>Fad Ariff at 13:55, 26 April 2021

2021-04-26T13:55:33Z

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{{Short description|1999 film by K. S. Ravi}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| native_name = {{film name|Tamil|என் சுவாசக் காற்றே}}
| name = En Swasa Kaatre
| image = En Swasa Kaatre DVD Cover.jpg
| alt = K. S. Ravi
| caption = DVD Cover
| image_size =
| director = [[K. S. Ravi]]
| producer = {{unbulleted list|R. M. Sait|J. Ansar Ali}}
| writer = K.S.Ravi
| screenplay = K.S.Ravi
| story = K.S.Ravi
| starring = {{unbulleted list|[[Arvind Swamy]]|[[Isha Koppikar]]|[[Prakash Raj]]|[[Raghuvaran]]}}
| music = [[A. R. Rahman]]
| cinematography = [[Arthur A. Wilson]]
| editing = Babu-Raghu
| studio = Nikaba Films International
| distributor = Bhagyaraj
| released = {{Film date|1999|02|26|df=y}}
| runtime = 177 minutes
| country = India
| language = Tamil
| budget =
| gross = {{INR}}23 crore
}}
'''''En Swasa Kaatre''''' (English: ''Breath of My Life'') is a 1999 Indian [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]]-language romantic film written and directed by [[K. S. Ravi]]. The film stars [[Arvind Swamy]] and [[Isha Koppikar]] in the lead roles, while [[Raghuvaran]], [[Prakash Raj]] and [[Thalaivasal Vijay]] play supporting roles. The film was produced by newcomers R. M. Sait and Ansar Ali, friends of the film's music director [[A. R. Rahman]]. The film opened in February 1999 to mixed reviews.

==Plot==
A seemingly down-to-earth guy Arun ([[Arvind Swamy]]), leads a life of a computer hacker by day and a thief by night. When he meets Madhu ([[Isha Koppikar]]), whom he fancies, he wishes to turn over a new leaf. But Arun's rogue brother, who has been blackmailing him since young to do his dirty deeds, does not think likewise. A deep love-hate relationship between them which unfolded during their childhood days, traps Arun into a life of crime. How Arun chooses between his family and love forms the crux of the story.

==Cast==
{{colbegin}}
*[[Arvind Swamy]] as Arun Raj
*[[Isha Koppikar]] as Madhu
*[[Prakash Raj]] as Guru
*[[Raghuvaran]] as Paneer
*[[Thalaivasal Vijay]]
*[[Vadivelu]]
*[[Devan (actor)|Devan]]
*[[Chinni Jayanth]]
*[[Santhana Bharathi]]
*[[Priyanka]] as Lily
*[[Raju Sundaram]] as Raju (special appearance)
*[[Mink Brar]] as item number "Jumbalakka"
*Japan Kumar (special appearance in the song "Jumbalakka")
*[[Diya Mirza]] in a special appearance (uncredited)
{{colend}}

==Production==
In end-1996, music director Rahman went on a signing spree in Tamil films and signed on to work with his friends R. M. Sait and Anwar Ali's ''Love Letter'', with speculation suggesting that Rahman was producing this film along with his friends. Rahman suggested to his friends to instate [[K. S. Ravi]] as director, having previously worked with him in ''[[Mr. Romeo]]'' (1996). The project went through production troubles, with three of [[Arvind Swamy]]'s projects at the time - ''[[Engineer (film)|Engineer]]'', ''Mudhal Mudhalaaga'' and ''[[Sasanam]]'' - also in a similar situation. The film was soon retitled ''En Swasa Kaatre'' and was rumoured to be partially based on the ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission Impossible]]'' films.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/1999/jan/16ss.htm |title=Rediff On The NeT, Movies: Gossip from the southern film industry |publisher=Rediff |date=1999-01-16 |access-date=2013-06-19}}</ref> [[Isha Koppikar]] was meant to mark her debut with the film but the delays prompted her other films to release before ''En Swasa Kaatre''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/1998/oct/13ss.htm |title=Rediff On The NeT, Movies: Madras calling |publisher=Rediff |date=1998-10-13 |access-date=2013-06-19}}</ref> Director Kathir had scouted for an actress in North India to play the lead role in his venture ''[[Kadhalar Dhinam]]'' and had auditioned [[Isha Koppikar]] for the role. He subsequently recommended her to his friend [[K. S. Ravi]] to cast her in ''En Swasa Kaatre''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140331145751/http://www.sify.com/movies/tamil/interview.php?id=6006323&cid=2408 sify.com]</ref> [[Sonali Bendre]] replaced Isha in ''Kadhalar Dhinam''.

