Kaakha Kaakha

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Kaakha Kaakha
File:Kaakha Kaakha poster.jpg


Film poster

Directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon
Written by Gautham Vasudev Menon
Produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu
Starring Template:Plainlist
Cinematography R. D. Rajasekhar
Edited by Anthony
Music by Harris Jayaraj





Country India
Language Tamil



Kaakha Kaakha (Template:Translation) is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu. The film stars Suriya, Jyothika and Jeevan, with Daniel Balaji, Vivek Anand, Devadarshini, Sethu Rajan and Yog Japee in supporting roles. The music was composed by Harris Jayaraj, while cinematography and editing were handled by R. D. Rajasekhar and Anthony.

Kaakha Kaakha released on 1 August 2003 and became a commercial success, winning four Filmfare Awards South, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and three ITFA Awards. It was considered a breakthrough for Menon, Suriya and Jeevan. The film was remade in Telugu as Gharshana (2004) by Menon, in Hindi as Force and in Kannada as Dandam Dashagunam (both 2011).

Plot

The film starts with a man being shot and falls from his home to river but survives when he swims to ground. The man is revealed to be Anbuselvan, who now remembers his past.

Anbuselvan, an orphan and an honest but stone-hearted IPS officer in the Chennai City Police, works as the Assistant Commissioner of Police Officer in the Crime Branch. Anbuselvan and his IPS friends Shrikanth, Arul and Ilamaran are recruited as a part of a special unit of police officers, who are battling organised crime in Chennai. Anbuselvan is violent and laconic in his duties and finds little patience for his personal life. The unit is ruthless in its confrontation with criminals, going as far as assassinating gang members. The unit is finally disbanded by human rights authorities when they assassinate five gangsters in three months, believing that killing them is more beneficial than arresting them and dealing with the legal system, and so Anbuselvan is posted to duties in the control room.

One day, Maya, a school teacher, rebuffs Anbuselvan's routine questions regarding safety, not knowing about his profession. Anbuselvan meets Maya again when she and her friend are questioned for driving without a license. However, Anbuselvan lets them off with a warning. When one of Maya's students has a problem with local kids, she asks Anbuselvan for help. Anbuselvan resolves this problem and a mutual respect develops between them, where they begin to see each other everyday. When Maya gets into a road accident, Anbuselvan helps her recover and they fall in love with each other. Shrikanth and his wife Swathi become good friends with Maya.

Meanwhile, Agaram Sethu, a gangster who escaped from encounter operations, meets his estranged brother Pandiya, who returns to Chennai after 14 years of crime life in Maharashtra. Pandiya has a peculiar tactic: he kills a family member of his opponent, but leaves the opponent alive to rot in depression over the loss of his family member. Sethu's gang, aided by Pandiya's planning, commits major kidnappings in the city and becomes powerful in 6 months. The special unit is reassembled by the commissioner with all four back in the crime branch. One day, Sethu and pandiya go to make a deal with Vasu Seth. On the deal, the unit tracks down and kills Sethu in a railyard, while the others escape.

Pandiya takes over the gang, promising to exact revenge against the special unit for Sethu's death. Pandiya and his gang members kill the family of Vasu Seth, leaving only him alive. Then, Pandiya calls Anbuselvan to tell him that he will kidnap his girlfriend in front of his eyes. Alerted, Anbuselvan and his team find Pandiya where Anbuselvan injures him but Pandiya escapes, and the same night Pandiya and his men murder Ilamaran. The entire department is mobilised and all family members of the remaining three are sent into hiding. Maya and Anbuselvan get married in a hurry and leave for Pondicherry, but Pandiya and his thugs track down the couple at their cottage. Anbuselvan tries to defend but his gun is unloaded. Pandiya and his thugs kidnap Maya and seemingly kill Anbuselvan, who later survives.

