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== Production ==
== Production ==

=== Development ===
=== Development ===
In 1992, [[Rajinikanth]], director [[Suresh Krissna]] and producer-writer [[Panchu Arunachalam]] saw the [[Telugu language|Telugu]] film ''[[Allari Mogudu]]''. Rajinikanth talked about remaking it in Tamil, but Krissna opposed the idea as he did not like the film. Rajinikanth told him about his desire to do a "two-wife" comedy and assured him that Arunachalam would handle the subject well. Krissna wanted to begin work on ''[[Baashha]]'', of which he already had a few plot points ready,{{sfn|Ramachandran|2014|pp=153–154}} but Rajinikanth warned him that if their next film after the [[Action film|action]]-packed ''[[Annaamalai]]'' (1992) was anything similar or bigger, "we will get caught. Bring the hopes down, bring the level down and then take it up again. So you make a good entertaining film, and people will say it wasn't like [''Annaamalai'']. Once their expectancy is low, now you hit, it'll become bigger."{{sfn|Ramachandran|2014|pp=154–155}} Krissna assented, but avoided going for a [[shot-for-shot]] remake of ''Allari Mogudu''. He made substantial changes to the script that included tailoring it to Rajinikanth's style and adding some logic to the scenario. Krissna submitted the final draft to Arunachalam who liked it and made more suggestions about what to keep and what not. The film was titled ''Veera''.{{sfn|Krissna|Rangarajan|2012|pp=97–99}}
In 1992, [[Rajinikanth]], [[Suresh Krissna]] and [[Panchu Arunachalam]] saw the [[Telugu language|Telugu]] film ''[[Allari Mogudu]]''. Rajinikanth talked about remaking it in Tamil, but Krissna opposed the idea as he did not like the film. Rajinikanth told him about his desire to do a "two-wife" comedy and assured him that Arunachalam would handle the subject well. Krissna wanted to begin work on ''[[Baashha]]'', of which he already had a few plot points ready,{{sfn|Ramachandran|2014|pp=153–154}} but Rajinikanth warned him that if their next film after the [[Action film|action]]-packed ''[[Annaamalai]]'' (1992) was anything similar or bigger, "we will get caught. Bring the hopes down, bring the level down and then take it up again. So you make a good entertaining film, and people will say it wasn't like [''Annaamalai'']. Once their expectancy is low, now you hit, it'll become bigger."{{sfn|Ramachandran|2014|pp=154–155}}
Krissna assented, but avoided going for a [[shot-for-shot]] remake of ''Allari Mogudu''. He made substantial changes to the script that included tailoring it to Rajinikanth's style and adding some logic to the scenario. Krissna submitted the final draft to Arunachalam who liked it and made more suggestions about what to keep and what not.{{sfn|Krissna|Rangarajan|2012|pp=97–99}} The film, titled ''Veera'', was produced by Arunachalam's wife Meena under their home banner P. A. Art Productions, while Arunachalam received sole credit for the screenplay. Cinematography was handled by P. S. Prakash, editing by the duo Ganesh–Kumar, and art direction by Magie.<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=Veera |type=motion picture |language=ta |publisher=P. A. Art Productions |year=1994 |time=0:00 to 3:47 |time-caption=Opening credits, from}}</ref>


=== Casting ===
=== Casting ===

Revision as of 05:32, 21 December 2019

Veera
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySuresh Krissna
Screenplay byPanchu Arunachalam
Based onAllari Mogudu
Produced byMeena Panchu Arunachalam
StarringRajinikanth
Meena
Roja
CinematographyP. S. Prakash
Edited byGanesh–Kumar
Music byIlaiyaraaja
Production
company
P. A. Art Productions
Release date
  • 14 April 1994 (1994-04-14)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Veera is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Suresh Krissna and written by Panchu Arunachalam. A remake of the Telugu film Allari Mogudu (1992), it stars Rajinikanth, Meena and Roja. The film revolves around a man who ends up marrying twice due to circumstances beyond his control, and is forced to live a double life to keep the existence of each wife a secret from the other.

The screenplay of Veera was written to be substantially different from the Telugu original which Krissna did not like. The film was released on 14 April 1994, the Puthandu (Tamil New Year) holiday frame. Despite initially having a mixed critical and commercial response, it picked up within a few weeks and became a success, running for 150 days in theatres.

Plot

Muthuveerappan, a villager, comes to the city for a singing contest. He meets tabla player Ravikanth, and both work hard for the contest. Muthu tells Ravikanth about how he fell in love with Devayani, the daughter of a song teacher in his village, and how he got her to love him. He came to this contest so he could win the money and pay off the loan his mother had to the village leader. Muthu and Ravikanth perform the song "Konji Konji" and win the contest.

Muthu returns to his village with joy, but learns that Devayani's house had been destroyed by a flood; the bodies of Devayani and her father were not found. Muthu thinks that Devayani is dead. He then goes and gives the money to the village leader, paying off his mother's debt. His mother takes him to the city so that they can find a job and Muthu can forget about Devayani.

