| Kaithi | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Kaithi_2019_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lokesh Kanagaraj |
| Written by | Lokesh Kanagaraj Pon Parthiban |
| Produced by | S. R. Prakashbabu S. R. Prabhu Thiruppur Vivek |
| Starring | Karthi Narain Arjun Das |
| Cinematography | Sathyan Sooryan |
| Edited by | Philomin Raj |
| Music by | Sam C. S. |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Dream Warrior Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 146 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | ₹25 crore[2] |
| Box office | est. ₹ 105 crore[3] |
Kaithi (transl. Prisoner) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film[4] directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and produced by S. R. Prakash Babu and S. R. Prabhu under Dream Warrior Pictures and co-produced by Tiruppur Vivek under Vivekananda Pictures. It stars Karthi, alongside Narain, Arjun Das, Harish Uthaman, George Maryan, and Dheena. In the film, a recently released prisoner races against time to drive poisoned cops to a hospital while evading criminals in exchange for meeting his daughter.
Lokesh initially worked on two scripts after the success of Maanagaram (2017), which he scrapped working on due to issues regarding the extensive research and casting process, until he came across a news article about an ex-prisoner's life. He initially wanted Mansoor Ali Khan to play the lead role, but during the writing process, Karthi was asked to play the lead with the scale of the budget being increased further. Principal photography began in December 2018 and was completed by August 2019. The film was entirely shot at night without any daytime sequences taking place during the shoot. It is a songless film with a score composed by Sam C. S. The cinematography and editing were handled by Sathyan Sooryan and Philomin Raj respectively.
Kaithi was released on October 25, 2019, ahead of the Diwali festival, and received positive reviews from critics.[5] Following the positive reception, the film became a box-office success grossing ₹105 crore worldwide, making it one of the top-grossing Tamil films of 2019. The film was further selected for official screening at the International Indian Film Festival Toronto (IIFFT) in August 2020 and won two Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, three Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards, South Indian International Movie Awards, and four Zee Cine Awards respectively. The story is the first installment of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), which follows the dismantling of drug trafficking. Kaithi is followed up in Vikram (2022) with Narain reprising his role as Bejoy while George Maryan reprises his role as Napoleon in Leo (2023), also directed by Lokesh. A sequel titled Kaithi 2 is in development.
- ^ "Kaithi (2019)". Irish Film Classification Office. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ "Kaithi, Which Started Lokesh Cinematic Universe, Earned Four Times Its Budget". News18. 8 December 2023. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
1000crwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Kaithi". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Upadhyaya, Prakash (25 October 2019). "Kaithi movie review by audience: Live updates". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.