In the present, Srikanth and Arul find Anbuselvan, who is left for dead and the two admits him to hospital. Anbuselvan recovers while Shrikanth reveals that Swathi was kidnapped earlier at the airport and confesses that he was the one who gave away Anbuselvan's location to Pandiya and swapped his pistol's magazine with an empty one, for Swathi's safe return. Shrikanth feels extreme remorse over the brutal events that happened to Anbuselvan and Maya. While in the hospital, they receive a message from Pandiya to meet him at a particular location in Andhra Pradesh. When they go there, they find two packages, one containing Swathi's severed head and the other containing Maya's arm flesh. Shrikanth and Anbuselvan are distraught, with the former being hysterical upon seeing Swathi's head. Feeling guilty and responsible, Shrikanth shoots himself dead.

Anbuselvan and Arul track down Pandiya before he can escape from Tamil Nadu and fights with the gang. Anbuselvan aims to shoot Pandiya, but Pandiya, while using Maya as a human shield shoots her and she dies in Anbuselvan's arms. Enraged, Anbuselvan tracks down Pandiya and kills him, avenging Maya and his friends' deaths. In the aftermath, Anbuselvan pays respects to Maya as he leaves for work.

Cast

Template:Cast listing

Production

Development

Gautham Vasudev Menon revealed that he was inspired to make Kaakha Kaakha after reading articles about encounter specialists.[1] The film was initially titled Paathi (Template:Translation),[2] and then Kalam (Template:Translation) before the team opted for Kaakha Kaakha, a line from Kanda Shasti Kavasam, a devotional song.[3] Many producers refused to finance the film as they could not agree on the budget fixed by Menon; it was Kalaipuli S. Thanu who finally did so.[4] Cinematography was handled by R. D. Rajasekhar, editing by Anthony and art direction by Rajeevan.Template:Sfn

Casting and filming

Menon approached R. Madhavan for the lead role, but the actor felt he could not convincingly play an encounter specialist.[5] Ajith Kumar and Vikram were also approached, but were reluctant to play a police officer at the time.[1] Vijay declined as he wanted a complete script, whereas Menon decided to finalise the climax only during filming.[6][7] The lead actress Jyothika asked Menon to consider Suriya for the role, and he was selected after Menon saw his portrayal in Nandhaa (2001).[5] Jeevan was cast as the antagonist after Menon saw him on a poster of University (2002), the actor's debut.[8] His voice was dubbed by Menon.[9] Ramya Krishnan agreed to do an item number, at a time she believed no leading actress would agree to do so.[10] Vincent Asokan auditioned for the role of a police officer and participated in a photo shoot.[11]

Menon did a rehearsal of the script with the actors, a costume trial with Jyothika and then enrolled Suriya in a commando training school before beginning production, which he described as a "very planned shoot".[5] To prepare for the role, Suriya met two actual police officers Vijayakumar and Shailendra Babu who discussed their encounter experiences. An outhouse set was built at Nuwara Eliya at Sri Lanka which cost Template:INRConvert.[4] To build the set on 24 feet of water, Rajeevan hired thirteen carpenters, two painters and the set was built within 15 days and the green-grass roof of the house had to be watered every day to prevent the grass from drying up.[12] Suriya performed the scene where his character falls from the outhouse without a stunt double.[4] The song "Uyirin Uyire" was shot at Andaman.[13][14]

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Harris Jayaraj, with lyrics by Thamarai.[15][16] The song "Ondra Renda" is based on "Dil Ko Tumse Pyar Hua" from the 2001 Hindi film Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein in which Harris himself was the music composer.[17][18] While writing the song "Oru Ooril", Thamarai wanted to highlight a woman's personality over her appearance.[19]

Template:Track listing

Release

Kaakha Kaakha was cleared with a U/A certificate by the censor board with no cuts.[20] The film was released in theatres on 1 August 2003.Template:Sfn It was released in the United Kingdom under the title The Police.[21] The film emerged a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres.Template:Sfn It had an alternate ending which showed Jyothika's character surviving, but was released only on DVD as an extra.[22][23]