The film was also delayed due to a dispute between Arvind Swamy and Nikaba Films, the producers. Nikaba had omitted to pay Arvind Swamy's wage for acting in the film, and the actor promptly got a stay order on the release of the producer's next film ''[[Ooty (film)|Ooty]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/1999/dec/08spice.htm |title=Rediff On The NeT, Movies: Gossip from the southern film industry |publisher=Rediff |date=1999-12-08 |access-date=2013-06-19}}</ref>

==Release==
The film received mixed reviews with [[The Deccan Herald]] cited that "the story of En Swasa Katre, is one with much potential, largely unexplored by an inadequate plot and screenplay, which, along with the dialogues, and direction, are by K S Ravi", with the critic adding that "[[Arvind Swamy]] is not bad, as for as an Arvind Swamy can be so. And the same goes for Prakash Raj. Worth taking a look at."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chirag-entertainers.com/Sambhramareview.htm |title=Deccan Herald Review of Sambhrama |publisher=Chirag-entertainers.com |date=1999-03-28 |access-date=2013-06-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924095535/http://www.chirag-entertainers.com/Sambhramareview.htm |archive-date=24 September 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Moreover, Indolnik.com claimed that "the dialogues and situations are unbelievably ill-conceived, but played straight by everyone around, which makes it unintentionally funny! Arvind Swamy looks bored half way through the movie. Prakash Raj hams his way through another over the top performance."<ref>http://www.indolink.com/tamil/cinema/Reviews/articles/En_Swaasa_Katre_10208.html</ref> The [[New Indian Express]] describes that "En Swasa Kaatre may not be a must-see but it is certainly a can-see."<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20200609122052/http://www.cscsarchive.org/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/A852DFEE5B72A53F65256941003DC8C5?OpenDocument</ref> ''New Straits Times'' wrote "See this one if you are a Arvindswamy fan or go just to enjoy the visuals".<ref>https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=x8G803Bi31IC&dat=19990306&printsec=frontpage&hl=en</ref>

The film did average commercial business and was later dubbed and released into [[Telugu language|Telugu]] as ''Premante Pranamistha''.<ref>http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/7708E984B3C7EFC365256940006200E0{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Despite the relative high-profile nature of the film, the director [[K. S. Ravi]] disappeared from the film industry after the film's release and did not make any other films until his death in 2010. The film became [[Arvind Swamy]]'s final Tamil film in a leading role before his retirement, with the much-delayed ''[[Sasanam]]'' releasing in 2006.

== Music ==
{{Infobox album
| name = En Swasa Kaatre
| type = [[soundtrack]]
| artist = [[A. R. Rahman]]
| cover =
| alt =
| released = 29 November 1998
| recorded = [[Panchathan Record Inn]]
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Film soundtrack]]
| length =
| label = [[Pyramid Saimira|Pyramid]]<br />[[Aditya Music]]
| producer = A. R. Rahman
| prev_title = [[Doli Saja Ke Rakhna]]
| prev_year = 2000
| next_title = [[Padayappa]]
| next_year = 2000
}}

The soundtrack features six songs composed by [[A. R. Rahman]], with lyrics by [[Vairamuthu]] and [[Vaali (poet)|Vaali]]. Parts of the song "En Swasa Katre" are syncopated as in Carnatic music compositions . In the Theendai song, Rahman had used a similar religious chant which had carnatic allusions like the ones in Enigma (Germany), which had Gregorian chants.

