Aanazhagan is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by Thiagarajan and produced by S. Balaji. The film stars Prashanth, newcomer Suneha, Vadivelu, Charle, and Chinni Jayanth, while K. R. Vijaya, Gandhimathi, and Vaishnavi play supporting roles. It is a remake of the Telugu film Chitram Bhalare Vichitram (1992), which itself is based on Sailesh Dey's Bengali play Joymakali Boarding.[1] The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. In the film, Prashanth disguises himself as a woman in order to convince the landlady.[2]
| Aanazhagan | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Thiagarajan |
| Written by | Babu-Gopu (dialogues) |
| Screenplay by | Thiagarajan |
| Story by | P. Samba Siva Rao |
| Produced by | S. Balaji |
| Starring | Prashanth Suneha Vadivelu Charle Chinni Jayanth K. R. Vijaya |
| Cinematography | V. Ranga |
| Edited by | B. Lenin V. T. Vijayan |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | Supreme Films International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editRaja, Sudhakar, Raghava and Marudhu are good friends who stay together as tenants at a rented house. After being thrown out, they start searching for a new house on rent, but no one is willing to give their house for bachelors. Finally, they come to know a landlady in search of a family as her tenants. A plot is hatched by, and all four bachelors dress up to be a family man (Sudhakar), his retarded brother (Raghava), his uncle (Marudhu), and his wife Lakshmi (Raja). Now, Raja's lady love Priya (Suneha) happens to be the landlady's daughter. At one point of time by mistake, the friends inform the landlady that Lakshmi is pregnant. The landlady arranges for Valaikaapu function, followed by a doctor checkup. This bursts into a series of rumbled conflicts, and all hell breaks loose.
Cast
edit- Prashanth as Raja and Rajalakshmi alias Lucky
- Suneha (Debut) as Priya
- Vadivelu as Marudhu
- Charle as Sudhakar
- Chinni Jayanth as Raghava
- K. R. Vijaya as Landlady
- Gandhimathi as House Owner
- Vaishnavi as Doctor
- Manivannan
- Delhi Ganesh
- Vennira Aadai Moorthy
- Loose Mohan
- Dhamu
- V. K. Ramasamy
- Oru Viral Krishna Rao
- Kumarimuthu as Landlady's Servant
- 'Bayilvan' Ranganathan
- Kazan Khan
Production
editT. R. Rajendran was initially supposed to direct this film; since he fell down and got hit hard and he was in very busy schedule with four films, he was replaced by Thiagarajan.[3] Prashanth appeared in drag role in Aanazhagan and noted the most daunting aspects of the role were the "waxing, the threading, the works" as well as "wearing a sari in summer, doing a bharatanatya sequence in a woman's costume, and getting the nuances and variations right were the other challenges", revealing his mother had assisted him.[4] The actor was also involved in the production of the film.[5] The voice for Prashanth's female character Rajalakshmi was given by the famous dubbing artiste Anuradha.[citation needed] The film became the first project to have scenes shot in the newly created JJ Studios in 1995.[6]
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja and lyrics were written by Vaali.[7][8]
| Song | Singer(s) |
|---|---|
| "Aaacha Paatcha" | Mano, K. S. Chithra |
| "Arul Kann Paarvai" | K. S. Chithra |
| "Eley Matchi" | Mano |
| "Kanne Indru" | Mano, Swarnalatha |
| "Konjum Pura" | S. Janaki, Mano |
| "Nillatha Vennila" | Ilaiyaraaja, Swarnalatha |
| "Poo Choodum" | Uma Ramanan |
Release
editThe film performed average at the box office.[5] Soon after the film's release, Thiagarajan and Prashanth began working on another project titled Padagotti Babu, which eventually did not develop.[9] Likewise, another production by his father during the period, Pulithevan co-starring Manisha Koirala and Sangita, was also stalled.[10]
References
edit- ^ "'Avvai Shanmughi', 'Mayamohini' and others: How cinema misrepresents drag culture". The News Minute. 1 July 2019. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
- ^ "Vikram in 'Kanthaswamy' – Kamal Haasan to Vikram: Actors who aced the lady avatar". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ "திரை உலகை காட்டும் வான வேடிக்கை!" (PDF). Kalki (in Tamil). 30 October 1994. pp. 92–95. Retrieved 24 August 2023 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "How to train your drag". The Hindu. 22 May 2010. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ a b Rangarajan, Malathi (15 February 2002). "Young and mature at once". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 July 2003. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
- ^ Sitaraman, Sandya (23 March 1995). "Tamil Movie News--Tamil New Year edition". Google Groups. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Aanazhagan". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
- ^ "Aanazhagan / Chinnamani Tamil Audio CDs By Ilaiyaraaja". VintageAV.shop. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Sitaraman, Sandya (9 January 1996). "Tamil Movie News--1995 Review". Google Groups. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ Sitaraman, Sandya (29 March 1996). "Tamil Movie News--Pudhu Edition(Cont.)". Google Groups. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
External links
edit- Aanazhagan at IMDb