Critical response

Guru Subramaniam of Rediff.com labelled Kaakha Kaakha a "career high film" and wrote, "Though the director is a tad biased while describing the police, one must salute his positive attitude."[24] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu described the film as being for "action lovers who believe in logical storylines and deft treatment."[25] Cinesouth wrote, "Goutham has made an action film without getting caught in the masala trap. Appreciated!".[26]

Ananda Vikatan rated the film 41 out of 100, praising Suriya and Jyothika's performances and Menon's direction, saying the director proved that Ram Gopal Varma-type films could be made even in Tamil.Template:Sfn Visual Dasan of Kalki praised the acting, police research, music, direction and climax.[27] Sify wrote, "Gautam Menon has once again asserted that he is a path breaking writer-cum-director who has his viewers adrenalin pumping with his engrossing crime drama Kaakha Kaakha. The 153 minute film packs in quite a solid punch as it overflows with sharp dialogues and operatic violence. Moreover an exceptional ensemble cast does full justice to this stylised tale of love and death".[28]

Accolades

Award Category Recipient Template:Ref heading
51st Filmfare Awards South Best Villain – Tamil Jeevan [29]
Best Choreography Brindha
Best Music Director Harris Jayaraj
Best Cinematographer R. D. Rajasekhar
2003 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Best Music Director Harris Jayaraj [30]
Best Editor Anthony
ITFA Awards Best Actor Suriya [31]
Best Actress – Special Jury Jyothika
Best Music Director Harris Jayaraj

Remakes

Menon remade the film in Telugu as Gharshana (2004).[32] In July 2004, he agreed terms to direct and produce another version of Kaakha Kaakha in Hindi with Sunny Deol in the lead role and revealed that the script was written five years ago with Deol in mind, but the film eventually failed to take off.[33] In 2010, producer Vipul Shah approached Menon to direct the Hindi version Force (2011); he initially agreed before pulling out.[34] The film was also remade in Kannada in 2011 as Dandam Dashagunam.[35] Menon and Thanu floated the idea of an English version with a Chechnyan backdrop, though talks with a potential collaboration with Ashok Amritraj collapsed.[5]

Legacy

Kaakha Kaakha emerged a breakthrough for Menon and Suriya.[36][37][38] Thanu considered it his comeback after the failure of Aalavandhan (2001).[39] Though Jeevan fetched significant attention for his role and more offers to play antagonists, he declined as he was only in favour of lead roles.[40][41] Though the film attained popularity among Tamil audiences for seemingly romanticising police brutality and vigilantism, as with other contemporaneous Tamil films, Kirubhakar Purushothaman of India Today wrote in 2018 that Tamil filmmakers should "reconsider their idea of vigilante justice that they have been fond of so far", especially after the Thoothukudi police firing which killed 13 civilians.[42]