The song "Jumbalakka" was reused in the Hindi film ''[[Thakshak]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=VIDEO: Dia Mirza Was A Background Dancer Before Winning Miss Asia Pacific!|url=https://www.missmalini.com/2016/02/12/video-dia-mirza-was-a-background-dancer-before-winning-miss-india/|access-date=2020-12-29|website=MissMalini}}</ref> It was also featured in the 2019 film ''[[Kaithi (2019 film)|Kaithi]]'' where it became a trend in Tamil Nadu after its release.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-07|title=Kaithi director Lokesh Kanagaraj reveals plan to expand film into a franchise: 'I have the idea for both a prequel and sequel' - Entertainment News , Firstpost|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/kaithi-director-lokesh-kanagaraj-reveals-plan-to-expand-film-into-a-franchise-i-have-the-idea-for-both-a-prequel-and-sequel-7609941.html|access-date=2020-12-29|website=Firstpost}}</ref> "Kadhal Niagra" was reused with change in instrumentation and vocals and with a considerable extend in length as "Kay Sera Sera" in ''[[Pukar (2000 film)|Pukar]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.missmalini.com/2012/06/27/kay-sera-sera-play-it-again-prabhu/ |title=Kay Sera Sera, Play It Again Prabhu. |last=Agarwal |first=Malini |author-link=Malini Agarwal |date=2012-06-27 |website=MissMalini |language=en-US |access-date=2018-04-01}}</ref> An instrumental theme song was featured in the movie but not released in the cassettes. A slightly revised version of "Thirakatha" was a song that was used in the score of [[Million Dollar Arm]].

Due to Rahman's busy schedule, he left the project before completing the background score. Sabesh-Murali were signed to quickly compose the remaining score and received credits for "additional background score".

=== Tamil (Original) Version ===

{{tracklist
| headline = Track Listing<ref>{{cite web | url = https://open.spotify.com/album/1AShgi69eqjHbr34SFaves | website = [[Spotify]] | title = En Swasa Kaatre | access-date = 9 December 2020}}</ref>
| collapsed = no
| all_music =
| all_lyrics =
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| total_length = 36:21

| title1 = Jumbalakka
| lyrics1 = [[Vairamuthu]]
| extra1 = Rafee
| length1 = 6:20
| title2 = Kadhal Niagara
| lyrics2 = [[Vaali (poet)|Vaali]]
| extra2 = [[Palakkad Sreeram]], [[Harini (singer)|Harini]], [[Anupama (singer)|Anupama]]
| length2 = 5:01
| title3 = Thirakkatha
| lyrics3 = Vairamuthu
| extra3 = [[P. Unnikrishnan]], [[K. S. Chithra]]
| length3 = 7:09
| title4 = En Swasa Katrae
| lyrics4 = Vairamuthu
| extra4 = [[M. G. Sreekumar]], K. S. Chithra
| length4 = 5:15
| title5 = Chinna Chinna Mazhai Thuligal
| lyrics5 = Vairamuthu
| extra5 = M. G. Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra
| length5 = 5:48
| title6 = Theendai Mei Theendai
| lyrics6 = Vairamuthu
| extra6 = [[S. P. Balasubrahmanyam]], K. S. Chithra
| length6 = 6:48
}}

=== Telugu (Dubbed) Version ===

This film was dubbed into Telugu as ''Premante Pranamistha''. All lyrics were written by [[Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry]].<ref name = "Premante Pranamista Tracklist">{{cite web | url = https://www.jiosaavn.com/album/premante-pranamista/MpM6vkWIf,w_ | website = [[JioSaavn]] | title = Premante Pranamista | access-date = 9 December 2020}}</ref>

{{tracklist
| headline = Track Listing<ref name = "Premante Pranamista Tracklist"/>
| collapsed = no
| all_music =
| all_lyrics =
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| total_length = 36:21
| title1 = Tholi Sari
| extra1 = [[P. Unnikrishnan]], [[K. S. Chithra]]
| length1 = 7:06
| title2 = Naa Prana Jyothi
| extra2 = [[M. G. Sreekumar]], K. S. Chithra
| length2 = 5:14
| title3 = Leela Mruduleela
| extra3 = [[S. P. Balasubrahmanyam]], K. S. Chithra
| length3 = 6:49
| title4 = Jumbalaka
| extra4 = Rafi
| length4 = 6:20
| title5 = Klang Klang
| extra5 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
| length5 = 5:46
| title6 = Allukunnadi Jallumannadi
| extra6 = M. G. Sreekumar, [[Harini (singer)|Harini]]
| length6 = 5:02
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0485205|En Swasa Katre}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:Films about organised crime in India]]
[[Category:1990s Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:Films scored by A. R. Rahman]]
[[Category:Indian crime action films]]
[[Category:1990s crime action films]]
[[Category:Indian action thriller films]]
[[Category:Films featuring an item number]]
[[Category:1999 action thriller films]]
[[Category:1999 crime thriller films]]
[[Category:Indian crime thriller films]]
[[Category:Films directed by K. S. Ravi]]

En Swasa Kaatre - Revision history

>Fad Ariff at 13:55, 26 April 2021