When Muthu and his mother reach the city, Muthu learns that his song was a big hit, making him very popular. Viswanathan, the holder of the contest, calls Muthu to come work for him. Muthu does not want to, but his mother persuades him. He assents, and Viswanathan's daughter Roopa falls in love with Muthu. He refuses to marry her as he still loves Devayani, but after his mother says Devayani will not come back and she wishes to see his marriage, he assents.

After the marriage, Roopa goes to the United States for her father's surgery after he suddenly suffers a heart attack. Devayani is revealed to have survived the flood, but has amnesia. She regains her memory after hearing Muthu's songs on the radio, then promptly boards a bus bound for the city and meets Muthu at the recording studio. He is surprised and overjoyed, but does not tell her about his marriage to Roopa. Devayani is adamant to get married soon, so they both marry.

Muthu is forced to live a double life – as Devayani's husband under his original name, and Roja's husband Veera. He nearly gets caught when both Roopa and Muthu with Devayani go to a sari shop and bump into each other. To prove that Muthu and Veera are two different people, he takes a photograph and manipulates it to show two of him shaking hands. As expected, Devayani and Roja believe that Muthu and Veera are two different people.

Harishchandra, a criminal who Muthu had earlier handed over to the police, takes revenge by kidnapping his wives. He also knows that Muthu and Veera are one person, and when he comes to save them the truth is revealed. After he saves both his wives, they fight over him; Roopa says that he officially married her first while Devayani says that she fell in love first. His wives do not want to share. When he tries to explain, they go away angrily. Muthu then decides to return to his old house. When he enters, he finds that both his wives are there. They take a bag each from him and flounce off in opposite directions.

Cast

Additionally, Charuhasan appears in an uncredited role as Krishnamurthy Shastri.

Production

Development

In 1992, Rajinikanth, Suresh Krissna and Panchu Arunachalam saw the Telugu film Allari Mogudu. Rajinikanth talked about remaking it in Tamil, but Krissna opposed the idea as he did not like the film. Rajinikanth told him about his desire to do a "two-wife" comedy and assured him that Arunachalam would handle the subject well. Krissna wanted to begin work on Baashha, of which he already had a few plot points ready,[1] but Rajinikanth warned him that if their next film after the action-packed Annaamalai (1992) was anything similar or bigger, "we will get caught. Bring the hopes down, bring the level down and then take it up again. So you make a good entertaining film, and people will say it wasn't like [Annaamalai]. Once their expectancy is low, now you hit, it'll become bigger."[2]

Krissna assented, but avoided going for a shot-for-shot remake of Allari Mogudu. He made substantial changes to the script that included tailoring it to Rajinikanth's style and adding some logic to the scenario. Krissna submitted the final draft to Arunachalam who liked it and made more suggestions about what to keep and what not.[3] The film, titled Veera, was produced by Arunachalam's wife Meena under their home banner P. A. Art Productions, while Arunachalam received sole credit for the screenplay. Cinematography was handled by P. S. Prakash, editing by the duo Ganesh–Kumar, and art direction by Magie.[4]

Casting

Rajinikanth was cast as the protagonist Muthuveerapan,[5] who juggles between two lives: Muthu, the husband of his first love; and Veera, the husband of his second love.[6] Meena was chosen as Muthuveerapan's first love Devayani, reprising her role from the Telugu original,[5] while Roja was chosen as Roopa, Muthuveerapan's second love.[7] Senthil was cast as the tabla player Ravikanth,[5] Janagaraj as Roopa's father Vishwanathan,[8] Vadivukkarasi as Muthuveerappan's mother Parvathi,[9] J. Livingston as Chandran,[10] newcomer Mahesh Anand as the antagonist Harishchandra,[11] Vinu Chakravarthy as Pannaiyar,[12] and Charuhasan in an uncredited role as Devayani's father Krishnamurthy Shastri.[5]

Filming

The song "Maadethile Kanni" was planned to be shot at Talakona, a forest near Tirupati, but was ultimately shot at Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam in Chennai.[13] "Konji Konji" was filmed at Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai.[14] One scene picturised on Muthuveerapan, Ravikanth, Roja and Devayani was filmed at Birla Mandir, Chennai, which did not generally permit the shooting of films.[15] In the post-production phase, Meena's voice was dubbed by K. R. Anuradha,[16] and the introductory "Super Star" graphic title card from Annaamalai was re-used.[5][17]

Soundtrack

Veera
Soundtrack album by
Ilaiyaraaja
Released1994
GenreFeature film soundtrack
LabelPyramid
ProducerIlaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja chronology
Valli
(1993) 		Veera
(1994) 		Makkal Aatchi
(1995)