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The story of a cop. The Hindu(18 July 2003). Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Cinebits. Nilacharal. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  3. ↑ How Kandha Sashti Kavasam helped Suriya, Vikram, Ajith & Arun Vijay!. The Times of India(18 July 2020). Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Template:Cite magazine
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Interview: Gautham Menon, Rangan, Baradwaj. Baradwaj Rangan(17 December 2006). Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  6. ↑ When Gautham Menon Narrated Kaakha Kaakha Script To Template:Sic Vijay, Ajith Kumar And Vikram. News18(21 March 2024). Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  7. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
  8. ↑ Meeting with Jeevan (hero of 'University'), Mannath, Malini. Chennai Online(2 December 2002). Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  9. ↑ 2000களில் மிரட்டிய வில்லன்களுக்கு டப்பிங் கொடுத்த கௌதம் மேனன்!.. படத்துக்கே அதுதான் மாஸ்!., V, Sankaran. CineReporters(12 February 2024). Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  10. ↑ Ramya Krishnan interview: On her 'Jailer' reunion with Rajinikanth, and reigniting the 'Padayappa' magic. The Hindu(9 August 2023). Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  11. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
  12. ↑ Directing art and aesthetics, Rangarajan, Malathi. The Hindu(19 December 2003). Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  13. ↑ 'From 'Appadi Podu' to 'Uyirin Uyire': Revisiting Singer KK's Iconic Tamil Songs', Sundar, Anusha. Silverscreen India(1 June 2022). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  14. ↑ Retro: கார்த்திக் சுப்புராஜ் அது மாதிரி கதை வெச்சிருக்காரு; அதை தான் முதல்ல சொன்னாரு! - சூர்யா, ஜீவகணேஷ், ப.. Cinema Vikatan(2 May 2025). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  15. ↑ KAAKHA KAAKHA / MOUNAM PASIYADHE – Harris Jayaraj & Yuvan Shankar Raja Original 1st Edition Tamil Audio Cd. Audio CDs World. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  16. ↑ Kaakha Kaakha (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Apple Music(27 September 2003). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  17. ↑ 6 times Gautham Menon redefined romance in movies. Suryan FM(22 March 2018). Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  18. ↑ Jyotika pens romantic lines from her song 'Ondra Renda' in her latest post for husband Suriya. Bollywood Hungama(15 July 2024). Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  19. ↑ Changing trends in film lyrics. The Hindu(23 April 2010). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  20. ↑ “Kaakha Kaakha" cleared by the censors. Sify(27 July 2003). Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  21. ↑ The Police. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  22. ↑ Kaakha Kaakha Review, Wareham, Karl. The Digital Fix(23 August 2003). Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  23. ↑ Revisiting Kaakha Kaakha: 20 lesser-known facts about Suriya's breakthrough movie. Cinema Express(19 August 2019). Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  24. ↑ A career high film for Surya, Subramaniam, Guru. Rediff.com(11 August 2003). Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  25. ↑ Kaakha Kaakha. The Hindu(8 August 2003). Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  26. ↑ Kakka Kakka. Cinesouth. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  27. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  28. ↑ Kaakha Kaakha. Sify. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  29. ↑ 51st Annual Manikchand Filmfare Award winners. The Times of India(4 June 2004). Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  30. ↑ Tamilnadu State Film Awards – awards for Vikram, Jyotika. Cinesouth(13 February 2006). Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  31. ↑ Kakka Kakka receives eight ITFA awards. Yahoo Movies(29 September 2004). Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  32. ↑ Gharshana. Sify. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  33. ↑ Sunny in 'Kaakha Kaakha' remake, Adarsh, Taran. Sify(21 July 2004). Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  34. ↑ John Abraham loved 'Kaakha Kaakha', Daithota, Madhu. The Times of India(14 February 2010). Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  35. ↑ Review: Dandam Dashagunam is no match to original, Lakshminarayana, Shruti Indira. Rediff.com(15 April 2011). Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  36. ↑ Suriya: Bollywood's hottest six-pack. Mint(2 October 2009). Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  37. ↑ Gautham Menon excited over National Award. The Hindu(24 January 2010). Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  38. ↑ Suriya: Best performances of the actor. The Times of India(23 July 2018). Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  39. ↑ The many faces of success. The Hindu(3 September 2005). Retrieved 31 December 2007.
  40. ↑ Jeevan is back. Sify(10 March 2005). Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  41. ↑ Glory locks, Rangarajan, Malathi. The Hindu(8 July 2005). Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  42. ↑ Kaakha Kaakha to Saamy: How Tamil cinema has glorified police brutality. India Today(30 May 2018). Retrieved 2 May 2026.

Bibliography

  • The Best of Tamil Cinema, 1931 to 2010: 1977–2010{{#if:Dhananjayan|, Dhananjayan}. Galatta Media(2011)

Template:Gautham Vasudev Menon

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