Aalavandhan

Aalavandhan / Abhay
Tamil theatrical release poster
Directed bySuresh Krissna
Screenplay byKamal Haasan
Based onDhayam
by Kamal Haasan
Produced byS. Thanu
Starring
CinematographyTirru
Edited byKasi Viswanathan
Music by
Production
company
V. Creations
Release dates
  • 14 November 2001 (2001-11-14) (Tamil)
  • 15 November 2001 (2001-11-15) (Hindi)
Running time
178 minutes (Tamil)
177 minutes (Hindi)[1]
122 minutes (trimmed Tamil version)[2]
CountryIndia
Languages
  • Tamil
  • Hindi
Budget₹25 crore[3]

Aalavandhan (transl. He Came to Rule) is a 2001 Indian action thriller film[2] directed by Suresh Krissna and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu. The film stars Kamal Haasan in dual roles, alongside Raveena Tandon, Manisha Koirala, Sarath Babu, Gollapudi Maruti Rao, Madurai G.S. Mani and Milind Gunaji. It is an adaptation of the novel Dhayam, written by Haasan in 1984, and has elements of magic realism.[4][5] The film was simultaneously shot in Tamil and Hindi with the latter titled as Abhay (transl. Fearless) with three different actors.[6][7]

Although a commercial disappointment, Aalavandhan was positively received over the next few years, subsequently becoming a cult classic, with some critics stating that the film was "way ahead of its time".[8] The film won the National Film Award for Best Special Effects, and was featured retrospectively at the 2016 Fantastic Fest, where it fetched standing ovation.[9] In 2013, Rediff included the film in its list, "The 10 Best Films of Kamal Haasan".[10] A digitally remastered version, heavily trimmed by 50 minutes, was released on 8 December 2023.[11]

  1. ^ "Abhay (2001)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Aalavanthan". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  3. ^ Bhattacharya, Roshmilla (2 November 2001). "Suresh Krissna: Future shock!". Screen. Archived from the original on 21 November 2001. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  4. ^ Fernandes, Vivek (25 August 2001). "Abhay sings a fearless tune". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  5. ^ "Everyone is a ruler-to-be..." chennaionline.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Abhay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Abhay". Teleport Communications Group. 10 June 2006. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Kamal Haasan's cult film Aalavandhan's digitally remastered version to release soon". Firstpost. 3 June 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Kamal Haasan's Aalavandhan at Fantastic Fest: After 15 years, the film gets much-needed attention". Indiatoday.in. 2 October 2016. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  10. ^ "The 10 BEST Films of Kamal Haasan". Rediff. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  11. ^ "'Aalavandhan' vs. 'Muthu' box office collection: Kamal Haasan starrer surpasses Rajinikanth's film". The Times of India. 11 December 2023. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023.