The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.[18][19] It was released under the Pyramid Music label.[20] Some of the songs are set in Carnatic or Hindustani ragas; "Konji Konji" is set in the Carnatic Dharmavati,[21] "Maadethile Kanni" is set in the Hindustani Brindabani Sarang, "Malai Kovil Vaasalil" is set in the Carnatic Asaveri,[22] "Pattu Poo Poo" is set in the Carnatic Chalanata,[23][24] and "Thirumagal" is set in the Carnatic Lalitha.[25]

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Aathile Annakili"IlaiyaraajaArun Mozhi1:11
2."Adi Pandalile"Panchu ArunachalamMano1:37
3."Konji Konji" (female)Panchu ArunachalamK. S. Chithra1:16
4."Konji Konji" (male)Panchu ArunachalamS. P. Balasubrahmanyam5:10
5."Maadethile Kanni"VaaliS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Swarnalatha4:24
6."Malai Kovil Vaasalil"VaaliMano, Swarnalatha4:36
7."Pattu Poo Poo"VaaliK. S. Chithra4:25
8."Thirumagal"IlaiyaraajaArun Mozhi4:52
9."Vaadi Vethalai"VaaliMano, K. S. Chithra4:03

Release and reception

Veera was released on 14 April 1994, during the Puthandu (Tamil New Year) holiday frame.[26][27] The film initially received mixed reviews; audiences and fans of Rajinikanth were disappointed as they expected something bigger than Annaamalai.[28] Malini Mannath wrote for The Indian Express on 22 April, "Veera starts promisingly enough", praising Rajinikanth's comedy timing in the first half, but the manner of Veera learning of Devayani's presumed death was "not very convincingly told". She said that after the return of Devayani, "The script takes a nosedive here, never to recover." Malini Mannath added that while Rajinikanth's comedy was good initially, it felt forced in the second half, saying that "At this stage of his career [Rajinikanth] could have taken more meaningful roles", but concluded by praising the songs.[8]

A writer of the magazine Manushi said, "The director has displayed much ingenuity in bringing the first supposedly dead "wife" back to life, bringing the two wives together, etc. The final scenes were shoddy, ill-conceived and in bad taste."[29] Veera took time to gather momentum. The film had lukewarm response for the first few weeks because of comparisons with Annaamalai. After a few weeks, it began its victory run,[28] and completed a 150-day run in theatres.[30] According to journalist Sudhir Srinivasan, it was the first Tamil film to collect ₹1 crore (equivalent to ₹6.6 crore or US$790,000 in 2023) in the NSC (North Arcot, South Arcot and Chengalpattu) area.[31] Despite Allari Mogudu having a Hindi remake titled Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Veera has been dubbed in that language and released under a number of different titles.[26]

Legacy

Rajinikanth's English dialogue "How is it?" (pronounced "Owwizzit?") became immensely popular, as did the response "Super" (pronounced "Soopar").[26]

References

  1. ^ Ramachandran 2014, pp. 153–154.
  2. ^ Ramachandran 2014, pp. 154–155.
  3. ^ Krissna & Rangarajan 2012, pp. 97–99.
  4. ^ Veera (motion picture) (in Tamil). P. A. Art Productions. 1994. Opening credits, from 0:00 to 3:47.
  5. ^ a b c d e Ramachandran 2014, p. 155.
  6. ^ Krissna & Rangarajan 2012, p. 114.
  7. ^ Ramachandran 2014, p. 156.
  8. ^ a b Mannath, Malini (22 April 1994). "Two women in a boat". The Indian Express. p. 6.
  9. ^ Krissna & Rangarajan 2012, p. 101.
  10. ^ Krissna & Rangarajan 2012, p. 124.
  11. ^ Krissna & Rangarajan 2012, p. 129.
  12. ^ Vamanan (3 May 2017). "From 'Silk' to sensitive tales, Vinu left his imprints behind". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  13. ^ Krissna & Rangarajan 2012, pp. 108–114.
  14. ^ Krissna & Rangarajan 2012, p. 117.
  15. ^ Krissna & Rangarajan 2012, pp. 126–128.
  16. ^ Lakshmi, K. (11 January 2009). "They act in front of the mike at work". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  17. ^ Shivakumar, Vivek (11 December 2018). "A Superstar Career Through Titles". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Veera (1994)". Music India Online. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  19. ^ "Veera". Gaana.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Veera". Isaishop. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  21. ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 139.
  22. ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 140.
  23. ^ Mani, Charulatha (20 December 2013). "Versatile Nattai". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  24. ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 152.
  25. ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 162.
  26. ^ a b c Ramachandran 2014, p. 157.
  27. ^ Sambandan, Aparanjeetha (9 August 2017). "Top 7 memorable Tamil New Year film releases". Sify. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  28. ^ a b Krissna & Rangarajan 2012, p. 130.
  29. ^ "Double standards". Manushi. No. 86. Samta. 1995. pp. 4–5.
  30. ^ "Rajinikanth's 'Veera' was remade in Hindi". The Times of India. 19 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  31. ^ Srinivasan, Sudhir (26 March 2016). "The man who made Rajinikanth". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.

Bibliography

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