics were penned by Na. Muthukumar. Yuvan Shankar Raja used live music for the score, for which he worked with a 40-piece orchestra for one month.[8] The theme music is inspired by Johnny (1980).[9] As it was the case with Kaadhal Kondein, an "Original Soundtrack", consisting of 25 tracks, which are pieces of the film score and were titled as "Theme Music", was released afterwards. It includes one bit song "Idhu Enna Maatram" (Theme Music 14), sung by legendary singer P. B. Sreenivas. Yuvan Shankar Raja has given a Madhuvanti in "Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal".[10]
Composer Yuvan Shankar Raja received universal critical acclaim for the musical score as the songs and the film score were hailed as "excellent"[11] and the album as a "great" and "must buy".[12] Particularly, the instrumental track in the album was very much lauded, described as "highly innovative" and "eminently haunting"[13] and even hailed as "one of the most haunting instrumental tracks ever".[12] The song became very popular and were topping the charts for some time.[13][14] Yuvan Shankar Raja received his first Filmfare Best Music Director Award in Tamil for the music, at the age of 25, becoming the youngest composer ever to win this award till 2011 when GV Prakash Kumar won the award in Tamil for his work in Aadukalam.[citation needed]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Na. Muthukumar
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ninaithu Ninaithu Parthal" | Shreya Ghoshal | 4:37 |
| 2. | "Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal 1" | Harish Raghavendra, Srimathumitha, Ustad Sultan Khan | 5:31 |
| 3. | "Naam Vayathukku" | P. Unnikrishnan, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Shalini, Ganga | 5:06 |
| 4. | "Music of Joy" | Instrumental | 3:53 |
| 5. | "Kan Pesum Varthaigal" | Karthik | 5:50 |
| 6. | "Idhu Porkkalama" | Harish Raghavendra | 3:08 |
| 7. | "Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal 2" | Ustad Sultan Khan, Srimathumitha | 5:32 |
| 8. | "January Madham" | Mathangi Jagdish, Kunal Ganjawala | 5:12 |
| 9. | "Walking Through The Rainbow (Theme Music)" | Instrumental | 3:21 |
| 10. | "Ninaithu Ninaithu Parthen" | KK | 4:16 |
| 11. | "Ithu Enna Maatram" | P. B. Sreenivas |
All lyrics are written by Shiva Ganesh
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thalachi Thalachi Choosthe" | Shreya Ghoshal | 4:37 |
| 2. | "Kalalu Kane Kaalaalu" | Harish Raghavendra, Srimathumitha, Ustad Sultan Khan | 5:31 |
| 3. | "Mem Vayasuku Vachcham" | P. Unnikrishnan, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Shalini, Ganga | 5:06 |
| 4. | "Music of Joy" | Instrumental | 3:53 |
| 5. | "Kannula Baasalu Theliyavule" | Karthik | 5:50 |
| 6. | "Idhi Rana Rangama" | Harish Raghavendra | 3:08 |
| 7. | "Kalalu Kane Kaalaalu" | Harish Raghavendra, Srimathumitha | 5:32 |
| 8. | "January Masam" | Mathangi Jagdish, Kunal Ganjawala | 5:12 |
| 9. | "Walking Through The Rainbow (Theme Music)" | Instrumental | 3:21 |
| 10. | "Thalachi Thalachi Choosa" | KK | 4:16 |
Release
edit7G Rainbow Colony was given an A (adults only) certificate by the censor board due to sex scenes. The censor board who found the film to be vulgar insisted certain scenes to be reshot for re-submission to which the team obliged.[15] Despite this, the film retained the A certificate. In Chennai, minors were caught watching the film. For allowing this to happen, four people attached to the theatre were arrested, including the booking clerk who sold the ticket, the usher who took the minors to the seat, the theatre manager and one of the partners of the theatre complex.[16]
The Telugu version was re-released on 22 September 2023.[17]
Critical reception
editShobha Warrier of Rediff.com said that "Selvaraghavan has once again displayed his skill making a movie that is touching without being mushy, and believable because of its realism".[18] Malini Mannath od Chennai Online wrote "[..] in '7/g....' missing is the crisp narration and focus. The screenplay meanders, the narrative style is jerky, the situations seeming like they were thrust into the narration as after-thoughts. Also the hangover of his earlier films is clearly evident".[19] Sify wrote, "Unlike other contemporary film makers running after superstars and making formula films, Selvaraghavan pushes the cinematic envelope and brings savvy freshness to the form, hitherto unexplored".[20] Idlebrain.com gave the film a rating of three-and-three quarters out of five and noted that "Doing a tragic climax and making it commercially acceptable is one hell of a task. And Sri Raghava succeeded in it".[21]
Box office
editThe Tamil version opened in 92 screens and expanded to 118 prints. Made on a budget of ₹ 3 crore, it turned profitable yielding a distributor share of ₹ 10 crore.[22][23][24] The Telugu version opened in 35 screens and expanded to 88 prints.[25]
