Joshua: Imai Pol Kaakha

<p>Joshua, an ex-assassin working for a private security agency in , is assigned to protect his ex-girlfriend Kundhavi Chidambaram, a lawyer based in . It is revealed that Kundhavi is one of the members of a prosecution team hired to testify against Leguiziamo alias El Chapo, the leader of a . El Chapo placed a bounty on the team and had them killed, only Kundhavi survived the attack. Kundhavi soon became the main attorney to punish El Chapo, which resulted in El Chapo in hiring local thugs to finish her. One night, a gang headed by Don Shiva and Koti, Joshua’s childhood friend, arrives to kill Kundhavi at the hotel, but Joshua and his men take them down and Joshua gets injured in the process. Joshua learns about the persons behind the attack through his boss Madhavi. Kundhavi gets kidnapped again by Shiva and Koti, but Joshua saves her again and kills Shiva. Koti escapes again and learns that Joshua is his friend. Koti tells his men to leave Kundhavi, while secretly trying to kill her for money. However, Joshua knew about this, and a fight ensues in which Joshua spares Koti due to their friendship. Meanwhile, Kundhavi’s father Chidambaram arrives to take Kundhavi to a safe place, but Madhavi realises that Chidambaram hired Koti and Shiva to kill Kundhavi as Chidambaram was involved in El Chapo’s drug trade. Kundhavi and Joshua learn about this through Madhavi, where Joshua finishes Chidambaram’s henchmen and Kundhavi kills Chidambaram in self-defense. Joshua promises Kundhavi that he will always be with her and will protect her from various dangers. In July 2019, was reported to have agreed to direct a film produced by of Vels Film International, following the producer’s sudden intervention to relieve Menon from financial constraints that he faced during the making of (2019), with the film starring Ganesh’s nephew . Menon said was considered for the lead role at one point, but declined as he found the script too similar to that of his other film (2019). Varun, who was shooting for in which he had gained weight to 94 kilograms for the film, subsequently lost 22 kilograms in order to achieve a sportive look. Some media reports suggested that the film would be based on the script of , which was originally planned with in 2011, but Menon denied this and claimed it was a separate story. To prepare for his role, Varun trained with Yannick Ben, a renowned Hollywood stunt director, in Paris for a month. Debutant actress Raahei was cast as the lead actress. was initially announced as the music composer in November 2019 after working with Menon in , but was later replaced by playback singer in February 2020. The antagonist of the film was not disclosed until July 2020, when it was announced that will play the main antagonist. Krishna trained stunt sequences under Yannick Ben, who also choreographed the action sequences for the film. began in October 2019. By November 2019, 50% of the film was completed in a single stretch through a schedule in . The makers shot seven action sequences during January 2020, which include car fights and chasing sequences and later prepared to shoot scenes in the United Kingdom and United States. As of June 2020, filming was delayed due to the . By April 2021, filming was complete. Varun began dubbing his lines in April 2022. The music was composed by Karthik in his third film as composer after (2012) and (2016). The first single “Hey Love”, was released on 29 February 2020. The video of the second single “Naan Un Joshua” was released on 17 July 2020, along with the single in music platforms. The third single “Tappasu Neram” was released on 11 December 2021. The fourth single “Joshua Siru Paeraasai” was released on 29 February 2024. was released theatrically on 1 March 2024. The film began streaming on from 28 March 2024. Manigandan KR of gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote “Joshua is yet another typical Gautham Vasudev Menon film – one that has class stamped all over it!.” Sudhir Srinivasan of gave 3/5 stars and wrote “At a time when filmmakers, especially the established ones, are going for bigger and bigger, it’s a relief to see one aim for something modest, something simple, something with no fluff—and pretty much deliver.” Roopa Radhakrishnan of gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote ” works largely due to its action set pieces and music. Joshua, as a character, may be formidable but the same cannot be said about this film.” Ranjani Krishnakumar of gave 2/5 stars and wrote “Gautham Vasudev Menon’s latest has got love, action, mystery and tension. Yet, none of it captures our emotion or imagination, independently or as a whole. In the end, it’s as tiresome as it’s tired.” Bhuvanesh Chandar of wrote “In his most disappointing film yet, director Gautham Menon gives us a terribly weak lead protagonist who cannot hold afloat the emotionless narrative or the uninventive action set-pieces.” Harshini S V of wrote, “You could like or dislike a Gautham Menon film, but is a film where you struggle to see the director’s touch.” is the first of a planned . , which is the forthcoming sophomore instalment in the universe, has Dhivyadharshini reprising her role as Madhavi.</p>