Kanavu Variyam

<p>Ezhil (Arun Chidambaram) is a brilliant school student. He excels in all subjects and is favorite among teachers. Ezhil grows up with his interest in . Days pass as Ezhil is now a teenager and an aspiring scientist. His father ( ) supports him in his dream, while his mother ( ) does not. Their village often lands in electricity deficits and power cuts. Ezhil aspires to invent a machine to deal with it. Ezhil’s crush Veena ( ) and friend Sakkarai ( ) help him in his research and ideas. Ezhil decides to do it through some waste materials and simple objects such as motors, batteries, etc. He studies the structure of windmills and their works. He then gets an idea about it. When Ezhil constructs a model of the windmill, he faces many obstacles from the villagers on the way, and how he manages to invent it forms the rest of the story. The film’s writer, director and lead actor returned to Chennai from his corporate job in to begin working on the film. Shot entirely in Tamil Nadu during late 2015, Arun Chidambaram revealed that was about the shortage of electricity in the villages of India and would have a theatrical release following an extended circuit of international film festivals. The film was produced by Arun’s brother Karthik, while Shyam Benjamin worked on the film’s soundtrack and Selvakumar associated with the project as the cinematographer. Hindi television actress Jiya Shankar debuted in films as the lead actress, while , , , , and all enacted supporting roles. received media attention within , after it was announced that had associated with the project as a distributor, marking the first collaboration of the Hollywood studio with a South Indian film. The film’s teaser was launched by music director , and received attention from several film industry personalities. The launch of the soundtrack and trailer took place at Prasad Labs in Chennai in February 2017. Along with the whole film crew, it was attended by renowned personalities including film director , space scientist , Tamil Nadu meteorologist Pradeep John, and designer . During the event, in recognition of his scientific achievements, , was conferred with the title “Inspiring Scientist of India” at the event, owing to theme of the film. Bharathiraja was conferred the title “Inspiring Director of India” for his achievements in the film industry, and was conferred with the title “Inspiring Voice of India” award. Further awards were handed to the other chief attendees of the event. The music of was composed by Shyam Benjamin. “Kalla/Manna”, a song from the film which refers to 51 traditional games of rural India, won the Silver Remi for Best Children’s Song and won the Best Youth Focus Music Video award at the at Oklahoma, USA. The film’s world premiere was at the 49th WorldFest Houston International Film Festival on 9 April 2016. Prior to its theatrical release, received critical acclaim in major film festivals across the globe. News portals including The Hindu, NDTV, Dina Thanthi highly appreciated the preview shows of the film and stated “Arun is a director to watch out for”. The film had a theatrical release across Tamil Nadu on 24 February 2017. The New Indian Express called the film a “feel-good entertainer”, adding that “when many of our makers look towards the West for inspiration, it is heartwarming that the U.S. based-Chidambaram has turned to the rural scenario and the issues faced by the villagers as his debut work” and that “the film is inspiring and motivating, is worth a watch by both adults and children. It’s a powerful debut by multi-faceted artist Arun Chidambaram’. Number 1 weekly in Tamil Nadu, “Ananda Vikatan” quoted the film to be a “powerful cinema which inspires the dreamer in you”. Dina Thanthi, the highest read daily in the state quoted “A must-watch entertainer for families”. Other critics gave the film a less welcoming review, with The Times of India stating “as a director, though his plot and intention is commendable, amateurish execution and slow screenplay spoil the flow of the narration”. Sify.com wrote “on the whole, a weak script that lacks subtlety and nuance, the film is ultimately a bore” and that “though the intentions of director Arun Chidambaram is laudable, his bumbling execution is a spoiler”. Sowmya Rajendran of TheNewsMinute also criticised the film stating “science can explain several phenomena, but I am still wondering what explains the film’s success and the reputation it has built for itself”, stating that she was “deeply puzzled” with the film’s success on the international circuit. has received the following recognitions following its preview shows and participation in international film festivals:</p>