Cobra (2022 film)

Cobra
Theatrical release poster
Directed byR. Ajay Gnanamuthu
Written by
  • R. Ajay Gnanamuthu
  • Neelan K. Sekar
  • Kanna Sreevathsan
  • Azaruddin Alauddin
  • Innasi Pandiyan
  • Bharat Krishnamachari[1]
Produced byS. S. Lalit Kumar
Starring
CinematographyHarish Kannan
Edited byBhuvan Srinivasan
John Abraham
Music byA. R. Rahman
Production
company
Distributed byRed Giant Movies
Release date
  • 31 August 2022 (2022-08-31)
Running time
183 minutes (theatrical release version)[2]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budgetest. ₹100 crore[3]
Box officeest. ₹68.55 crore[4]

Cobra is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language psychological action thriller film directed by R. Ajay Gnanamuthu and produced by 7 Screen Studio. The film stars Vikram in dual roles, alongside Srinidhi Shetty, Irfan Pathan, Roshan Mathew, Sarjano Khalid, Mirnalini Ravi, Miya George, K. S. Ravikumar, Anandaraj, Robo Shankar and Meenakshi Govindarajan. It marked the acting debut of Irfan Pathan, previously a cricketer, and the Tamil debuts of Roshan Mathew, Sarjano Khalid and Srinidhi Shetty. In the film, an Interpol officer is assigned to catch a mysterious assassin, who intelligently assassinates people using mathematical skills, named "Cobra".

The project was officially announced in May 2019, under the tentative title Vikram 58 as it is the actor's 58th film as a lead actor, and the official title was announced that December. Principal photography commenced in October 2019 and nearly took three years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema, travel restrictions and Vikram's commitments on other projects, wrapping only in February 2022. It was primarily shot in Chennai, while filming also took place in Kerala, Kolkata and Russia. The film has music composed by A. R. Rahman, cinematography handled by Harish Kannan and editing by John Abraham and Bhuvan Srinivasan.

Cobra was released worldwide on 31 August 2022 in theatres, coinciding with Vinayaka Chathurthi, got generally negative reviews from critics, who praised Vikram's performance, Rahman's music, the cinematography and concept but criticized its convoluted screenwriting and excessive length. The film was a box-office bomb.

  1. ^ Cobra – Release Date Announcement Chiyaan Vikram AR Rahman R Ajay Gnanamuthu 7 Screen Studio (Trailer). Sony Music South. 20 May 2022. Event occurs at 0:35. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ "Cobra CBFC rating and runtime details out". Cinema Express. 28 August 2022. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Chiyaan Vikram charges Rs 88 crores for 'Cobra': Reports". The Times of India. 29 August 2022. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cobra BO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).