Naan Than Bala
| Naan Than Bala | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Kannan |
| Produced by | J. A. Lawrence |
| Starring | Vivek Shwetha Bandekar Venkatraj J |
| Cinematography | Azhagiya Manalavan |
| Music by | Venkat Krishi |
Production company | SSS Entertainments |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Naan Than Bala(transl. I am Bala) is a 2014 Tamil-languagedrama filmdirected by Kannan and produced by J. A. Lawrence under SSS Entertainments.Vivekplays the film's lead role.[1]The film released on 13 June 2014.
Plot
[edit]Bala (Vivek), a poor priest, lives in anagraharaminKumbakonam,looking after his aged parents and performingpujaat a Perumal temple. Circumstances force him to accept help from a hired killer named Poochi (Venkatraj J) to save his father from a jail sentence. Life takes an unfortunate turn for Bala. Unable to bear the taunts of the neighbours, Bala's parents commitsuicide.Bala is forced to leave the agraharam. He begins a new life with Poochi inKancheepuram.Vaishali (Shwetha Bandekar), a youngSaurashtrianwho sells poli on the streets, comes into Bala's life.[2]Soon they get engaged. Meanwhile, a close friendship develops between Bala and Poochi. Bala learns of Poochi's true identity. The police are desperate to hunt down Poochi. Bala is a good influence on Poochi, and he reforms a cold-hearted killer. The second half is all about whether their friendship survives this war of principles.
Cast
[edit]- Vivekas Bala
- Venkatraj J as Poochi
- Shwetha Bandekaras Vaishali
- Cell Muruganas Thomas Alva Edison
- Thennavanas Kattooran
- Lavanya
- Sujatha Sivakumar
- Mayilsamy
- Ganesh Gopal as Auto Driver
Production
[edit]Kannan had approached Vivek with the script and the team began preliminary work in June 2013.[3]In November 2013, Vivek confirmed filming had started and stated he would portray the role of a Hindu priest at a Perumal temple in Kumbakonam, who gets into a relationship with a local thug. He said that he opted to move away from his usual comedy roles after being advised by directorBalaandKamal Haasan.[4]During production, the media wrongly reported thatR. Kannanwho had madeSettai(2013) was director of the film. He later clarified it was not him but R. Kannan, who is the younger brother of screenwriterR. Selvaraj,and who previously directedRaasaiyya(1995). [5]
The team held a large scale audio launch event in December 2013 at Kamala Theatre, Chennai withMani Ratnam,Bharathiraja,K. BalachanderandA. R. Rahmanin attendance as chief guests.[6]Vivek was insistent that Rahman attended the event and pushed back the launch by a week and changed the setting from Sathyam Cinemas, in order to accommodate the composer.[7]
Music
[edit]| Song Title | Singers | Lyricist |
|---|---|---|
| "Thiru Vai" | Priyadarshini | Vaali |
| "Uyire Unakkaga" | Srinivas,Priyadarshini | Na. Muthukumar |
| "Amma Romba" | Baby Lokeswari Prabhu | Na. Muthukumar |
| "Ariyama" | Madhu Balakrishnan | Na. Muthukumar |
| "Bhojanam" | Priya sisters | Traditional |
| "Kanmani Penmani" | Priya sisters | Na. Muthukumar |
| "Eruna Rayiluthan" | Haricharan,Suchitra | Ilaiyakammban |
Release
[edit]The satellite rights of the film were sold toJaya TV.
Reception
[edit]Baradwaj Ranganwrote, "Naan Than Balashould have been shattering drama. That it isn't is a function of the usual problems of our cinema — sketchy performances in the supporting parts, flavourless romance, comedy that constantly undermines the film's seriousness, lazy contrivances, mood-killing songs and an over-the-top ending ".[2]The Times of Indiagave the film 2 stars out of 5 and wrote, "There is juicy melodrama in-built in the story ofNaan Than Balabut the writing and direction are plain amateurish. The trouble is that the director, Kannan, never really has a grip on this material...Kannan's treatment of this material is at best TV serial melodrama ".[8]IANSgave 2.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Shoddy writing and direction makesNaan Than Balaa boring film despite good intention ".[9]The New Indian Expresswrote, "The plot did have the potential to turn into an intriguing play-out of human inadequacies and emotions. But the director fails to capitalise on it".[10]Silverscreen.in wrote, "There is nothing wrong with the premise in itself: a simple tale of amity between a Hindu priest and a hardened criminal, but there is a lot wrong with the execution".[11]Behindwoods gave it 1.75 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Naan Than Balais an old tale of Dharma's triumph over evil that doesn't engage you well enough and is kind of preachy at places, but with a very heartfelt performance from Vivek ".[12]Indiaglitz.com also gave 1.75 out of 5 and wrote, "Debutante director R.Kannan's intentions are noble. But what hampers the overall impact is the script replete with cliches and uninteresting narration. The glitches in writing and execution are too many to let us hope that a good message and Vivekh's acting prowess can help the film sail through".[13]
Box office
[edit]The film collected₹6 lakh(US$7,200) inChennaiin first weekend.[14]
References
[edit]- ^MOVIEBUZZ."Vivek starts 'Naan Thaan Bala'".Sify.Archived fromthe originalon 29 December 2013.Retrieved2 January2014.
- ^abRangan, Baradwaj (14 June 2014)."Naan Than Bala: Friends with benedictions".The Hindu.ISSN0971-751X.Retrieved29 September2018.
- ^"Feels privileged to work with Kalam: Vivek".The Times of India.Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2013.Retrieved2 January2014.
- ^"Vivek to take the serious route!".Sify.Archived fromthe originalon 29 November 2013.Retrieved2 January2014.
- ^"Confusion over who is Vivek's director!".The Times of India.Archived fromthe originalon 30 December 2013.Retrieved2 January2014.
- ^""Kamal told me now's the time to do something different" - Vivek ".behindwoods.com.Retrieved2 January2014.
- ^http://www.southscope.in/tamil/article/racing-towards-crore?page=2[dead link]
- ^"Naan Than Bala Movie Review {2/5}: Critic Review of Naan Than Bala by Times of India",The Times of India,retrieved29 September2018
- ^IANS (14 June 2014)."'Naan Than Bala' a film with good intention (IANS Tamil Movie Review) ".Business Standard India.Retrieved29 September2018.
- ^"Vivekh Does a Serious Lead Role With Nonchalance".The New Indian Express.Archived fromthe originalon 6 August 2014.Retrieved29 September2018.
- ^Naan Than Bala Review | Silverscreen.in
- ^"Naan Than Bala (aka) Naanthan Bala review".behindwoods.com.Retrieved29 September2018.
- ^"Naan Than Bala review. Naan Than Bala Tamil movie review, story, rating - IndiaGlitz.com".IndiaGlitz.com.Retrieved29 September2018.
- ^"Box Office Collection: 'Mundasupatti', 'Naan Thaan Bala', 'Kochadaiiyaan' and Other Tamil Films".International Business Times.16 June 2014.Retrieved19 May2020.