Accolades
edit- Filmfare Best Music Director Award (Tamil) – Yuvan Shankar Raja
- Filmfare Best Male Debut (Tamil) – Ravi Krishna
- Santosham Film Awards Telugu[28]
- Best Debut Actor Award – Ravi Krishna
- Best Musical hit album – Yuvan Shankar Raja
- 35th Annual AP Cinegoers Association Awards [29]
- Best Debut hero – Ravi Krishna
- Best Comedian (Special Commendation) – Suman Shetty
Dubbed versions and remakes
editThe Tamil version of the film was also dubbed in Malayalam under the same title. The film was remade in Bengali as Prem Aamar (2009), in Kannada as Gilli (2009), in Odia as Balunga Toka (2011) and in Hindi as Malaal (2019).[2]
References
edit- ^ Warrier, Shobha (15 October 2004). "7-G Rainbow Colony is my story". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Is Bhansali's next a remake of 7G Rainbow Colony?". The Asian Age. 24 January 2019. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ Swaminathan, Shakti (7 June 2017). "Cinema gives unreal, dangerous ideas about love: Study from the South reveals". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ "The Best Tamil Films, 2004". Rediff.com. 21 December 2004. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- ^ "The Story is partly autobigraphical: Selvaraghavan". Sify. Archived from the original on 8 December 2004. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ "Vikram-Selva come together". IndiaGlitz. 17 January 2008. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "7ஜி படத்தில் பாதியிலேயே கும்பிடு போட்டு கிளம்பியுள்ள இளம் நடிகை". Behindtalkies (in Tamil). 3 September 2020. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ Reddy, T. Krithika (15 March 2005). "Technology has killed music". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- ^ S, Karthik. "Yuvan Shankar Raja [Tamil]". ItwoFS. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Mani, Charulatha (9 November 2012). "Twice as nice". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ "Movie Review : '7G Rainbow Colony': different and delectable". musicindiaonline.com. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- ^ a b Nath, Aparna (9 June 2004). "7G Rainbow Colony – A cut above other current albums". IndiaGlitz. IANS. Archived from the original on 15 July 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- ^ a b "'Rainbow Colony' still rules". IndiaGlitz. 17 July 2004. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- ^ "7-G Rainbow Colony back on top". musicindiaonline.com. IANS. 2 September 2008. Archived from the original on 18 February 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- ^ "7G's Sensor cuts:". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 8 December 2004. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Minors caught watching '7-GRainbow Colony'". Sify. 25 November 2004. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "7/G Brundavan Colony: A timeless cult classic returns to the silver screen; watch re-release trailer". The Times of India. 19 September 2023. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ Warrior, Shobha (21 October 2004). "7 G Rainbow Colony is different!". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ Mannath, Malini (25 October 2004). "7/G Rainbow Colony". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 5 February 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "7-G Rainbow Colony". Sify. Archived from the original on 30 December 2004. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "Movie review – 7/G Brindavan Colony". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ "'7-G' hits the jackpot!". Sify. 2 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ Pillai, Sreedhar (6 April 2005). "Year 2004 — a flashback". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 April 2005. Retrieved 9 February 2008.
- ^ "Chennai weekend box-office (Oct 15- 17)". Sify. 19 October 2004. Archived from the original on 17 December 2004. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- ^ "Chitchat with AM Ratnam about 7/G Brindavan Colony". Idlebrain.com. 26 December 2004. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ "Surya shines, Cheran sizzles". IndiaGlitz. 9 July 2005. Archived from the original on 11 July 2005. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "Filmfare Awards South 2005". Idlebrain.com. 23 July 2005. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ "Santosham Film Awards 2005". Idlebrain.com. 2 August 2005. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
- ^ "AP Cinegoers' Association 35th Annual Awards – winners list". Idlebrain.com. 29 September 2004. Archived from the original on 6 January 2006. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
